Great close ups of the calyx but I don’t see any mold. Looks like some physical damage like Sunny mentioned.

Hard to say from the pics. The fungus is white and it will turn the bud brown. You should see the fungus hyphae between buds if it’s there. You’ll smell the mold as well.

Correct.

It’s been too long. I’d like to see Mr. T and the nursery again.

You can use the regular formula of Grow Dots outdoors as the auto will not have an extended veg. If you were growing photoperiod plants then I’d suggest the extended formula. With an autoflower, any pot over 10 gallons is super overkill. They only have a month of veg.