Put plants outside as a last resort. Now what?

[bibsoconner]

Hi, if you read my other posts you'll see I approached my first time growing experience with eager humility only to be devastated :) . The consensus was I made multiple mistakes (overwatering, plants too close (or too far?) from light, and probably other stuff). At some point, someone announced it's "toe tag time" for those guys and I suspect he was correct!
HOWEVER, as a last ditch effort, I listened to my wife who said something like "why don't you just throw them outside and let them fend for themselves? They are called 'weed' after all". So that is what I did about Nov. 1, 2022 and if you look at the most recent pictures, you'll see they are doing much better. The two bigger ones are Cream & Cheese CBD 1:1 Feminised Seeds from Seedsman. The small one is White Widow. I am in coastal southern California. The temps have not dropped below 50F. Of note, I have not been watering much at all. We had one big rainstorm (by California standards) that drenched them. We have another one coming tomorrow. If I remember, I use the water bottle you see in picture to mist them. I read somewhere that this increases local humidity. But basically, I've been trying to follow the advice of letting them completely dry out, and then really water them.
My questions...
1. Obviously, they are NOT getting 16 hours of light. It's December after all! How will this affect growth and flower stages? These are feminized but not "Auto". Will I ever get pot?
2. What stage are they in now? Growth or flower? Can you tell by pictures? Based on amount of light (<12 hours) I would think flower but I really have no idea.
2. Where do the buds form? In my closeup I show what I hope might be a bud.
3. Should I be doing anything else? Trim leaves? Put in ground instead of pots? Currently in 1 or 2 gallon pots.

All comments welcome - I'm completely new to this, and not very good!

 

[Trixie]

Just bring them in at night and put them in a Sunny spot during the day. Be patient and wait for them to do what they do. They will show you everything in time. Don't overwater, wait until the top is dry before watering. Keep them out of the shade and in a Sunny warm spot.

 

[Cannagar]

The main issue is that winter days tend to be VERY arid and so extremely low in RH%. Also, if you are moving them outside like this you should look into how to harden a house plant in order to do it correctly.

That said I see that this was posted over 2 weeks ago and either you found that out the hard way or things are going well. I hope its the latter!

 

[Cannagar]

Leave them in pots. You cant easily control the quality of your ground soil and it will be harder to avoid pests in the ground.

If these are photoperiod plants and you dont bring them into the house where you can control their light cycles then they could start flowering right away since the days are already shorter. Otherwise you are going to be out of your league as a new grower. Because that means they wont flower till next Fall/Winter and between now and then will veg so long you will have a practical cannabis tree on your hands That will likely be taller than you (if you can keep it alive in a pot that long without it becoming root bound. you would need about a 20-25 gallon pot.

If they are autoflowers then they would begin flowering in the next 2-4 weeks. And your buds would form at the ends of the branches.

 

[bibsoconner]

Leave them in pots. You cant easily control the quality of your ground soil and it will be harder to avoid pests in the ground.

If these are photoperiod plants and you dont bring them into the house where you can control their light cycles then they could start flowering right away since the days are already shorter. Otherwise you are going to be out of your league as a new grower. Because that means they wont flower till next Fall/Winter and between now and then will veg so long you will have a practical cannabis tree on your hands That will likely be taller than you (if you can keep it alive in a pot that long without it becoming root bound. you would need about a 20-25 gallon pot.

If they are autoflowers then they would begin flowering in the next 2-4 weeks. And your buds would form at the ends of the branches.

Thanks Cannagar. I remember when I was in college (30+ years ago) a cannabis "tree" at a friend's house. He had to cut it down due to unwanted attention. Will a "tree" eventually give buds? I figure I have two options:
1. Leave it outside (either in a 20 gallon pot or in ground) and hope for the best. I have the room in garden for it and I'd written it off as dead anyhow (see my previous posts)
2. Bring it inside and try the artificial light again. I'm a little gun shy as that (maybe?) led to the plant almost being dead. See: https://www.thcfarmer.com/threads/n...-going-up-not-down.143594/page-2#post-2888022 for sad story. I could do that though. If I bring inside, will a 5 gallon pot suffice?
I have two plants. Perhaps I'll try both ideas. They are NOT autoflowers.

 

[Cannagar]

Thanks Cannagar. I remember when I was in college (30+ years ago) a cannabis "tree" at a friend's house. He had to cut it down due to unwanted attention. Will a "tree" eventually give buds? I figure I have two options:
1. Leave it outside (either in a 20 gallon pot or in ground) and hope for the best. I have the room in garden for it and I'd written it off as dead anyhow (see my previous posts)
2. Bring it inside and try the artificial light again. I'm a little gun shy as that (maybe?) led to the plant almost being dead. See: https://www.thcfarmer.com/threads/n...-going-up-not-down.143594/page-2#post-2888022 for sad story. I could do that though. If I bring inside, will a 5 gallon pot suffice?
I have two plants. Perhaps I'll try both ideas. They are NOT autoflowers.

No problem.

and Yeah, it would give buds. But seriously; you don’t want a plant of that size. Thats way more than your ready to bite off. It would be quite an investment monetarily and would be very difficult for even some experienced growers.

I looked through some of your posts and came to the conclusion that you did too much to your plants too suddenly. It looked like you were getting conflicted advise constantly and that you were doing everything that was recommended right away.

Not that it was bad advise. But doing too many different things in rapid succession to an already stressed plant is a recipe for disaster.

The best advise I can give you is to be proactive and not reactive when growing. Get your grow environment set up and optimal before you have a problem and it will go a long way. Id be happy to help you through your journey with these plants. But if you want Id be glad to give you some information of an ideal setup. But it would require you getting some basic grow supplies. For ex. I see you are using normal pots. It is far better and will make your experience easier (especially as a new grower) if you use fabric pots instead.

Plants “breathe” through their roots and so it is important they get as much oxygen as they can in order to respirate. And plastic pots severely limit that. Also with fabric pots is nearly impossible to overwater so long as you have a proper medium for your plants that doesnt retain water too much.

 

[bibsoconner]

No problem.

and Yeah, it would give buds. But seriously; you don’t want a plant of that size. Thats way more than your ready to bite off. It would be quite an investment monetarily and would be very difficult for even some experienced growers.

I looked through some of your posts and came to the conclusion that you did too much to your plants too suddenly. It looked like you were getting conflicted advise constantly and that you were doing everything that was recommended right away.

Not that it was bad advise. But doing too many different things in rapid succession to an already stressed plant is a recipe for disaster.

The best advise I can give you is to be proactive and not reactive when growing. Get your grow environment set up and optimal before you have a problem and it will go a long way. Id be happy to help you through your journey with these plants. But if you want Id be glad to give you some information of an ideal setup. But it would require you getting some basic grow supplies. For ex. I see you are using normal pots. It is far better and will make your experience easier (especially as a new grower) if you use fabric pots instead.

Plants “breathe” through their roots and so it is important they get as much oxygen as they can in order to respirate. And plastic pots severely limit that. Also with fabric pots is nearly impossible to overwater so long as you have a proper medium for your plants that doesnt retain water too much.

Thanks again Cannagar, Any advice on setup would be appreciated. Where can I buy fabric pots? HomeDepot?
Here's the equipment I currently have
1. BLOOM PLUS LED Grow Light BP 1000W (which I'm told is really 90W??!!)
2. The soil is FoxFarm Ocean Forest which the nursery recommended. I've added nothing else.
3. I don't have a grow tent (rather expensive for me). I do have an outside shed. At least 12 feet high. It's narrow (5 feet) and long (20+ feet). I think I could just hang a tarp at the last 5' and have a "do it yourself" 5x5 tent (12' tall).

One suggestion I got was to continue to leave the plants outside (in bigger pots) during the day, and supplement with artificial light at night in the shed. Of course I could move them full time into the shed.
I agree I got a lot of well intended conflicting advice. I do think I overwatered at one point. I'm still not sure if I had the light too close or too far when they were seedlings. One person told me to move the light closer as they looked too "leggy" and were falling over. I moved it closer and they seemed to burn or wilt. I hate to admit it :), but the only advice that really seemed to work thus far was from my wife. At the point I was going to toss the plants (someone on the forums said "it's toe-tag time for those guys", my wife said, "why not just throw them in the garden and forget about them? Don't even bother to water them. It's called 'weed' after all". That's when they rebounded.
On an unrelated note, I do have some auto, feminized seeds to plant. I'm looking forward to that. But I'd still like to give these guys a chance at life :)

 

[Cannagar]

Yeah, it would give buds. But seriously; you don’t want a plant of that size. Thats way more than your ready to bite off. It would be quite an investment monetarily and would be very difficult for even some experienced growers.

I looked through some of your posts and came to the conclusion that you did too much to your plants too suddenly. It looked like you were getting conflicted advise constantly and that you were doing everything that was recommended right away.

Not that it was bad advise. But doing too many different things in rapid succession to an already stressed plant is a recipe for disaster.

The best advise I can give you is to be proactive and not reactive when growing. Get your grow environment set up and optimal before you have a problem and it will go a long way. Id be happy to help you through your journey with these plants. But if you want Id be glad to give you some information of an ideal setup. But it would require you getting some basic grow supplies. For ex. I see you are using normal pots. It is far better and will make your experience easier (especially as a new grower) if you use fabric pots instead.

Thanks again Cannagar, Any advice on setup would be appreciated. Where can I buy fabric pots? HomeDepot?
Here's the equipment I currently have
1. BLOOM PLUS LED Grow Light BP 1000W (which I'm told is really 90W??!!)
2. The soil is FoxFarm Ocean Forest which the nursery recommended. I've added nothing else.
3. I don't have a grow tent (rather expensive for me). I do have an outside shed. At least 12 feet high. It's narrow (5 feet) and long (20+ feet). I think I could just hang a tarp at the last 5' and have a "do it yourself" 5x5 tent (12' tall).

One suggestion I got was to continue to leave the plants outside (in bigger pots) during the day, and supplement with artificial light at night in the shed. Of course I could move them full time into the shed.
I agree I got a lot of well intended conflicting advice. I do think I overwatered at one point. I'm still not sure if I had the light too close or too far when they were seedlings. One person told me to move the light closer as they looked too "leggy" and were falling over. I moved it closer and they seemed to burn or wilt. I hate to admit it :), but the only advice that really seemed to work thus far was from my wife. At the point I was going to toss the plants (someone on the forums said "it's toe-tag time for those guys", my wife said, "why not just throw them in the garden and forget about them? Don't even bother to water them. It's called 'weed' after all". That's when they rebounded.
On an unrelated note, I do have some auto, feminized seeds to plant. I'm looking forward to that. But I'd still like to give these guys a chance at life :)

I got mine from Amazon. But I’m sure any gardening center would have them as they are quite common nowadays.

1) As for the light wattage. It’s probably advertised as 1000w because that’s the type of light it is replacing; and since LEDs are more efficient it only needs 90w for the same relative effect.

2) Excellent choice! That’s the soil I use as well. You should use fertilizer by about week 4 of veg though.

3) A grow tent isn’t a necessity. It just makes it easier to maximize your lightings as most have reflective Mylar on the inside; they also prevent light leak, unwanted Debris, and some pests from being able to easily access your plants. There is the utility factor as well in that you can easily hang your lights, plant supports, etc in there.

But again, it’s not a necessity.



Do not alternate them between inside and out. That’s not a good idea. You want somewhat consistent environment for your plants.

And whenever adjusting your lighting. Do it in increments. And never move a light closer to an already stressed out plant. Think of it like exercising; More exercise will help you grow stronger. But you wouldn’t do more than normal when you’re currently sick.

 

[bibsoconner]

I got mine from Amazon. But I’m sure any gardening center would have them as they are quite common nowadays.

1) As for the light wattage. It’s probably advertised as 1000w because that’s the type of light it is replacing; and since LEDs are more efficient it only needs 90w for the same relative effect.

2) Excellent choice! That’s the soil I use as well. You should use fertilizer by about week 4 of veg though.

3) A grow tent isn’t a necessity. It just makes it easier to maximize your lightings as most have reflective Mylar on the inside; they also prevent light leak, unwanted Debris, and some pests from being able to easily access your plants. There is the utility factor as well in that you can easily hang your lights, plant supports, etc in there.

But again, it’s not a necessity.



Do not alternate them between inside and out. That’s not a good idea. You want somewhat consistent environment for your plants.

And whenever adjusting your lighting. Do it in increments. And never move a light closer to an already stressed out plant. Think of it like exercising; More exercise will help you grow stronger. But you wouldn’t do more than normal when you’re currently sick.

Thanks! I'll get on it and let you know how things go. Two immediate questions...
1. What size fabric pots? 5 gallon? 10 gallon? I did see them on Amazon and not too expensive.
2. What type of fertilizer and how much? Ideally, just tell me what you use and how much. Example: "x teaspoons for 5 gallon pot "

 

[Cannagar]

Yeah, it would give buds. But seriously; you don’t want a plant of that size. Thats way more than your ready to bite off. It would be quite an investment monetarily and would be very difficult for even some experienced growers.

I looked through some of your posts and came to the conclusion that you did too much to your plants too suddenly. It looked like you were getting conflicted advise constantly and that you were doing everything that was recommended right away.

Not that it was bad advise. But doing too many different things in rapid succession to an already stressed plant is a recipe for disaster.

The best advise I can give you is to be proactive and not reactive when growing. Get your grow environment set up and optimal before you have a problem and it will go a long way. Id be happy to help you through your journey with these plants. But if you want Id be glad to give you some information of an ideal setup. But it would require you getting some basic grow supplies. For ex. I see you are using normal pots. It is far better and will make your experience easier (especially as a new grower) if you use fabric pots instead.

Thanks again Cannagar, Any advice on setup would be appreciated. Where can I buy fabric pots? HomeDepot?
Here's the equipment I currently have
1. BLOOM PLUS LED Grow Light BP 1000W (which I'm told is really 90W??!!)
2. The soil is FoxFarm Ocean Forest which the nursery recommended. I've added nothing else.
3. I don't have a grow tent (rather expensive for me). I do have an outside shed. At least 12 feet high. It's narrow (5 feet) and long (20+ feet). I think I could just hang a tarp at the last 5' and have a "do it yourself" 5x5 tent (12' tall).

One suggestion I got was to continue to leave the plants outside (in bigger pots) during the day, and supplement with artificial light at night in the shed. Of course I could move them full time into the shed.
I agree I got a lot of well intended conflicting advice. I do think I overwatered at one point. I'm still not sure if I had the light too close or too far when they were seedlings. One person told me to move the light closer as they looked too "leggy" and were falling over. I moved it closer and they seemed to burn or wilt. I hate to admit it :), but the only advice that really seemed to work thus far was from my wife. At the point I was going to toss the plants (someone on the forums said "it's toe-tag time for those guys", my wife said, "why not just throw them in the garden and forget about them? Don't even bother to water them. It's called 'weed' after all". That's when they rebounded.
On an unrelated note, I do have some auto, feminized seeds to plant. I'm looking forward to that. But I'd still like to give these guys a chance at life :)

1. What size fabric pots? 5 gallon? 10 gallon? I did see them on Amazon and not too expensive.
2. What type of fertilizer and how much? Ideally, just tell me what you use and how much. Example: "x teaspoons for 5 gallon pot "

I would use either a 5 or 7 gallon pot. Since you’re just starting a 5 gallon is probably preferable.

As far as nutrients, that’s a hotly debated subject haha. I personally use general hydroponics flora trio and supplement with general hydroponics power si. I find it to be extremely easy to use and I get good results with it. Just be sure to mix in the armor si first, then the micro, and then the flora and bloom in any order after that. Doing it in any other order can cause nutrient lockout.

And when it comes on how much to feed. If you are using ocean forest then starting week 4 of veg I would feed at half strength then the bottle recommends for 2 weeks and then move to full strength after that.

 

[Cannagar]

These are all the nutes I currently use and in that order of mixing from left to right.

Though the one on the far right is flower fuel and I don’t start feeding that until the 2nd week or so of flower.

 

[bibsoconner]

View attachment 1315032
These are all the nutes I currently use and in that order of mixing from left to right.

Though the one on the far right is flower fuel and I don’t start feeding that until the 2nd week or so of flower.

Cannagar, I've ordered fabric pots, thanks. We didn't discuss the most important question.... Given the state they are in now (have been left outside and are ~2 feet high), how best to proceed with lights inside? I'm guessing 18/6 at first then 12/12, but how long should I do the 18/6 before switching? See pictures. I visited the in-laws for about 10 days and the guys really sprouted up. The two bigger ones are Cream & Cheese CBD 1:1 Feminised Seeds from Seedsman. The small one is White Widow. I took a close up of one of the Cream & Cheese.

 

[bibsoconner]

@Cannagar , any thoughts on what light schedule to use given these have been outside a while? I'd like to to get them into flower stage asap but can wait if necessary. 18/6 for how long before switching to 12/12? Currently they are getting about 10 hours of natural sunlight. I haven't moved them inside yet. I'm trying to have everything prepped and a plan in place before doing so. Thanks!

 

[elusiveshame]

Cannagar, I've ordered fabric pots, thanks. We didn't discuss the most important question.... Given the state they are in now (have been left outside and are ~2 feet high), how best to proceed with lights inside? I'm guessing 18/6 at first then 12/12, but how long should I do the 18/6 before switching? See pictures. I visited the in-laws for about 10 days and the guys really sprouted up. The two bigger ones are Cream & Cheese CBD 1:1 Feminised Seeds from Seedsman. The small one is White Widow. I took a close up of one of the Cream & Cheese.

You can do 18/6 for however long you want. When you flip to flower, your plants can potentially grow 2x (sometimes larger), so you'll want to make sure that you're at 1/2 the height you want them to grow to, otherwise you'll run out of room or too close to the light.

And that also depends on if you're doing LST and shaping the plants as they grow. So really, it's all preference and what works for you and your environment.

 

[bibsoconner]

You can do 18/6 for however long you want. When you flip to flower, your plants can potentially grow 2x (sometimes larger), so you'll want to make sure that you're at 1/2 the height you want them to grow to, otherwise you'll run out of room or too close to the light.

And that also depends on if you're doing LST and shaping the plants as they grow. So really, it's all preference and what works for you and your environment.

Thanks @elusiveshame . In fact, because I had them outside for a long time (long story, read threads if you want), they are already over 2' feet tall! So, I'd like to flip them as quickly as possible. However, currently they are only getting 10 hours of sun. My plan was to move them inside and give them 18/6. My question is: What is the minimum amount of time I can do this so they will enter flower stage when I flip to 12/12.
I'm doing all this because it has been suggested if I leave them outside, they won't flower until October or so at which point they will be taller than me!

 

[elusiveshame]

Thanks @elusiveshame . In fact, because I had them outside for a long time (long story, read threads if you want), they are already over 2' feet tall! So, I'd like to flip them as quickly as possible. However, currently they are only getting 10 hours of sun. My plan was to move them inside and give them 18/6. My question is: What is the minimum amount of time I can do this so they will enter flower stage when I flip to 12/12.
I'm doing all this because it has been suggested if I leave them outside, they won't flower until October or so at which point they will be taller than me!

If you want to flip them asap, I'd just start off with the 12/12 schedule (or maybe 11/13 to keep it close to what they're getting now), especially if they're already getting close to that now and could be already in the flowering stage. If they are (I'm not sure how long they've been in the less than 12 hours of light cycle), then putting them in 18/6 could stress them/make them reveg, and that would add time to your grow.

 

[bibsoconner]

If you want to flip them asap, I'd just start off with the 12/12 schedule (or maybe 11/13 to keep it close to what they're getting now), especially if they're already getting close to that now and could be already in the flowering stage. If they are (I'm not sure how long they've been in the less than 12 hours of light cycle), then putting them in 18/6 could stress them/make them reveg, and that would add time to your grow.

But by that logic, shouldn’t they be flowering now? I don’t think I understand. I’m completely new to this. I thought it was the transition from long days to short days (or 18 hours light to 12 hours light) that got them to flip. I don’t really want more veg state any longer, but figured I had to to prepare to flip them.
I could also bring them inside and give them only 8 or less hours if you think that would work

 

[elusiveshame]

But by that logic, shouldn’t they be flowering now? I don’t think I understand. I’m completely new to this. I thought it was the transition from long days to short days (or 18 hours light to 12 hours light) that got them to flip. I don’t really want more veg state any longer, but figured I had to to prepare to flip them.
I could also bring them inside and give them only 8 or less hours if you think that would work

How long have they been outside with that light cycle? If it's been a week or less, you might not see the preflowers. Photoperiods will begin flowering when they receive 12 hours or more of darkness. Is the plant outside of your windows where your indoor light will make its way to your plants? If so, they may not have hit the flowering phase due to extended light times by your outside facing windows.

 

[bibsoconner]

Here’s a few photos including close ups. I don’t think they are flowering, but again, I’m not sure what I’m looking for. They are outside. I brought them in for photos and because we are getting a TON of rain in Southern California.

 

[bibsoconner]

They are in middle of garden away from windows. They’ve been outside for about 2 months. If you want to read the sad story it’s in my previous posts but basically I was going to trash them and put them outside as a last resort.
A previous poster indicated that because I put them outside at a weird time (fall not spring). They’d grow and how until the days get shorter in October and then go into flower. He said they’d get huge. He suggested bringing them inside where I can control the light (I have neon light) but he didn’t specify what pattern to use.
Thanks for all the help!