How big to veg plants before moving outside?

[DaKindbuds]

If 4/20 is the start of the outdoor growing season for me. How big should my girls be before I move them outside? I figure free light why not. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[iwltfum]

It should be big enough so the top can't be reached by a squirrel or rabbit. They can eat a small plant in a morning or two. Plus, clones and seedlings are sensitive to alot of things like to much light, bugs, molds, heavy rain, ect. Once they settle in to the outside they will grow pretty fast (given the proper conditions) so you don't really need a very big plant to put out in the spring or early summer, but if you want to throw some outside right now (assuming you are in the northern hemisphere), it will probably start to bloom in the next week or two. In that case, your plant won't really veg anymore and you would want to have it at least as big as the smallest veg plant you would be willing to throw into your bloom room. For me, it would need to be about 1-2 feet tall (from the base of the stem) for me to be willing to bloom any plant whether it is outdoors or indoors.

 

[DaKindbuds]

Appreciate it. I'm not worried about them making it outside. I actually put some cuttings I took during flower outside because they were looking shabby and almost everyone of them has made a great turnaround and are looking healthy and growing new leaves.
I was trying to gauge how big I should veg them so that when I put them outside they are at least as big or bigger than they would of been if they were started outdoors at the start of the season. I really let veg room slide haven't done any training and the Jedi in that 3 gal. looks beautiful and I would like to grow one out untouched just to see it.

 

[AKgramma]

The first rule of setting plants outside is "After ALL Danger of Frost is Passed".
The second rule is "Gradually harden your plants to the outdoor conditions"

Size doesn't make all that much difference, but in my experience from gardening in a cold climate, the younger the plant, the better it will adapt to the outdoors. With care, you can adapt a mature indoor plant to the Great Outdoors. Natural light is Nature's best, but you'll have to be more diligent to make sure they are watered, protected from severe weather, sunburn, and bugs.

Even if they are in shade for the hottest part of the day, or the sky is cloudy, the full spectrum of light will still get through to them.

 

[DaKindbuds]

Thanks for the tip. I was wondering whether I should move my two Maui into the shade for part of the day. Temps have been getting up to the mid 90's at least.

 

[AKgramma]

Absolutely! Continual sun + high temps will fry your ladies!

 

[DaKindbuds]

Its ok for the little ones to stay in the sun right?

 

[AKgramma]

Babies dry out faster than mature plants. They can be in direct sunlight, sure, but not all day under a blistering sun. You could place them in the shade of the mature plants, and they will get all the sun they need.