Southern California people.. when do i start growing outdoors?

[Jaded1983]

also this will be my first outdoor grow.. i have some questions..

1. well first is when do i start growing outdoors and when do i stop?
2. do they need full sun or partial 50/50?
3. do i use well draining soil like i do indoors?
4. how far should i plant each plant away from each other?
5. should i put a screen over them? or have them totally exposed?


thanks!! im a noob i know.

[Jaded1983]

also i was reading that i should only use super soil.. which i guess mean i need to dig a big ditch for the soil ill buy at the store... how deep do i need to dig? and how wide do the roots usually spread?

[Afghan#1]

Originally Posted by Jaded1983

also this will be my first outdoor grow.. i have some questions..

1. well first is when do i start growing outdoors and when do i stop?
2. do they need full sun or partial 50/50?
3. do i use well draining soil like i do indoors?
4. how far should i plant each plant away from each other?
5. should i put a screen over them? or have them totally exposed?


thanks!! im a noob i know.

When you plant depends on the strain,tough cold weather indica could be planted sooner than sativa.

All marijuana strains require a minimum 6 hours of direct sunlight (The more the better).I use a compass when planting so I can plant in the most open east-west position that I can.Planting left or right of a big tree can make a world of difference and only a compass can help with that.

If your going to be watering regularly then you can use sandy well draining soil.If not I would use peat and other water absorbing mediums.Since your in Cali. I would try to get as much water absorbtion as possibile,including a tablespoon of water absorbing gel per hole.

I've grown many big plants of different varieties in the same hole without any problem,taking the time to spread them out 12 inches apart would help.Just remember to spread them out north-south so they wont shade each other.






Enjoy.

[Light]

I can only answer your first question because I live in SoCal to. I would say in the middle of March is when you should plant it. So thats like in 2 weeks. I planted mine 2 weeks ago and I havent had much success.

[Jaded1983]

gotcha thanks guys.. what about some kind of screen i can put over the plants to hide them and keep insects away? but will still let light in?

[Corto Malteze]

You can use chicken wire for pests. A 1ft plant, slug repellant, peeing (I never took a dump there: DNA?? lol) and a place where animals don't go (thick) is enough for my mj to be fine. I'll be using copper wire too this year (Oldpork's trick lol). See stickies for pests, storms, stealth etc...
As for when to start in SoCal, you have the same type of weather as me. I start from seed in May 2 batches: May 1 - May 10. and last frosts are in mid March. 1st frosts are in mid November for me.
A 3 month veg. period is PLENTY for me. Let me explain.
My smaller indicas (when started on May 1) stop growing in beg. July-mid July (max height reached, they "vegetate" for nothing -but for 2-3 weeks- until buds in beg. August so it's ok...). An early grow means they'll "vegetate" (not grow if indicas) for many useless weeks. It also means more tracks in your spot, more work watering if you're guerilla growing. Bigger sativa dominant strains will be + or - unconcealable if started early (10 feet +). They'll just grow and grow and grow (lower branches all reach the top and grow it's hard keeping up with the fimming/topping if you're not there). You always can LST but they're so tall, it can be a problem. If height and watering are not a problem, then yes grow huge sativa/inidica hybrids. The earlier, the bigger. But they will be massive.
Starting in May and also a late batch in mid June (or July) is a good plan for your area. You can also start early indoors and take them out flowering 2-3 weeks before August (so they don't veg back).
Most strains will will all start flowering in beg. August (fem. buds) or end July for the fastest (female buds). How fast they finish depends on the finishing times in their genes. Even if your season is long, most bag seeds will finish in October (1-30) or later, so imagine growing the weed from March to ~ October 15 at least. Get a fast finisher and don't start it early imo. Your summer is veeeery long. Use it to your advantage.