Mono Goes Outdoors - Summer 2015

[GrizzWald]

If your seeing your outdoor girls every day, then you can force flower to allow yourselves time to get them completed before weather turns.. If in pots, put them into the shed/ dark room at five each night. Or put a bin/ black plastic covering over them.. Something to keep in mind.

 

[Kushtie]

True that! The micro climate here sucks more than most of Scotland lol. Sounds like you are heading in the perpetual direction. A 250 and a 600 dual spec hps is much easier than the UK climate

Got a 125 cfl and the 600 hps just now but moving plants around in NFT is tricky.....eventual plan is probably tanks on wheels or go soil.

Could, I hope, run one mother plant in my wee cupboard under the cfl and still have room for my propagator for putting cuttings and seeds in. Mothers Finest is a lanky bugger though and it's the faster finishing more indica dominant pheno I'm most interested in rather than the more haze ones and it could take a load of regular seeds to find it. A bunch of mates will grow nothing but MF from clones and I don't think they have a pH pen between them or know what a phenotype is let alone how to isolate and clone from it. I just don't have the space inside and if I need to build a poly tunnel in the woods I'll figure something out.

 

[Mono]

If your seeing your outdoor girls every day, then you can force flower to allow yourselves time to get them completed before weather turns.. If in pots, put them into the shed/ dark room at five each night. Or put a bin/ black plastic covering over them.. Something to keep in mind.

I had been thinking down the lines of force flowering but not so sure... They will be growing in the soil, and will hopefully get to be a decent size. Just not sure if it's necessary or not, I mean, depends if they will finish mid September or closer to the end of October, which I have no idea at all lol.

 

[Kushtie]

I had been thinking down the lines of force flowering but not so sure... They will be growing in the soil, and will hopefully get to be a decent size. Just not sure if it's necessary or not, I mean, depends if they will finish mid September or closer to the end of October, which I have no idea at all lol.

September equinox (23rd I think) is when we get back to 12/12 and nights become longer than days again. Will they flower naturally much before then?

 

[Mono]

September equinox (23rd I think) is when we get back to 12/12 and nights become longer than days again. Will they flower naturally much before then?

That was my thinking, I bloody hope they start before then or there isn't any point even putting them in the ground lol. A bit of research has brought up mixed information about flowering outdoors. Some sources suggest that after the longest day (June 21st?) they begin flowering as the day length is getting shorter. Other sources suggest cannabis requires 13 hours daylight or less to flower.

I have another couple of weeks indoor growth before they go outside, so I better get reading lol

 

[420Amard]

Could always just get early flowering plants usually done by the end of August to mid September.

 

[420Amard]

I know sweet seeds has a few varieties that are done mid September like the green poison, cream mandarine f1 or pretty much any of there fast version. I did a cream mandarine last year was done 20 September.

 

[Kushtie]

That was my thinking, I bloody hope they start before then or there isn't any point even putting them in the ground lol. A bit of research has brought up mixed information about flowering outdoors. Some sources suggest that after the longest day (June 21st?) they begin flowering as the day length is getting shorter. Other sources suggest cannabis requires 13 hours daylight or less to flower.

I have another couple of weeks indoor growth before they go outside, so I better get reading lol

My instinct tells me they should start flowering somewhere in between too.

I'm sure plants don't measure day length like we do....I guess all they have to go on is when the sun is high enough to be bright enough within the required spectrums. No idea how much light they need or how long after sunrise and before sunset that happens though.

 

[Mono]

Could always just get early flowering plants usually done by the end of August to mid September.

I know sweet seeds has a few varieties that are done mid September like the green poison, cream mandarine f1 or pretty much any of there fast version. I did a cream mandarine last year was done 20 September.

I wish i could change strains to one's better suited. Before the 'incident' I was growing Frisian Dew for outdoors as I am at 56 degrees north. Unfortunately I am stuck to using what seeds I had at the house. Even if i have to heat the poly tunnel it will be cheaper than running over 1000 watts of light the whole summer so should be okay...

 

[Mono]

My instinct tells me they should start flowering somewhere in between too.

I'm sure plants don't measure day length like we do....I guess all they have to go on is when the sun is high enough to be bright enough within the required spectrums. No idea how much light they need or how long after sunrise and before sunset that happens though.

Here is a bit of info I copied from another site. Explains cannabis flowering outdoors very well.

Thank you very much to the original writer of the article

Does 12/12 mean anything outdoors?
Often I have seen new members(or members mostly experienced in indoors) post threads asking when 12/12 occurs outdoors. Often they say they are looking for the time of the season when their plants will start blooming outdoors, many times they are trying to use this date(Sept 21 Equinox) plus the strains indoor finishing time to determine the outdoor finishing time.
But of course it doesn't work that way, we know that most strains have started blooming long before Sept 21st, but there is even more reason why indoor finishing times can't be applied outdoors.

One thing to realize is that as the day lights length shortens, the plants speed up their blooming, since most plants start blooming long before 12/12, outdoor plants will take longer to set into blooming and to finish than their indoor grown sisters would. So basically, unless you live very near to the Equator, indoor finishing times will not be applicable outdoors.
Finishing times, Photoperiod, Latitude, and how it all works!!
We all know the basics of vegging and blooming Cannabis..... when the day is long and the night is short the plant concentrates on vegging(growing), when the day length shortens enough, the plant starts to bloom.

But how does all this work?
Why does the same strain finish at different times in different parts of the world? Does 12/12 really mean anything outdoors? Why is Latitude(or "Lat") so important to some growers? What is a "Auto-flowering" plant?

Lets get into the meat of the subject shall we?..............

Photoperiod
The first thing to cover here is Photoperiod- Photoperiod is the ammount of time there is light in a 24 hour period. In Cannabis growing, Photoperiod is typically shown like this- 12/12 or 16/8, or 18/6, etc. The first number is usually the length of the lighted period, the second shows the balance of the 24 hours that is dark.
Outdoors the sun controls the Photoperiod. Its length changes through the seasons according to the movements of the sun in the sky, a matter of fact it causes the change in seasons. This brings us to......
Photoperiodism
Photoperiodism is the reaction of many flowering plants(including Cannabis) to changes in Photoperiod. Plants that experience Photoperiodism have pigment cells called Phytochrome that monitor the ammounts of light being absorbed by the plants(specificly the red end of the spectrum), and the length of day. Signals from the Phytochrome tell the plant to do many things, including to grow, bloom, and in the case of some trees, to loose their leaves and go dormant in Autum.

Most of these plants fall into three catergories concerning blooming times, that being- long day plants(blooms as day gets longer), short day plants(blooms as day gets shorter), and day neutral plants(blooming is not according to light cycles).
All Cannabis varieties are either "Short day", plants or "Auto-flowering" (known as "Day neutral" outside of the Cannabis community). So called "Auto-flowering" plants do not seem to take their blooming cues from the sun, and thus should be considered "Day neutral", as most seem to be geneticly programmed to bloom according to age insted.

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The Sun, Latitude, and why the same plants finish different times at different points on the globe

The year as we know it is basicly the time it takes for the Earth to make a complete loop around the sun. As the Earth makes this loop it shifts on its axis, so that either the northern half or southern half(Hemispheres) have the longer photoperiod.

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The shortest day of the year is called the Winter Solstice, this day occurs on December 21st in the northern half of the world, on the same day in the southern hemisphere they will have their Summer solstice, the longest day of the year. On June 21s it will be reversed, with the longest day of the year in the north(Summer solstice), and the shortest day in the south(Winter solstice).

Two days of the year are known as the equinoxes, one occurs March 21st and one on September 21st. These days represent the halfway point between the longest and shortest days of the year, on these days the day length is almost exactly 12/12 all over the world. If you are in the Northern hemisphere, Mar. 21 is the first day of Spring and September is the first day of Autum, reverse these dates in the southern hemisphere.

Latitude
Latitude is the east-west lines you see on a globe or map of the earth, they are spaced about every 111 Kilometers starting at 0 degrees at the Equator, and graduating north and south from there (every 111 KM) to the north pole(90 Degrees North) and South pole(90 Degrees south).

Here is a link to Wikpedia explaining Latitude-

Latitude

At the Equator the length of day doesn't change much from month to month, at both Solstices the length of day is about 12 hours, at both Equinoxes it is about 12 hours, almost perpetual 12/12.

Now lets take a look at Portland Oregon, this city sits near 45.4° N, which is about exactly halfway between the Equator(O°) and the North pole(90°N).
At the Winter solstice, the length of day is 8h 41m, at Summer solstice the day length is 15h 41m, and at the Equinoxes it is 12h 12m.

And now lets look at Anchorage Alaska, this city sits at 61.2° N, a little over 2/3 of the way to the North pole(90° N) from the Equator(0°).
At the Winter Solstice the day length is 5h 27m, at Summer solstice the day length is 19h 22m, and the Equinoxes are 12h 18m.

As you move away from the equator(either north or south), you see more distictness between the seasons and the length of days during those seasons.
Generally the closer you are to the Equator, the less difference there is between the length of day on the Solstices(the longest and shortest days of the year.
The further you are from the Equator, the more difference there is in length of day between the Solstices, making the Summer shorter and shorter, and the longest day of the year longer and longer the further you go from the eternal 12/12 of the Equator.

Here are the Latitudes for a few North American, European and Australian cities to show a example of the vast differences in latitude-

Darwin, Australia-12.4° S
Miami, Florida-25.8° N
Houston, Texas-29.7° N
Los Angeles, California-34.1° N
Atlanta, Georgia-33.9° N
Canberra, Australia-35.3° S
San Francisco, California-37.8° N
Reno, Nevada-39.5° N
Naples, Italy-40.8° N
Chicago, Illinois- 41.9° N
Boston, Massachusetts-42.4° N
Toronto, Ontario-43.6° N
Ottawa, Ontario-45.3° N
Seattle, Washington-47.6° N
Vienna, Austria-48.2° N
Vancouver, British Columbia-49.2° N
Calgary, Alberta-51.1° N
Warsaw, Poland-52.2° N
Amsterdam, Netherlands-52.3°
Edmonton, Alberta-53.3° N
Anchorage, Alaska-61.2° N

The Photoperiod sensitive strains of Cannabis are each geneticly programmed to start blooming when day shortens to a certain length*.
When these various strains are bred, they become acclimated to that latitudes photoperiod, they are bred to bloom and harvest before that areas climate becomes too cold and dark(or wet), usally to avoid major mold problems, or harsh freezing weather.
*Many experts agree that it is actually the length of the dark period that matters to plants.

When you take a plant that was bred in one location, and move it to a similar Latitude, say from 42° N to 43° N the plant should harvest at nearly the same time. But if you take a plant from 42° N to 50° N, its possible that the plant may not harvest early enough to beat Winter further up north.
__________________________
Here is a chart comparing the length of day for 4 areas, over the year. The first number is the length of day(meaning sunrise to sunset), the second number includes the twilight time before sunrise and after sunset(basicly the total length of visable light)-

----- Houston, TX 29.7°N--------Humbolt county, CA 40° N------Eugene, OR 44.1°N--------Vancouver,BC 49.2°N

Dec 21--10h 14m/11h 07m------------9h 22m/10h 23m--------------8h 52m/9h 58m--------------7h53m/9h 27m

Jan 21--10h 33m/11h 24m------------9h 51m/10h 49m--------------9h 26m/10h 30m------------8h 54m/10h 05m

Feb 21--11h 19m/12h 07m-----------10h 58m/11h 53m-------------10h 46m/11h 45m-----------10h 31m/11h 36m

Mar 21--12h 58m/12h 56m-----------12h 10m/13h 04m-------------12h 11m/13h 09m-----------12h 13m/13h 16m

Apr 21--13h 03m/13h 52m-----------13h 29m/14h 25m-------------13m 44m/14h 45m-----------14h 04m/15h 12m

May 21--13h 45m/14h 57m-----------14h 31m/15h 33m-------------14h 45m/16h 06m-----------15h 34m/16h 53m

Jun 21--14h 03m/14h 57m-----------15h 57m/16h 05m-------------15h 30m/16h 43m-----------16h 14m/17h 40m

Jul 06--13h 58m/14h 52m-----------15h 00m/16h 06m-------------15h 22m/16h 34m-----------16h 04m/17h 28m

Jul 21--13h 45m/14h 57m-----------14h 31m/15h 33m-------------14h 45m/16h 06m-----------15h 34m/16h 53m

Aug 06--13h 26m/14h 17m-----------14h 09m/15h 10m-------------14h 24m/15h 29m-----------14h 53m/16h 06m

Aug 21--13h 03m/13h 52m-----------13h 29m/14h 25m-------------13m 44m/14h 45m-----------14h 04m/15h 12m

Sep 06--12h 36m/13h 24m-----------12h 53m/13h 48m-------------12h 58m/13h 57m-----------13h 09m/14h 14m

Sep 21--12h 10m/12h 56m-----------12h 10m/13h 04m-------------12h 11m/13h 09m-----------12h 13m/13h 16m

Oct 06--11h 43m/12h 31m-----------11h 32m/12h 27m-------------11h 28m/12h 26m-----------11h 21m/12h 25m

Oct 21--11h 19m/12h 07m-----------10h 58m/11h 53m-------------10h 46m/11h 45m-----------10h 31m/11h 36m

Nov 06--10h 52m/11h 42m-----------10h 13m/11h 11m-------------10h 00m/11h 01m------------9h 35m/10h 43m

Nov 21--10h 33m/11h 24m------------9h 51m/10h 49m--------------9h 26m/10h 30m------------8h 54m/10h 05m

Dec 21--10h 14m/11h 07m------------9h 22m/10h 23m--------------8h 52m/9h 58m-------------7h 53m/9h 27m

Length of day Vs. Length of visable light
When you see people describe outdoor Photoperiod, they often use the "Length of day" to describe it. "Length of day" is defined legally as the time between sunrise and sunset, the problem with using this figure is that it doesn't count the visable light known as "Twilight", that occurs before sunrise, and after sunset, the day may actually be 1 hour(or more) longer!
Cannabis plants do have a cut off point where they no longer consider fading light as "day", I am sure this tolerence point is different for each strain grown. Obviously a full moon is not bright enough to affect Cannabis plants, but who really knows where cut off is?

 

[Mono]

We have two more sprouts. Two out of three Northern Lights Autos have broken ground

 

[420Amard]

Awwwwwwwwwwwww so cute ^_^

 

[Mono]

Awwwwwwwwwwwww so cute ^_^

It's now 3/3 only waiting on the photoperiod Northern Lights x Big Bud then we are out of the germination stage

 

[GrizzWald]

I'm not near you guys, but here plants should start budding mid second month of summer and finish start of the last month of autumn.

 

[Mono]

I'm not near you guys, but here plants should start budding mid second month of summer and finish start of the last month of autumn.

That sounds perfect. By that count things will be finishing up by the end of September / early October. Perfect

 

[cavalocansado]

A bit late, but I'm also in for the ride. Being a first time balcony grower, there are some stuff for me to learn here. I'll keep my eyes on them Norhern Lights Autos.

 

[Mono]

A bit late, but I'm also in for the ride. Being a first time balcony grower, there are some stuff for me to learn here. I'll keep my eyes on them Norhern Lights Autos.

Welcome aboard buddy!

 

[Dutty Panty]

 

[Mono]

So, last bit of soil amendments were made today. I dug in one bag of canna terra professional per bed, along with a handful or two of dolomite lime for calcium . I have been considering digging in some perlite for better drainage but not sure if this is needed or not.

I will dig the planting holes tomorrow evening then the soil will be left alone (other than some weeding). Don't want to disturb all the goodness by constantly tilling the soil.

 

[Kushtie]

Canna terra pro....is it a bad idea to use nothing but that in pots? Or the plus stuff?

I haven't bought soil yet but have got roots out 1" Rockwool cubes on my seedlings and can't get to the shop for another couple of days yet. No pots either but I'm getting them elsewhere and have specific ones in mind that look pretty much perfect for autos at two of the sites I've selected.