Since Lowryder (LR) and it's many crosses have become so popular (due to their short life cycle and short height) I decided it was important to have the Joint Doctor's growing info as he is the original breeder of LR, as well as some background information and history of autoflowering plants and of the Lowryder cannabis strain. * For CHQ's LR strain guide page click here -->
http://www.cannabishq.com/39lr.html *
OFFICIAL LOWRYDER GROW GUIDE (10/04) - written by the
Joint doctor Preferred growing methods
Indoors:
Lowryder performs very well in soil mix (pots or beds) or in soil-less systems, where it can be cultivated from seed to bud in two months –
18 hours of light per day is recommended all the way through. Switching light cycles down to 12 hours may diminish yields and shorten the already-short life cycle slightly. Because Lowryder’s life cycle is so brief, cloning becomes impracticable, so only plants from seed are grown. By default, Lowryder is a great choice for sea-of-green.
Because flowering plants and seedlings can be maintained in the same room, Lowryder presents new possibilities for the small to medium home grower, including “staggering” your indoor harvest. A true continuous harvest system may be achieved by planting new plants periodically to replace the ones that have been harvested. This ensures that a grow room is always full and always producing fresh bud, and one never has too much work at once. Click here to learn more about the Joint Doctor’s “1-2-3” continuous harvest method.
For best results, place jiffy pellet or plant directly into 1-2 gal.pots. Alternatively, start in 4-inch peat pots, then place rootbound females into a plant bed after sexing (at approx. 17-20 days) – this may result in smaller plants than the first method. Grown under a 12 to 24 hour/daylight cycle from start to finish. I recommend 18 hours per day; this can be decreased to 16 after the first month with no loss of yield.
Outdoors:
Sow directly into soil after soaking, in 2 gal. pots or plant beds. New stands of Lowryder can be planted up until late summer, to ensure a continuous harvest outdoors. Avoid transplanting if you can, but do so if plants become rootbound. Rogue (remove) males at three weeks.
Growth Factors:
Lowryder is extremely versatile in that it can be cultivated in virtually any climate or grow environment. In fact, it has pushed the envelope of growing, enabling early harvests in unlikely places like Finland, the North West Territories, and other northern, short-season, or high altitude areas. It is also well-adapted to backyard gardens, windowsills and patios where plants can be easily concealed because of their tiny size.
Nothing will mature earlier or faster than Lowryder! When other varieties have barely begun flowering, Lowryder outdoor growers are kicking up their feet and already enjoying their fresh harvests.
Characteristics:
Lowryder virtually does away with the vegetative growth stage: it passes almost immediately from the seedling stage to the flowering period. To our knowledge, Lowryder has the shortest known life cycle and height in the cannabis species.
Male plants may be identified as such after approx. 17-20 days, while females show themselves a couple days later. Plants will even flower under a continuous light regime.
Lowryder females usually grow no taller than 16-20 inches. 12-16 inches is typical. Light intensity, pot size, and proper pH all play an important role in determining the size of plants at maturity – the better the conditions, the bigger the yield. Plants produce one main cola, although when they receive adequate light, lower nodes branch out profusely.
Yield and height are dependent on obvious growth factors. For example, plants kept in small peat cups on a windowsill may yield as little as 1 g. and grow no taller than 6 inches, with no branching whatsoever; while a plant in a 4-gallon container under high-intensity lighting and good cultivation methods, can turn into a profusely branched, two-foot wide 45-gram bud monster.
Fertilizer:
During the first two weeks of growth, Lowryder should be weekly light feedings of a “grow” type nutrient solution, with micronutrients. When plants pass into full flower, they should be started on a “bloom” regime for weeks 4 through 6. Mycorise-type biological amendments (root stimulators) seem to increase growth significantly.
Average flowering time:
Indoors: 40-45 days (after a 15-20 day seedling stage)
Outdoors: ripens approx. 60 days after seed is sown.
Note: 100% of plants display the auto-flowering genotype.
Average Height:
12 inches. Minimum: 5 inches, maximum 16 inches (very light-dependent, with slight phenotype variations).
Yield:
Depending on light and other factors, Lowryder yields between 3 and 45g** – one report even claims 98g*** for one exceptional plant under hydroponics. Extremely light-dependent in terms of yield. Without adequate conditions, plants may stay extremely small, almost comically so – but still produce a decent smoke.
* Buds are compactand close-quartered, slightly irregular and variable, with high bud/leaf ratio.
* Thick pistils, with orange coloration, and medium-sized, individual calyxes.
* Tends to be top-heavy indoors. Typically, budding sites start very close to the ground.
Experience and Notes:
* High is uplifting, surprisingly strong.
* Well-rounded. Best suited for outdoor activities.
* Smoke is smooth with pleasant, earthy undertones.
* Smell is not overpowering.
* Unique flavor, with echoes of NL and William’s Wonder in the bouquet.
JD on nutes:I get alot of requests for more info on nutrient needs for Lowryder. This is a hard question to answer as it depends how much money you want to shell out for nutrient products.
I get Advanced Nutrient products (many say the best) at a discount and I have adapted their formula for my own use. Advanced Nutrients provides a complete program for an 8-week grow and has a guide for different growing mediums.
For the first two weeks, I use what they recommend for seedlings.
Then I use the Micro 2+ Light Feeding program for the rest of their life cycle. I usually skip week 3 and 5 to bring it down to a 6 week program which I begin as soon as LRs are sexed.
I know it sounds complicated. Obviously all this is not needed.
As a rule of thumb, treat Lowryders like seedlings for the first 2-3 weeks, then switch them onto a light bloom program. So, you feed them a seedling/transplanting formula the first 2 weeks, then switch to a bloom fertilizer with something like a 5-10-5 or 1-2-1 ratio of N-P-K.
Give them a feeding of bloom fertilizer every week on weeks 3,4,5,6. Just pH-balanced water on week 7. Flushing solution on week 8.
...
or for organic freaks, just plant into organic soil mix with bat guano mixed in... and put away the calculator... .
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** Wikipedia says Lowryder yields between 3 and 50 grams on average, Joint Doctor's Lowryder grow guide only say 45g so it was edited, adding "between 3 and 50 grams".
*** Wikipedia states that one LR plant yielded 98 grams. Joint Doctor's Lowryder grow guide stated 96 grams, so it was changed to "98g".----------------------------
Lowryder is the result of many years of selective breeding by the famed Joint Doctor. It claims a heritage of
Williams Wonder x Northern Lights #2 x Mexican Rudy (C. Ruderalis). Mexican Rudy's exact lineage is not known but it is thought to be a cross between a Russian Ruderalis strain and a Mexican Sativa.
The Ruderalis in the strain provides the genetic information to cause
the autoflowering trait which causes the plant to begin flowering regardless of the light cycle at about 17-20 days of age. Most plants will reach maturity at approximately 60 days from sprouting and will yield anywhere from 3 grams to around 50 grams depending on container size, lighting, and general environment (it has been reported that one exceptional plant grown in hydroponics produced 98 grams). The height of this recent strain when mature is typically around 12 inches, making it extremely easy to conceal.
Lowryder can be grown in soil, in hydroponics, and aeroponics - all with great success. It has been found that
Lowryder is not highly tolerant of significant nutrient levels. As such, feedings should be kept very diluted. Additionally, this plant is not picky in its lighting needs. While high pressure sodium (Sodium vapor lamp) lighting is recommended for the best growth and yield of Lowryder, it is possible to grow under compact fluorescents and has even been grown in windowsills successfully (although the yield of a windowsill plant is rarely significant). Lowryder also lends itself well to outdoor stealth growing as it can be grown in many flower beds or bushes without giving itself away.
Overall, Lowryder has proven to be excellent for non-commercial purposes, allowing smokers to remove themselves from dealings with unreliable, inconsistent, or potentially dangerous drug dealers. While acceptance of this strain has been slow and it still has many critics, it is well on its way to becoming one of the best known strains.
(info from wikipedia)
