I am embarking on an elaborate grow that many would rightfully consider unnecessary since cannabis grows so quick from seed and so much can go wrong.
18 weeks of indoor veg followed by proper acclimation and eventually transplant outdoors on april 20ths with additional supplemental lighting.
I am a new poster but a grower of 15+ years in a state that has finally let me have 3 mature medical plants. So I want to take this opportunity to celebrate (maybe flex a lil bit) and show people what can be achieved with a a single plant.
Today my first seeds have germinated 18 weeks and 5 days from 4/20. I will use this thread to organize my thoughts and document the processes. Hopefully gain some much needed insight from skilled growers.
The first thing considered living so close to my neighbors is that their outside lights cause most feminized seeds I have run to hermie. I am going to keep this grow old school and start regular seeds.Its important in a northern climate to get a good hybrid. Pure indicas mold up by the end of September and sativas aren't finished until there is a chance of a snow storm destroying them or if they finish at all.
One of my favorite strains still available in regular form is White Russian (white widow X ak-47) Its sativa dominate but has enough indica in her to finish on time and produce medium to golf ball-sized fluffy buds that are mold resistant and from what I remember is fuckin delicious with an overall sandalwood tone.
Not exactly a loud terpene bomb like cookies, gelato or runtz but righteous in its own way.
At my latitude on April 20ths there is only 13.32 hours of sunlight with daylight from 6:09-7:41
IF I want the plants to have at least 17 hours of light an additional 3.5-4 hours of supplemental light is needed. I will have lights come on at 3AM to keep them in veg.
In a crowded suburb its necessary to keep the light exposer to a minimum that's why I think it's better to put the light on in the early instead AM
Right now the seedlings are on a timer from 3:00 AM to 7:45 PM. In 4-6 weeks I will root clones and put them under 12/12 in a separate tent to determine who will be culled, who will be transplanted/flowered and who will transplant and veg until April.
Would love to hear from anyone who has done this.Please criticize my plan so I can figure out if there is anything i haven't thought of.
Im going to chime in here, just because i grow a similiar grow every year, what i do is keep the plants indoor, through most of veg, during flip and stretch i move them out during the day then in at night, tht way i can assure that i dont end up with hermies, and the damn bugs are so bad around here near dusk that if i didnt bring them in they would soon be reduced to small piles of insect droppings. that is the only difference i see between my grow and yours , i never actually leave them out all night until they are in full out flower and then they are actually under a canopy with netting. that being said i grow an old school indica dominant strain and i do have battles with mold and budworms, but i can usually win most of those battles. The one thing that isnt discussed on this site very often and im assuming its because most growers dont hassle with doing what i do but the timing of your grows can be critical, if i put vegging plants oiutside that are accustomed to 24 light scedule they are going to filp as soon as i move them outside, and if it is before the summer solstice they will herm out after going into flower , not sure if that is a strain soecific trait or if their biological clocks are that good. so i veg totally inside until the days start getting shorter june 20th around my little peice of heavan, then i am safe to put them outside completely without having to worry about them herming out. I only bring them back inside at night for the bug and deer issue. Another issue that i encounter that is rarely discussed is the acclimation period, it is critical to acclimate your plants to real sunlight very carefully, it is VERY easy to scald them which zaps the new growth the hardest and can set you back a month if your not careful..With all that being said the easiest thing for me to do is haul the plants in and out, even the mold and budworm issues are reigned in by doing this, im not sure how practical it is for you to bring your babies in for the night but for me it would be impossible to grow this strain if i didnt. i also grow in seven gallon cat litter buckets that have been drilled with one inch holes all over the surface of the bucket except for the area around the top, they resemble swiss cheese when im done , then i line the buckets with grow bags and in the area where i keep them outside i dig holes into which the buckets are placed when the plant is outside, it helps keep the roots cool during the heat and also seems to keep the plants more stable in the wind, the excessive heat we have been experiencing lately has chnged the way i grow alittle bit, i use a finer netting to cover the flowering plants with and i have incorporated the holes as a standard. one of the other considerations thast I take into account is trying to utilize the free sunlight as opposed to using electric to light mygrows. it wouldnt take much light to keep them from herming, and i would think you would want to have the light on the dayside of the cycle ( in the evening) to be safe, the plants i grow seem to be very in tune with the light dark cycle of the outside regardless of whether or not im growing them inside or not, maybe someone with more experience with the difference between the actual strains and sensitivity to ligh cycles may offer more help but this is what i do, and i grow some very nice stuff, it is more on the indica end as far as the effects,and i have the luxury of letting it go until it reaches the point that it is very good for pain and anxiety, couchlocky, but also very decent head high. sorry if this doesnt help you and happy if it does, but either way you will figure it out with the help on here, this site has saved me many a time. good luck and keep us posted.