inside-outside

i have some plants (2wks under a 400watthps) and was wondering if the plants would benefit from some real sun on sunny days.
i have the plants on a 18-6 cycle and lights are off at 10pm and on at 4am.
its burning hot and very sunny today and for the next few days.
if the plants are in complete darkness from 10pm till 4am would the extra sun help or ruin the grow.
help please.
cheers moxx

honestly, i would just keep it under the 400HPS, it seems to be doing great, and sometimes the sun can be a little too strong. id say just keep it like it is, dont change

My advice is that there is no better light than natural sunlight. However, you need to weigh if the benefit of that outweigh the risks. Benefits are better light, natural ventilation and lower electric bills. Negatives are risk of discovery, pests (insects, animals and fungi) and unpredictable weather (sudden rain or high winds). I am flowering outside currently and my girls love it.

don't take any plant outside unless it is going to stay there. 400w HPS is very decent.

i agree with userfriendly. hermenow's idea is good, but only if you plan on keeping it out there or flowering it outside

Admittedly, I am no expert but once you establish the sex, unless there is a drastic difference in temperature or amount of light between your HPS and natural light, I say go for it. During vegging, you don't want to mess with the lighting, as it could cause more males or hermies. Other than the risks I already pointed out, to me it's a no-brainer if you can provide your plants with natural sunlight. You don't have to worry about the leaves burning from being too close to your light source or worrying about whether you have good ventilation, or how much your bill will go up and tip the feds off. Most here grow indoors, so naturally that's what they feel comfortable recommending. I can only speak from my personal experience and what I've researched.

ya i was talkin smack on yo uhearmenow, jsut my opinion

It's all good, Rob. The more info the better. I dream of owning some land out in the countryside somewhere, where I can grow fiddy plants outside if I wanted without risk of discovery.

we share the same dream my man

IMO, any use of direct sunlight on your plants is beneficial.
I have been moving plants in and out for a long time...it is my preferred method as it affords the grower the proverbial best of both worlds.
The sun's intensity assists rapid bud development. On rainy or very cloudy days I put them indoors under 600 and 400W HPSs.
I like to bring plants indoors for dark cycle while flowering because I can lower the humidity and provide better environment for mold prevention.

IMO plants grown under the big old sun are more potent and tasty than the same strain indoors!


Good Luck

I would say good idea if ur just gonna leave it out there for now on, i tried what u wanna do but the plant went hermie

thanks everyone for your advice, i will try them outside for a few hours today and take it from there
moxx