Like the title says, i think I’ll be doing a small outdoor grow this spring.
The plan is to do a couple autos - been doing some research on what strains will grow best in my area (Deep South, hot and humid, some super rainy days), and theres 2 strains that seem promising.
I live in a non-legal state so obviously privacy is a major concern, i figure if i tuck them against the tree line on the back side of the property i should be okay.
What exactly is the hardening off process? Im familiar with hardening off veggies - is it really any different? Is it best to start them indoors?
Do i need to have a plan in place to protect my plants from heavy rains?
What about sunny afternoon days?
Does rain interfere with nutes or ph?
Pests. What are some things i should have on hand to keep the creepy crawlies away? Is there anything proactive I can do to ward them off?
In-ground isnt an option for me. Would a 3 gallon grow bag do the trick or should i upgrade to a 5 gallon since it’ll be outside?
This will be my 3rd grow and 1st outdoor grow. I know indoor/outdoor is like comparing apples to oranges. So if anyone can chime in and give me some tips or advice id really appreciate it.
Our last frost is in early March so i know its time to start planning.
Hardening off is the process of transitioning a plant from indoors to outdoors. I start by putting them out for a few hours. First day in indirect sun then bring them back in, the next day in full sun, and then bring them back in…then it is full sun for the rest of the grow.
For the most part heavy rain will not hurt them…sometimes it is hard to get a feed in if there is a prolongd period of rain. Need to protect from heavy wind tho
Anything above field capacity and they just pause growth till moisture levels lower.
Aim for morning sun through like 2ish before dappled to shaded if in pots. It’s for protection from the hottest part of the day.
I use a BT, Spinosad, Azamax rotation. Just fell in love with Beauveria Bassiana for aphids, thrips, mites… the small stuff and no immunity.
To help repel: Top dressing with Neem Cake and mixing with medium on transplant to make the plants taste bad to insects. Plant green onions, garlic or marigolds in the pots. Hang a bird feeder close to attract birds.
The bigger the better. A 3 gal or 5 gal is gonna need non stop watering. Tends to blow over if not anchored. I’d go with no smaller than a 7-10 gal pot. Will be easier to maintain stability of nutes and pH easier with larger. Handles the rains better also.
I’m a transplant from NYS to the Dark Corner of SC.I’ve grown outdoors in both states .Issues are the same in both.Rain/humidity come are worst time.I’ve never grown autos before.Strains I’ve grown in SC,
White widow,Godfather OG,Fat Bastard,Gelato,Girl Scout Cookies Extreme.and others.I to am in an area like you described.My mostly indica grows are put out later so they don’t get to tall maybe 5-6’at most.I pinch and tie down plants.
Some very solid advice from others already.From what I’ve read above a 3gallon pot will need water probably twice a day.I use a post hole digger for my outdoor adventures.May be different for autos,IDK.But from what I’ve read they finish up before the fall rain/humidity and occasional hurricane shows up.
This is my sentiment now as well. I used to grow trees. Less a choice w autos. But where I was going is you want those autos vegging after warm temps. Don’t pop them too early. I would wait until May to pop them. And have them hardened off and planted no later than June 1st. You will be done by august and get the best peak sun for n hemisphere.
If you put them out too early the cold could cause them to stall out, or worse autoflower too early.
Hardening them off in my opinion is more about the full sun frying them. Less than the cold. If it’s not snowing, they can take it. But the full sun right away will usually fry a fair number of seedling. Unless they are sprouted in the full sun.
Wow just wow.With all this advice about autos. I’m a thinking I will give them a go this coming season along with my photos.This thread has got me pumped for this outdoor adventure.
One question about autos,how tall can they get? Any suggestions for strains in my area,Northwest SC.
Thanks everyone.
I actually just placed an order for some 10 gallon bags.
Im assuming theyd still need to be on top of something (a crate of some sort) to keep the roots from growing out into the earth and to help collect Runoff during watering.
Im wondering how one would go about a feeding schedule that didnt end up getting flushed out in the rain. I guess its all a matter of timing and watching the 5-7 day forecast.
They won’t die unless they freeze. With photos it’s no worry because they just stall and grow on when it’s warmer. The auto has the meter running from day one. If it’s cold you are still paying the toll with no growth. Ideally above 65 f… Rather than watch the weather I would say sprout may1st. Transplant by june 1st or sooner. That’s exactly what I am going to do with the auto seeds I got from diverdave.
The northern lights grow off has really shown the difference in temp to growth across the different gromies.
In my experience,until ground temperatures reach 55 degrees your plants will just stall.
It’s easy to think that outdoor planting early will give you great jump on the season but they always stall.And plants planted later almost always catch the the early plants.
You can grow them indoors then harden them off before planting.
But with photos they all start to bud when the amount sunlight gets less.On the other hand autos do their own thing.Autos usually finish before the rain/humidity show.Rain/humidity always shows up at the worst possible time.
Use shadecloth (as mentioned by Big123). It will reduce the heat during the middle of the day and make it harder for the police helicopters to see your plants. Make sure you extend the shadecloth over a large area so the choppers can’t easily identify them when flying towards the property. You can hang shadecloth on all sides to make it more difficult to see the plants from above. If the plants are near a fence with other plants around them, you can probably get away with a long strip of shadecloth running along the fence and just bring it out far enough so it covers a couple more yards out from the fence. Then it will look like you just put shadecloth over a large area to help keep things cooler.
Most people use 60% white shadecloth. White is the best colour for plants because it doesn’t cause them to grow weird leaves and roots. Different coloured shadecloth (black, blue, red, green) can cause plants to grow unusually due to the shadecloth filtering out certain wavelengths of light. White shadecloth doesn’t do that. Use 60% to let lots of light in but reduce the intense midday heat.
If you make up a decent frame for shadecloth, you can put a sheet of clear plastic over the top if there is going to be rain. Rain is less of an issue with auto flowering plants because they originate in colder climates with more moisture (rain or snow). Photoperiod plants have more issues with rain. However, they all originate from wild plants who get rained on in the wild so a light shower shouldn’t be an issue. If it rains for days or humidity is really high (like in some of the southern US states), then fungal issues can arise. If they are flowering, try not to let them get rained on because that can increase the risk of bud rot.
Don’t worry about having a tray under the pots to collect runoff. Just water the plants from above and let it flow through a bit. That should help prevent mineral salts building up but still provide lots of water and nutrients.
Use large plastic pots because they won’t dry out as quickly as material bags. Get the biggest pot possible. Bigger pots mean faster growing and bigger plants, and less chance of them drying out when it’s hot.
Hardening off is exactly the same for all plants.
If the weather is cold outdoors, start them indoors and put them outside when the weather is fine and warm and bring them in and put under lights at night or when its cold outdoors. I do this in winter, grow them under lights in the early morning and evening and put them out during the day when it’s warm and sunny. They get used to the sunlight (harden off) and get extra light from the sun when outdoors and then long days when under artificial light indoors.
