When to start autoflowers for outdoors

Tightly_Wound

Tightly_Wound

Well-Known Member
Hey everyone. I pulled off a very successful outdoor grow last season and everything went well. The only part I had trouble with and was overwhelmed by was having so many plants coming down all in the same window of time and not having any help to trim. Some finished a bit early and some came down due to damage or slight bud rot but I spent most of a month trimming for hours every couple days after a long day of work and it was too much for me

This year I bought more seeds and decided to try some auto flowers. I have 5 different auto strains and I have no experience with them. I understand that they are "programed" to finish by a set number of days no matter the light cycle. My thought was that I could start them later and finish them earlier than the traditional seeds that I'll be growing.

Im in SW Ontario, Canada so as a general rule of thumb we don't put things outside for good until the End of May due to threat of frost


Does anyone have experience with autos outdoors? Does it make sense to hold off on starting auto seeds til June 1 (or so) and have them finish mid August (75 days)? I figure this allows me to start them late, finish early and have them flowering in pretty strong summer sun.. but I dunno.. Is this what people do?


Thanks!
 
hotrodharley

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
Tightly_Wound said:
Hey everyone. I pulled off a very successful outdoor grow last season and everything went well. The only part I had trouble with and was overwhelmed by was having so many plants coming down all in the same window of time and not having any help to trim. Some finished a bit early and some came down due to damage or slight bud rot but I spent most of a month trimming for hours every couple days after a long day of work and it was too much for me

This year I bought more seeds and decided to try some auto flowers. I have 5 different auto strains and I have no experience with them. I understand that they are "programed" to finish by a set number of days no matter the light cycle. My thought was that I could start them later and finish them earlier than the traditional seeds that I'll be growing.

Im in SW Ontario, Canada so as a general rule of thumb we don't put things outside for good until the End of May due to threat of frost


Does anyone have experience with autos outdoors? Does it make sense to hold off on starting auto seeds til June 1 (or so) and have them finish mid August (75 days)? I figure this allows me to start them late, finish early and have them flowering in pretty strong summer sun.. but I dunno.. Is this what people do?


Thanks!
Click to expand...
In Interior Alaska here. Wait until 1 June. Plant in the container they are to finish in. No transplanting. They do like nutrients but suggest using Lucas Formula to keep from giving too much nitrogen.
 
Tightly_Wound

Tightly_Wound

Well-Known Member
hotrodharley said:
In Interior Alaska here. Wait until 1 June. Plant in the container they are to finish in. No transplanting. They do like nutrients but suggest using Lucas Formula to keep from giving too much nitrogen.
Click to expand...

Thanks!

I'm considering the autos as "extra" plants and a learning experience. Not hoping for much from them butit'll be nice to start late and harvest early! Is it ok to plant them in the ground or are they really best done in containers? I grow big trees in the ground but thought that the smaller size of autos would be nice to do in containers and be able to move them around but I've neve rbeen clear if they do better in containers
 
hotrodharley

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
Tightly_Wound said:
Thanks!

I'm considering the autos as "extra" plants and a learning experience. Not hoping for much from them butit'll be nice to start late and harvest early! Is it ok to plant them in the ground or are they really best done in containers? I grow big trees in the ground but thought that the smaller size of autos would be nice to do in containers and be able to move them around but I've neve rbeen clear if they do better in containers
Click to expand...
In containers! In case a cold spell comes along. I grow photoperiods but run about 6 autos for fun really. Check out the Midnight Sun Kush from Baked Beans Cannabis Seeds. Bred for cooler climates.
 
wil2279

wil2279

Well-Known Member
Tightly_Wound said:
Hey everyone. I pulled off a very successful outdoor grow last season and everything went well. The only part I had trouble with and was overwhelmed by was having so many plants coming down all in the same window of time and not having any help to trim. Some finished a bit early and some came down due to damage or slight bud rot but I spent most of a month trimming for hours every couple days after a long day of work and it was too much for me

This year I bought more seeds and decided to try some auto flowers. I have 5 different auto strains and I have no experience with them. I understand that they are "programed" to finish by a set number of days no matter the light cycle. My thought was that I could start them later and finish them earlier than the traditional seeds that I'll be growing.

Im in SW Ontario, Canada so as a general rule of thumb we don't put things outside for good until the End of May due to threat of frost


Does anyone have experience with autos outdoors? Does it make sense to hold off on starting auto seeds til June 1 (or so) and have them finish mid August (75 days)? I figure this allows me to start them late, finish early and have them flowering in pretty strong summer sun.. but I dunno.. Is this what people do?


Thanks!
Click to expand...
I was thinking the same as you this year. I wanted to do about 10 plants but didn't want to be cutting down 10 plants all within a few weeks... So I did 4 photo periods that should finish in September. And I got some autos that should finish at various times. Hoping to spread the harvest over about 7 or 8 weeks instead of 2-3 weeks.

I haven't had much auto experience. Most say you shouldn't transplant autos... I'm going to start mine indoors in 1 gallon pots about 2 weeks before I put them out in 5 gallon containers... Mephisto says on their website that they can be transplanted without issue if done right...
 
Tightly_Wound

Tightly_Wound

Well-Known Member
Thanks. Had no idea about transplanting issues. Ill probably just start in jiffy pellets and plug into soil in a 5 gal container
 
Tiflis

Tiflis

Well-Known Member
New to autos as well. Going to run a few Mephisto strains this summer outdoors and I read that growing outdoors adds couple weeks flowering time on top of their time frame so I'm going to start them indoors early May and bring them outside end of May/early June. That way they should finish sometime in August I think .Bud rot is a bitch , made me pull my outdoors plant 2 weeks early last year ...
 
E

Elkhorn

Well-Known Member
I live on the 49th and have one season of autos I started mine June 1 last year and it did well. I had it under a t5 for a couple weeks transplanted and topped once above second node, took it like a champ.

This year I have one that is about 3 weeks old already out in the green house and will be starting 3 more mid may dinafem xxl variety.

I too struggle with the processing and weather gets real iffy end of September here.
 
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