When do you start?

[CultivationArt]

Last years outdoor for me was a huge success. But a complete fail with what I coulda done. This year my plans are much different. Going to be organized better. As well much better strain selection. And my own cuts from my own purchased genetics. So I know for sure what I have going on. I’ll say I’m excited for sure. When do you guys typically start up? Anything from indoor seeds to conditioning the dirt? I’m all ears.

 

[Phytoplankton]

In the northern hemisphere it’s pretty much indoors only until about May, I guess you could grow autos outdoors if it’s warm enough. If you’re indoor equipped, now is as good a time as any. Unless you want to make your own soil, I’d look at Fox Farm ocean forest or the milder happy frog, there are plenty of other good bag soils..

 

[Lerugged]

Southern hemisphere here. I grow a year but the biggest harvest is plant Sept harvest middle may. Strains are all landraces and heirlooms so they handle pretty much anything. Congrats on the harvest. We always want more but you learned and now, you have a plan. Cheers

 

[CultivationArt]

Well Iv grown indoors since I was 16. That’s never stopped. Grew outside as a kid. For about 4 years consistent. Then last season was my first year back outside. But now I’m running both in and out. And have some fun plans this summer using my outside as a free veg room for moms. Lol. I’m in Southern California. So my season starts around may. Unless you want to flower early in April to reveg in June.. I’m just tryin to chat about everyone’s plans including my own. Ima nerd when it comes to talking about weed. Lol.

 

[SmokingWings]

In the northern hemisphere it’s pretty much indoors only until about May,

Like Phytplankton says, about May, mostly mid-May for transplanting to the outdoors. There might be 14 hours of light between sunrise and sunset but the first and last hour the light is weak. A lot of people in the northern hemisphere will start seeds indoors and plant outside in late April or early May and then report that their plants are flowering.

I’m just tryin to chat about everyone’s plans including my own.

Not sure when I will start any seeds but somehow I will have rooted clones by early May. They will be hardened off in the back room for several days and then outside by mid month.

 

[greenjeans]

I'm still a neub with my 3rd grow - around the 45th parallel - a few in the ground and a few movable into the greenhouse.
I think that I have always started too early and they get too damn tall and they seem "tired" at the end. Our frost free date is late May - Early June and can keep the outdoor gals until early Oct. - last year it was bud rot that had me harvest early not weather.
This year I will try to keep from dropping seeds until mid May. But it will be hard and I get anxious - I will drop some early - I just know it but they will just to keep me busy until I get serious!!

 

[CultivationArt]

Like Phytplankton says, about May, mostly mid-May for transplanting to the outdoors. There might be 14 hours of light between sunrise and sunset but the first and last hour the light is weak. A lot of people in the northern hemisphere will start seeds indoors and plant outside in late April or early May and then report that their plants are flowering.


Not sure when I will start any seeds but somehow I will have rooted clones by early May. They will be hardened off in the back room for several days and then outside by mid month.

I’m not the biggest fan of giant plants. So I’m gonna take my time tryin to pick out what strains I wanna run. Everything I plan on growing indoors first. Then clones to place outside around may. Maybe June. Colin from ethos told my my wife grandpas stash is excellent for outdoors. So we’re thinking about grabbing some beans from North Atlantic. Do you prefer kush outdoors for short flowering time? Or do you grow anything special for outdoors?

 

[CultivationArt]

I'm still a neub with my 3rd grow - around the 45th parallel - a few in the ground and a few movable into the greenhouse.
I think that I have always started too early and they get too damn tall and they seem "tired" at the end. Our frost free date is late May - Early June and can keep the outdoor gals until early Oct. - last year it was bud rot that had me harvest early not weather.
This year I will try to keep from dropping seeds until mid May. But it will be hard and I get anxious - I will drop some early - I just know it but they will just to keep me busy until I get serious!!

I was thinking the same thing lol. I can’t wait for this outdoor season. So many things I wanna correct from last year.

 

[PaleSun]

I've used a home made Hoop greenhouse for a couple years. It's only 8x12ft and open at the ends, but keeps the rain off. Have been growing lots of Autos in the last couple years. White Widow and Amnesia are favourites. You can time it so the Autos are finishing when it's still the peak of summer too.

Last year I trained 2 Sour Diesel photos into really tight Manifolds. Eight branches and 8 big honkin crowns on each. Nipped off all the lower bud sites so the plants put all their energy into only the tops.

 

[greenjeans]

growing lots of Autos in the last couple years

Hey Sun - I have been thinking of moving to auto's. I grow outside in the ground under glass but being at the 45th parallel it is tough to beat the weather. I also grow in laundry tubs that can move into the greenhouse in the fall if they don't get too big. How have the auto's treated you??

 

[SmokingWings]

I’m not the biggest fan of giant plants.

I do not grow large plants. Even though it is legal here the regulations also say that the plants cannot be visible to the public under normal conditions. Since our yard has a cyclone fence on two sides and we have a social organization behind us with driveway going in on one side and their building and parking lot along the other fence all my outdoor plants have to be kept smaller and hidden from view.

Most likely I will be taking some cuttings from a Blue Dream mother this week and some of those will be going outside in May. If it is like last year they will end up in 3 or 5 gallon pots which will keep them shorter than if I planted them somewhere in the garden or along the one side of the yard which has the privacy fence.

 

[PaleSun]

Hey Sun - I have been thinking of moving to auto's. I grow outside in the ground under glass but being at the 45th parallel it is tough to beat the weather. I also grow in laundry tubs that can move into the greenhouse in the fall if they don't get too big. How have the auto's treated you??

Howdy Greenjeans. I love the little buggers. Outside, Autos dont grow as big as those under good LEDs for 20hrs a day, but I still get 100 to 150g per plant. I live north too. Couple years ago I was growing Purple Kush and would come away with a kilo by fall harvest. That's just a lot of work, and I sure don't need to grow that much - couldn't give enough away lol. Also, by fall harvest it can get cold and rainy. With Autos they're ready in 12-13 wks so harvest was mid August.

Almost forgot, I use Rubbermaid blue storage bins for planters. About 30 litre size. Makes it a lot easier to move them around if needed. Plus, if you have a cold snap you can drag them inside.

 

[CultivationArt]

I was thinking about trying a couple autos out this year just for fun. But I tried some bubba kush from kushman, and all of them flowered in 1 week of sprout. Another forum told me im an idiot and stop growing autos. So I took their advise. Lol

 

[greenjeans]

I grew one auto in a laundry tub last year and had no problems that I know of other than it matured right when humidity was high so I did a water cure. I'm not looking for great smoke or wonderful aroma - I just wanna vape 'til I giggle!!! and maybe dance a little!!!

 

[Weekender]

I am in the Midwest, USA. I grow in agriculture fields, the real deal as far as a gorilla grow. Plant inside, in small cups, 18 to a tray, under T-5 lights, germinate Mid-April until May 1st. Most years I cannot get outdoors with them until late June up to and as late as July 4th weekend. The ground has to be wet as they go out into farm dirt, a small hole dug in the dark corn field. I leave and do not come back until Oct for harvest, done, set for the year for me and partner, I have friends that benefit also. Feminized plants always, I have been following this same procedure for a decade, getting kind of boring, feels like work now. I do about 4 strains per year in one grow. The Sativa strains are a bit weaker and die off easy for so many reasons where an Indica you can step on, burn and have deer eat it down to the ground nearly, but it will produce.

 

[CultivationArt]

I am in the Midwest, USA. I grow in agriculture fields, the real deal as far as a gorilla grow. Plant inside, in small cups, 18 to a tray, under T-5 lights, germinate Mid-April until May 1st. Most years I cannot get outdoors with them until late June up to and as late as July 4th weekend. The ground has to be wet as they go out into farm dirt, a small hole dug in the dark corn field. I leave and do not come back until Oct for harvest, done, set for the year for me and partner, I have friends that benefit also. Feminized plants always, I have been following this same procedure for a decade, getting kind of boring, feels like work now. I do about 4 strains per year in one grow. The Sativa strains are a bit weaker and die off easy for so many reasons where an Indica you can step on, burn and have deer eat it down to the ground nearly, but it will produce.

That’s a true leave it and forget it tactic lol.
As a kid. I always wanted to do that in the forest. Every time I’d go to castaic lake, I’d throw seeds in the woods lol. Idk if anything happened. We’re talking over 15 years ago. I did find someone else’s once though lol. I just awed and left it alone.

 

[PaleSun]

I was thinking about trying a couple autos out this year just for fun. But I tried some bubba kush from kushman, and all of them flowered in 1 week of sprout. Another forum told me im an idiot and stop growing autos. So I took their advise. Lol

LOL You're not an idiot. Some people are dinks, and stuck in their ways LOL My first time I experimented with a couple Autos and they were mostly puny. The following year they were awesome. I think Autos may need a bit more babying, like, I go straight from solo starter cup to the big pot, and only LST bending. GWE recently started recommending topping at the 3rd node, but that was for indoor gardens.

 

[CultivationArt]

LOL You're not an idiot. Some people are dinks, and stuck in their ways LOL My first time I experimented with a couple Autos and they were mostly puny. The following year they were awesome. I think Autos may need a bit more babying, like, I go straight from solo starter cup to the big pot, and only LST bending. GWE recently started recommending topping at the 3rd node, but that was for indoor gardens.

Lol. Thanks. Yeah. I figured I’d give it another shot. But for outdoors.

 

[Phytoplankton]

I’ve got three autos indoors now, about 5-6 weeks into flower. I just did a soil re-set flush that should hold me through harvest. I've grown autos outdoor in the summer, and they do fine, 2-3 feet tall. The indoor ones I have going now are almost 4 ft. from the soil to the top buds.

I've got some more auto seeds that I'll plant after this harvest, that will take me through spring, then I can plant Photos outside in the greenhouse. I did remove the roof of the greenhouse last year, and it solved several issues, one, it no longer gets too hot, it lowered the humidty (no bud rot this year!) and no pest issues (the borg). I even had a couple Praying Mantis' living on the plants.

 

[Melville Hobbes]

I started way too early last year. I had sprouts March 8th. They were in 7 gallon pots by mid May when I took them outdoors. They got a bit bigger than I wanted, but the weather around here really did a number on them for flower. Lost a lot to mould.
I'll be starting seeds around the end of April this year, to go outdoors mid to late May, with the girl going straight into the ground late May to June 1st just to be sure.
I start them under 15/9 since that's the daylength for this latitude at the end of May. I can almost always get to early October before frost hits, and usually to mid to late October, though that's pushing it. If my plants aren't done by Oct 15th I get worried, so it's mostly Indicas and hybrids that do well. I don't have room for a hoop house or greenhouse.