First timer here, and enjoying the process, but it can almost seem a bit intimidating. So many questions come up when I’m questioning my grow. I purchased the auto flowering gold leaf and two popped through the soil in early March while the remaining two were ten days later. I have them on an 18/6 light cycle. I’m in the vegetative stage now & feeding them a high nitrogen fertilizer. I’m a bit confused about the length of the vegetative stage. One place I read it said up to 15 weeks & another said 6 weeks. How do I determine when to change the fertilizer for the flowering stage & since it’s an auto flower, do I need to adjust the light cycle? Thank you.
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Welcome to the community @srp.
Autos normally will flower on any light schedule although sometimes they need a little nudge by switching to 12/12.
When you see little tufts of white pistils forming, you will know that your plant is entering the flowering stage. For an auto that can be anywhere from 4 - 6 six weeks and sometimes longer. Autos can be difficult to predict so you must be flexible as to your expectations.
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Thank you for the support merlin44. Helps to put my mind at ease.
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The most difficult thing for many newer growers is patience. You and your plants will do fine. You are in the right place to get your questions answered and help with any issues that may come up.
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Welcome to the forum
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Thank you MidwestGuy
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Welcome to the community!
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Welcome to the forum 
great bunch of folks here. As @MidwestGuy mentioned, patience is key. After you get a few grows under your belt and know what to expect and do more reading on the forum, youll have a brand new approach to growing.
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Welcome to the neighborhood. You will always have questions and there will always be someone to answer them for you. There are many ways to do what we love doing and you will find the one that best suits you. Happy Growing 
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Welcome to ILGM Forums @srp . Like previously mentioned autos kind of do thier own thing in the first half of life. Its a crap shoot as far as when theyll start to flower. The second you start to see preflowers its on from there though. The one thing that really isnt a crap shoot is the flowering time.
The flowering cycle will take on the flowering time of the photoperiod mother it was made from. So if the photoperiod version has a 12 to 14 week flowering time. So will your auto.
Patience is key to getting a full harvest with an auto.
A good rule of thumb ive found is to add a couple weeks to the flowering time suggested by the breeder.
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These are images of plants #1 & #2. Both sprouted on the same day and are about 2 months old. Plant 1 is 24” tall and plant 2 is 12”. It appears they have pistils forming. I included pictures to confirm.
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Hi and welcome to the forum! 
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Youre about 1.5 weeks into flower at this point.
What light are you using?
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Welcome aboard.
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I bought 2 lights from Harbor Freight that said they were for growing indoor plants with the full light spectrum. I know they are probably bottom of the barrel lights.
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Bottom of the barrel can grow. Just a little less well. If starting out do not expect super buds but the learning process is key. Use your lights now and learn how to grow them. As you gather funds grab a GOOD light and second round will be better. You will have some knowledge and be more comfy. Patience is key. NONE of us had truly outstanding first runs unless started with top end gear.
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Yes those are going to leave you feeling defeated come harvest. If you can afford around 100 bucks id suggest an sf1000 from spider farmer for a single plant. Or the sf2000 which is perfect for a single plant or 2.
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Facebook marketplace can be a great source for a used light. Even if has a couple years on it the lifespan of newer diodes is 50-80k hours. Years.
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Welcome to the community happy to have you