Tough question for more experianced outdoorsmen

Now i don't usually conduct many outdoor grows on my own so i am no expert. I just usually like helping friends get started that dont want indoor gardens. But i was talking to one of my buddies that i just got back in touch with and he is a very smart considering the cultivation of marijuana. Now the argument we were having is when the best time to start outdoors considering my specific climate. Spring starts in late April and early October is when its time to expect harvest (also depends on strain but that's just for information). I usually recommend waiting to start after the first two solid weeks of warm weather after getting April rain. My friend was saying that planting this early in the year makes the plants stretch as to being so bad that the yield is less compared to starting in mid June. Thats a whole month after i like to start. He claims that starting when the lumens of the sun is at closer to its max will lead to a higher yield and resulting in a shorter bushier plant. I agree with him on evertyhthing except for the yield issue. Because of all my friends and all my outdoor plants have always had good healthy growth the first month, besides slight stretching. So i was hoping to get some input from some other more experianced outdoor growers than myself. All input is appreciated even if its just for arguements sake.

I'm not experienced, but from what I have read and what I know, I agree with you about the yield. If you have a plant that is growing for a full month more, it will yield more. I don't know if there are any flyovers by helicopters, but planting them in June like your friend says, will keep them shorter and less noticeable. But, I think if they were started in May and were LST'd then there would not be much of a security difference, just more yield!

im interested in seeing what the conclusion is

myself i would put them in around the 2nd week of april under cfls for three weeks then into the bush !! if they are sativa strain i would tip them at 6-8 weeks and again at 10 weeks this will give you nice short bushes to tie down.. and if they are an indica strain i would tip them 1 time only at 6 weeks or even LST it and grow for gold ! goodluck ! and enjoy !

I'm with you, man. Starting a month late to get more dope doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, either.

i usally transplant them outside in the start of june.the sooner you do it the better.

For the greatest possible yields strictly growing outdoors one should plant seed three weeks ahead of 12/12 in your area. www.sunrisesunset.com will give you the time for your spot. The bigger the veg, the bigger the yield.

CrackerJax said:

For the greatest possible yields strictly growing outdoors one should plant seed three weeks ahead of 12/12 in your area. www.sunrisesunset.com will give you the time for your spot. The bigger the veg, the bigger the yield.

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What...is this supposed to be sarcastic?

Or are you talking about starting early for the next season?

No sarcasm, just the simple truth. Veg time starts at 12/12. Optimally that is. That was the query.

CrackerJax said:

No sarcasm, just the simple truth. Veg time starts at 12/12. Optimally that is. That was the query.

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Okay. But the query was about practical application. Obviously planting in late September isn't optimal for growing pot, not in the US at least.

What I took away from your post, with respect to the question asked, was that the earlier, the better. Just trying to nip any confusion in the bud. (no pun intended)

CrackerJax said:

No sarcasm, just the simple truth. Veg time starts at 12/12. Optimally that is. That was the query.

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wait.. veg time starts at 12/12?

GREAT avatar by the way what a beauty

Late September????

12/12 ASCENDING......(light increasing)

ultimate procrastinator said:

wait.. veg time starts at 12/12?

GREAT avatar by the way what a beauty

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Avatar - I feel sorry for her Dad...



Sunlight - 12/12 is the start of veg (optimal). Outdoor is not a slave to sunlight hours as much as indoor weed is but still, it must follow the sun pattern unless it is Ruderalis.

I'll give an example

Nashville Tennessee hits 12/12 + (increasing sunlight) on March 17th. On June 13th, the reverse will occur, 12/12 -. So for Nashville, the OPTIMAL time for veg is between these two dates. After June 13th, the weed will start flower production in earnest and go for the finish.

This doesn't mean you can't grow at any other times, but the BIGGEST veg will be between those two dates.

CrackerJax said:

Avatar - I feel sorry for her Dad...



Sunlight - 12/12 is the start of veg (optimal). Outdoor is not a slave to sunlight hours as much as indoor weed is but still, it must follow the sun pattern unless it is Ruderalis.

I'll give an example

Nashville Tennessee hits 12/12 + (increasing sunlight) on March 17th. On June 13th, the reverse will occur, 12/12 -. So for Nashville, the OPTIMAL time for veg is between these two dates. After June 13th, the weed will start flower production in earnest and go for the finish.

This doesn't mean you can't grow at any other times, but the BIGGEST veg will be between those two dates.

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Ahh right I was thinking about flowering starting at 12/12 (although in actuality it starts earlier), but veg does too, just at the vernal equinox in march and not the autumnal equinox.

But June 21st is the solstice which is the longest day of the year, so I don't understand how it would start flowering then, did you mean the autumnal equinox in september? Anyway in the US and Canada I thought flowering started around late july early august

The plant senses after June 21st that the available sunlight is diminishing...thus the finish begins.

Sunlight on the increase - veggy
Sunlight on the decrease - bud time

CrackerJax said:

Sunlight on the increase - veggy
Sunlight on the decrease - bud time

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ok, with this being said then what your information is saying that max veg time is what guarantees max yield. But at the same time im kinda confused on which side of the argument you are on. The way i see it is that max veg time results in the most yield for the simple fact that bigger plants equal bigger yield. And i know i am only stating the obvious but im asking what benefits you claim to get from planting at 3 weeks before flowering season?

WOW.....people listen up, do you really think he means 3 weeks before flowering season, like in september? NO....... when the lighting goes 12/12 in the fall it gradually decreases until spring when it increases to 12/12 once again. He is Saying plant 3 weeks AFTER the equinox in the SPRING.

RC7 said:

WOW.....people listen up, do you really think he means 3 weeks before flowering season, like in september? NO....... when the lighting goes 12/12 in the fall it gradually decreases until spring when it increases to 12/12 once again. He is Saying plant 3 weeks AFTER the equinox in the SPRING.

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BINGO!! You folks are starting to get ME confused!

Yes.... correct.

The reason I germ three weeks ahead is because the seedling isn't really that affected by the slight decrease in light before the equinox (in the spring!). Seedlings have their own little mini stage and three weeks ahead gives them time to be ready to bolt when the sun increases.

CrackerJax said:

The plant senses after June 21st that the available sunlight is diminishing...thus the finish begins.

Sunlight on the increase - veggy
Sunlight on the decrease - bud time

Click to expand...

I don't get this explanation, if that was the case, indoor growers could veg at 24 hours continuously, then switch to 20/4 or 18/6 to flower. The added light would grow that much bigger buds.
Many seed companies list their outdoor finish times in Oct/Nov (northern hemisphere), which correlates with the daylight nearing 12/12 in September around the autumnal equinox. There is a reason northern growers can't complete some sativa grows, it's because there isn't enough time between the 12/12 shift and first frost. If flowering began in late June/ July, you could grow to maturity just about anywhere.

It's not about competing and yes there are limitations to what you can produce depending on where you live but that's life in the big city.

Indoor plants are HIGHLY sensitive to light change where outdoor plants are not. Big difference.

In the end it is still an annual and you only get so many days to cultivate the biggest bud. The very earliest start is your best chance, which is why I start before the 12/12 rollover in the Spring. This will work for most folks, though not all.

P.S. Some indoor growers do grow at 24 hrs continuously. No problems at all.