Hey all, first post. I’m looking to grow outdoors here in San Diego, and was hoping to start soon. After much reading and research I see that based on light schedules the only hope really would be an Autoflower strain (probably Amnesia Haze) But, what would be the success rate of even attempting this in the winter?
Also, one thing I can’t seem to find is light vs. direct sunlight. Can they grow in part sun, or even shade? Or do they need as much direct sun hitting the plant as possible?
My wife just got her medical card, so if I have to wait to start until spring it wouldn’t be the end of the world. I could still buy at the dispensary for her.
Thanks!
how cold does it usually get in winter, does it ever freeze or stay on the 30s and 40s for a long time… I’ve heard that California has great weather for growing…
I don’t have a lot of experience, but I’ve read the more light the better for vegging… I wouldnt plant it in a shady spot, you’ll have poor growth and tall stretching plant…
by the morning I’m sure some of the experts will chime in… . good luck with yur grow
Growing autos in winter is possible if you have plenty of direct sunlight, shaded light won’t work especially in winter as the suns rays aren’t as strong. And it is only possible if you don’t have any extremely low temps/overnight frosts. Too much cold and you can kiss your plant goodbye
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The 1st place i grew successfuly for more then 5 years
I know from researching outdoor grows on my own that you should strive for at least 4 hours of full, direct sunlight, and as long as the rest is at least only partially shaded or indirect, you should be okay as far as the plant surviving and budding, but obviously, more light = bigger grows.
I’ve only harvested one outdoor grow, it was in the woods with lots of shade. Got maybe 3-4 hours direct around noon, pretty shady the rest of the day. I got smokeable bud, but it was puny and weak compared to my indoor girls I grew at the same time.
Thanks for the replies. I’ll probably wait until February, for a little more sun. In general it’s pretty sunny anytime, but want to make sure there’s enough hours of direct. We usually don’t get below freezing here (10 miles from the beach), and the coldest nights are usually in December.
Probably a good idea to wait it out a bit. Temps that go below even 50 every night won’t do your plants any good
I know it’s been pretty long since you posted this. But you can actually grow outdoors in San Diego if you have the ability to supplement lighting. You can even put in Christmas lights around your plants to keep them in veg for longer if the sunlight doesn’t allow it. So like when it gets dark you just have the Christmas lights pop on for an additional 6 hours or so and they’ll stay in veg for as long as you want. But because it doesn’t rain here very much you could either just put an LED light on it so that it has the extra lighting or if you’re in an area that does rain a lot you can put a piece of plexiglass above your plant and then put this supplemental lighting underneath it and then put your plant underneath that and that way if it rains it won’t get on your plan at all and it’ll still catch the sunlight from the Sun. I found in general that autoflowers do the best if you can give them 24 hours of light for their whole lives. I hope you are an expert by now
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