Tips for growing in the great white north?

G

goomba716

New Member
Hey everyone,
Wanted to know if anyone here is experienced with small indoor growing in northern areas like Buffalo, Canada, etc... and are willing to share some tips that really helped them when starting to grow? I plan on starting in a couple months with autoflower seeds but that'll be around September, and it starts to get cold outside.
 
Bernie420

Bernie420

Well-Known Member
goomba716 said:
Hey everyone,
Wanted to know if anyone here is experienced with small indoor growing in northern areas like Buffalo, Canada, etc... and are willing to share some tips that really helped them when starting to grow? I plan on starting in a couple months with autoflower seeds but that'll be around September, and it starts to get cold outside.
Click to expand...
My tip would be to not grow auto-flowers.
 
CanadianJim

CanadianJim

Well-Known Member
Depends how much space you have. If overhead space is limited you probably don't want CMH or HPS lights, they have to be kept a fair distance from the plant. They'll also run up your electricity bill. Fluorescent lights can be kept much closer, but have less intensity and penetration. LEDs are getting better every year, and you can manipulate the spectrum so you get the benefits of heavier blue/white for veg, and heavier red for flower with one fixture. They're expensive to buy, but depending on your electricity rates can be worth it. Fluoro and LED don't put out as much heat, so in combination with your heating bill CMH and HPS could be more useful in colder spaces. Whatever light you use you will need fans. Airflow is key in enclosed spaces. A heating pad is useful for germination and seedling phases (and t5 fluorescents are best for seedlings ime). If you're in an area where you can legally grow smell may not be an issue, but if it is a grow tent with charcoal filters would be a good idea.
The main problem with indoor grows is space. The main benefit is complete control of the environment.
Hope that helps.
 
gwheels

gwheels

Well-Known Member
Grow autos outside...grow photos inside. Every modern light works well (COB CMH QB QS) so pick one and stick with it and grow some buds.

Yield is related to strain and experience so just get growing and learn as you grow !
 
hotrodharley

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
goomba716 said:
Hey everyone,
Wanted to know if anyone here is experienced with small indoor growing in northern areas like Buffalo, Canada, etc... and are willing to share some tips that really helped them when starting to grow? I plan on starting in a couple months with autoflower seeds but that'll be around September, and it starts to get cold outside.
Click to expand...
Alaska here and forget autos. Why go to all the work and trouble just to harvest weed that’s not as good as photoperiod?
 
nekvt

nekvt

Active Member
gwheels said:
Grow autos outside...grow photos inside. Every modern light works well (COB CMH QB QS) so pick one and stick with it and grow some buds.

Yield is related to strain and experience so just get growing and learn as you grow !
Click to expand...
I do the opposite. Autos do better for me under 20-24 hours of light a day. The advantage of photos outside for me is that I can grow much bigger plnts outside than I can inside.
 
hotrodharley

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
CanadianJim said:
Depends how much space you have. If overhead space is limited you probably don't want CMH or HPS lights, they have to be kept a fair distance from the plant. They'll also run up your electricity bill. Fluorescent lights can be kept much closer, but have less intensity and penetration. LEDs are getting better every year, and you can manipulate the spectrum so you get the benefits of heavier blue/white for veg, and heavier red for flower with one fixture. They're expensive to buy, but depending on your electricity rates can be worth it. Fluoro and LED don't put out as much heat, so in combination with your heating bill CMH and HPS could be more useful in colder spaces. Whatever light you use you will need fans. Airflow is key in enclosed spaces. A heating pad is useful for germination and seedling phases (and t5 fluorescents are best for seedlings ime). If you're in an area where you can legally grow smell may not be an issue, but if it is a grow tent with charcoal filters would be a good idea.
The main problem with indoor grows is space. The main benefit is complete control of the environment.
Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
All good advice
 
nekvt

nekvt

Active Member
hotrodharley said:
Alaska here and forget autos. Why go to all the work and trouble just to harvest weed that’s not as good as photoperiod?
Click to expand...
LOL, If you don't think autos are as good as photos then you need to try growing a few of the Mephisto autos. Their White Crack is one of the strongest strains I've smoked.
 
nekvt

nekvt

Active Member
hotrodharley said:
Good luck. You have it all figured out. I’m never paying $15 for a fucking auto seed. Also wondering about what you’ve actually smoked
Click to expand...
If you are paying $15 for a seed you are getting screwed. I bought most of my seeds last year during Mephisto's black Friday sale for less than $5 a seed. $5 for 3-4 zips of quality smoke doesn't seem like a bad deal to me. I just think it's funny to hear you guys bash autos when a lot of you haven't even tried growing a current autoflower.
 
Herb & Suds

Herb & Suds

Well-Known Member
nekvt said:
If you are paying $15 for a seed you are getting screwed. I bought most of my seeds last year during Mephisto's black Friday sale for less than $5 a seed. $5 for 3-4 zips of quality smoke doesn't seem like a bad deal to me. I just think it's funny to hear you guys bash autos when a lot of you haven't even tried growing a current autoflower.
Click to expand...
Autos have there place but to continue my grow at scale I would need thousands of seeds
 
hotrodharley

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
nekvt said:
If you are paying $15 for a seed you are getting screwed. I bought most of my seeds last year during Mephisto's black Friday sale for less than $5 a seed. $5 for 3-4 zips of quality smoke doesn't seem like a bad deal to me. I just think it's funny to hear you guys bash autos when a lot of you haven't even tried growing a current autoflower.
Click to expand...
Actually I have grown both and I also have 4 autos outside right now. Nothing like more stupid opinions. Believe it or not some of us actually speak from experiences. Note the plural. But knock yourselves out.
 
nekvt

nekvt

Active Member
Herb & Suds said:
Autos have there place but to continue my grow at scale I would need thousands of seeds
Click to expand...
I agree, they aren't for everyone. For small growers like myself that are just growing for myself and a few family members autos work great. I currently have 10 different strains on hand. I wouldn't be able to do that with photos unless I grew them all by seed because I don't have room for a bunch of mother plants. If I'm going to grow from seed every time Autos are a better choice IMO. It may be out there, but I haven't grown a photo period plant that can produce 3-4 ounces in 70 days from sprout.
 
nekvt

nekvt

Active Member
hotrodharley said:
Actually I have grown both and I also have 4 autos outside right now. Nothing like more stupid opinions. Believe it or not some of us actually speak from experiences. Note the plural. But knock yourselves out.
Click to expand...
You know nothing about me or how long I've been doing this or what I have grown over the years, yet you automatically know more than me . You come off as a POMPOUS ASS when we are just trying to have a conversation about the pluses and minuses of autoflowers.
 
gwheels

gwheels

Well-Known Member
nekvt said:
I do the opposite. Autos do better for me under 20-24 hours of light a day. The advantage of photos outside for me is that I can grow much bigger plnts outside than I can inside.
Click to expand...
I have residual streetlight shining in the yard...KneeJerk reaction. But outdoors you can get in 2 harvests a year with autos...i still lean that way.

And autos are getting better but you can get 25 to 30% THC photos and that doesn't exist in an auto. The rudderalis gene will always lessen the THC but it adds CBD so its great for pain !

The newer genetics are far greater in strength than mephisto but if you do not require mind melting meds than they will work and are as strong as old school genetics for the most part.

But photos are stronger...always.
do si do
Banana cookies
Everything Heisen is making
LVTK
Cherry Pie
wedding cake
adub
And so many others are so much stronger than autos. If you are squeezing rosin or making anything it helps because they yield better.

Just my 5 cents...
 
Last edited:
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
CanadianJim said:
Depends how much space you have. If overhead space is limited you probably don't want CMH or HPS lights, they have to be kept a fair distance from the plant. They'll also run up your electricity bill. Fluorescent lights can be kept much closer, but have less intensity and penetration. LEDs are getting better every year, and you can manipulate the spectrum so you get the benefits of heavier blue/white for veg, and heavier red for flower with one fixture. They're expensive to buy, but depending on your electricity rates can be worth it. Fluoro and LED don't put out as much heat, so in combination with your heating bill CMH and HPS could be more useful in colder spaces. Whatever light you use you will need fans. Airflow is key in enclosed spaces. A heating pad is useful for germination and seedling phases (and t5 fluorescents are best for seedlings ime). If you're in an area where you can legally grow smell may not be an issue, but if it is a grow tent with charcoal filters would be a good idea.
The main problem with indoor grows is space. The main benefit is complete control of the environment.
Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
I don't know about needing more overhead space for HPS. I keep my light at most 18" above the canopy often closer. I don't run any LED's but all the posts I read or other sources say to keep LED's 30" or more above the canopy.
 
CanadianJim

CanadianJim

Well-Known Member
xtsho said:
I don't know about needing more overhead space for HPS. I keep my light at most 18" above the canopy often closer. I don't run any LED's but all the posts I read or other sources say to keep LED's 30" or more above the canopy.
Click to expand...
I've never heard of putting LEDs at 30", but with some of the really powerful newer ones I can see it. In terms of HPS it would depend on wattage and how it's being cooled.
With LEDs it's more about intensity possibly bleaching leaves, where with HPS it's more about heat at the canopy.
With the LEDs the OP has, 30" will most likely cause the plants to really stretch for the light, if they grow at all. I've got a cheap Chinese blurple panel to experiment with, and while I was surprised at the intensity, the plant was most happy with the light about a foot away.
 
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