First time going outdoors. Amount of sunlight question.

So ive been growing indoors for 4 years now and have got it pretty down packed. im planning on like 4 plants outdoors next year. Id like to see how massive a plant i can grow and see what i can do with it.
My question is!..I live in a very wooded area and am curious how much direct sunlight it needed. I am going to veg them indoors for about 2 months under 400watts of hps before going outside. so i will be putting out larger healthy plants. i plan on clearing a bit of over head branches to get whatever i can but should i still do alright with less tehm perfect sunlight?? any input would be appreciated!!

I would also like to see some input from experienced outdoor growers on this topic. No guerilla growers though. I am legal and don't care if my plants are seen. That obviously changes my priorities.

Anyway I try to look at the matter, growing in the shade sucks.
Try to find a spot with the best exposure. Morning sun is very important. It will warm up your plant (from the cool night before which slows growth) and dries and keeps mold off your buds if you are in a climate where cool, dewy mornings are a norm during flower time. You will want afternoon sun too, because that is the best for producing fat buds.
Give your plants lots of water and use use use use use compost tea with molasses.
Good luck!

i think you should be fine but if there is only a tiny bit of direct sunlight you might see some stretching. on the + side I grew a lavender plant under a mesh screen which cut the plants sunlight by 50% and shes doin fine.

you want a minimum of 6hrs of direct light

thanks for input. ill obviosly go for as much sunlight as possible. more info would still be appreciated. or some pictures even. just getting amped up for next season. ive got my calender marked. and what do you guys think about starting 3 months early indoors? of just veg cycle. is it worth it?

a good rule of thumb. one fist along the horizon (as if you put your put arm out and made a fist, line it up on the horizon) is about 15 degrees or 1hr of sun movement. use that to judge the amount of light your ladies will be getting

there are two choices here... cannabis can grow GREAT under indirect sunlight.

however. the strains that can handle the sun, will yeild juicier danker bigger buds in direct sunlight, if you are going that route you need a spot that gives you atleast 6 hours of direct light a day. more is better, but it's not absolutely essential, this plant knows when the sun goes down even if it's not directly shining on it.

I "always" make sure mine get atleast 6 hours of sunlight and i prefer it be the am hours! thats just MO

Cannabis performs FAR better when given direct sunlight. Will it grow in indirect light? Yes. Well? Not really. It'll be stretchy, grow slower in veg, flower later, and take longer to flower, and it wont' have very big buds.

I know this from the last two years of shady growing spaces, while my brother (same strain of plant) had great amounts of direct sunlight (practically the whole day from sun-up to sun-rise). Last year he harvested 2nd week of September. Mine were not finished even by the end of October. This year, he harvested last week, while mine are at least 4 weeks to go. To me, it's obvious: direct sunlight is very important to all aspect of growing.

Couldn't have said it better myself, steam. Growing in the shade sucks. Buds are leafy, stringy, fluffy, and take forever to develop. Resin production is less affected, which is interesting. My shade plants always had a ton of resin.