Tips for growing in the great white north?

[goomba716]

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]

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.

My tip would be to not grow auto-flowers.

 

[T macc]

As long as you can keep temps up, you should be fine. Or grow outdoors every year

 

[nekvt]

My tip would be to not grow auto-flowers.

What's wrong with autos?

 

[CanadianJim]

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]

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]

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.

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]

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 !

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]

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.

All good advice

 

[nekvt]

Alaska here and forget autos. Why go to all the work and trouble just to harvest weed that’s not as good as photoperiod?

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.

 

[hotrodharley]

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.

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

 

[nekvt]

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

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]

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.

Autos have there place but to continue my grow at scale I would need thousands of seeds

 

[hotrodharley]

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.

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]

Autos have there place but to continue my grow at scale I would need thousands of seeds

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]

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.

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]

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.

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...

 

[xtsho]

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.

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]

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.

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.

 

[CanadianJim]

Sorry, mixed up the threads. No LEDs in OP.