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Auto Plants Outside?

Discussion in 'First Time Marijuana Growers' started by DeKind, Jul 2, 2020.

  1. #1 DeKind, Jul 2, 2020
    Hello friends! I have grown outside before but I've never grown auto plants before. I'm a little confused how they work. They claim that they just grow for maybe 3 months and then flower with no regard to the light cycle. Is this true? I'm growing outside in CA and some of my plants have gone into flower a little early. They should be done by late August but we get nice hot days through October but of course the days get shorter by then, I was considering planting some auto plants outside in August but I don't know if it will get enough light during those shorter days to grow. Do they require a minimum amount of light to grow? Does it grow with a small amount of light during growth or are auto plants only good for indoor grows?
     
  2. #2 CarpenTiger, Jul 2, 2020
    They will do fine, especially if you can get them in a spot with nearly full sun. They are generally better indoors because you can run a 18-6/20-4 light cycle on them the entire grow. But as far as outdoors, they will do just fine. You can even plan out your grows and have 2-3 full cycles every grow year.

    Just note the total yield on them will not be comparable to an outdoor plant that gets a full season of growing (compared to the 3-4 months of autos)
     
    • Like Like x 1
  3. #3 DeKind, Jul 2, 2020
    Unfortunately, my grow site doesn't get dawn to dusk direct sun, there is a large tree that blocks afternoon light for a few hours but they get at least 9 hours of direct light every day and maybe 7-8 hours by October, unless it's cloudy. When they are in the shade they only get ambient light.
     
  4. #4 DeKind, Jul 2, 2020
    I mean, I understand that they will flower while getting 18 hours of light or even 20 but, I guess my question is, will they grow with only 11 hours of light?
     
  5. #5 MidwestMover, Jul 2, 2020
    Yes they will still grow. Maybe a little smaller with less hours of sunlight. You can buy a cheap shop clip light and put a LED bulb in it and shine that on it at night. I do that and it works well. In California also. You can pop regular seeds and they will start to flower in early to mid August. Just kill the males.

    Happy growing!
     
  6. #6 Tjmoe, Jul 2, 2020
    Having problems with my northern lights auto 43 days FFOF soil cheap 300watt led some cfl for side lighting but it the brown spots i cant figure out can someone help i was thinking i need some cal mag but idk 20200702_000901.jpg 20200702_000918.jpg 20200702_000805.jpg 20200702_000842.jpg 20200702_000856.jpg
     
  7. #7 CarpenTiger, Jul 2, 2020
    That’s pretty good lighting. Like MidwestMover said, you can get some supplemental outdoor lights if you really want to/able to. But 9hrs of direct light is pretty good. They will still grow, maybe not as large but still relatively good sized.
     
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  8. #8 Sandspur06, Jul 2, 2020
    Google search "signs of nutrient deficiency in cannabis"
    I heart growing marijuana has a pretty decent article that should help you out.
     
    • Informative Informative x 1
  9. #9 DeKind, Jul 2, 2020
    It would be a pain in the ass to get any light on them, my grow site is a spot where there is no light and no electricity. They will be planted in large garbage cans that are buried in the ground so not movable. But I still think it might be worth it to give it a try. I will only grow female plants since I only have six containers (auto feminized).
     
  10. #10 SpainExperience, Jul 2, 2020
    Yes, you will be just fine in the conditions you have. Even if they are the same strain, different plants may start flowering at different times. The strain info is just for guidance, I've had them mature even three weeks apart. With autos, I don't care what time of the year is, they are so easy.
     
    • Like Like x 2
  11. #11 Spanish@rcher, Jul 2, 2020
    Yeah autos just go when they want mate. There's certain things you can do to shorten/lengthen the veg phase by a week or 2 in iether direction on large - xxl autos but generally it's mostly down to genetics. 30-50 days you usually get before they start throwing pistils.
    Hit Google for a dude called 912greenskell he's had 3lb autos outdoors in nout but composted horse poo and some sort of pk booster for bloom. Simplest method possible and best results I've ever seen.
     
    • Informative Informative x 2

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