Questions for expert outdoor growers

[Gidorah]

Hi everybody, first outdoor grow coming this spring. Live in a Mediterranean climate in Southern California. Got a few questions.

Does anyone top or train their outdoor grow?
Spring equinox is March 21st, ok to plant in April or May?
Is the quality of bud different than tent grown?
I use Geoflora indoors, anyone use it outdoors?
Any nutrient recommendations?

Thanks in advance, while I know my way around a tent, I don't know much about outdoor growing and am excited to try it. Bought seeds that are known to like a Mediterranean climate.

 

[garybo]

@Gidorah, hi and hope your day has been joyful.

I grow outdoor in a Mediterranean climate in Florida, we are a few thousand miles from each other but our climate is probably similar.
I germinate in mid April and put the seedling under a light for a few weeks in potting soil and a biodegradable 5" pot and put them outdoor around the 1st to 2nd week of May. In the evenings I will put a quart jar over them for protection.
When they go into veg, which is about the time the 3rd set of regular leaves have developed I transplant them into 5 gal fabric pots and when the 6th set of leaves have started, I will top the plant and put the topping into a pot of potting soil to be grown indoor by a friend.
I'm not worried about height, so I let them grow. After about 12 weeks, give or take, they will go into preflower, that is when the pistils develop. I start lollipopping at that time while they are in flower.

I don't harvest until the trics are 100% milky looking.

I feed with Mega Crop and CalMag. My soil is Roots Organics Formula 707, which is full of that good stuff plants like.

Be aware of worms when growing outdoor, there are various sprays available for those critters. Also, I try to keep the plants out of the direct rain, they have a clear plastic sheeting built over them for that reason. It rains a lot here in my part of the world. This will help to prevent mold from developing during warm and humid evenings.

Hope this tid-bit of info is helpful.

​

 

[Gidorah]

Hi garybo. It's been a good day, thanks for asking and thank you for taking the time to give such a detailed response, exactly the info I was looking for. I'm going to put one plant in native amended soil and two in a raised bed full of decent garden soil. Will use your time-line as far as planting. Very rare to get summer rain here. Appreciate your insight, will throw up a couple of pics as things start rolling. Hope you have a great day.

 

[Porky82]

Love outside growing!! Just seems more natural. Unfortunately I'm the opposite of you and have to grow inside due to lack of space outside these days. When it changes I'll be straight back outside.
I'm in Australia so pests will be different but them and storms i found were the worst over the years!
Had a bad storm take out about 70% of a crop one year. Also had spider mites bad once and aphids.
This the only outside pic I've got on my phone. This was planted in the ground and just watered till flower than I add liquid pot ash.

One thing I really liked was I had a greenhouse for 2 years and it was awesome all the benefits of outside with almost the protection of inside!

Anyway outside can be awesome but I did find it easier and less time consuming than inside but there is so many more variables with outside!
Hope ya enjoy and ya post some pics of some Monster outside plants in the future!!

 

[Gidorah]

Wow porky, that plant is a monster! Long skinny leaves, looks like a saliva. What are your thoughts topping outdoors? Looks like yours wasn't topped. I would love a greenhouse but not enough room and our weather is so mild that you almost font need it. Thanks for the info, always looking to expand my knowledge.

 

[Porky82]

Wow porky, that plant is a monster! Long skinny leaves, looks like a saliva. What are your thoughts topping outdoors? Looks like yours wasn't topped. I would love a greenhouse but not enough room and our weather is so mild that you almost font need it. Thanks for the info, always looking to expand my knowledge.

I found tall plants not topped suffer less in the wind than topped plants!!
I mostly topped plants outdoors for that reason alone!!
All my greenhouse plants were topped except for some small autos.

 

[Mudballs]

Wow porky, that plant is a monster! Long skinny leaves, looks like a saliva. What are your thoughts topping outdoors? Looks like yours wasn't topped. I would love a greenhouse but not enough room and our weather is so mild that you almost font need it. Thanks for the info, always looking to expand my knowledge.

you just have to remember to stop topping plants about 1-2 weeks before flowering starts in your area. If you top and they dont have enough time to grow out a bit more before flowering, you get oddball double fisted nugs on branches that hold mold easy and yield will suffer. so i stop topping sometime in July cuz most of my strains will start flowering sometime in late July or august.

 

[Gidorah]

I found tall plants not topped suffer less in the wind than topped plants!!
I mostly topped plants outdoors for that reason alone!!

Thanks Porky. We get these seasonal winds called Santa Ana's here that are pretty strong at times. So to clarify, untopped plants do better in windy areas right?

you just have to remember to stop topping plants about 1-2 weeks before flowering starts in your area. If you top and they dont have enough time to grow out a bit more before flowering,

Great advice Mud, thank you. Indoors, I top at the 5th node. You think the same rules apply outdoors? I have plenty of room so topping multiple branches isn't a problem. You mind sharing your trimming experiences?

 

[BeezLuiz]

Hi Gidorah, I live about 300 miles north of you in the bay area (San Jose). I believe our climates are pretty similar, but maybe a bit cooler.

Does anyone top or train their outdoor grow?

I definitely top my outdoor plants at least twice, but sometimes 3 or 4 times while in veg.

Spring equinox is March 21st, ok to plant in April or May?

Yes, I usually put my plants outside mid - late May. I put some out in early April once, and they went into premature flowering, then back to veg. Was kind of a mess that season.

Is the quality of bud different than tent grown?

To be honest, I think "yes" there is a difference. I've only grown a few indoor plants, but they seem to be a little frostier. Maybe because they are kept smaller than the outdoor plants, or sun vs artificial lighting. Not sure the reason, but the outdoor plants are still plenty nice.

I use Geoflora indoors, anyone use it outdoors?

My son has used Geoflora outdoors for the past two seasons. To be honest, I'm not a fan. It's really easy to use, but his plants never grow as well as mine.

Any nutrient recommendations?

There's lots of really good nutrients out there. I've used several of them, but my favorite so far has been the Emerald Harvest line. When the plants are young, I feed them Megacrop, but then switch to the other nutes about the time I put them outside. I use 20 gallon fiber pots and Fox Farms Ocean Forest as my soil.

So to clarify, untopped plants do better in windy areas right?

Actually, I feel untopped plants do worse in windy areas. I also keep the lower and middle areas of the plants pretty well pruned.

I pretty much treat my outdoor plants the same as you would for an indoor plant regarding topping and LST and nutrients.
Here's a couple of my outdoor plants from previous seasons:

20211105_100755.jpg

• BeezLuiz
• Dec 18, 2022

Purple Haze from 2021 season.

20211005_075353.jpg

• BeezLuiz
• Dec 18, 2022

Granddaddy Purple from 2021 season.

I got more than a pound out of each of those plants.

 

[Emeraldo]

Hi Gidorah, yes, of course you can top outdoors. At the fourth node, or sixth, whatever, after they've gotten into vigorous veg growth. Why do you want to top? Topping will keep the plant shorter, will make the plant's lower branches bush out. For stealth it's also a good idea. I grow in a greenhouse with a 7-foot ceiling, so I top once and then use LST on long branches.

This Super Malawi Haze was topped.

SMH 10.11.22.jpg

• Emeraldo
• Nov 10, 2022

Sometimes a single LST at the apical tip will produce the same result. This plant was not topped but was LST'd once.

57DE20ED-3148-4B0E-958F-FC6F55E3BF12.jpeg

• Emeraldo
• Oct 16, 2022

SLH 16. Oct. 22

Enjoy your grow!

 

[Gidorah]

Yes, I usually put my plants outside mid - late May. I put some out in early April once, and they went into premature flowering, then back to veg. Was kind of a mess that season.

Thanks Beez, good to know!

Not sure the reason, but the outdoor plants are still plenty nice.

Also good to know. I was curious about this since we have so much more control indoors.

but my favorite so far has been the Emerald Harvest line.

Will research that, thanks for the heads up.
Thanks for the reply. I was wondering about growing outdoors like in a tent but my mind was thinking if outside, I should just let it go natural so I appreciate your thoughts. Was up in Humboldt last month and drove near your neck of the woods during all the rain, got rerouted to the 695. Took 16 hours to get home, usually takes 12ish on a good day.

 

[Gidorah]

Hi Gidorah, I live about 300 miles north of you in the bay area (San Jose). I believe our climates are pretty similar, but maybe a bit cooler.

I definitely top my outdoor plants at least twice, but sometimes 3 or 4 times while in veg.

Yes, I usually put my plants outside mid - late May. I put some out in early April once, and they went into premature flowering, then back to veg. Was kind of a mess that season.

To be honest, I think "yes" there is a difference. I've only grown a few indoor plants, but they seem to be a little frostier. Maybe because they are kept smaller than the outdoor plants, or sun vs artificial lighting. Not sure the reason, but the outdoor plants are still plenty nice.

My son has used Geoflora outdoors for the past two seasons. To be honest, I'm not a fan. It's really easy to use, but his plants never grow as well as mine.

There's lots of really good nutrients out there. I've used several of them, but my favorite so far has been the Emerald Harvest line. When the plants are young, I feed them Megacrop, but then switch to the other nutes about the time I put them outside. I use 20 gallon fiber pots and Fox Farms Ocean Forest as my soil.

Actually, I feel untopped plants do worse in windy areas. I also keep the lower and middle areas of the plants pretty well pruned.

I pretty much treat my outdoor plants the same as you would for an indoor plant regarding topping and LST and nutrients.
Here's a couple of my outdoor plants from previous seasons:

20211105_100755.jpg

• BeezLuiz
• Dec 18, 2022

Purple Haze from 2021 season.

20211005_075353.jpg

• BeezLuiz
• Dec 18, 2022

Granddaddy Purple from 2021 season.

I got more than a pound out of each of those plants.

I forgot Beez, your plants look incredible! Thanks for sharing the pics!

 

[Gidorah]

yes, of course you can top outdoors. At the fourth node, or sixth, whatever, after they've gotten into vigorous veg growth. Why do you want to top?

Hi Emeraldo, thank you for taking the time to reply. I guess I'm not sure why I do or don't want to top. I figured let it go natural and untopped but then the tent growing experimenter in me wondered if anyone tops and get better yields. Glad I asked now.
Love your plants! I'm appreciating all the response. The Outdoor forum seemed a little quiet so thank you to everyone. Can't wait to get started!

 

[Emeraldo]

Hi Emeraldo, thank you for taking the time to reply. I guess I'm not sure why I do or don't want to top. I figured let it go natural and untopped but then the tent growing experimenter in me wondered if anyone tops and get better yields. Glad I asked now.
Love your plants! I'm appreciating all the response. The Outdoor forum seemed a little quiet so thank you to everyone. Can't wait to get started!

Yeah, well... is yield better topped than untopped? somebody should start a survey there. you know, it could be the yield is going to be the same, topped or not. It's just spread out differently on the plant. topping the mainstem diverts growth hormones into the side branches and the buds there can bulk up nicely. Whether that's more yield than on the same plant if it hadn't been topped, is difficult to say, but just offhand I'd say yeah, it looks to be more, all things being equal
cheers

 

[BeezLuiz]

I didn't top or train any of my plants the first year I grew. One plant grew about 7ft tall and I got about 1.5 pounds from it, but a lot of that was small popcorn-like buds. Since topping and training, I still get a pound or more, but the plants produce more large, dense top colas than the untopped ones. I also now heavily prune the lowers and anything that might produce larf. Maybe a little less yield, but better quality in my opinion. Besides, a pound is way more than I need.

 

[Mudballs]

Thanks Porky. We get these seasonal winds called Santa Ana's here that are pretty strong at times. So to clarify, untopped plants do better in windy areas right?


Great advice Mud, thank you. Indoors, I top at the 5th node. You think the same rules apply outdoors? I have plenty of room so topping multiple branches isn't a problem. You mind sharing your trimming experiences?

Trimming experience? Not sure i follow. After harvest or during grow? I usually dont trim outdoors. I do mounds and just let em run wild.

Or im in 3gal...mostly 3gal these days.

Im not the norm when i comes to cultivating, im just chiming in on what i feel is important to remember as a newbie outdoors...dont mess up ur topping too close to flowering.

 

[Gidorah]

Trimming experience? Not sure i follow. After harvest or during grow? I usually dont trim outdoors. I do mounds and just let em run wild

Hey Mud, sorry about that, i meant trimming/topping while growing. I was planning on not topping but now I'm not sure. I will have 3 plants in the ground so I'm thinking of topping one and letting the other 2 go natural.

 

[Gidorah]

I didn't top or train any of my plants the first year I grew. One plant grew about 7ft tall and I got about 1.5 pounds from it, but a lot of that was small popcorn-like buds. Since topping and training, I still get a pound or more, but the plants produce more large, dense top colas than the untopped ones. I also now heavily prune the lowers and anything that might produce larf. Maybe a little less yield, but better quality in my opinion. Besides, a pound is way more than I need.

Now that makes a lot of sense to me and lines up with my experience growing indoors. Who doesn't like big fat colas?

 

[Mudballs]

Hey Mud, sorry about that, i meant trimming/topping while growing. I was planning on not topping but now I'm not sure. I will have 3 plants in the ground so I'm thinking of topping one and letting the other 2 go natural.

You should be able to veg some plants long enough to get one session of topping in...there's a stretch of time where i can just walk through the garden and pick tops off leisurely...i look at the plant in admiration...pull another top, pull on my blunt, and decide how much longer i have left before i should stop...then i say "oh shit i need to get the hose and water"...but i just toke on my blunt and pull a few more tops on the bigger more developed plants. Then drag out the hose begrudgingly and start watering high noon full sun, 115 degrees Fahrenheit like a boss.
...that's my trimming experience.

 

[Gidorah]

You should be able to veg some plants long enough to get one session of topping in...there's a stretch of time where i can just walk through the garden and pick tops off leisurely...i look at the plant in admiration...pull another top, pull on my blunt, and decide how much longer i have left before i should stop...then i say "oh shit i need to get the hose and water"...but i just toke on my blunt and pull a few more tops on the bigger more developed plants. Then drag out the hose begrudgingly and start watering high noon full sun, 115 degrees Fahrenheit like a boss.
...that's my trimming experience.

Now that's what I'm talking about!