Strawberry Banana Auto Cannabis Strain Week-by-Week Guide
- 1. Grow specifications
- 2. Grow set up
- 3. Germination and seedling stage | week 1
- 4. Early veg | week 2
- 5. Mid veg | weeks 3-4
- 6. Transition (pre-flower) | week 5
- 7. Early flower | weeks 6-7
- 8. Mid flower (bulk phase) | weeks 8-9
- 9. Ripening and harvest | week 10
- 10. Yield and smoke report
- 11. In conclusion
With a name like this, you can guess that Strawberry Banana Auto is a very delicious strain of weed and full of juicy terps. But this strain was created by Fastbuds primarily as a resin production champion with extremely high levels of THC and also as a very productive plant that can bring you generous harvests in a very short time. So, this cannabis is an all-round winner, probably the best autoflower of 2022.
In our Strawberry Banana Auto week-by-week grow guide, we will show you the simple steps that you’ll need to follow to grow this cannabis to perfection. Based on a real-world grow journal found online, this grow report is proof of how easy it is to grow this autoflower indoors in soil and harvest about 90 grams of dry bud from each plant in just 8-9 weeks from seed.
1. Grow Specifications
Strawberry Banana Auto is a very balanced hybrid that has about 45% Sativa genes and 55% Indica genes. You’d probably think that this hybrid wouldn't grow very tall, but you would be wrong. The plants can reach as much as 110-150 cm if you let them grow naturally. This is enough ‘real estate’ to produce generous amounts of bud: 450-600 gr/m2 indoors. Outdoors, it’s much harder to control environmental conditions, that's why Strawberry Banana Auto can bring anywhere from 50 to 250 g/plant.
With a size and yields like this, StrawNana takes about 10-11 weeks to finish, which is a bit more than in an average autoflower. However, sometimes, she’ll finish much faster as the following report will be proof of. The main thing is that at the end of the run, you’ll get buds that pack an unbelievable 27% THC and taste of tropical fruit, primarily bananas but also strawberries.
2. Grow Set Up
Although she is a rather new strain in the Fastbuds collection, Strawberry Banana Auto is very popular genetic and there are many grow reports that can serve as a perfect example of how to cultivate this weed. A grower with the nickname WeedSoilABC decided to keep his eight plants, including Strawberry Banana Auto, in a grow tent for several weeks before planting them outside to rough it out in the harsh UK spring weather. He has a spacious tent (about 2.3 m2) equipped with several LED grow lights (1400W all in all) and cultivates his autoflowers SOG-style in big fabric pots. The rest of his grow setup is totally unremarkable.
| Grow Space: | 2.3 m2 (25 ft2) | Pot Size: | 30 L |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seed to Harvest: | 10 weeks | Medium: | Soil |
| Flowering: | 6 weeks | Nutrients: | Organic |
| Light Cycle: | 18/6 | pH Levels: | 6.3 |
| Light Type: | LED | Day Temperature: | 25°C |
| Watts Used: | 1400 | Humidity: | 65% |
3. Germination And Seedling Stage | Week 1
A grow cycle starts with germinating your seeds. Although it seems very easy, this is the most nerve-wracking of all the stages in the life cycle of a cannabis plant. The thing is that it’s very hard for beginners to believe that a seed they have purchased online will crack and germinate and grow into a big plant full of resinous buds. However, you shouldn't be afraid. There are many fool-proof germination methods, and you can choose any of them for reliable results.
| Plant Height: | 7 cm | Humidity: | 65% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance to Light: | 100 cm | Water per Day: | 0.01 L |
| Day Temp: | 25°C | pH: | 6.3 |
| Night Temp: | 19°C | Smell: | None |
The method that this gardener has chosen is not recommended to beginners because you will see a seedling emerge above the surface only after two or three days at best, and meanwhile, you will be biting your nails waiting for it to pop up. This method is planting your seed straight into the medium. However, with some experience, you can do it as well.
Just plant your seed about 1 cm deep and cover it with loose soil. After that, water it a little from a teaspoon. Then wait for 2-3 days or more.
The gardener also chose to plant his seeds into starter containers, meaning to replant them after a while into bigger, final pots. Although it’s not recommended for autoflowers to be repotted, modern autoflowering genetics tolerate this procedure. So, if circumstances require it, you can do repotting as well, but perform the procedure very gently and carefully.
If you grow in soil and have enough medium in your pots, then the only thing your plants will need for the first couple of weeks is pure water. You don't have to use any nutrients at this stage.
Since it was meant to be an organic grow, the gardener decided to use a couple of organic root growth stimulants. One was Plant Success (Plant Revolution) Great White, and the other was Ecothrive Biosys. Both contain different species of beneficial bacteria, mycorrhizal fungi, and other microbial life, as well as some natural plant growth stimulants. Of course, you can use any other kind of organic inoculants as well (see a sample nute schedule in the chart below).
4. Early Veg | Week 2
While in the first week from seed, the main development was happening underground where roots were growing, in the second week, you’ll see more pronounced changes aboveground. True leaves begin to grow in earnest. If the plant likes its environment, you will see the first signs of side branches forming as well.
| Plant Height: | 12 cm | Humidity: | 65% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance to Light: | 150 cm | Water per Day: | 0.1 L |
| Day Temp: | 25°C | pH: | 6.3 |
| Night Temp: | 19°C | Smell: | None |
When growing in soil, the only thing that a plant needs in week 2 is still only pure water. However, this grower decided to spray his girls with some Biosys. Other than that, you don't have to do much: just make sure that your cannabis gets enough light but not too much because otherwise, it can cause light stress. At this stage, the most commonly used light schedule is 18/6. For autoflowers, you can use it throughout the grow.
By the end of the second week, some of the girls were big enough to be transplanted. The grower put the biggest of them into 40-liter grow bags and the smaller ones into 30-liter grow bags. As you can see in the picture below, a few seedlings have just emerged and were too small for repotting.
We’d say the grow bags were too big for autoflowers. Autos have a rather short life cycle, so their roots won't use up all the medium in such big containers. 20 liters would probably have been enough.
5. Mid Veg | Weeks 3-4
Weeks 3 and 4 are a very important time in the life cycle of a cannabis plant. This point in the timeline is called the vegetative phase, and you should do your best to provide your autoflowers with enough light and nutrients and also to keep the conditions close to ideal. The thing is that now, your cannabis grows the roofs, the stem, the branches, and the leaves and thus forms the foundation for the future harvest. Neglect the vegetative phase, and you'll get a smaller plant and smaller yields.
| Plant Height: | 20-25 cm | Humidity: | 65% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance to Light: | 150 cm | Water per Day: | 0.2 L |
| Day Temp: | 25°C | pH: | 6.3 |
| Night Temp: | 19°C | Smell: | Weak |
The gardener still wasn't giving his girls any nutrients. He continued to spray them, but this time adding two other products – Bio Heaven and CalMag. He correctly assumed that there were enough micro- and macronutrients in the soil, but a calcium and magnesium supplement is something that never hurts, especially in coco but in soil as well.
He also kept monitoring pH throughout the whole grow, keeping it at 6.3, but frankly, it isn’t that necessary in organics. When you delegate it to microbial life to decompose nutrients and feed them to plant roots, you don’t have to worry about the characteristics of your nutrient solution. Just use drinking-quality water and don’t exceed the dosages of fertilizers, and your plants will be fine.
As you can see in the pick above, the plants demonstrated very good progress throughout the second half of the first month. They were getting ready to start flowering.
6. Transition (Pre-Flower) | Week 5
When growing Strawberry Banana Auto or in fact any other autoflower, you do not have to worry about light schedules. Even if your lights are turned on 24/7, the autoflowers will still begin to bud when they’re ready. It usually happens sometime at the end of the first month.
| Plant Height: | 50 cm | Humidity: | 65% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance to Light: | 150 cm | Water per Day: | 0.5 L |
| Day Temp: | 25°C | pH: | 6.3 |
| Night Temp: | 19°C | Smell: | Weak |
The beginning of flowering is easily noticeable when you look from the top. You’ll see that the very growing tips at the tops of the plants change their color. If they were green before, now they’re a bit yellowish. It means that the first flowers are about to form on top. The taller girl in the picture is Strawberry Banana Auto and for her, the flowering is underway. The rest are only transitioning.
The gardener still didn't give his girls anything else but pure water. Big containers full of organics are sometimes enough for the full life cycle of an autoflower. If they grow well and look healthy, let them be.
7. Early Flower | Weeks 6-7
Once the flowering really kicks in, one of the first things you’ll notice is that the plants grow taller and taller every day. This is something that’s called flowering stretch. For most beginners, it comes as a bit of a surprise because they tend to think that cannabis only grows in the vegetative phase and not in flowering. Nothing can be further from the truth. After the onset of flowering, the plants can grow two or three times as big as they were before. So, make sure you know about this and have enough vertical space.
| Plant Height: | 70 cm | Humidity: | 65% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance to Light: | 150 cm | Water per Day: | 0.5 L |
| Day Temp: | 25°C | pH: | 6.3 |
| Night Temp: | 19°C | Smell: | Weak |
At the same time as the branches were getting longer and longer, the flowers began to stack up and fill out. When you see this, it means that your ladies now need a change in their diet. Before, in the vegetative phase, they were needing more nitrogen than phosphorus and potassium. However, in flower, they'll need much less nitrogen and much more phosphorus and potassium. So, if you add extra nutrients to your water, be sure to have the nutrient formula that fits.
However, in this grow, everything that the plants needed they took from the soil. The gardener needed only to water them regularly and make sure all the conditions, including temperature, humidity, and the intensity of light, were right.
All ladies looked great, especially Strawberry Banana Auto which the grower compared with a magazine cover girl. She had a lot of white pistils and a lot of frost on the calyxes and leaves. This frosty appearance is created by trichomes – tiny resinous glands that are full of THC, other cannabinoids, and terpenes.
The grower was thrilled to notice that Strawberry Banana Auto really smelled like strawberries and bananas. He only needed to touch the buds a little and the fresh fruity smell filled the entire grow room. By this time, most weed varieties start to smell strong, so be sure to have a carbon filter in place, otherwise, you’ll stink up your whole house.
Please also look at the chart below which shows Strawberry Banana Auto progress in terms of height. It clearly shows that this plant stopped stretching as soon as week 6 already.
8. Mid Flower (Bulk Phase) | Weeks 8-9
When an autoflower is 4 weeks into flowering and the colas get huge and dense, the plants become very hungry. It's the time when the PPM of your nutrient solution should reach its peak. And don't forget that the two most important elements of the diet during the flowering time are P and K. High levels of N are not only necessary but can even hurt bud development and yields. At this point in the timeline, we suggest lowering the temperature by a couple of degrees compared with the previous stages as this will help conserve terpenes (they're very volatile, especially when it's hot) and probably THC, too. Lower humidity is also important as it'll help prevent mold and bud rot infestation.
| Plant Height: | 70 cm | Humidity: | 65% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance to Light: | 150 cm | Water per Day: | 0.5 L |
| Day Temp: | 25°C | pH: | 6.3 |
| Night Temp: | 19°C | Smell: | Strong |
As you can see in this grow, some autoflowers may near the end of their life cycle sooner than expected. So, when the buds start to bulk up, start inspecting them for signs of maturity. The first (and the least reliable) sign is the change in the color of pistils – from white to orange. When you see this, procure a jeweler's loop and start looking at the state of the trichomes. When most of them are cloudy – as opposed to clear – it's time to begin the final flush. It's recommended to get rid of the built-up salts in your medium and the plants themselves even in organic grows. You can't flush an organic medium by just watering without any nutrients. It's not good enough. Better give your plants plenty of water with a lot of runoff. This way, you'll flush any salts that may be in the root zone.
So, you have boosted PK levels to ramp up the development of flowers and you didn't miss the perfect window to start the flush. It means you've done all you could to guarantee a strong finish for your autoflower. In this grow, one of two Strawberry Banana Autos was ready to go down after just 9 weeks from seed. The other one took a week longer.
9. Ripening And Harvest | Week 10
At this final stage in the life of an autoflower, the colas get so fat and solid that mold and bud rot are a constant threat. To thwart it, keep the relative humidity at 35-40% and watch closely whether any of the smaller fan leaves sticking out of the colas are dying. If you see a dead leaf, you can bet there's a rotten spot inside the bud here. Mold is tricky to see too because it seldom starts on the surface. More often, it's the core of a bud that gets moldy. So, look very close.
| Plant Height: | 70 cm | Humidity: | 65% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance to Light: | 150 cm | Water per Day: | 0.5 |
| Day Temp: | 25°C | pH: | 6.3 |
| Night Temp: | 19°C | Smell: | Strong |
When determining the right moment to chop your auto, check if any of the trichomes are still clear and whether some of the cloudy ones have begun to degrade and turn amber. Amber means that THC is turning into cannabinol – a much less psychoactive substance with heavy sedating effects. Some like them, so they wait for something like 30% amber. Others prefer a more energetic and, what's more important, more potent high, so they harvest their weed when all trichs are cloudy and only a few, if any, are amber. It's up to you.
When you think a plant is ready, you can turn off the light and keep the plant in total darkness for up to 48 hours. Many growers swear it helps make buds more potent. Or you can chop the plant and hand it to dry. Please don't forget that drying should be done in a dark room because THC is degraded by light. The drying usually lasts about a week, to the point that branches crack when you try to bend them, after which you can snip off the buds and place them into jars to cure. Curing basically means keeping your flowers in closed jars and opening those once or twice a day to 'burp'.
10. Yield and Smoke Report
At the end of a rather short grow cycle of only 8-9 weeks, the grower harvested 183 grams from his two Strawberry Banana Auto. Of course, he used a lot of powerful lights and even more expertise in weed cultivation, but genetics did its part, too.
We've already mentioned the pure strawberry smell that these plants exuded during flowering. Well, the smell endured all the way through drying and curing. The smoke smelled like fruit and berries and tasted sweet. The flavor was a bit different for the two, but the grower thought it was because of slight variations in growing conditions.
That strain is diamond, smaller girl was more skunky, but still kept all fruity smells - pure joy !WeedSoilABC
The effects were characteristic of 100% Sativa – uplifting, mood-enhancing, and creative – which was to be expected as the gardener didn't keep his girls in flower for too long.
11. In Conclusion
Strawberry Banana Auto can be even faster than the breeder promises, but what you can surely count on is the strain's extreme productivity. The smell of ripe strawberries is also there, so the name doesn't lie. This autoflower is also completely easy-to-grow and a perfect choice for beginners. We suggest that you should try this strain even if you haven't grow autos before because this girl can be a revelation. Happy growing!
