Outdoor Auto Grow London UK (Start Indoors with CFL's)

Hi.
I've grown outdoors before with reasonable results but I want to do it better this year. I've prepped my spot and have 3 nicely dug and prepared holes to plant in. I've used some BioBizz Light Mix and mixed it in with some really old compost and worm castings from the bottom of my compost bin. I added a little Ammonium Sulphate as I tested the spot I did last years grow and the PH was a little over 7, hopefully this will help balance things out and bring the PH down to 6.5ish. I covered my freshly dug spots with a little leaf mulch and I'll now leave it right alone and hope for the best.
I've got a few auto varieties plus a Fem to try and I'm going to try and get an early and a late harvest, so hopefully 5 plants but overlapping growth stages. I think the early ones will be Sweet Tooth auto and Shiva Skunk Auto as they are pretty hardy and should take the less perfect weather. (Who knows in the UK!). I'll also try my Mexican Sativa Fem as she'll need the full season.(EDIT: The Sativa seeds did not germinate. I tried all 3 using a variety of methods. I've now dropped a White Label White Diesel Haze Auto into some water to see if I can get her up and going). A month or so in I'll germinate my Auto Purple Kush, and another of whatever has already done well in my location!
Questions:
I've never done it before but I want to start them all indoors under CFL's as I have the perfect spot to do it undetected. My big question is WHEN to pop the seeds in to germinate and how long to keep them under CFL's? If I germinate them in early April and the weather is looking amazing I guess I could get them outdoors mid to late April but if it's shit I could keep them going under CFL's till it gets better outside? (April has been awful the last few years and May not much better).
Has anyone got advice on this?
How about time ratios for CFL early veg? I'm tempted to go 18/6 (18 hours light/6 dark) but I've also seen 24 hour light cycle recommended. Has anyone experience of this? I feel the 18/6 is more natural and less likely to shock the plants when I harden them to go outside.
Also, any recommendations as to when to germinate the second batch for the late harvest of autos?
I imagine all the answers are weather dependant but I'm sure some of you masters will have some sage advice!
Fingers crossed for a long hot summer after all this cold stuff!
Peace.

 

A more straightforward question as I'm not getting any answers: How long under CFL's before I transplant outside? Also 18/6 light or 24 hours a day? Im reading conflicting things here. Cheers.

 

Hmm, your logic is the same as mine. I do want to squeeze in two harvests though so I might try earlier than June. May worked out ok last year. I've been reading that some people recommend 24 hours of light for cfl/veg and that it wont worry the plants as it's only the darkness that affects them not the light (on) period. Perhaps I can start 24 hours for a couple of weeks then gradually bring it down to match outside. It might be a waste of effort but it's not much effort I suppose!

 

Thanks again for your reply @Eagleyedye. Maybe I'll just do the 20/4 hour thing to get maximum growth with a little rest time. I hadn't read about the root rest time before? I've read a lot online and the consensus seems split between 18/6 and 24 hours of light but no real explanations either way.
Actually I did read in one place that its not the hours of daylight that can upset the plants but the dark interval. Who knows? Perhaps Auto's are hard to upset with light hours as they aren't photos? I suppose that makes sense.

 

Actually just found this! It looks like a pretty good resource for autos in soil:
Serpents guide to growing autos in soil

It's for soil under lights but there is a lot of information to be gleaned there.

 

Wow, nice job! Lucky man. I'm hoping to get 2 harvests which is pushing my luck with the weather here. As we have legality issues I don't want to grow too much as to avoid any heavy action. I believe 6 or less plants can avoid any serious trouble. I'll need to be lucky with the weather but I hope to get mine in late April and the second lot in June. There will be an overlap but I think I can make it work with a bit of clever juggling! You are a bit further South than London so probably a bit more sun too.

 

Here's another great article! Perfect timing!
Tips: Growing monster autoflowering cannabis plants

 

Hey, it’s getting closer to seed popping time and I’m still thinking about how and when I’m going to do the grow. Has anyone got experience with using cfl’s when it’s shit weather and taking pots outside when it’s sunny?


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It’s pretty much my plan but my indoor space is restricted. I’ll have to use cfl’s but that’s ok. I’m going to make some wire frames to protect the babies when they eventually go in the ground. Is 2 weeks indoors long enough? I was thinking if germinating very soon and getting them in the ground with a little protection from the cold by early May. Too soon?

 

I just looked at a long term forecast (30 Days) for the UK. I know these things aren’t very reliable but it looks like the temp isn’t getting above 10° right up to 10th of May. Not great is it. Maybe I’ll wait another week before popping the beans...


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Good advice thanks. But I’m trying to squeeze two crops of autos in my garden this year. I’ll need to overlap them and get lucky I think! I’ll get the first lot out in pots in May during the warmer sunnier days and bring them in when it’s cold or no sun.
I might start them on 24 hours of cfl for a few days then start introducing a dark period, little by little working my way up to 18/6 before putting them outside. Obviously acclimatising as I go.
Loki, you are a powerhouse of great advice on this forum. Kudos to you sir.

 

Hi people.
I missed the 420 deadline that I'd like to have made (for shits and giggles) but popped some beans in little glasses of lukewarm rain water today. (421 is 1 better than 420!) I'm going to leave them in a dark warm space for 24 hours or so then slip them into some moist paper towels if they aren't sprouted already. I figured I'd give this method a go and see what happens. I've used the wet paper towel method to good affect before but can see the logic in soaking the casings in water for a while first. The only failures I've had is straight to soil. Each method works, and each to their own, but this is what I'm doing this time.

I have:
Mexican Sativa Feminised Photo from Sensi Seeds
Sweet Tooth Auto from Barney's Farm
CBD Lemon Potion Auto from Barney's Farm

Hopefully in a few days I'll have them in some small pots with BioBizz Lightmix and get them under some 40w CFL's.
I'm going to start them under the CFL light for a couple of weeks before acclimatising them them into an outdoor prepped area in soil. I have been prepping the outdoor beds for a few months now with lots of organic goodies so hopefully they will thrive. Let's hope we have a mega summer this year as I'm hoping to get another couple of Auto's out in a couple of months! It's going to take a little luck and some good management but hoping to get two harvests of 5 plants (4 auto's, 1 photo) this year.

The plan is to add these in June :
White Diesel Haze Auto from White Label/Sensi
Purple Kush Auto from Buddha Seeds

Let the fun begin and long may it stay sunny!



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