Moving White Lightning From Indoors To Outdoors: Predictions?

[pauleyfresh]

Hi all. I am curious to see what the community predicts will happen with the following experiment starting this weekend May 2, 2020.

I am growing a White Lightning non-feminized photoperiod plant. I am using it as a test to see how it responds to a move outdoors from indoors early in the season (Midwestern USA). The seed was free and there is a 50/50 chance it will be a male so I am not overly concerned about any negative impact. I also have other plants going (and planned) so I am more interested in observing and learning than losing any potential yield.

The plant has been indoors in a DIY grow tent since seedling stage, 18/6 veg cycle LED, and will be moving up to a rooftop that has full sun exposure. It will be 34 days old (above ground) and extremely healthy when I move it outdoors. It's growing in a 5 gal fabric pot in Black Gold Organic soil - no more transplants. I will continue to feed nutrients at the normal schedule so it won't be neglected that way. Here are the challenges it will face...

Light Duration:

When it goes outdoors there will be 14 hrs and 6 mins of daylight (and increasing as I'm in the Northern Hemisphere). I will augment the daylight with some solar garden LEDs to attempt to buffer the drastic reduction in hours of light exposure. How will it respond when it loses 4 hrs of daylight in one day?

Outdoor Weather Conditions:

The weather forecast says temperatures will be stressful (but not fatal) to the plant...at least for a week or two before it warms up. There are some days in the forecast that will have highs in the 50s and lows in the 40s (Fahrenheit). We are past the freeze/frost danger zone. I recognize this will be out of the comfort zone for the plant, but that is the point. Also, I pH'd the rain water here and it is alkaline at ~7.5. How will it respond to inclement conditions with low temperatures and alkaline rain water?

Time will tell! I welcome your thoughts and/or predictions!

 

[The Celt]

Hey mate, it should do fine, similar conditions to where I live for the time of year and I often put plants out the 1st of May and we still get frosts here during May. As for the light, should be OK, most will stay in veg as long as there are more than 14.5 hrs a day and at 34 days old, it’s likely they aren’t mature enough to start flowering for another 2 weeks or more

 

[pauleyfresh]

Thanks for your reply, Celt. Very helpful note on maturity times. Hopefully it fares well and "it" becomes a healthy outdoor female! The experiment will help me with subsequent transitions this year and in years to come. I see you're working on Blue Dream seeds. Two of my feminized plants going in the tent are BD. Based on what I read, they might struggle with the outdoor transition and swings in weather conditions, but I'm going to give it my best shot! All the best up north!

 

[The Celt]

Thanks mate, I will have at least 2 BD girls outside this year to see how they fare

 

[Kodiak420]

I wouldn't mind seeing how you fair out..

 

[pauleyfresh]

Update: The forecast temperatures took a downward turn and we'll still be dipping into the 30s at night for the next week. Very unseasonable. That is colder than I am willing to go with the White Lightning experiment. It got some nice, natural sunlight this past weekend but for the next week, it will be staying in the comfortable confines of the grow tent inside. I'm looking at setting it outside permanently next Wed May 13 when we should be way past any lows in the 30s. Bummer all around.

 

[pauleyfresh]

I snapped a few pix of the White Lightning while adjusting the LST with hopes that it might be expressing sex. As tis is my first grow, I don't exactly know where to look but I gave it a shot. If anyone has an observation to share, I'm all ears.

White Lightning LST

• pauleyfresh
• May 7, 2020

Trying to sex this non-fem plant. Are these pre-flower pistils?

 

[The Celt]

I can’t tell from that picture, eyes aren’t good enough, but you need to be looking in the crotch between limb and main stem. I can see pre-flowers there but can’t tell what they are, if you can get a clearer closer shot maybe

 

[pauleyfresh]

I can’t tell from that picture, eyes aren’t good enough, but you need to be looking in the crotch between limb and main stem. I can see pre-flowers there but can’t tell what they are, if you can get a clearer closer shot maybe

Did some quick googling and I now know where to look. I was confusing the stipules with the pre-flowers. I'll keep an eye out as it continues to develop. Thanks for your reply, Celt.

 

[CanadianJim]

Your plants may start to shift to flower, but they'll snap out of it. When I put my plants outside last year they shot out a few pistils, but nothing extreme. Like @The Celt said, 14.5 hours of light should prevent a full shift.
If you post the pic as a thumbnail old guys like us would be able to zoom in on the pics, see the details, lol.

 

[pauleyfresh]

Your plants may start to shift to flower, but they'll snap out of it. When I put my plants outside last year they shot out a few pistils, but nothing extreme. Like @The Celt said, 14.5 hours of light should prevent a full shift.
If you post the pic as a thumbnail old guys like us would be able to zoom in on the pics, see the details, lol.

Thanks for your reply @CanadianJim , and for your advice on posting the photo. Will post as a thumbnail next time. I think the pre-flowers were too small to decipher but I'll try again in a couple days. The White Lightning is going outdoors on the rooftop this coming May 13 when the 30s and 40s Fahrenheit have (FINALLY) passed. That day just happens to be exactly 14.5 hrs of daylight in my location. I am reducing the indoor grow light duration by 15 mins every few days between now and then to soften the blow a bit. It will be down to a 17/7 schedule by May 13. It's responded very nicely to some LST with the canopy broadening very well so I'm hopeful for a female. Time will tell! Thanks all and happy growing!

 

[pauleyfresh]

I moved the White Lightning up to the rooftop this afternoon (along with an 420 Gold Leaf fem of the same age for good company). Both are 45 days old (since sprouting). It has been periodically exposed to real UV throughout its life, even as a seedling, so the sun intensity shouldn't be a shock. As stated in the OP, I will have a couple small solar LEDs pointed at for some additional night time light supply during the transition. Today we're looking at 14.5 hrs of daylength, on the nose - not including any twilight. Temps for the next week should range between 50-70F with some potentially significant rainfall here and there. Happy outdoor living to the plants and happy growing to you all!

 

[The Celt]

Well done mate, at 45 days old, they should handle those conditions easily

 

[pauleyfresh]

We received 8 inches of rain from 5/14-5/17. That's a month's worth of rain in 4 days. Madness. The plants are definitely showing displeasure with all the water, but I'm pretty confident they will be ok. Once they dry out, they'll definitely need a feeding as any nutrients they had are certainly flushed out. The White Lightning has not shown any significant signs of jumping to flower. I can see small nubs but there are incredibly small and, to me, not identifiable. Hopefully the solar LEDs are adding just enough extra light at night to keep them vegging.

Here's a pic of all three. Left to Right: Gold Leaf Fem, Blue Dream Fem, White Lightning Non-fem. Fingers crossed for some warmer, drier days ahead! and happy growing!

 

[pauleyfresh]

Here is a shot of my solution to keep the plants in veg after moving from the grow tent -> outdoors (and instantly losing a few hrs of daylight). Seems to be working so far. I did see some tiny pre-flower pistils on the Blue Dream feminized plant. Still no signs of sex from the White Lightning.

 

[pauleyfresh]

I spoke too soon. I think we have a White Lightning female! Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[mrking]

I spoke too soon. I think we have a White Lightning female! Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Looks like a female to me. Woot!

 

[mrking]

Here is a shot of my solution to keep the plants in veg after moving from the grow tent -> outdoors (and instantly losing a few hrs of daylight). Seems to be working so far. I did see some tiny pre-flower pistils on the Blue Dream feminized plant. Still no signs of sex from the White Lightning.

That is hilarious. Gotta do what ya gotta do.

So far I have luck with dropping the light schedule my 30 minutes a week, which will allow me to place them outside for good at the end of May.

 

[CanadianJim]

Congrats! It's a girl!