Okay dank community, I'm coming to you as a first time growing needing help. I post on X but i brought it here hoping to not get a million and one answers and get the experienced grower's perspective. Please don't hold back! I made a bunch of rookie mistakes that i am paying for now. This being my first grow i am realizing its easier then i thought it was but also im not used to having to check for deficiencies like i am indoors. With that being said lets start.....
okay so i am running two fem Auto flowers from a guy on X. I put them in Purple Cow Indicanja in 10gl plastic pots on 2/25/25. Used non PH water until 3/22 when i asked a X member about it. Started a flush and Phing water since then. I water every three days give or take. Now watering with Ph water Ph'd at 6.5. I am growing in a 3x3 with a Mars Hydro TSW2000 at 70%. I have been battling high temps for weeks now with no prevail, i have my 6 inch inline as an exhaust. I am running a 4 inch exhaust fan out of the bottom with two clip fans.
issues -
PH, overwatering, Nitrogen toxicity, and possible light burn.
mistakes - my opinions
water only soil
not Ph'n water from beginning
light being too close
autoflowers not Photos ( the X member knows what he's doing it's me making mistakes)
ovwrwatering because i was new and eager
Possible light burn after flush from not moving light up while plants stretched a little.
germing seeds in paper towel and not directly in soil for Auto
my plants are mine and i am dealing with them. I will learn from my mistakes and the advice from others. I can take the heat but lets not making it a bash session please. I want to learn not be talked about and learn nothing from this. If i wanted that i wouldn't post and just argue with myself of what i am doing wrong.
-Mac
March 5 
first signs of N toxicity i think
Mar 14 droopy yellow spotted leaves 
Mar 21 finally realized and thought to flush medium. 
March 29 after the flush and Ph'd water @ 6.5 and a few leaves plucked that dried up on the bottom from too much Nitrogen.
April 7-8 the ladies started to grow a little bit and i forgot to move the light between waterings. I also started 17/7 light cycle because my heat is ridiculous. My highs are 82° with lows of 78°. I added the 4" exhaust fan pushing out of the tent.
this is what i thought was possible light burn but was informed it might be Nitrogen toxicity still. Since the pistils aren't burned.
Hey Mac, appreciate you laying it all out—this kind of honesty is how real growers level up, so you’re already doing better than most by asking the right questions.
You’re spot on identifying some of the key issues:
- pH imbalance early on definitely threw things off (non-pH’d water + water-only soil is tough for autos).
- Overwatering is another big one—autos are sensitive and prefer a full dry-back cycle. If you’re watering every 3 days without checking how light the pot feels, that might’ve kept roots too wet for too long.
- Nitrogen toxicity is visible in the clawed dark leaves around mid-stage—likely from the soil being a little hot for autos. That Purple Cow mix can be rich right out the bag.
- Light intensity might also be playing a role. Your Mars Hydro at 70% in a 3x3 is strong for autos. Try dimming it to 60–65% and raise it a few inches if pistils are still looking happy but leaf tips are yellowing.
What I’d do now:
- Let those pots fully dry before the next water. Use the lift test—if it feels light, it’s ready.
- On the next watering, check runoff pH and PPM to see where things sit.
- After that, give them a light feeding with low-N CalMag support and a balanced bloom formula around 400–500 PPM. Nothing heavy—just enough to restart clean uptake.
You’re on the right track. Don’t stress the early mistakes—it’s how everyone learns. Keep documenting and stay curious. You’ve got the mindset to finish strong.
Don’t hesitate to ask anything you need. This won’t be a pile-on like X. This is a real structural community. Everyone contributes, and through that, we build a consensus-based solution—which is exactly why I believe in creating a platform that elevates contribution, not chaos.
No algorithmic drama. No outrage bait. Just meaningful input that doesn’t get throttled or buried.
I’ve been around since the IRC days, helping the ones who didn’t get recognition from the so-called seniors. I never turned away a grower who needed help—especially the ones struggling. And every single one of them managed to pull off a harvest because someone listened and gave them a hand.
So bring more growers like yourself—those tired of armchair critics and noise on X. This is your place of respite.
Let’s build it right.
– Dankmaster
🤨🔥🤘💯
Dankmaster,
thank you very much first off thank you for creating this environment where anyone and everyone can ask questions. Very much appreciated, so many thanks sir!
Okay, lights come on in 35 minutes. So I'll head down and do a few things down there. Turn the light down a bit, also going to do the lift test and checking the Dry back. I was going to water them either tonight or tomorrow. So this is great, i found a little grow shop down the street from us. So I'll pick up some nutes tomorrow and read up on PPM tonight. Many thanks again Dankmaster
-Mac
I'll also add that 82 with lights on is a perfect temp. If you change anything, turn that bottom fan around so it is an intake fan. This will pump cooler fresh air into the tent instead of just sucking the walls of the tent in. Your light is fine around %70, just watch the leaves for any signs of "tacoing" if the leaves begin to fold like a taco shell just back the light off a few inches.
@Mac have you ever grown photoperiod plants? What drew you to the autos?
@CannabisCrusader this was my first grow. I was following a breeder on X. I was trying to figure out as a new grower what was best to grow. His plants looked nice so i purchased. Not going to lie, when i started i thought autos would be easy because i didn't have to do much. In reality i soon found out autos are pickier due to the limited time they grow and i did actually have to do much haha
Now for the good stuff.....
on 4/11 i mixed up a batch of CalMag and some light feed. Fed to both ladies, so after the last 8 days i feel like they appreciated the feed. I've done a little cleaning and changing things up. We removed the humidifier completely now. Took it out to clean it up but while it was drying, we noticed the Rh didn't change much maybe 5-10%. So we chose to keep it out and Rh has been a constant 49% on all three Hygrometers.
These were 5 days after the first feeding
and these were last night after lights came on.
then the clean up and removal of unnecessary things inside the tent.
Send me your address. I'll send you some photoperiod seeds. Autos are a pain in the ass. Plus you can't clone them, so if you find a good one its gone already. You find a good photoperiod, or buy a good clone its yours until you screw it up!
@CannabisCrusader i do have a bunch of Photos. I would love to accept the seeds but i am open to trade if you'd like. No need to give anything away and if i dont have anything you'd like to trade im sure we can work something out brother
I got beans coming out my ass sideways lol. Appreciate the offer tho. Lmk if youd like some anyways and I'll get a few flips out to you. I have clones available too.
I definitely will thank you so much. I'm in the same boat, butt load of seeds. I purchased those first Autos and everything after that has been photos. Funny i asked about a breeders seeds what they were one time and i got the best answer i could've expected "Regular as God intended"
Good morning fellow Dankers yesterday was the start of week 9 from breaking through the dirt!
March 19 was the first Picture i took that had actual bud formations. So that would date me closer to 7 weeks in flower or day 52/3ish of flower. Did not think counting days was important at the start of all this.
Temps are still in the high 78s and low of 64. After turning our fan at the bottom into an intake fan. Light is approximately 26” from plants still cooking at 70%.
Have not done much with them but the continued light feeding and normal waterings. Tuck a few leaves here and there but we’re just trucking a long. Doing our best to still learn what i can for the future runs.
Have a great weekend
Here are the ladies this morning
@MAC
You’re doing great! Documenting it like this is really smart — the more you track now, the sharper your timing and instincts will be on future runs.
You’re already learning exactly what most growers miss early on: the details matter. Temps, RH%, light distance, day counts — it all adds up over time.
Stay consistent, trust the cycle, and you’re going to keep leveling up faster than you realize. Proud to have you as part of this community 🫡💯🤘
March 6 update
