My Experience Growing Wedding Cake Auto (Autoflowering, Feminized)
Last updated: 26 September 2020
Hello! I recently had the pleasure of growing an amazing strain from seed to harvest: Wedding Cake Auto by Original Sensible Seeds. This strain became fully mature after just 11 weeks of cultivation, which made me pleasantly surprised. Simply put, this is one of my favorite strains to grow. It was incredibly easy to nurture these plants – they basically grew themselves. Wedding Cake is also fairly resilient to pests and diseases, which is a trait I always look for.
I was really excited to grow this strain because it’s an offshoot of Cookies, and I love Cookies. Wedding Cake didn’t disappoint. The first time I smoked it, I was blown away. This 65/35 Indica-dominant hybrid packs a powerful punch. I knew I needed to try growing it myself! I chose feminized seeds to eliminate the risk of germinating any males and went with an autoflower because I’m growing in an indoor garden.
Disclaimer: Cannabis cultivation laws vary by region. This information is intended for use in areas where growing cannabis is legal. Please check your local laws before proceeding. Prior use consult your medical adviser.
What I Used For Growing Wedding Cake Auto
I used a fairly simple setup for my garden this time around. Usually, I have a full room of my house dedicated to growing multiple plants at once. This time though, I put up a small 2 x 2.5ft (0.6 to 0.762m) tent. My logic was that growing Wedding Cake Auto was an experiment with a new strain, so I decided to keep everything fairly small-scale. This gave me better control over variables like light, temperature and humidity.
I used a single 250-watt LED light for both veg and flower. This was both to save energy and reduce the ambient heat in my garden. I also chose to grow in soil because it tends to be more forgiving than a hydroponic garden. I decided to use a 5-gallon pot because I was only growing one plant and wanted to give it enough room to branch out and grow.
Wedding Cake Auto Grow Diary – Week By Week
This fast-growing autoflowering strain only took 11 weeks from when it sprouted until it was fully mature. It spent the first 3 weeks in veg before switching into its flowering cycle.
Weeks 1-3: Veg
Once my seed sprouted, it was off to the races. I kept my conditions fairly bright and hot: around 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 Celsius), with 20 hours of light every day. During the first 3 weeks, my plant shot up about 8 inches (20cm), with the majority of that growth happening during the third week. It also sprouted considerable amounts of nodes, which set it up perfectly for when it switched into the flower cycle after the first 3 weeks of veg.
Before switching this strain into the flowering stage, I defoliated some of the excess fan leaves. I always do this about 3 days before a plant finishes its veg cycle to prepare it for the flowering stage. Overall, my Wedding Cake Auto was a healthy plant of a deep green hue before it made the switch into flowering.
Week 1 of Flower Cycle
The first week of the flower cycle is when pot plants do most of their stretching. This Wedding Cake followed along with that trend. It more than doubled in size this week, from about 7.8 inches (20cm) to nearly 19.7 inches (50cm). Because this is an autoflowering strain, I decided to keep my lights on for 20 hours per day to supercharge the plant’s growth.
All of that growth definitely did a number on this plant, though. This week, it seemed distressed, with yellowed leaves and wilting fan leaves. I think this was just because of the insane amount of growth the plant went through in such a short time.
Week 2 of Flower Cycle
This was another big stretch week for this plant. It more than doubled its size again, from 19.7 inches (50cm) to just over 39 inches (100cm). I’ve been keeping my light just a few centimeters above my canopy to ensure it reaches every part of the plant. It seems like the plant has recovered from its massive stretching last week: all of its leaves are now a healthy, happy shade of green.
Week 3 of Flower Cycle
Stretching started to slow down this week – my plant only grew another 10 inches (25cm) or so. However, another exciting development replaced it. I started seeing the first flowers sprouting from the bud sites that had developed over the past few weeks. This plant has been looking progressively healthier since it switched from veg into flower.
Week 4 of Flower Cycle
This week, the plant finally stopped stretching. It now stands about 4’1” (125cm) tall and is focusing most of its energy on developing its flowers. The buds on this plant nearly doubled in size over the last week, but there’s still no smell to speak of.
Week 5 of Flower Cycle
The nugs developed significantly this week. I also noticed them getting denser, and trichomes are beginning to develop over the nugs. Individual nodes are starting to sprout in succession, and I’m seeing the beginnings of a cola forming at the top of this plant. There’s still no smell, but I assume that’ll change by next week.
Week 6 of Flower Cycle
Still no smell! I’m honestly kind of surprised about that. Aside from this, the plant seems to be maturing nicely. I’ve seen increased trichome production, although they’re still white. Once they turn amber, the plant will be ready for harvest.
Week 7 of Flower Cycle
Finally, some smell! Wedding Cake is sweet and pungent, and now it’s LOUD. Make sure you have a carbon filter ready to filter the aroma out of the air if you have neighbors. The trichomes are turning amber, and by next week, this plant will be ready to harvest.
Week 8 - Harvest
When I thought the ratio of white to amber was perfect, I finally harvested my Wedding Cake Auto. After curing and drying, I was left with about 4.3 oz (140g) of flower. The buds were hard, dense, and crumbled easily between my fingers when I broke them up. The combination of quality buds, high weight, and ease of growing make Wedding Cake a great strain for newer growers.
The Verdict
This strain is easy to grow, resilient to harm, and grows great weed. Now that I have the process dialed in, I’m sure I could get an even higher yield than I did this time around. With LEDs, the goal is always to hit a gram per light, but sometimes this isn’t feasible. Either way, I’m excited to grow an entire room of Wedding Cake in the future!
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