1. Help Us Improve the Grasscity Growing Journal!

    We're rebuilding the Growing Journal feature and want your input. What tools or features should we add? What other platforms do you use and love?

    Click here to share your feedback!
    Dismiss Notice

extended season outdoor lighting

Discussion in 'Growing Marijuana Outdoors' started by myrrhlynn, Jul 30, 2019.

  1. #1 myrrhlynn, Jul 30, 2019
    i got a little bit of a late start this year so i have an idea to extend my outdoor growing season with a few hours of artificial light during twilight hours. wondering how much light i need, i'm open to suggestions. an easy source would be the two Coleman lanterns i have. they are gas fired and even one lights up my entire patio fairly well. not sure how much of the spectrum gas lamps emit or even if that should be a concern.

    i'm in Southern California, so temperature year round is hardly ever a concern.
     
  2. #2 Deleted member 638051, Jul 30, 2019
    If you're close enough to a power source, run an extension cord and use light bulbs.
    If that's not feasible, see how Brassnwood uses solar powered driveway lights.
     
  3. #3 myrrhlynn, Jul 30, 2019
    oh there is an outlet right on the porch just a few feet away from the plants... just that i already use the lanterns but i suppose i might pick up a couple portable shop lights.
     
  4. #4 killset, Jul 30, 2019
    Lanterns aren't going to cut it
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
  5. #5 myrrhlynn, Jul 30, 2019
    cranked all the way up, the lanterns are rated at 1500 lumens each... you sure? what sort of wattage did you have in mind? their function will solely be to interrupt the night cycle.
     
  6. #6 BrassNwood, Jul 31, 2019
    Sure they will. We see people use Coleman lanterns to keep their grow room on track during a power failure. It's not enough to grow under but it is more then enough to keep the plants in a "Awake" state until the power comes back on.
    You'll need about 3x what the moon puts out.
    [​IMG]

    You can see the 3 CFLs I used all summer to hold my plants in veg. Since they came from a 24-0 cycle I needed to keep them lit up until yesterday. Turned off the lights and they will flower out normally now and finish mid to late Oct.

    Southern California we can grow year round with very little effort. 4 harvest a year are possible.

    Jan 1st = Harvest, Take cuts for new clones, Set out vegged plants to flower.
    March 15th = Same
    June 1st = Same
    Oct 15th = Same

    This is how I've broke the year down for the best results. It's all here as well.
    An American Dream - White Picket Fences and Marijuana in the So Cal Sun
    Several years running this exactly cycle.

    'BNW
     
  7. #7 killset, Jul 31, 2019
    Lol must be a long ass power failure. I've been without power for over 2-3 days before without any issue. A plant can go several days, those people were wasting their time with a propane lantern. It did nothing for them. The plants would of been just fine anyways.
     
  8. #8 BrassNwood, Jul 31, 2019
    Most of them were in the northeast and more then 2 days. The lanterns also kept temp in the grow space above freezing. Just an hour below 33degs would have surely caused damage and 36 hours of continuous dark will trigger flower. Seen it myself and used it to trigger hard flower faster then normal.

    BNW
     
  9. #9 killset, Jul 31, 2019
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2019
    Lanterns for warmth makes sense. I know from personal experience 36 hours of dark won't trigger flower. I live in the sticks, power outages are common. I would be fucked if that was true. I'm not always home to run generators. It might start the process but not enough to notice any change or cause issue. Lights come back on and all is good. No lantern needed

    Unless used for temp but theres much more efficient, safer ways to heat a grow
     
  10. #10 myrrhlynn, Aug 4, 2019
    well i lit up the lanterns this evening just to check their function and have to reevaluate their light output. light intensity is non-linear and as bright as the lanterns seem at night, they would need to be very close to the plants to be anywhere near intense enough to have any effect. think i'll be looking into some portable florescent lighting.

    lanterns at twilight 05.jpg
     
  11. #11 killset, Aug 4, 2019
    Even cheap cfls would be a better option. Lanterns just won't supply enough usable light
     
  12. #12 myrrhlynn, Aug 4, 2019
    i agree, but they are good distractions, too. easier to 'splain a fully lit up patio with the hanging lanterns vs only some much more intense lighting at knee level. ... :) i also live in SoCal, so any back-up emergency lighting is never a bad idea to have on-hand.
     

Share This Page