My clones ALWAYS flower as soon as I put them outside,...why?!?!?!

[foothilla]

Hello everyone,

My mind is blown. I live in Southern California, and only grow 6 plants at a time, per California state law. I know how to grow indoors, and I know how to grow outdoors from seed. My issue is growing clones outdoors. This is what I've experienced, and it's killing me:

I start the clones inside, get them strong and healthy under a 18/6 light cycle. I keep the 18 hours that the lights are on to the same schedule as the natural light cycle of the sun (adding a couple of hours before and after sunrise, to get to 18 hours total).

Then I move the strong clones outside, and here is the issue:

1) I tried moving the clones outside mid-April, and they instantly started flowering.

2) I tried moving the clones outside in mid-May, and they instantly flowered.

3) Then I tried to move the clones outside in early-June, and they still instantly flowered.

4) Then I tried mid-June, and they still instantly flowered?

I mean WTF is going on here? I know people grow huge plants from clones in So Cal, but I simply can't get any outdoor veg cycle from clone. The bastard clones always flower the instant I put them outside! My outdoor area gets crushed with full sun, and I have tried a bunch of different (high quality) strains,....but always get the same result!

Can anyone offer some insight on this??? It's driving me insane, and ruining my yield!!! The clones always grow great outside, I just can't get any veg time going to max my yield.

 

[Madbud]

Try a 14/10 light cycle, closer to the natural light cycle.

 

[916Fisherman]

You are cutting the light cycle considerably and causing them to flower. You can change the light cycle indoor to match outside or try adding a fluorescent or LED porch or flood light where they are outside and keep it on until it’s time to flower.

 

[Kingjoshh]

Cutting from 18/6 to 12/12 will make them flower so putting clones out with make them flower try something in the middle of that. Hope this helps

 

[jumpincactus]

if the photo-period doesn't match outdoors the 18/6 you had indoors they will flower. In other words what is the day length in soCal in the months you are putting them outside? If your running them 18/6 indoors then you need to assure the outdoor photo-period matches up. Otherwise you are triggering flower mode.

 

[foothilla]

You are cutting the light cycle considerably and causing them to flower. You can change the light cycle indoor to match outside or try adding a fluorescent or LED porch or flood light where they are outside and keep it on until it’s time to flower.

With all due respect, it isn't the drastic cutting of light hours that causes flower. If that were true, cutting from 24 hours back to 18 hours would trigger flower (which it doesn't). It's the total amount of darkness that determines flower. You either have enough darkness, or you don't.

Being that this year my clones were put out on June 18th, they were put outside only 3 days away from the longest day of the year. This just doesn't make sense. The clones just shouldn't have had enough uninterrupted dark hours to flower in mid-June?!?!?

 

[foothilla]

Cutting from 18/6 to 12/12 will make them flower so putting clones out with make them flower try something in the middle of that. Hope this helps

It's not 12/12 in mid-June. We were getting roughly 14.5 hours of sunlight when these were put outside on June 18th.

 

[foothilla]

of the photo-period doesnt match outdoors the 16/6 you had indoors they will flower. In other words what is the day length in soCal in the months you are putting them outside? If your running them 18/6 indoors then you need to assure the outdoor photoperiod matches up. Otherwise you are triggering flower mode.

We were getting approximately 14.5 hours of sunlight a day when these were put outside (June 18th). Days don't really get any longer than that in the continental USA.

When you cut light on a clone from 24 to 16 hours it doesn't cause a plant to flower. So why would cutting from 18 to 14.5 cause flower? 9.5 hours of darkness should not be causing a plant to flower.

 

[Kingjoshh]

It's not 12/12 in mid-June. We were getting roughly 14.5 hours of sunlight when these were put outside on June 18th.

With all due respect, it isn't the drastic cutting of light hours that causes flower. If that were true, cutting from 24 hours back to 18 hours would trigger flower (which it doesn't). It's the total amount of darkness that determines flower. You either have enough darkness, or you don't.

Being that this year my clones were put out on June 18th, they were put outside only 3 days away from the longest day of the year. This just doesn't make sense. The clones just shouldn't have had enough uninterrupted dark hours to flower in mid-June?!?!?

5 people tell you that the indoor to outside lighting hour change is the issue. The plants need to have a certain amount of darkness to flower. Around 12 h some plants can With less, You are not adjusting them properly before you put them outside . With all do respect plants can flower with 9.5 hours of night when it was use to a 18/6 cycle .

 

[foothilla]

5 people tell you that the indoor to outside lighting hour change is the issue. The plants need to have a certain amount of darkness to flower. Around 12 h some plants can With less, You are not adjusting them properly before you put them outside . With all do respect plants can flower with 9.5 hours of night when it was use to a 18/6 cycle .

With all due respect, if 5 people told me the sky was purple, they would still be wrong. If what you are suggesting was true, a clone would flower every time you cut it's light cycle back from 24 hours, to 16 hours (a drastic 8 hour light reduction). But, this obviously doesn't happen. You can cut a clone's light from 24 hours to 16 hours a million times, and it will never flower. So, why would cutting from 18 hours back to 14.5 hours be too drastic of a reduction to the very same clone?

A clone can handle a drastic 8 hours light reduction without flowering, when you go from 24 hours back to 16 hours of light. So, why would a 3.5 hour reduction (from 18 hours back to 14.5 hours) be too drastic for the plants normal maturity cycle?

The science behind your suggestion just doesn't make sense.

 

[Ina]

With all due respect, it isn't the drastic cutting of light hours that causes flower.

But it is:)What else can trigger flower in photoperiod plant if it is not the light cycle?There is different cultivars and they reacting differently,ofcourse it is not the same Indica from Kazakhstan and Caribbean sativa:)And you say"clones"in general.All the plants are different and can react differently to few hours light reducing but mainly most of them will start flowering,than sometimes reveg(depends on when you put them outside)…...They are just confused.Next time try to grow the moms 15/9 or even 14 /10 to be sure.Or at least root the cIones under 15/9......I grow my moms 15/9 for that same reason,cut and root the clones under the same light regime and take them out a little bit before the day is 15 hours but they don't flower because they feel the day grows and decide to grow.....But sometimes less than 2 hours difference between indoor cycle and outdoor cycle can confuse them for a while.....

 

[Kingjoshh]

With all due respect, if 5 people told me the sky was purple, they would still be wrong. If what you are suggesting was true, a clone would flower every time you cut it's light cycle back from 24 hours, to 16 hours (a drastic 8 hour light reduction). But, this obviously doesn't happen. You can cut a clone's light from 24 hours to 16 hours a million times, and it will never flower. So, why would cutting from 18 hours back to 14.5 hours be too drastic of a reduction to the very same clone?

A clone can handle a drastic 8 hours light reduction without flowering, when you go from 24 hours back to 16 hours of light. So, why would a 3.5 hour reduction (from 18 hours back to 14.5 hours) be too drastic for the plants normal maturity cycle?

The science behind your suggestion just doesn't make sense.

You’d think you would actually go and try it out instead of losing your clones but you’d rather just argue petty stuff, Phytochrome actively keeps your plants from flowering. Once there is a low enough amount of Phytochrome far red , your plant will start to flower. This decrease can only come from long periods of darkness without any interruption. So no matter what unless it’s a auto, cutting down from 24 to 18 will not flower because 6 hours isn’t enough, but 9.5 hours darkness’s is probably just enough for it to flower every genetics are different. And to say the science behind it doesn’t make sense? You don’t want help.

 

[Kingjoshh]

With all due respect, if 5 people told me the sky was purple, they would still be wrong. If what you are suggesting was true, a clone would flower every time you cut it's light cycle back from 24 hours, to 16 hours (a drastic 8 hour light reduction). But, this obviously doesn't happen. You can cut a clone's light from 24 hours to 16 hours a million times, and it will never flower. So, why would cutting from 18 hours back to 14.5 hours be too drastic of a reduction to the very same clone?

A clone can handle a drastic 8 hours light reduction without flowering, when you go from 24 hours back to 16 hours of light. So, why would a 3.5 hour reduction (from 18 hours back to 14.5 hours) be too drastic for the plants normal maturity cycle?

The science behind your suggestion just doesn't make sense.

9.5 hours of darkness is to 12.

 

[foothilla]

But it is:)What else can trigger flower in photoperiod plant if it is not the light cycle?There is different cultivars and they reacting differently,ofcourse it is not the same Indica from Kazakhstan and Caribbean sativa:)And you say"clones"in general.All the plants are different and can react differently to few hours light reducing but mainly most of them will start flowering,than sometimes reveg(depends on when you put them outside)…...They are just confused.Next time try to grow the moms 15/9 or even 14 /10 to be sure.Or at least root the cIones under 15/9......I grow my moms 15/9 for that same reason,cut and root the clones under the same light regime and take them out a little bit before the day is 15 hours but they don't flower because they feel the day grows and decide to grow.....But sometimes less than 2 hours difference between indoor cycle and outdoor cycle can confuse them for a while.....

It's the total amount of darkness that causes flower trigger,.......not simply a drastic reduction of light. When growing indoors cutting light from 24 hours back to 16 hours won't cause flowering on it's own, even though that is a drastic light reduction. Flowering is not caused by a random, drastic reduction in light. Flowering is caused by giving the plant a required amount of darkness.

The suggestion here is overwhelmingly to reduce the inside light to match the outdoor light more accurately. But, scientifically this makes no sense. If these clones are being triggered to flower outside with only 9.5 hours of darkness, then they should flower with 9.5 hours of darkness inside as well.

As far as me just saying clones "in general" that is because it doesn't matter what strain it is, they are reacting identically. I've tried a variety of reputable strains that grew beautifully from seed. They also grew beautifully from clone, indoors. But, try to move the clones outside, during the longest days of the year........and they instant flower, every single time. But, trust me,....I am growing Bohdi gear, TGA gear, DNA gear, Sensi Seeds gear,......it's not the strains.

I'm at 2,000 ft. elevation, which is pretty high up for So Cal. I'm wondering if my elevation could somehow be throwing weird science into this problem?

 

[foothilla]

You’d think you would actually go and try it out instead of losing your clones but you’d rather just argue petty stuff, Phytochrome actively keeps your plants from flowering. Once there is a low enough amount of Phytochrome far red , your plant will start to flower. This decrease can only come from long periods of darkness without any interruption. So no matter what unless it’s a auto, cutting down from 24 to 18 will not flower because 6 hours isn’t enough, but 9.5 hours darkness’s is probably just enough for it to flower every genetics are different. And to say the science behind it doesn’t make sense? You don’t want help.

I didn't say I wouldn't try it. i just said it makes zero sense (scientifically) and I bet the farm it won't work. It's not that I am disregarding your suggestion. But obviously, I have a year wait to try your suggestion.

However, think about your suggestion logically. If 9.5 hours of darkness is enough to make them flower outside,....then why wouldn't 9.5 hours of darkness also trigger them to flower indoors? So, how is matching my indoor cycle to the outdoor cycle going to help me exactly? Please explain that to me, using science.

In the meantime, I would like to hear from people that might have a more scientifically logical solution to try. Ideally, I will find someone in So Cal, who has experienced and resolved this problem. Light cycles can vary a lot depending on where you are in the USA. So, I am hoping to find someone who has experienced and resolved this in my specific climate.

"Match your indoor photoperiod to the outdoor photoperiod" just doesn't make any sense,....being that the outdoor photoperiod is causing them to flower :speechless:

 

[foothilla]

9.5 hours of darkness is to 12.

Not sure what you mean?

 

[Kingjoshh]

@PlumberSoCal I need you champ .

 

[jumpincactus]

Something that hasnt been asked yet in this convo, what was the photoperiod of the mothers your clones came from when you received them. you are sourcing them from somewhere. Ask the donor what the photoperiod was before you get em. And in closing since your the resident science expert, figure it out on your own then come back to dazzle all of us lesser folks who dont understand wassup. :)

 

[Kingjoshh]

It's the total amount of darkness that causes flower trigger,.......not simply a drastic reduction of light. When growing indoors cutting light from 24 hours back to 16 hours won't cause flowering on it's own, even though that is a drastic light reduction. Flowering is not caused by a random, drastic reduction in light. Flowering is caused by giving the plant a required amount of darkness.

The suggestion here is overwhelmingly to reduce the inside light to match the outdoor light more accurately. But, scientifically this makes no sense. If these clones are being triggered to flower outside with only 9.5 hours of darkness, then they should flower with 9.5 hours of darkness inside as well.

As far as me just saying clones "in general" that is because it doesn't matter what strain it is, they are reacting identically. I've tried a variety of reputable strains that grew beautifully from seed. They also grew beautifully from clone, indoors. But, try to move the clones outside, during the longest days of the year........and they instant flower, every single time. But, trust me,....I am growing Bohdi gear, TGA gear, DNA gear, Sensi Seeds gear,......it's not the strains.

I'm at 2,000 ft. elevation, which is pretty high up for So Cal. I'm wondering if my elevation could somehow be throwing weird science into this problem?

I didn't say I wouldn't try it. i just said it makes zero sense (scientifically) and I bet the farm it won't work. It's not that I am disregarding your suggestion. But obviously, I have a year wait to try your suggestion.

However, think about your suggestion logically. If 9.5 hours of darkness is enough to make them flower outside,....then why wouldn't 9.5 hours of darkness also trigger them to flower indoors? So, how is matching my indoor cycle to the outdoor cycle going to help me exactly? Please explain that to me, using science.

In the meantime, I would like to hear from people that might have a more scientifically logical solution to try. Ideally, I will find someone in So Cal, who has experienced and resolved this problem. Light cycles can vary a lot depending on where you are in the USA. So, I am hoping to find someone who has experienced and resolved this in my specific climate.

"Match your indoor photoperiod to the outdoor photoperiod" just doesn't make any sense,....being that the outdoor photoperiod is causing them to flower :speechless:

The photoperiod is causing to flower because you haven’t adjusted them properly, and they are confused. I never told you to match there photoperiod I told you that putting 18-6 plants out in 14.5-9.5 is going to flower them because that’s what photoperiods do!. Grow a auto if your having too much problems boo

 

[foothilla]

And just to clarify, for anyone reading this. To use a round number, we will say the 14.5 hours of natural light on June 18th was from 5:30am to 8:00pm. I had my indoor lights timed to be on from 3:45am to 9:45pm. Essentially I added an extra 3.5 hours to the natural light cycle, by adding one hour and forty five minutes of light before sunrise,...and another one hour and forty five minutes of light to sunset.

In other words, I kept my 18 hour light cycle as close to the natural cycle as possible.

Is it possible that I should have added those extra 3.5 hours of sun to match the natural light cycle differently? For instance, maybe I should have had my lights come on at 5:30am, like the sun,......but then added the entire 3.5 hours to the end of the cycle (essentially making my indoor cycle 5:30am to 11:30pm). I am not sure how this would have helped,...but maybe???