Zkittlez Auto by Fast Buds: Grow Journal with Pics & Commentary

Here's the short(ish) version of my Budget Zkittlez Auto (Fast Buds) grow diary.  For the long version with more pics, check me out on Grow Diaries. 

I dedicate this diary to anyone who has wanted to try growing but been discouraged by the confusing, contradictory & condescending opinions of uppity know-it-alls on sites like Reddit, who insist that expensive LED light boards, specialty soils & other unnecessary shit are required to grow cannabis.  They're not, and many of the things promoted as "The Gospel" are simply false, such as Miracle Gro soil being unfit for growing this plant.  (I even got a couple snarky unsolicited remarks on GrowDiaries which is disappointing considering my diary clearly says BUDGET GROW in the title.  Why must the pot grower community be so snobby?) While powerful lights and bottle ferts will undoubtedly produce bigger yields, they're not required for the plant to grow, thrive & produce a harvest as you'll see here. 

For what it's worth, I know there are better ways to optimize yield & potency, but my focus had to go toward stealth, speed & affordability.  I can neither afford nor have room for giant LED light boards, nor do I wanna bother with installing/hanging one.  CFLs aren't optimal but it's what I already had, as they were considered the best option last time I attempted a grow (like 6-7 years ago).  As with many things, opinions have since changed on that, with the consensus now being that LEDs are superior.  (Just so happens that CFLs are being phased out in favor of LEDs just as incandescents were phased out for CFLs last time I grew.  Be nice if governments made up their minds about which light bulbs we're allowed to use).


This plant was grown in Miracle Gro soil with three 42 watt CFL bulbs, transplanted & given NO bottled nutrients.  Just random homemade fertilizers/feeds (more below). And she gave me more buds than I know what to do with. 

Anyway.  Onto the journal.  It got really long so forgive me.  It's more for my own future reference than your entertainment.  😝

☆*:..｡. .｡.:*☆☆*:..｡. .｡.:*☆☆*:..｡. .｡.:*☆☆*:..｡. .｡.:*☆☆*:..｡. .｡.:*☆☆*:..｡. .｡.:*☆

Strain:  Zkittlez Auto by Fast Buds via NASC (came in original Fast Buds packet).  Feminized seed.  An indica-dominant (60%/40%) hybrid dessert-flavored strain that allegedly flowers in 55-65 days from sprouting.  Parents (according to Google) = Granddaddy Purple x Grapefruit x Ruderalis.  (Original Zkittlez is a cross between Grape Ape x Grapefruit x Unknown Indica). So not exactly the same but quite similar in terms of the Sativa/Indica balance!  


Here's how Granddaddy Purple compares to Grape Ape, for anyone curious:

Two purple/grapey indicas, compared.

Aroma:  Fruity (like its namesake!) with major berry overtones & hints of chocolate.  At least that's the seller's pitch.  My girl had NO smell most of the grow and smelt like a rotten dead skunk toward the end.  But boy oh boy did that change after drying!  

Drying:  I used the "Lotus drying" method of putting the buds in the fridge to dry them "low and slow".  No way could I keep my apt. cold enough for that long.  That was the majority of dry time; the rest was spent hanging in the closet or sitting in the closet in their box.  So I guess it was kind of a hybrid technique.  

Curing:  The basic Mason jar in the dark method.  Opened jars 2x daily for 30 minutes the first week, 1x 30 minutes daily in the second week & 1x 20 minutes daily in Week 3.

Additional notes:  Zkittlez Auto is allegedly a stretchy one that's a bit more temperamental than other autos, but the end result was great for most growers.  Indeed, my plant was VERY finicky when it came to watering & other minor changes, and she got hella tall.  I've never grown such a tall, lanky, Sativa-looking plant before!  But she looks identical to the other Z Auto by Fast Buds plants I've seen in photos so she's the real deal.  

SUPPLIES  🧰

Total cost:  $90.  Already had all items except the seed, bananas, Ona Pro-Gel & foil, so I only spent like $45 at the time of the actual grow.   

  

LIGHTING

Vegetative:  One Daylight (6500k) CFL 42w bulb + indirect sunlight from a North-facing window in seedling stage.  Supplemented with an uncovered 9w LED household bulb a few hours a day.  Aluminum foil for reflection.  22 hours on/2 hours off. 

Pre-flowering (Week 5):  One of each CFL bulb - Daylight + Warm Yellow (2700k).  LED 9w bulb (side lighting) all night.  20 hours on/4 hours off

Flowering:  (Week 6):  Two Warm Yellow (2700k) CFL 42w bulbs.  Daylight CFL bulb for side lighting.  Aluminum foil reflectors.  18 hours on/6 hours off.

WATER

Great Value Purified Drinking Water (Purified water, calcium chloride, sodium bicarbonate).

SOIL

Miracle Gro Moisture Control (90%); Unknown succulent soil mix (10%).

     This particular soil has enough nitrogen* that I didn't expect to have to supplement it.  It contains a mix of sphagnum peat moss, processed forest products, peat, coir, perlite, fertilizer, and a wetting agent & an N-P-K ratio of 0.18-0.10-0.10.

* Legend has it that Miracle Gro soil is completely incompatible with cannabis due to its "slow-release nitrogen" that allegedly burns the plant in flowering.  Not true.  This grow was more successful than my 2 prior grows, one of which was in the same fabric pot and the other in a Solo cup--both using Black Gold soil (a frequently recommended one for cannabis grows).  In fact, I'd actually recommend Miracle Gro Moisture Control soil for your cannabis grows.  I'll be using it next time I attempt this.

FERTILIZER

This is where things get "controversial".  I didn't use any store-bought bottled ferts at all, instead opting for items I had lying around the house.  And overall the plant responded extremely favorably, perking up more than when I fed her plain water.  

- I gave 1/2 a gram of potassium humates foliar feed (diluted in 1/2 gallon of water) as in Week 4.  I used the same water as I use regularly (Great Value drinking water) & pH'ed it first.  Applied with a spray bottle on two consecutive days.

- I gave 1/2 gram potassium humates soil feed in 1/2 gallon of water in Week 5.

- Sprinkled cannabis ash in the soil throughout the grow for phosphorus.  

- I used diluted urine as an emergency source of nitrogen in Week 6 when the bottom leaves started to yellow and fall off.  

- Fermented brown rice water in Week 6 for more nitrogen.  She turned dark green after.

- Banana tea made from the peel of 1 banana (diluted 1:7) in Week 7.  And again only days before flush after harvesting the tops.

Air Circulation/Temperatures:  I kept a ceiling fan and/or standing oscillating fan on her most of the time, both to strengthen the stem & keep temperatures down, plus it seemed to help keep the bugs away.  During lights out I mostly kept her in total darkness with the ceiling fan on high and the air conditioner bringing temps down to 68-74F (which was cooler than "daytime" temps).  We dropped the temperature progressively by a few degrees as harvest approached to mimic outdoor autumn conditions. It was around 74 in the daytime in August & down to 72ish during lights-on nearer the end.  And 68 at night.   🥶

Humidity:  No idea what humidity levels were in the room but here are the average humidity levels in my area between August & October: 

	Daily average: 60-67%
	August	80	43
	September	83	49
	October	79	46

(First number is morning humidity, second is afternoon).  Yep, it's a wet bitch where I live.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    

METHODS  🧪

Seed Storage:  In breeder packaging inside a small box in refrigerator door.

Germination Method:  Soaked in a cup of water 12 hours + 2 days in damp paper towels.  Planted with taproot facing down.

Transplantation:  Yes (End of Week 2).  Solo cup ---> 5-gallon fabric pot.

Another "controversial" decision with autos, I chose to transplant from a Solo cup to her final 5 gallon fabric pot because my past autoflower did great in a cup and both grows had the same problem:  rapid, severe yellowing & leaf death around week 7.  I was hoping to avoid or mitigate that by giving a new batch of soil and thus, new nutrients.  I waited until the very end of Week 2 before making the move & she tolerated it VERY well.  No drooping, yellowing or anything else.  And no rapid leaf death in Week 6-7 this time!

Training:  Leaf-tucking (Week 5-6). Attempted but not needed due to wide internode space.

Since transplantation likely slowed things down a bit, I'm forgoing LST or any other potentially stressful training methods.  There weren't really enough leaves to "tuck" so I tied them down with pipe cleaners for a bit.  No noticeable effect.

Flush:  Yes.  Ice water flush followed by 24 hours of darkness before first harvest.  Week 11.   Second ice flush for remaining plant + 48 hours darkness.  Harvest at Day 96. 

Harvest:Staggered/partial (2 weeks apart).  Took the top cola in 3 parts (12 hours apart) and let the rest
continue growing, then chopped it 2 weeks later. 

Trim:  Wet.  Too humid here to play around with extra foliage on the buds.

Drying:  Cardboard box in the fridge 80% of the time + in my closet the other 20%.  

Curing:  Mason jars at room temperature in the dark.  "Burped" a couple times a day.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grow Notes  🗒

Germinated using a new method I hadn't tried before and it went great.  12 hours in a cup of water followed
by 2 days in paper towels in a Ziplock bag tacked up to the inside of a cabinet so the taproot would grow down.
Vegetation was completely uneventful even after transplant.  This is the healthiest plant of the 3 I've grown 
despite using Miracle Gro soil which is rumored to "burn" cannabis plants.  

She developed inter-node action at the very beginning of Week 4, but still too soon to tell sex though it was a 
feminized seed.  (P.S. what's with all the articles comparing autoflowers to feminized cannabis, as if autos 
can't be feminized?!)

Germination through Week 3

I learned about a process called "nyctinasty" which explains why this plant moves itself so dramatically in response to minor changes in light, water, temperature, etc.  Like, I know plants are living things and move, but I've NEVER seen one move so fast!  It felt like I had a sentient being in my bedroom with me.  Actually got kinda attached to her and hated to chop.  She changed positions multiple times a day and often very quickly.  She goes from drooping to "praying", slumps over on top and stands back up and turns sharply toward the light at times.  

Top left = normal; top right = after watering. 
Bottom left = evening; bottom right = morning.

Zkittlez Auto is very waterphobic.  Despite making sure my water was room temperature & perfectly pH'ed, she still pulled that whole drooping/over watered thing most times.  And I only watered once every SEVEN days in veg using only 16.9 fl Oz. of water at a time!  Soil was bone dry on watering day, I'd had fans running directly on her (fabric) pot full of moisture control soil, etc.  Diva!  

I was planning to do leaf-tucking as training but as you can see, there aren't enough leaves to really do that.  So I put little "weights" on her fan leaf branches instead to open up the bud spaces & give them more light.  And they seemed to really take off that day!  (Zkittlez Auto is a stretchy beast).  Indeed, this plant ended up growing WAY taller in the pre-flowering stage.  Had to raise my lights twice.  By Week 7 she was 18 inches tall--my tallest plant to date.  By Week 9, she was 31 inches!  I kept my CFLs very close most of the grow, like maybe 1-2 inches away from the top and sides.  Even with side lighting, the bottom buds lagged in maturity, with most pistils remaining white at the very bottom.

By Week 6 I was having some yellowing and had lost 2 bottom leaves to it.  Panic ensued, PTSD from past grows most likely.  In a desperate bid to save the plant & prevent the rapid yellowing I had with both other grows, I supplemented emergency nitrogen via diluted urine & then fermented rice water, both in Week 6.  Oddly, she seemed to like this concoction better than the plain pH'ed water I usually give, though it might've caused a bit of nitrogen overload based on the dark upper leaves with downward curling ends.   

My apartment has a very minor bug problem, leafhoppers if Google is correct.  Whatever they are, they've been chewing through some of my leaves & budsites, though not too terribly.  I've been sucking them up in my handheld vacuum whenever possible.  

Odd problems that arose in preflower.

This plant is behaving as if the top and bottom halves were two different plants.  The bottom turns yellow & dries up (nitrogen deficiency), the top is dark green with nitrogen OD claw.  When the bottom droops and has a papery texture (underwatered), the top is bloated, dark & plays dead when watered (overwatered).  When some branches are happy & "praying," the rest sag & droop.  Despite these oddities, she got very tall  & grew a shit-ton of budsites, a few of which I removed.  

Unlike my previous 2 grows, this plant didn't go yellow all over and have crispy leaves that fell off in Week 7.  I attribute that to carefully pH'ing my water and feeds first.  Also, I suspect transplanting into a bigger pot with fresh soil in Week 2 helped keep her fed.  I topped up her soil around Week 6 in a bid to increase nitrogen also.  For future reference, I'd suggest keeping the nitrogen coming strong through the end of Week 6 rather than switching to phosphorus/potassium as soon as preflowering starts.  I figured the MG soil would be sufficient but she still required additional N during the preflowering phase as evidenced by the yellowing bottom leaves that fell off.  

Week 7 shots: 3 of the top cola; lower right of some satellite buds

As of Week 7 the plant still didn't produce a smell unless I touched her leaves or jostled her around a lot.  Smell became more apparent in Week 9 but was still minimal.  I clipped off 2 budsites in early Week 7 as they had absolutely zero flower power...they were just clusters of small leaves.  

Buds stayed disappointingly small until Week 9, when they damn near doubled in size daily.  That's also when the smell became apparent: nothing like berries or Skittles... more like a dead skunk.  But the frost & odor DID eventually come!

Week 8 & 9 shots.

While I was more careful with things like pH than in my last 2 grows, overall I think these NASC/Fast Buds genetics are just stronger & more resilient than Dinafem.  For a plant grown in "no-no" soil with 3 weak CFL bulbs and no bottled fertilizers, she handled things like transplantation very well.  I even had to hide her under a black 40-gallon trash bag for a whole day due to a surprise visit from the landlord.  She bounced back from every insult and ended up being the tallest, highest yielding plant I've ever grown.  All things considered the only thing I'd change is to extend nitrogen supplementation a bit longer, keeping it coming through the end of Week 6.  

Weeks 10 & 11

Weeks 12 & 13

HARVEST DAY:  Days 82 & 96

FINAL HEIGHT:  33 inches
FINAL (DRY) WEIGHT:  ?


She took longer to grow than I'd anticipated (though I knew grow conditions weren't optimal & it could take longer) and got MUCH taller than expected!  Granted, I didn't do any fancy training to keep height down, but still.  She required side lighting just to ensure that the bottom half wasn't light-deprived.  



SMOKE REPORT   😶‍🌫

She smokes as pretty as she looks, and the effects keep improving the more she dries/cures.  Effects are heavy & sedating with a distinctly giggly edge.  Reminds me of the high I used to get back in the day as a teen or 20-smtg. before the anxiety kicked in.  Bag appeal is on point and she smells so pungent despite having almost NO smell when growing or drying!  I'd describe the aroma as a skunk shooting fruity scents out its rear lmao.    

Overall the fridge drying went as well as it possibly could have.  The plant retained its vibrant colors, has an incredibly pungent aroma and doesn't taste the least bit like chlorophyll or hay.  Just don't be surprised if your buds lose ALL smell during drying because mine sure did.  But boy does it come back with a vengeance when you break them up!  There's no way I could've kept my apartment cold enough to dry this in the closet without compromising some major terps.  It appears low and slow truly is the way to go!  🥶🌡


INSIGHTS  🤔

Obviously she would've done better with the standard bottle nutes, but again this was a budget grow.  Not everyone is growing strictly for High Times centerfold buds or commercial yields--for some the focus has to be stealth, speed & affordability.  THOSE are the people I'm sharing this for.  Hopefully one day cannabis and all other drugs will be fully legalized & regulated at the federal level, with seed breeders held to higher standards & punished for making false claims about lineage/other aspects, but for now that's just not the case.  Even in states where it's legal, that doesn't apply to people on a military base, in a college dorm, government housing or living with nosy roommates (parents).  The penalties for getting caught growing even small amounts of weed in those settings could include losing your housing or even your career/government assistance, and using medical cannabis legally could even get you passed over for a vital organ transplant.  We MUST stop these cruel and senseless practices, and the only way to do that is to uniformly legalize (not decriminalize) all drugs (not just weed).

Growing cannabis is a fun, easy hobby for anyone who enjoys gardening & can be very rewarding regardless of yields.  I could probably buy some dispensary buds for cheaper than the cost of electricity and other supplies it cost me to grow this one plant, but that's not the point.  I don't know what was used to grow those buds, and at least where I live the strain names are often bullshit.  Old landrace strains like Acapulco Gold, Chocolate Thai and Santa Marta Gold are frequently marketed here despite being extremely rare and hard to grow.  And that's the medical industry I'm talking about.  Growing weed is something I've wanted to do my whole life, and only now do I have the privacy to really experiment with it.  I'm a very light/occasional user of the plant as well, saving it for severe cramps, nausea or insomnia rather than daily use.  So to ME, this yield was more than enough to last like 2 years.  

So a big FUCK YOU to the naysayers and bro science spitters who said it couldn't be done or that I "didn't know what I was doing".  I know exactly what I'm doing and why.  And in the end I got more than I even hoped for.  Yep, I'm still salty about the negativity & fearmongering because weed heads are supposed to be above that shit.  As a member of multiple online drug communities, I can say with certainty that you guys are the most insufferable by FAR.  

Lastly, shout out to Fast Buds for these genetics.  I'd gladly grow both Fast Buds and Zkittlez Auto again.

FINAL PICS (click to view full size)