I moved 5 plants that were vegging indoors to the outdoors to utilize as much sun light as possible. I put them outside on march 11th and they are just now forming visible bud sites. I know I am going to have to move them back inside to finish flowering before the light cycle changes too much. If anyone can tell me the ideal day I should put them back inside to finish flowering it would be greatly appreciated. I live in the bay area in California (northern California). I do not want them to revert back to veg 3/4 the way through flowering outside. I want to use as much sunlight as possible, growing indoors is costing me $130/month for electricity of my grow equipment alone.
Well' let's figure this out together. I am facing the exact dilemma. You know the sex of your plants already? All of mine that I have been shuffling in and out were started from feminized seeds and I want to continue in vegetative stage for awhile then flower.
It's best that we do get this timing right because, if its late in bud and the plant starts growing again then the bud becomes more leafy.
I as well live In nor cal and I am doing a early haven't as well my plants for about another 4-6 weeks left and I am just going to leave them out till they are done. I did the same thing last year and it worked out great. You need to start to think about bringing them in once day light hits around 14hrs. Any thing less and the the plant will stay in flower.
San Francisco, California - Sunrise, sunset, dawn and dusk times for the whole year - Gaisma I've been waiting to post on this topic.. this little page has a nice light chart and graph to tell when your light will hit that magical day.. being to much a newbee at anything much more then tossing seeds out in the yard i was waiting for somebody like norcal with the 14 hour comment.. i've been putting baby clones out at 10 day intervals starting mid feb here in so cal.. some with short veg time most without.. did this last year early spring and got a fair early short crop.. It looks like you have about 5 more weeks outside before your light reaches 14 hpd.. at that point you can keep using outside for light but put them back in your now dark grow room for 12 hours of dark at nights.. or if small enough trash can over them..or PVC and black plastic tents.. i see lots of inventive ways to control the light reaching the plants to keep them in bloom.. i'll be trying a few my self in a few more weeks as my last planted clones may need extra time to finish..
This is what I do. Once I plant my summer out door i start covering the plants till it get dark and then just go out at night and remove the covers. Good to go.
Sir BrassNWood, thank you very much this is exactly the information I needed. The chart you mentioned I had came across from a internet site a few weeks ago that puzzeled me for my area in particular for where I live in the bay area. You clarified to a point for me. Thank you. My compulsive behavior always bites off more than I can chew, 'by planting so many femminized seeds.Now there is 30 plants getting on EF OK n one care. I guess I should take some disposable clones to tell the sex' I couldn't handle that many more plants without the other suffering.
If I wait those 5 weeks and then just leave them outside they should continue into vegetative stage for a couple more months before going into flower. Is this correct?
It can take up to a month for your plant to tweet back to veg. So while its trying to go pack to veg it will pretty much stop growin and use all its energy going back Into veg. I had that happen to a few last summer. Killed my yields on them
I think i'd have to do the reverse here.. cover after sun down and uncover about 10 am to take advantage of the cool mornings.. late afternoons here are blast furnance hot even in mid spring and a covered/tented plant would just bake..
Why cover when it is dark already. Unless its already 100 where you are your plants won't bake under the cover. I turn the lights off for them at 7pm. Is it really that hot then. I try to leave them covered for as little as possible.
All of My plants are currently in the he veg. stage of growth' not in flower. My plan is to do as BrassNWood says is to wait until April to until I am able to leave them outside so that they continue to grow in veg stage and then go into flower naturally.
If your plants are near a foot tall.. add 5 more weeks of veg..plant outside.. all summer to veg.. thats going to be one HUGE mofo of a plant and a really long wait for any bud.. Might flower out the current group and start new seeds or clones asap.. they would be just about where the current girls are in 5 weeks .. perfect to go out for summer.. and you get some spring bud in about 5 or 6 weeks.. not 6 months.. who cares if it's a little on the fluffy side.. my pipe don't care what it looks like..
That is exactly what I need to do. Clone my babes now, like you say they would be exactly where am at now. Then current plants to flower. I had gotten my self into such a mess' by planting and taking care of 30 plants by hand. I was pulling my hair out of what to do next. The flowering time on my strains is 60-80 days. Thanks again BrassNWood.