Very new grower here. I have 2 indoor hydro grows under my belt. BUT, i was just given permission to put some plants outdoors at a very private farm in the midwest. The question i have is concerning what i can expect yield wise from the outdoor grow, vice the hydro. I have been able to average 2 oz per plant indoor. I have been told plants can easily get to the 1lb or over outdoors. I know these type of questions tend to generate alot of negative feedback concerning all the variables that must be taken into account (strain,nutes,sunlight). I am planning on growing Querkle, Super skunk. Im not looking for anyone to dust off their crystal ball, maybe just a ballpark per plant under very good conditions. Oh, i plan on vegging indoors till they are 18-24in. In the ground by 2nd week of may. Harvest late sept,early oct. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Well first of all Querkle is probably gonna be a pretty crappy yielder outdoor. Most of the purps strains don't yield worth shit outside so keep this in mind. I'm not familiar with Super Skunk but most skunks are very mold prone so be aware of this and watch it closely. Mold can be dealt with you just need to keep an eye out. To maximize your yields there are a few things you are going to want to do. First of all, get your water, and preferably your fertilizer on a drip system with a timer. The more frequent you feed them, they bigger they will get. Do not feed them once a week or once every other week like some fools do - your growth will seriously suffer. Smaller, more frequent waterings will also get your more growth. If you have the time, foliar feed - this will give them a massive boost. Also be sure to have the needed pest controls for mold, mildew, rodents and insects on hand so you aren't running around like a chicken with it's head cut off when you start getting pests. If you are growing outside you WILL get some sort of pest you will have to deal with every year so be prepared. The size of the plant is determined by the size of the hole so give them plenty of space. Wider will get you better results than deeper - any deeper than 2'-3' feet is a waste of time and money. Better yet, plant them in large raised beds - this gets the best growth outdoors. How much you get outside can vary tremendously. One lb. per plant is a good ball-park figure, but depending on the strain and the environment you can get anywhere from a few ounces to 5+ lbs.
Blaze, I appreciate the time you took to explain this stuff to me. As I am very new to all this I can definetly use the guidance. I didnt know that about the purple stains and yield. As i have pretty quick access to a variety of seeds is there one in particular you think i should see about procuring??? Again i really appreciate the help. And i am definetly going to look into an automated pump feed system.
Well, in general the blue strains tend to get big outside. Many of the Blueberry crosses, like Blue Dream and Blue Satellite get real big outside but tend to be late. It is hard to say exactly what to grow w/o knowing what you have access too, plus I can only vouch for the strains I have done myself. If possible try to find someone in your local area that has grown OD and see what worked for them. Some strains to better than others in specific climates - so what works for me may not work for you. As a general rule though the purple strains tend to be small. I'm not saying they won't grow, you just might not want to fill up your garden with them. I always do a few purples myself, but I always make sure to even it out by doing some better yielders too. Also a lot of the kush strains can be problematic outside as well - they tend to be mold prone and low yield. In general you might want to look for a strain that is an outcrossed F1 as they will have hybrid vigor. Often IBL's and backcrosses suffer from inbreeding depression and will not thrive as well outside. These are just generalizations though - there are exceptions to everything of course.
Im guessin from the Plant/harvest times you mentioned that you are in the north. I have been productive in the north for 25+ years and I can tell you with certainty that ALL purple strains that I have seen thrive here. Purple tops, and lethal purple will both give generously. I am unfamilar with your purple strain though so I cant be sure. On the other hand the Super Skunk should yield VERY high if cared for well. they'll finish a little later than the sept/oct mentioned, more like oct 10-15 but 1/2-1 lb is not unheard of on a plant.
G-45, Thanks for the "Local insight", I'm a couple clicks south of Chicago. I was releived to get a bit of good news regarding the Querkle. Gonna give them a shot and see what happens. Any other Nuggets of Knowledge would definetly be helpful. I'm kinda looking for a Veteran to take me under his wing. Again i appreciate your help. Got any good soil recipes i should get going with?
Soil for outdoors is VERY easy and I NEVER get costly or comlicated with it. I dig a large hole 2ftx6ft x2ft deep add 1 bag of fox farm or other high quality soil mix in 2 bags of cheap miriclegro soil add 1 bag of composted shit of som type. Mix it in with the soil you removed from the top layer of the hole and let it mound up a bit. This size hole will do 5 plants for me. when they start gettin big I tie them down one forward one back and so on. the result is a huge bush...HUGE! bush. If you do this with "easy sativa" you will always cop a 1 pound harvest at least. the EASY SATIVA is done by sept20-25 in your area and is availible from nirvana. female only but afordable. I rely on this strain big time! plant autos around the bottom and you get a treat in summer!!
Right on G-45, Your soil recipe is exactly what i was planning. As far as watering, it is going to be about 2 hour ride from home to the site, will i need to water them everyother day or will once a week suffice? Im sure it will depend on rainfall. Pests: Your ideas for prevention? Neem oil? Deer.. The acreage i will be using is Deer Central. Will they eat my girlies??G-45 i hope you dont get annoyed at all the q's here, but i can see you are definetly a Jedi! Gonna take a look at the Sativa strain you mentioned. I actually have access to clones of a sativa.Its an 8 weeker indoors.Excellent yielder. I was thinking i needed to stay away from sativas, but you have dispelled that myth. And funny you mentioned the Autos, my wife and i were thinking about trying a couple in our garden here at the house. I dont know much about them, but im gonna learn. Well i hope this message finds you enjoying some great medicine on this Sunday morning!
Deer are EASY to controll, use a 3ft tall fence but dont stand it up just lay it on the ground letting the grasses and such hold it up justa few inches. any deer that step into it feel grabbed and bolt. as for sativas I only know of "easy sativa" and it is wonderfull as for others its a trial and error thing. LESSISMORE has a ton of GOOD info on strains that will do well in your area and you can certainly trust his word 100%.
heres how i calulate yeild based on size of plant.......if the plant is 6 feet high and 3 feet wide, then you minus 2 feet off the bottom of the plant so 4 feet then times by the width, so 4x3 = 12 oz, another example a 5 foot plant minus 2 feet so 3 then again 3 feet wide, so 3x3= 9 oz, this is only a way to estimate yeild, cause there is so many variables. also heres a link for indoor calualtor YOR - HPS Yield Calculator
Don't skimp on the fence! Guerilla45's advice is dead on. Deer repellents are a joke - don't risk it a fence is the only fool proof way to keep them form munching your ladies.
I had all of the same questions. Cept I have Sleeskunk, THC Bomb, and Blue Cheese. Thanks guys. Western Colorado.
Here are two watering tips. Mirical Gro and others make a crystal that grabs water and holds onto it. They are the size of large grains of sand but can expand past the size of peanuts trapping water for the plant to tap into. Besides extending water life in the ground these crystals expand and contract keeping the soil somewhat aerated. A five gallon bucket with a valve attached to the bottom and set on a slow drip should keep you watered for a week. Cover the bucket with camo netting, I make mine. You can add Ferts to the water and expect the buckets to drain out over a 2 to three day period depending on the weather. I use this method on my plants and water once a week with much success. Of course a heat wave can dry things up fast so adjust watering accordingly.
Not to mention those hydration crystals kill MJ........ If you have to water every other day, get bigger pots.