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Gorilla Glue Autoflower Grow Journal: 13 Trouble-Free Weeks

Gorilla Glue Auto is an insanely popular genetics thanks to its extreme resin production and other unique features that we’ve covered in our Autoflower Gorilla Glue review. In this post, we’ll describe the process of growing this strain based on an actual Gorilla Glue Autoflower grow journal.

Gorilla Glue Auto was grown in coco, under a 270W LED, and the whole grow cycle took 13 weeks (8 weeks of flowering). The grower performed LST and very light defoliation, and he accidentally topped the main cola. Nevertheless, the plant yielded 76 g (2.68 oz) of resinous buds.

Setup Highlights

This small grow space conveniently houses 3 large autoflowers. © Grow Diaries

JohnnyBlaze is a long-time member of the GrowDiaries community, but this particular Gorilla Glue Auto diary appears to be his first attempt ever. As a grow space, he used a small (about 3’x3’) corner nook in his attic bedroom and hung a 270W LED light there. The only other equipment was an oscillating fan used for air circulation. A very basic setup indeed.

Surface Area	Light
8.6 ft² (0.8 m²)	270W
No. of Plants	Overall Yield
3	7.62 oz (216 g)
Yield per Plant	Yield per Watt
2.54 oz (72 g)	0.8 g

How to Grow Gorilla Glue Autoflower in Veg

Let’s have a look at this plant’s day-by-day progress through the vegetative stage and maybe glean some useful tips from it.

Week 1: Germinated in Coco

At the end of week 1, the Gorilla Glue seedling is quite big but not stretchy. © Grow Diaries

As a medium, the grower used a classic 70/30 coco/perlite mix. He decided to put the seeds straight into the medium, without pre-soaking or germinating them. All three, including one FastBuds Gorilla Glue Auto, emerged after 4 days.

Since this Gorilla Glue Auto grow was started in the middle of January, this was convenient in terms of temperature. In summer, an attic grow room would probably be too hot. As it was, the day/night temps were almost perfect:

Gorilla Glue Autoflower grow journal. Day and night temp for weeks 1-13.

Week 2: Good Progress so Far

The second pair of true leaves spans wider than the first one, and the 3d one is developing. We’d say the progress is just about average so far. © Grow Diaries

In week 2, this Gorilla Glue Auto grow was chugging along just fine, and the seedling looked big enough for her age. She was planted straight in an 18-liter (4.76-gallon) smart pot, and this presented a conundrum of how to water her when she was still very little. You can see in the photo above that the grower was watering just a small area around the seedling.

Since most coco mediums don’t come pre-amended with nutrients, he had to add some from week 1. He chose the products by Advanced Nutrients which are kind of pricey but very popular among cannabis gardeners. Most probably, for a reason.

For the first two weeks, it was only the 3-part pH Perfect combo — Grow, Bloom, and Micro. These products contain all essential macro- and micronutrients. Later, the plants would get a calcium/magnesium formula—an absolute must in coco—and then a whole line of other supplements.

The nutrient schedule for the whole of Gorilla Glue Autoflower grow.

Week 3: The Start of LST

Low-stress training led to an immediate increase in branching. © Grow Diaries

Toward the end of week 3, the plant was big enough for the low-stress training. The guy had never done LST before, and he was nervous. As we shall see soon, he was nervous for a reason.

This Gorilla Glue had never been a stretchy and lanky plant, but now, with LST, she was shaping up to be a very squat, dense, and bushy plant. We’d say that the guy also managed to find the perfect (or almost perfect) distance from the light, and this helped keep Gorilla Glue and two other autoflowers nice and compact:

The light distance chart for the whole Gorilla Glue Auto grow journal.

Week 4: Defoliation and Cal-Mag Sprays

The plant looks extremely dense and stocky even after a bit of defoliating and pruning. © Grow Diaries

Week 4 was the last week of the vegetative phase in this Gorilla Glue Autoflower journal because, by the end of this week, the first pistils began to come out.

The flowering stretch was yet to begin, and the plant was so dense, the gardener found it difficult to train her. He decided to raise the light 4 inches (see the chart above) to make her expand a bit. He also performed light defoliation and pruned a couple of shoots that were completely shaded.

Although none of the girls showed any signs of a deficiency, the gardener thought they would benefit from cal-mag showers. That’s why he was foliar-feeding them with a 6.2 pH solution of Advanced Nutrients Sensi Cal-Mag Extra. By the way, this formula contains not only calcium and magnesium but also iron.

Week 5: A Spurt in Growth

One week’s progress of this Gorilla autoflower is remarkable. © Grow Diaries

With the first hairs having appeared in the previous week, this autoflowering Gorilla Glue was clearly in the pre-flowering stage by now. And she really exploded, gaining not so much in height but in girth. She was the second biggest lady in this grow cycle — right after a Blackberry (which would come out a very good producer).

Gorilla Glue Auto Flowering Stages

The next and final stage of this Gorilla Glue Autoflower indoor grow wasn’t especially short but quite trouble-free. Well, apart from the accidental topping in the very first week of flowering.

Week 6: The Main Top Gone for Good

The main cola snapped and bandaged but eventually removed. Gorilla Glue Auto quickly recovered after the accident. © Grow Diaries

Week 6 was the low point in this Gorilla Glue Autoflower grow journal because the main stem snapped during LST. The grower tried to salvage it with a splint and a piece of tape, but the damage was too great. The loss of the main flowering top stunted the plant, but this was strong genetics, and she quickly recovered. However, this accidental topping would negatively affect the outcome.

Topping an autoflower is a controversial subject. Follow the link if you want to learn more and see examples of successes as well as failures. But the gist of it is that modern autoflowers can be topped if they are healthy, vigorous, and haven’t begun to flower yet.

Now, that the flowering was already underway, the grower upped the doses of the staple nutrients and added two more Advanced Nutrients products:

Nirvana, 0.85% potassium (K); recommended for use starting from week 7 and till the final flush; stimulates bud formation by helping the plant with the accelerated turnover of carbohydrates during the bloom phase,
Big Bud Coco, 1.74% phosphorus (P) and 3.4% potassium (K) plus Ca, Mg, S, and iron (Fe) chelates; use it from the 2nd week of flowering and stop 3 weeks before harvest; makes the buds bigger and more potent.

Week 7: Practically on Cruise Control

Auto Gorilla Glue is front right. She’s still the 2nd biggest lady in the garden despite an accidental topping earlier. © Grow Diaries

In the 7th week from seed, Gorilla Glue Auto was already 2 weeks into flowering and forming a lot of bud sites. She was still receiving the same diet as in the previous week — a rather rich cocktail of nutrients with TDS readings at around 1000 ppm. She didn’t show any issues, and the grower would raise the level to 1200 ppm for the last 4 weeks of the flowering stage. Again, with no nute burn, lockouts, or deficiencies.

Gorilla Glue Auto: Week-by-week TDS values.

Week 8: Stretching Yet Some More

Gorilla Glue Auto has yet to finish her flowering stretch, but she has already started to stack up. © Grow Diaries

At this point in Gorilla Glue Autoflower grow journal, the grower noted how fast the girl had recovered from the snapping of the main cola earlier. Things like that are very traumatic, and it’s not every autoflower that can get better after them.

The flowering stretch was still very fast but almost over, and the plant would grow for only another week and reach her final height of 90 cm (35+ inches).

This chart shows the plant height throughout Gorilla Glue Auto grow.

Week 9: A Healthy Girl with a Good Appetite

Swelling out, frosting up, and starting to smell strong. © Grow Diaries

In week 10, there were some troubles in the garden, but none with GG. She displayed no deficiencies (like Blackberry did) and looked much bigger and healthier than Cream Cookies. Her diet was still the same, and she seemed to like it.

The grower definitely helped the matter with maintaining a very good pH. He probably kept it too high in the first 3 weeks but then decreased it to 5.6. This is within the acceptable 5.5–6.0 range for coco.

Gorilla Glue Auto pH levels for the entire grow cycle.

Week 10: Change of Diet to Fatten Things Up

The stretch is over, and the only thing that’s happening now is buds fattening up and getting frostier. © Grow Diaries

Week 10 saw a big change in diet because the grower had just received more nutrients by mail. He decided that his Gorilla Glue Autoflower grow would benefit from the following:

Overdrive, a PK formula to maintain the momentum of bud maturation (perfect timing for this one),
Rhino Skin, this source of silicon makes the branches more rigid and robust (for best results, start it from the first week of flowering),
Sensizym, this mix of enzymes helps break organics accumulated in the root zone (a questionable choice for this grow).

By this time, the Gorilla Glue started to smell really amazing and strong. Although there were two other plants in this indoor garden, the grower kept mentioning only the smell of GG.

Week 11: One More Nutrient Added to the Mix

This Gorilla Glue Autoflower had the chunkiest colas in the garden. And the frostiest. © Grow Diaries

In week 11, there was another change in the feeding regime. As the manufacturer recommends stopping Big Bud three weeks before the harvest, the grower replaced this supplement with Advanced Nutrients B-52 which contains kelp and seaweed extracts and can be used in two installments:

in the first 2-4 weeks from seed,
in mid- to late flower.

Now, all of the Gorilla Glue Auto nutrients amounted to 1200 ppm. The grower knew the harvest was approaching, and the buds looked fat, dense, and frosty. However, he didn’t have a magnifier to look at the state of trichomes. So, trying to decide when to harvest this sugary beauty was really a guessing game for him. He thought he’d give her another two weeks.

Week 12: In the Homestretch Now

Autoflower Gorilla Glue is visibly approaching harvest time. © Grow Diaries

It seemed hardly possible the week before, but now the Gorilla became even more glittery with trichomes. The guy said he never saw so much resin on a plant in his life. And the buds kept filling out. Luckily, there were no issues with mold or bud rot although the grower failed to bring down humidity to the optimal level of 35-45% for the end of the flowering phase.

How to grow Gorilla Glue Autoflower: The relative humidity chart.

Week 13: A Five-Day Flush, Then Darkness Treatment

The colas are deceptively white, but in fact, they are ready for harvest. © Grow Diaries

The grower finally purchased a loupe to inspect the trichs, and, since they were cloudy now, he started the flush with RO water pH’ed to 6.2. The buds kept swelling up even now, and after 5 days of flushing, Auto Gorilla Glue was put in darkness for 72 hours as a way to stress her into even more resin production.

The End Result

Just one of Gorilla Glue buds after drying and curing.

On day 95 from seed, this Gorilla Glue Auto grow journal was officially over. She yielded 330 g (11.64 oz) of wet-trimmed flowers and 1.5 grams of finger hash. The buds were hung to dry for 8 days — until the stems began to snap when trying to bend them. Then they went into glass jars for curing.

The 76 g (2.68 oz) of dry bud was a great outcome for a first-time autoflower grower, and the stuff was top-notch. It had an earthy smell with a pine background and sour and diesel notes. The effect was more on the body, with about a 40/60 sativa/indica ratio.

Main Takeaways from Gorilla Glue Autoflower Grow

The plant was easy to grow. In veg, she benefited from LST and became very bushy. She then stretched quite a bit at the beginning of flowering. We’d say not to top Gorilla Glue Auto (or any other autoflower) if you’re looking for yields. However, if you HAVE to top—for whatever reason—the plant will probably recover and still deliver a nice harvest.

Gorilla Glue Auto also loves high doses of nutrients and converts them into lots of oversized and frosty colas. With pH within the recommended range, there’ll be no issues with lockouts and deficiencies. At least, if you use Advanced Nutrients.

The resin production is WAY above average, and the smell is strong and extremely pleasant. Happy growing, everybody!

All images in this post were taken from GrowDiaries, the world’s largest weed growing community.

Autoflower Topping: 10 Real-Life Examples & Results

There’s much controversy on the subject of autoflower topping. Only a few years ago, it was a no-brainer: topping an autoflower would lead to catastrophic results in terms of size and yield. Today, autoflowers have become so strong that topping and other forms of high-stress training often don’t hurt them.

Moreover, when you grow autoflowers indoors, it’s paramount to keep them short and spread-out, so that each flower top is at the same distance from the light. Often, it can be achieved with low-stress training (LST), but sometimes LST is not enough. In such cases, autoflower topping can give you more advantages (flatter canopy & more flowering tops) than drawbacks (the risk of stunted growth and longer life cycle).

A FIMmed autoflower, before and after.

In a separate post, we’ve described several grows of xxl autoflower strains, and some of the most amazing results there were achieved through topping. We’ve also investigated the autoflower seed to harvest time in actual grow reports and found—among other things—that topping doesn’t seem to affect the speed of autoflowering cannabis.

When to do Autoflower Topping

So you’ve decided that topping a autoflower would benefit your indoor grow. Here’s a list of conditions that will raise your chances of success:

Your autoflower should be mature enough. You risk shocking a young seedling with an HST technique if you perform one too early. Look through the examples below to see at what age other growers did the topping.
The plant should be healthy and vigorous. If it shows any deficiencies, suffers from a pest attack, or is growing slowly for some other reason, wait till it’s well again. Or give up the idea of topping altogether.
There are no other radical changes in your garden. It’s best not to top an autoflower right after a transplant, or when you change nutrients, the type of light, or light schedule. Any change can be a stress factor, and stress factors compound. Together they can shock your plant into remaining a dwarf.
Your auto hasn’t yet begun to flower. The start of flowering signals weed plants to begin stretching the available branches and maybe grow some new foliage, but stop anything else, like growing new roots and new side branches. So don’t expect your autoflower to become noticeably bushier in the blooming stage. And autoflower topping won’t make any difference, either.

What is Topping, Anyway?

We assume that you already know what ‘topping’ means and how it is performed. So, this is only a quick reminder. Topping means pinching off the plant top. It’s done to switch off apical dominance and direct energy from the top (apex) to the secondary shoots (side branches).

Please note that you can do several toppings on a single plant: first top the main stalk, then the side branches, and, when they fork, top again their apexes. By spreading flat these multiple branches, you can get a very short and symmetrical plant. This technique is called mainlining, or manifolding. There are a couple of examples of this below.

There are two ways of topping:

Topping proper, when you cut off the growing point completely. In this case, instead of one central cola, the plant develops two tops. They grow from the topmost node, just below the cut-off apex.
Fimming, when you DON’T cut off the growing point completely (hence the name of the method — FIM, or “Fuck, I missed!”). If you do this right, the mangled apex will recover and grow two additional shoots. There will be 4 equal-size tops instead of one central cola.

Autoflower Topping Results in Real-Life Grows

Initially, we wanted to take just one strain—Orange Sherbet Auto by FastBuds—and find enough grow reports where it was topped and where it wasn’t. The idea was to see how much autoflowers topping affects yields in the same genetics.

However, comparing topped vs. untopped autos of the same variety doesn’t give much insight. The final results are all over the place. So, instead, we compiled two sets of 5 strains each: in one set, the topping was successful, and in the other, not.

We hope you’ll have fun looking at these autoflower topping examples. Please pay attention to the names of the strains and the growers’ nicknames, too. Sometimes, one and the same strain or one and the same grower doing exactly the same thing result in totally different outcomes.

Successful Examples of Autoflower Topping

I do love her, she will be topped, probably 3 times starting in about a week, pinned, lollipoped and defoliated regularly ..... Day 18, I topped her again yesterday and you wouldn't know it. She is on track growing and right where I think she should be. Not like her sister zkittlez ..... Day 28, the ocd kicked in again ffs and I topped everything again for the 4th time. Ive never done 4 so Im interested to see what happens ..... I gave her a boot camp that alot of plants don't survive and she never flinched or missed a beat. She is one tough cookie!

Canamatoes

Fimmed her on day 20 ..... She reacted well to training, quickly overcame the stress or repotting and fimming and is growing fine ..... FIM didn’t go as planned. However, the procedure significantly affected the development of the middle nodes and made the side branches grow vigorously. The plant grows quite fast

Bloombuster

Both plants have motored through initial training with LST and fimming without skipping a beat. I've read so many mixed opinions on topping / fimming autos, it was a hard decision to make. In the end, I decided to give it a try and find out for myself. If I'd had any concerns about the plants ability to cope, I wouldn't have done it, but if your plant is looking strong and healthy then it may be something to think about ..... for this grow right here? I think it was a good decision I'm extremely happy with the results.

GWSD82

she seems to be doing fine with the topping still growing but seems to have slowed down vertically which is good cause my last purple lemonades were monsters at 36 inches from pot ..... I am hoping it will be more bush style instead of tree ..... it’s just super healthy no matter what I do it did seem to stretch a good deal this week but I think the topping helped slow it down ..... huge yield this time at 138 grams plant finished around 34 inches from pot

Kellosaurus

Day 16: Her 6th node was well enough established for me to squeeze in there with the clippers and top her above the 5th node ..... Day 17: It’s been one day since she was topped and she hasn’t slowed down one bit. Growth has been fantastic over the past 24h. She is strong!

Automaniac

Subpar and Disastrous Attempts

Blue had a solid start right out of the gate. She grew nice thick, full leaves and was happy as a clam cake.... Until I decided to FIM ?‍♀️ ….. Blue didn't seem to like it all that much, and as she began to grow out I did a poor job of opening her up enough to get proper sub-canopy circulation ….. Looking back now, I should have done a better job at doing a bit more defoliation than I did - but I found myself holding back once I had realized the stress I caused the plant from the FIM. That was a mistake.

blazin_skywalker

I only wish she had stretched more, the 3rd topping did her in! Take notes ..... Please don't top this 3 times! I never will I can tell you lol! Maybe top once or just lst! This was the smallest plant I have ever grown in my life and I believe it was from over training.

Canamatoes

12/12. She got topped today ..... 14/12. Day 20. She reacted very well to topping and started growing faster ..... The yield was low. She need to be tied down next time because she stretched a lot in no time.

Alwa26

accidental topping of gorilla cookies autoflower

Accidentally broke the main branch while adjusting LST. It was a clean cut. I could have taped it together and see if it recovers but decided to just remove the entire broken branch and consider this plant has been topped. My rationale is rather than the plant wasting its energy on recovery, it could use that energy on developing the lower nodes ..... Total dry weight for plant 2 came to 24g. Rather disappointing. It didn't have enough time to recover from the accidental topping. It was too close to flowering.

myrceneCB1

I was wrong to top her ..... I wanted to induce stress to revert her back to veg, but she wanted to bloom ..... I smoked 1 joint after 2 months’ wait ..... Failed growing method

AlienScrOG

Final Thoughts

A useful tool in the arsenal of an experienced grower, autoflower topping isn’t a foolproof HST method. Use it when it’s really necessary and when some less invasive LST technique isn’t going to cut it (no pun intended).

Also, make sure the autoflower you choose is really strong and capable of handling the stress. The ones we used in this review are a good starting point. Click on a picture of a strain to find more about it and, possibly, buy it for your next successful grow.