Some advice for outdoor livestock tank scrog lower michigan 2022

  • Thread starter PurpleLurple
  • Start date
  • Tagged users None
MIGrampaUSA

MIGrampaUSA

3,732
263
Lol the green house wouldn't be that hard to do at all, thanks 4 the info gramps but I was referring to winter solstice & beginning of flower?
I'm only doin 2 atm (at the moment) and can control that trigger and feeding them certain stuff that'll induce flower transition early if applied
It's not that it wouldn't be easy to do ... it probably would be. The bigger problem is being able to retain the heat in the greenhouse at night during a Michigan winter. I have an LP gas heater in there but it's not robust enough for adequate heating year round. Not to mention the cost of heating it at current LP prices. It's more to stretch a few extra weeks in the fall if it's needed.

I prefer growing indoors and my outdoor runs are nothing more than to control the electric bill. When my lights and my central air are running together (June into Sept/Oct), the electric bill gets pretty expensive.
 
SmokinJo421

SmokinJo421

315
43
It's not that it wouldn't be easy to do ... it probably would be. The bigger problem is being able to retain the heat in the greenhouse at night during a Michigan winter. I have an LP gas heater in there but it's not robust enough for adequate heating year round. Not to mention the cost of heating it at current LP prices. It's more to stretch a few extra weeks in the fall if it's needed.

I prefer growing indoors and my outdoor runs are nothing more than to control the electric bill. When my lights and my central air are running together (June into Sept/Oct), the electric bill gets pretty expensive.
I completely agree with you, and I wouldn't attempt even in a greenhouse. Too cold here.
I'm primarily talking about the end of our outdoor season, and me having 8 week flowering plants and running into shitty weather. So I'm going to force them into flower
 
SmokinJo421

SmokinJo421

315
43
Internet says days start getting shorter June 21st like you said.
Ok but plants veg all the damn way till August.
So some time middle to end of August
We start flower then not June 20 effin 1st!!!
We have way more than 12 hours of day light.
I dnt understand why even the internet cannot answer my question
WHEN THE HELL DOES IT START?
I CANT WAIT TILL IT STARTS ON ITS OWN.
ILL BE INTO 1ST WEEK OF NOVEMBER AND FROST USUALLY HITS BEFORE THEN!!!
I hope sum1 sees this and has a lil more in pur
 
MIGrampaUSA

MIGrampaUSA

3,732
263
I completely agree with you, and I wouldn't attempt even in a greenhouse. Too cold here.
I'm primarily talking about the end of our outdoor season, and me having 8 week flowering plants and running into shitty weather. So I'm going to force them into flower
That's certainly do-able. As you're already aware ... your success will be determined by how well you manage your environment while the temperatures and RH are whipping around up and down like a wild carnival ride. Best of luck with that as it can be a real challenge. By then, I'll be back inside where the environment is much easier to control.
Internet says days start getting shorter June 21st like you said.
Ok but plants veg all the damn way till August.
So some time middle to end of August
We start flower then not June 20 effin 1st!!!
We have way more than 12 hours of day light.
I dnt understand why even the internet cannot answer my question
WHEN THE HELL DOES IT START?
I CANT WAIT TILL IT STARTS ON ITS OWN.
ILL BE INTO 1ST WEEK OF NOVEMBER AND FROST USUALLY HITS BEFORE THEN!!!
I hope sum1 sees this and has a lil more in pur

There's not a so called "fixed date." The amount of darkness needed to trigger flowering is strain dependent. Most photo period plants will start flowering somewhere between 14.5 hrs and 14 hrs of daylight. Some start sooner like the "fast" strains that have their flower clock altered by ruderalis. Others like true "equatorials" might not start flowering until there's less than 13 hrs of light. There are too many variables to give you a definitive answer.
 
PurpleLurple

PurpleLurple

55
33
Hey all. I will post pics later. A livestock tank is one of those oval metal troughs to feed and/or water animals. It is 8 ftL x3 ftW x2 ftH. Have three FAST finishers growing in it. Grampa, I still think growing indoors under 20 hours and then throwing a sativa outside in mid June would get it to flower right away, and have 3.5 months to ripen properly. Joe, my plants usually start to flower around mid August. And man, I hope this September is drier than last year. That was brutal.
 
SmokinJo421

SmokinJo421

315
43
Hey all. I will post pics later. A livestock tank is one of those oval metal troughs to feed and/or water animals. It is 8 ftL x3 ftW x2 ftH. Have three FAST finishers growing in it. Grampa, I still think growing indoors under 20 hours and then throwing a sativa outside in mid June would get it to flower right away, and have 3.5 months to ripen properly. Joe, my plants usually start to flower around mid August. And man, I hope this September is drier than last year. That was brutal.
I have not built the trellis that I'm planning on using to keep the water off the plants, and hopefully if everything goes as planned I can also use the trellis to "blackout" the lady's early to induce flower, as well as applying "Bloom fuel" just prior to the blackout & all that week.
If you have not glued your pvc together you may want to add a kupl more hoops with the intention to put plastic over it using pvc clamps & or quick clips!
 
MIGrampaUSA

MIGrampaUSA

3,732
263
Hey all. I will post pics later. A livestock tank is one of those oval metal troughs to feed and/or water animals. It is 8 ftL x3 ftW x2 ftH. Have three FAST finishers growing in it. Grampa, I still think growing indoors under 20 hours and then throwing a sativa outside in mid June would get it to flower right away, and have 3.5 months to ripen properly. Joe, my plants usually start to flower around mid August. And man, I hope this September is drier than last year. That was brutal.
I expect they will start flowering as soon as I turn off the timer and let mother nature take over. They are small, only 2 ft tall so one more week of supplemental lighting and then we'll let them go. I got a late start otherwise I wouldn't have bothered with the supplemental lighting.

Oh, and yes, last summer was brutal. I'm hoping this summer is more like the one we had in 2020.
 
SmokinJo421

SmokinJo421

315
43
I expect they will start flowering as soon as I turn off the timer and let mother nature take over. They are small, only 2 ft tall so one more week of supplemental lighting and then we'll let them go. I got a late start otherwise I wouldn't have bothered with the supplemental lighting.

Oh, and yes, last summer was brutal. I'm hoping this summer is more like the one we had in 2020.

I expect they will start flowering as soon as I turn off the timer and let mother nature take over. They are small, only 2 ft tall so one more week of supplemental lighting and then we'll let them go. I got a late start otherwise I wouldn't have bothered with the supplemental lighting.

Oh, and yes, last summer was brutal. I'm hoping this summer is more like the one we had in 2020.
Have you ever considered using the "supplemental lighting" during the grow?
Can I ask what the supplemental lighting is?
 
MIGrampaUSA

MIGrampaUSA

3,732
263
Have you ever considered using the "supplemental lighting" during the grow?
Can I ask what the supplemental lighting is?
I'm using six 4' LED shop lights. I haven't considered using supplemental lighting year round because once the summer growing season is over I will be growing indoors again. I might reconsider it at some point. I prefer indoors because I have almost complete control over the environment where outside I don't.
 
MIGrampaUSA

MIGrampaUSA

3,732
263
I'm finally back home. I've been on the road for work. I'd say my wife has done a pretty good job while I've been gone. I've got a couple more fans to put in there over the holiday weekend. My neighbor asked about the party lights. No, they aren't part of the lighting system. We'll turn them on while we're in there sometimes. They change colors and will dance to music. They are pretty cool ... but not used for the grow.

Time to kick back and enjoy a long holiday weekend.

Comcloudedgesmarteye Screenshot 20220701 134307
 
A

Aelpha

4
1
That's certainly do-able. As you're already aware ... your success will be determined by how well you manage your environment while the temperatures and RH are whipping around up and down like a wild carnival ride. Best of luck with that as it can be a real challenge. By then, I'll be back inside where the environment is much easier to control.


There's not a so called "fixed date." The amount of darkness needed to trigger flowering is strain dependent. Most photo period plants will start flowering somewhere between 14.5 hrs and 14 hrs of daylight. Some start sooner like the "fast" strains that have their flower clock altered by ruderalis. Others like true "equatorials" might not start flowering until there's less than 13 hrs of light. There are too many variables to give you a definitive answer.
Grandpa, I am in SW MI and experienced much mold loss last season and thus I began pulling tarps over my plants on 2 July to force flowering via light deprivation.
I have a concern regarding risk of herming if I cease dark cycle after six weeks in mid August. Natural flowering seems to be 1 August and daylight will be under 14 hours and with treelines my plants are out of sunlight in morning and evening.
Do you think this is too risky or not risky?
 
SmokinJo421

SmokinJo421

315
43
Grandpa, I am in SW MI and experienced much mold loss last season and thus I began pulling tarps over my plants on 2 July to force flowering via light deprivation.
I have a concern regarding risk of herming if I cease dark cycle after six weeks in mid August. Natural flowering seems to be 1 August and daylight will be under 14 hours and with treelines my plants are out of sunlight in morning and evening.
Do you think this is too risky or not risky?
The days are too long just yet.
U won't herby but completely ruin any flower development you mite have.
And spindly sick growth will occur.
Best bet is to increase air movement if possible & ride it out until the daylight is only 12 hrs long.
I knw it was 4 gramps, & sry 4 adding my 2 cents. Just what I would do. As I had the same intentions to do the very same thing g you have. Only giving the plants a certain flower inducing agent mid August & blacking them out in order to finish early.
Unfortunately $$ has become an issue 4 myself. Good luck & hope u figure it out
 
MIGrampaUSA

MIGrampaUSA

3,732
263
The days are too long just yet.
U won't herby but completely ruin any flower development you mite have.
And spindly sick growth will occur.
Best bet is to increase air movement if possible & ride it out until the daylight is only 12 hrs long.
I knw it was 4 gramps, & sry 4 adding my 2 cents. Just what I would do. As I had the same intentions to do the very same thing g you have. Only giving the plants a certain flower inducing agent mid August & blacking them out in order to finish early.
Unfortunately $$ has become an issue 4 myself. Good luck & hope u figure it out
X2
 
SmokinJo421

SmokinJo421

315
43
Grandpa, I am in SW MI and experienced much mold loss last season and thus I began pulling tarps over my plants on 2 July to force flowering via light deprivation.
I have a concern regarding risk of herming if I cease dark cycle after six weeks in mid August. Natural flowering seems to be 1 August and daylight will be under 14 hours and with treelines my plants are out of sunlight in morning and evening.
Do you think this is too risky or not risky?
The days are too long just yet.
U won't herby but completely ruin any flower development you mite have.
And spindly sick growth will occur.
Best bet is to increase air movement if possible & ride it out until the daylight is only 12 hrs long.
I knw it was 4 gramps, & sry 4 adding my 2 cents. Just what I would do. As I had the same intentions to do the very same thing g you have. Only giving the plants a certain flower inducing agent mid August & blacking them out in order to finish early.
Unfortunately $$ has become an issue 4 myself. Good luck & hope u figure it out
Grandpa, I am in SW MI and experienced much mold loss last season and thus I began pulling tarps over my plants on 2 July to force flowering via light deprivation.
I have a concern regarding risk of herming if I cease dark cycle after six weeks in mid August. Natural flowering seems to be 1 August and daylight will be under 14 hours and with treelines my plants are out of sunlight in morning and evening.
Do you think this is too risky or not risky?
I did some digging 4 u I hope it helps you!
Feel free to hmu w any questions or concerns in the future.
Screenshot 20220717 181352 Chrome
Screenshot 20220717 181304 Chrome
 
SmokinJo421

SmokinJo421

315
43
So it obviously came across backwards but you'll see in the beginning of September in Detroit the days r still 13hrs long. I wouldn't push that & that will change from year to year.
The source is a calendar generator I found when googling "what day does sun shine for only 12hrs in michigan"
 
MIGrampaUSA

MIGrampaUSA

3,732
263
So it obviously came across backwards but you'll see in the beginning of September in Detroit the days r still 13hrs long. I wouldn't push that & that will change from year to year.
The source is a calendar generator I found when googling "what day does sun shine for only 12hrs in michigan"
Fortunately for most strains, all you need is to get below 14 hrs outside. Otherwise, us northern growers would never harvest a crop.

P.S. I'll know for sure by next week but it looks like my fast flowering Tropicanna Poison is about to enter flowering.
 
A

Aelpha

4
1
I have just one important gathering to attend that would interrupt my schedule on tarps and I have consulted sunrise sunset prior and I have witnessed a grower in SoO who stopped pulling dep tarps when full-term began flowering and suffered no foxtailing nor herming.
I was intending to gradually reduce the darkness period to equalize on the night I need to be away. By pulling off tarp in AM 4-5 min earlier and pulling tarps on in PM 4-5 min later each night after two weeks my depped crop will hopefully normalize the change in photoperiod from forced to natural.
Or I hope for the best for two nights without depping and then return to depping for the duration.
 
SmokinJo421

SmokinJo421

315
43
Gradual minutes of change will not make a difference.
Aftr Sept 1st will you even see days short enough to flower so I hope what your doing coincides w that?
How long is the flower time on ur plants?
I'm in s.e Mi.
My plants are 8 week flower wich outs me into November if I can't induce flower 2 weeks early.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom