Z-Up Auto Grow Diary and Strain Review

This run with Z-Up Auto from Fast Buds was my first try with this new-to-me genetic. I’ve had good results from the breeder before, so I was curious to see whether this one would behave as neatly in my own box.

The setup was familiar: a Vivosun S336 box, Mars Hydro TS600 at 100W, and a Vivosun R4 Inline Fan 4 with a 4-inch carbon filter. The new part was the feeding plan. I wanted to test Grow Dots in a coco and perlite mix instead of running a more hands-on nutrient schedule.

New

29% THC

Z-Up Auto (Fast Buds)

• Autoflowering
• Fizzy daytime lift
• 450 - 600 g/m² indoors
  60 - 300 g/plant outdoors

Pack (number of seeds)

3

5

$43.26 $66.95 72.1 Save 5.15

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Starting the Run

Grow Notes

I started the seed in a glass of water for 24h. Once it sank and looked fully hydrated, I moved it between wet cotton pads in a small food container. The taproot showed the next day, so it went straight into an 11l (2.9gal) grow bag.

The medium was coco with perlite at about 70:30, and I mixed in Grow Dots before planting. The seedling came up quickly, taking just over a day to show its green head above the surface.

Week 1

The first week was exactly why I like autos. Z-Up Auto started stacking new growth fast instead of sitting around for a long adjustment period.

By the end of the week, it had two pairs of true leaves, a thick little stem, and stood around 10cm (3.9in). I kept the light at 60cm (23.6in) from the top, held humidity around 65-70%, and misted the leaves a couple of times a day. Temperatures stayed near 24°C (75.2°F) in the day and 19°C (66.2°F) at night. The light schedule was 20/4 from the start.

Week 2

The plant already had a nice hybrid shape. It stayed compact, with medium internodes and thin enough leaves to let light reach into the middle of the canopy.

I noticed the Grow Dots were dissolving slowly, but the plant wasn’t showing any hunger. To stay ahead of possible calcium issues, I added Sensi CalMag Xtra. Apart from that, I left the routine alone.

Veg Progress and Training

Week 3

This week Z-Up Auto really started moving. New side shoots appeared quickly, the leaf mass increased, and the plant stopped looking like a seedling.

By the end of the week, it was about 22cm (8.7in) tall. The shape stayed tidy too, which made me feel better about the slow-release feeding experiment.

Week 4

Flowering signs arrived early in the fourth week. Stigmas started showing, and by the end of the week, the tops were already hinting at the first little bud sites.

The plant reached 33cm (13in). I liked the open crown enough that I skipped defoliation. The leaves were narrow, the structure breathed well, and light was getting through without me having to interfere. I still gave Sensi CalMag Xtra once a week.

Week 5

The stretch came hard. Z-Up Auto jumped from 33cm (13in) to 61cm (24in) in a week, but it didn’t stall bud formation while doing it.

The stems were filling with early flower clusters, and the final structure was starting to show. I lowered the lamp distance to 35cm (13.8in), and the plant seemed happy with it. One odd thing was the smell: there was basically none yet, which surprised me for a Fast Buds plant.

Early Flower

Week 6

This was one of the calmest starts I’ve had. Z-Up Auto kept going like it was on autopilot, with no visible stress and no feeding drama.

There were other genetics in the same box that had already made me work harder, but this one stayed the biggest and most relaxed of the autos. The buds were thicker than the rest by this point, and a very light citrus smell finally started to appear. Since it was clearly eating well, I doubled the Sensi CalMag Xtra dose. The plant was already a little over 70cm (27.6in).

Flower Week 7

The vertical stretch slowed down this week, and the plant stopped at about 75cm (29.5in). That was a good sign. It was done trying to climb and started putting more attention into the buds.

I added Overdrive alongside Sensi CalMag Xtra for the late-flower push. The reaction looked good, and the aroma started to come through more clearly.

Flower Week 8

The buds had become properly impressive by now. They were heavy-looking, dense, and covered with enough trichomes to give them a sugared look.

The smell changed from something I had to search for into the main aroma in the box. It leaned sweet and fruity, with citrus still sitting underneath. At this point, I was already thinking I’d run Z-Up Auto again.

Late Flower and Finish

Flower Week 9

By the ninth week from seed, the plant had moved into the final part of ripening. The buds kept swelling, while resin kept building across the upper flowers.

I started watching the finish more closely and looked for the right harvest window. There was no real problem to fix, which made the last part of the run feel almost too easy.

Flower Week 10

The final week brought a nice visual change. The buds rounded out more, the upper sugar leaves picked up a pink-lilac shade, and the lower fans turned yellow like the plant knew the cycle was ending.

After a week of flushing, Z-Up Auto looked ready for harvest. I split the plant into branches, removed the remaining fan leaves, and hung everything upside down in the same box. I reduced airflow a little and kept the climate steady for drying.

Z-Up Auto Yield and Final Thoughts

Harvest and Final Thoughts

Drying took a little over a week. The final result was 72.5g (2.6oz) of good dry buds, plus about 40g (1.4oz) of trim and popcorn that I planned to use for cannabutter.

As a grow, Z-Up Auto became my clear favorite from the box. No ugly surprises, no feeding tantrums, and no constant correcting. The Grow Dots worked well in coco with perlite, while Sensi CalMag Xtra handled the extra support I wanted along the way.

The finished buds beat my expectations. The aroma was sweet and fruity, with something like berries and ripe strawberry over a faint earthy background. The smoke was smooth enough, without much bite in the throat.

The effect felt better suited to evenings. It relaxed the body strongly, but my head stayed fairly clear. It had that slow, sleepy flow where I didn’t want to talk much or overthink anything, just sit there and enjoy the quiet.

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