Ok Im starting to get ready for a new year of growing, and am trying to decide on autos or photos. My main concern is in my area we dont get 12 hours of darkness until September. October can be very rainy and a chance of frost so I am leaning toward an auto. Last year I grew Jack Herer auto but due to high amounts of rain bud rot set in. I tried to trim it up for air flow, but I think I shocked it and all the surviving buds were super airy. If I transplant photos outside in September, I am completely hoping for good weather which could take me out. Im hoping the loose buds on the Jack was just my fault and isnt a norm for outside grows. Any feedback?
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Auto’s if you plant early Spring you can possibly Harvest 2 crops. Yes ,they is always a change of bud rot outside fall of the year with a lot of rain an high humidity. Good luck 
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I might suggest growing in containers you can move out of weather if it gets rainy before harvest. Autos are also good if you have streetlights etc which can affect flowering plants if photoperiod.
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thanks for the feedback. I am thinking white widow autos as I have heard they do well in my area. I have considered pots, but am afraid of theft.
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Yeah , it’s always been a challenge to find that perfect spot that nobody’s going to cross the path for at least 4 months. Outside grow comes with a few more challenges than an indoor grow Thieves , bugs ,deer And depending on your location The law.
Your plants will start flowering long before you have 12 hours of darkness outside. Regardless, you may be better off with autos started earlier in year to avoid wet fall season.
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Thanks dbrn32, usually growers around here put the plants in the ground around memorial day. thats 3 months before we achieve 12/12. How is the flowering affected with such a short dark period? Sorry Ive been reading too much lately on cultivation and am now a little confused.
They start flowering around 14 hours of daylight, about mid-July. You’ll also want to avoid putting them out before 14, which does work out to around Memorial Day.
I’ve thought about trying for 2 runs. The first one do autos, since they should still flower even with the days getting longer. Then start some photo seeds around May-June and get them in the ground early July.
Look for cultivars that are mold resistant or finish in September. I’ve heard Durban Poison is one of the best. Also Cindy99.
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That sounds interesting. Should I just keep 24/0 light on it in the tent for the 8 weeks before transplanting outside.
W.w autos grow crazy big here in my house. Every one 4 to 5 feet tall and like 3 to 4 feet round bushes with a bajillion budsites on them. Lol. Be prepared have some bamboo stakes poked in the pots from start so u don’t. Harm roots putting them in but u will def need a way of supporting limbs and all on the plants. Seriously when I say this to because everyone was huge and needed alot of help to stay upright
Good info. I’ve seen all sorts of reviews on ww, some saying the autos stay small and others like yourself having larger plants . Looks like a crapshoot, but it won’t hurt to have a support system in place
Hey Mark 0427, just how long from seed to harvest has it taken you with white widow autos?
I’ve grown several White Widows, and mine stayed in the 26-32 inch range. Finished out right at 12 weeks. I’m doing WW my next grow. Have Blueberry going now.
You have to separate indoor growing from outdoor growing. Cannabis will grow without flowering under light condition until they mature. This can be different genetically for a few different reasons, but none of them even if started on a 12/12 schedule will flower immediately. From there the length of light time matters some, but is more or less based on whether light hours are extending or declining. Because natural daylight starts declining very slowly it takes a while for plants to identify this, thats why the plants don’t start flowering immediately at summer solstice. It’s several weeks after before the actual reduction in daylight time is reduced enough for plant to identify and transition to flower. But it doesn’t matter if it’s actual daylight time is 12 hours, 14 hours, 15 hours, or anything in between. If it was growing under more daylight hours and hours have been and continue to decrease the plants will flower.
If you go around equator where there is pretty much constantly 12 hours of light, plants from seed grow to maturity ant then transition to flower. Hundreds of years worth of adapting to their environment programs this into them genetically.
You read my mind today as I was going to ask to have someone break it down such as you did. Since the actual 12/12 doesnt occur until late September here and you do have flowering before that time, is the flowering less efficient, and does it drag out the actual flowering time. For instance if the ideal flowering time is 8 weeks under 12/12 how does this eventual ramping down affect the time to harvest? Thanks for bearing with me.