Buddy of mine has some pretty ladies in his back yard, been growing around 4 months now. He's the kind of guy that says "all ya gotta do is sing to 'em and water 'em," and I've been trying to update his process a little bit to show him some decent results. We're running in to an issue of people traffic walking around his back yard (he has the only access to the main road in his neighborhood, so the kids like to walk around his fence to skip the extra 5 minute walk.) We are looking at moving the operation inside to the much more secure garage area. I will be providing him with a 1000 watt HPS and ballast, and some CFL's to get his lighting started up. How bad of an idea is it to start the babies on nutrients after already growing for 4 months? They are close to the end of their cycle, maybe another 3 weeks, but he doesn't want to risk his 4 footer getting seen and snatched. Has anybody had experience transferring outdoor to indoor? Will it shock the plants, or are they big enough to withstand the move? (all plants show no signs of any deficiencies or dehydration, so they are nice, green, and healthy)
Are they in the ground or in pots? If in the ground, it will shock the hell out of them. If in pots, just mimic the sun as far as your lights go. They should be fine if all variables are addressed/matched to the outside world.
I am considering digging up one or two of mine outside in the ground to bring inside. Put back in veg and get some clones. I worry the shock to the roots may cause a significant change to the plant…Hermie or what not. If you're in pots you should be golden though. Are they insect/pest free? They will have free reign when brought indoors.
They are in pots, and they are insect free from what I can visually inspect right now. He's got them under cover by the rest of his tomato garden, so I can't get around a full 360 degrees quite yet. Cool, I'm glad this doesn't seem to be a big issue. As long as we keep em clean and bug free, this 1000 watt will keep em happy. Should I put it on a 12 on 12 off schedule, or should I do a little less? They really aren't getting the full effects of the sun for more that 7 or 8 hours a day... Lots of shadows from trees as the day progresses...
Match to the length of day they at now. Like sun up at 640 and lights out about 715. May be tricky. Days are getting shorter and shorter. Not sure if ya should keep days same length til harvest or ahorten each day just a tiny bit as happens outside.
Really take the time to look them over and make sure you're not bringing in bugs. But since you're just finishing them off and not keeping something ongoing, it shouldn't be a big deal. Good luck with 'em!