Growing both indoors and outdoors?

B

Baggsy

Member
Hi there, i'm currently growing 5 plants, all only a week from seeds, they are in a wooden box with a 15 watt flouro on them. The average height of the seedlings is about 5 inches tall, seeing as they only sprouted 5 days ago i guess that's a good sign? Anyways, i know that 15 watts isnt enough for them to continue a good growth so i let them have as much direct sunlight as i can throught the day and when its dark or rainy i put them back into the wooden box indoors so it gets 24 hour light. I intend to continue this til i get to the 12/12 stage. Really all im asking is for some reassurance that the plants will be okay with this light cycle, with both sunlight and poor flouro light. I just want to state that i do not want to spend any money at all, i know i could go out and buy a better bulb, but i choose not to cos really this is just a summer experiment :)
I welcome all comments,
Baggsy.
 
doobnVA

doobnVA

Well-Known Member
Baggsy said:
Hi there, i'm currently growing 5 plants, all only a week from seeds, they are in a wooden box with a 15 watt flouro on them. The average height of the seedlings is about 5 inches tall, seeing as they only sprouted 5 days ago i guess that's a good sign? Anyways, i know that 15 watts isnt enough for them to continue a good growth so i let them have as much direct sunlight as i can throught the day and when its dark or rainy i put them back into the wooden box indoors so it gets 24 hour light. I intend to continue this til i get to the 12/12 stage. Really all im asking is for some reassurance that the plants will be okay with this light cycle, with both sunlight and poor flouro light. I just want to state that i do not want to spend any money at all, i know i could go out and buy a better bulb, but i choose not to cos really this is just a summer experiment :)
I welcome all comments,
Baggsy.
Click to expand...

If your plants spend most of their time outdoors, light shouldn't be an issue as long as they are in a sunny spot. The plants will let you know if they're getting enough sunlight or not.

Moving them back and forth might get to be a chore, especially as they get bigger.

Also, you will need a very dark place to put them when it's time for flowering.

One thing I would be concerned about is pests. It's much easier to control pests indoors than it is outdoors (in my experience, anyway). Some plants do very well moving between indoor and outdoor conditions, and others don't.

Another thing would be having the plants outdoors and someone spotting them (but that's my paranoia, not yours!).

What are you going to do with them when it's time to 12/12?
 
B

Baggsy

Member
Thanks for the reply dude, pests are a worry for me, maybe that's the only thing i would be prepared to spend some money on getting right and keeping the little critters away from my darling buds of may (well june/july). I know that they should do well outside as the guy who gave me the seeds has grown them in fields and in a greenhouse with success, was just concerned if going from strong sunlight to a much weaker flourescent was going to trigger off early flowering or maybe affect it's sexuality (don;t want a bunch of males). Prying eyes aren't a problem luckily as my garden isn't overlooked, lucky huh!?
When it came to 12/12 stage i was probably going to have them 12 hours in sunlight and then either bring them in and keep them in a dark room or leave them outside with a black bin liner over the plants. If you have any other suggestions that would be great!
 
doobnVA

doobnVA

Well-Known Member
I think that as long as you don't veg for too long, the weaker flourescent inside shouldn't be too much of an issue. Although I'm wondering, if you have the outdoor space where you can grow a plant unnoticed, why not just grow it entirely outdoors? Moving the plant around could stress it out and you might end up with a hermaphrodite (no biggie, you can still smoke it), or a very leggy, sparse plant.. Or it could be just fine. I know I've never had much luck with houseplants that spent time outdoors, but I've never had much luck with houseplants, period.

I'm dying to know how your experiment turns out. Keep me posted?
 
B

Baggsy

Member
The reason i'm not sure of keeping it outside is cos i live in England where the weather is stupidly unpredictable and it rains alot, plus i don't trust the neighbours cats and birds disturbing them, i like to keep an eye on them, probably wont be as much as an issue when they are abit bigger and stronger but as they are only in early stages i dont want to take the risk.
A few years ago i grew a healthy plant by just leaving it on the window ledge, unfortunately it turned out to be a male so it made a nice houseplant all the same.
I'll keep you informed with pics and stuff when they start progressing :)
 
tyke1973

tyke1973

Well-Known Member
If the seedlings are 5 ince tall with just 1 set of leaves the light is to far away,Get it closer 6/8 ince.The plants will be fine if possible put in pots big ones put them somewhere that will recive max light.Then once they get to a size that is about right for flowering then get them on 12/12 off put the pots somewhere realy dark no light leeks.I don't even like the light from the moon on my gurilla grows but you can do something about it you can cover them ,make a black out frame or a gararge.
 
B

Baggsy

Member
They are only around 5 inches tall, when in the box under the flouro, the light is about 2-3 inches above them and being 15 watts it gives off next to no heat so heat damage isnt an issue, also i have coated the inside of the box with tin foil (dull side) to make it abit brighter in there.
One question i have, is there a generaralised time a plant should be in veg for, or particular height? I was guessing about 5 weeks from seed, maybe 6? Around when they are about 18 inches tall ? then start the 12/12.
 
doobnVA

doobnVA

Well-Known Member
It's my understand that a plant can double or triple in size during flowering, so how long you want to veg it for pretty much depends on how big you want the final product to be. I think between 12-18 inches is about right.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top