Need advice on delaying flowering

[KB1]

I'm late getting some Tropicana Cookies Purple plants started (they are just at the seedling stage now) and am hoping to grow them outside and then move them inside to finish them off when it turns cold. I'm growing in a small greenhouse in Southern Alberta and typically my photoperiod plants start flowering in August. I'm hoping I can keep them outside and prevent them from moving to the flowering stage until they grow to a certain size by using artificial lighting for a few hours after the sun sets and then when it gets too cold move them into a tent inside the house to finish them off. However, to avoid bringing too much attention to my plants after dark by having a bright grow light lighting up the greenhouse and the yard at night, I was wondering about using a smaller incandescent light for a few hours each night to delay flowering. Can anyone provide advice on whether this is a viable plan? I'm hoping they will get enough natural sunlight during the day that using the incandescent light for a few hours will allow the plants to continue developing.

 

[JIMKSI64]

I would love to see this done and see if there is any requirements during the switch from outdoor to indoor. On the reverse your need to harden the plant mostly against the IR component of sunlight. Wonder if going from a complete outside natural spectrum to artificial will stress plant.
Asking Google after my comment pretty much same thing have to acclimatize the plant and it will show stress.
Also said some strains are not a good match for this grow.

 

[Galgrows]

Not recommended to bring outdoor inside = possible bug carrier. Anyway you only have a very short window to veg them outdoors, i'd keep them inside truthfully. But if you wanna try and do what your asking, your gonna need outdoor lights on them which will atrrack bugs.

 

[Oldchucky]

That’s what they use to prevent flowering when growing close to the equator! A string of incandescent lights! During the entire veg! So I imagine it would work to extend your veg! No experience with it, though! but lights attract bugs!

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

However, to avoid bringing too much attention to my plants after dark by having a bright grow light lighting up the greenhouse and the yard at night, I was wondering about using a smaller incandescent light for a few hours each night to delay flowering. Can anyone provide advice on whether this is a viable plan?

Any type of light would make the plants visible. So, for the purpose of growing healthier plants, a grow light might be the better option. It might be helpful to start running the light as soon as possible so the neighbors learn to ignore it before there are plants large enough for them to see.

I'm hoping I can keep them outside and prevent them from moving to the flowering stage until they grow to a certain size by using artificial lighting for a few hours after the sun sets and then when it gets too cold move them into a tent inside the house to finish them off.

Running the light both dawn and dusk would be better for the plants and might attract less attention. It would require either a timer that has two on/off periods or running the light all day.

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I'm sure I've seen threads about using grow lights in greenhouses. It's an idea I'd like to try. I just don't have a greenhouse. I'm thinking of using a small one on our balcony next year, though, and might try using supplemental lighting to help get the plants off to an early start.

 

[KB1]

Thanks all, I appreciate the feedback!

 

[Ninjadogma]

I use a supplemental light in the shed, works great. At 280w a bit overkill but it's too underpowered for a good indoor run.

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

I use a supplemental light in the shed, works great. At 280w a bit overkill but it's too underpowered for a good indoor run.

IDK... I've grown a lot of plants with less power than that.

 

[mancorn]

It’s the amount of uninterrupted dark that makes the plant flower. So just hit them a few minutes at a time, several times a night. Neighbors will think it’s a security light.

 

[Coconutz]

To me your plan sounds good theres no reason that won't work, fwiw Incandescent might be worth avoiding?
They're high in far red iirc and encourage insane stretching.

 

[lenhug]

Ha, @KB1, I am planning on doing something very similar with a stupidly late outdoor (photo) grow I've just popped a few days ago. I couldn't resist as I was kindly bequeathed some mystery seeds from a friend of a friend and also some N Hashplant seeds from an extremely kind fellow grower on here. So in went one each (hehe).

I think I'm probably gonna go with a string of incandescent lights for a few hours in to the evening. Or I could, though much more of a hassle, bring them in to my grow tent for a few hours but that means shifting them a lot more and would really need to take them back outside to get that early morning, golden sunlight. No problem with the environment as I'm in SoCal, just hours of sunlight is the issue at this stage.

I think the former option seems a better plan to me.

Will be following along to see how it goes for you. Good luck!