Budley Doright
Well-Known Member
Great, that’s on the cuff of bad shit happening
FROST: general rules from experience....
- Thread starter poplars
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Knowurhyphae
Well-Known Member
So this whole thread is about harvest season.
What about planting season?
Whats the earliest you can put an indoor started plant outdoors?
Is a single frost going to kill a cannabis seedling? What about a plant on its second or third set of leaves?
If you are past the threat of your last frost are you good to plant? even if there will be cold nights that hover just above freezing?
Lookup your first and last freeze/frost dates by zip code
What about planting season?
Whats the earliest you can put an indoor started plant outdoors?
Is a single frost going to kill a cannabis seedling? What about a plant on its second or third set of leaves?
If you are past the threat of your last frost are you good to plant? even if there will be cold nights that hover just above freezing?
Lookup your first and last freeze/frost dates by zip code
Knowurhyphae
Well-Known Member
no bites huh?
Freedom seed
Well-Known Member
I would be most concerned about ground temperature. If you can heat the ground a bit it really helps. A cover will keep the heat in and warm it fast. Vegetable farms around me will heat with tarps or vapour barrier and sunshine to get an early start on the season. I’ve got some ground heating up at 42N plan to sow some greens next week. Grass is greening here and the crocuses were blooming two weeks ago, no frost in the ground and barely had snow. Zero that stuck around even in the middle of winter. So ya I’m getting itchy lol. Another idea I had was a gas lantern because it’s pretty early still, a bulb beside each plant and if there is a late frost just throw a cover over it for the night.
SFnone
Well-Known Member
I have two plants going outdoors right now. They were from seeds that fell out last year and have been outside the whole winter and popped out on their own. I noticed the first in mid february, and the second about two weeks ago. They are growing, but very, very slowly. Been through lots of cold weather, and are mostly fine other than the slow growth. If you have extra seeds and want to experiment, i say go for it.
Meat thermometer. I don't know why more people don't use this.
Stick it in few inches/length seedling root and wait until it shows 55-60f to transplant seedlings and may depend on strain unless u just sow a seed and wait but need to monitor top moisture levels incase it cracks and it gets dry in a sunny heat wave.
How u get to that avg temp is Up to you; either wait or use greenhouse.
For veg keep the soil under 85. Yes you can even do this in desert 110 heat (DRY).
Swamp cooler/evap affect.
Fabric bag, shade the pot (at 110f noon sun is almost 90deg high so a mature plant will shade most of the pot) allow airflow, allow drainage (perlite!) pot sit in dug ground or lifted with drip irrigation keep it moist.
The plants solar panels are not only for energy but they are like an upside down heatsink, and create micro shade down under so i wouldn't prune while u have hot dry temps.
Stick it in few inches/length seedling root and wait until it shows 55-60f to transplant seedlings and may depend on strain unless u just sow a seed and wait but need to monitor top moisture levels incase it cracks and it gets dry in a sunny heat wave.
How u get to that avg temp is Up to you; either wait or use greenhouse.
For veg keep the soil under 85. Yes you can even do this in desert 110 heat (DRY).
Swamp cooler/evap affect.
Fabric bag, shade the pot (at 110f noon sun is almost 90deg high so a mature plant will shade most of the pot) allow airflow, allow drainage (perlite!) pot sit in dug ground or lifted with drip irrigation keep it moist.
The plants solar panels are not only for energy but they are like an upside down heatsink, and create micro shade down under so i wouldn't prune while u have hot dry temps.
ganga gurl420
Well-Known Member
A seedling if hit by a hard frost can potentially die...vs a well established plant at harvest.
There is no true way to tell if you are done with your last frost either because it can be beautiful weather and then boom... you get a hard frost.
For just generally cold nights its still good to cover them up if you can and make sure to remove the cover at first sign of light.
If you live in a area where it gets super cold like I do..i find that it is better to start the plant indoors to get it really established. That way if frost or a deer comes by it wont kill the plant.
And second dont plant too early (even if the weather has been nice) end of may or first week of june is always a good rule of thumb unless you have a heated greenhouse.
Maine gramps
New Member
Here in the north i had a frost on two nights back to back followed by mild sunny days 70 to 75 plants in containers on a deck survived fairly some of the leaves turned yellow and curled up the turned brown trimmed them off and plants seem to be doing well now.Buds still look amazing. My plants in the ground right next to the deck, were not affected by the frost whatsoever, flourishing still. A matter of week or so before next frost is expected to hit will probably pull the container plants before then.
Budley Doright
Well-Known Member
It’s been the same here with two frosts but not a deep frost hovering around 32. My plants still in the ground are doing fine. But taking them down tomorrow due to the rain that’s coming ...... bud rot is a real possibility now
.Rain here again, wet fall in North central Minn. & supposed to be windy next couple days. Temps going to be around 30F by Wednesday . . . for a couple of nights. Have 3 outside & 1 is potted. The potted will be moved to garage, didn't do well on the last cold dip a week ago. However, the ones outside started growing fat buds!! First time grow from bagged seed and they're looking Gd. Topped & fimmed early thru out veg & first flowers. LOTS & lots of buds, kinda worried about rot . . . I've been drying them off in morning & whenever with a leaf blower, touched gently, softly. I felt bad constantly shaking THEM. So close, worried. SOON!
North East OG
New Member
Lots of strains of cannabis can handle a pretty strong frost. I've had plants handle frosts as low as 28 degrees F without killing the plant.
Things to consider, some strains are more sensitive to frost than others, if they are in pots this can make them more sensitive.
Sativa strains tend to be more sensitive to frost than Indicas. Indicas and Indica dominant hybrids are capable of handling frosts as low as 28F. but there have been reports of sativas handling frosts just as well.
I'll leave this sticky open to discussion for other experienced users to post their experiences, I will compile it into this. I felt this was needed as this question gets asked a lot when a frost comes by.
you can protect the plants if they are of manageable size or if you are handy enough to build a sturdy setup.
this can be as basic as a pvc greenhouse with plastic wrapped around, or even sheets if properly secured to not touch the plants... or as large as a full car port with greenhouse grade plastic secured.
how much the temperature rises the next day also tends to define how the plant deals with the frost. if it frosts and it rises up to 65 degrees+ with sun in the daytime, the plant is much more likely to take the frost and keep growing vs a plant that takes a hard frost and sees a 45 degree day with clouds....
cooler temperatures (55-40 degrees F) will definitely bring out some purpling in some strains, and cause flowering to speed up, nights that dip into the 35F zone boost this even more, bringing out even more color.
sorry for the organization of this thread, guess I'm too much of a stoner after all
[/QUOTE
Here is my greenhouse. It may not be pretty but it is extremely effective. Plants are dry and warm with a space heater available for the cold nights.
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Hey, thanks for the comeback . . . nice set-up, serves the purpose. The plants are beautiful!! (from what I could see) Our day temps will be in the 50's, with some wind - rain & nights will be 30 until this weekend & then she supposed to warm up . . . the cold should give them the push they need. Last night I forgot my succulents & Orchids outside, got around 42 . . . they didn't like THAT
When you harvest, do U chop off what's ready & if so, what does the plant do?? Will the lower buds keep maturing?? And if so, for how long . . . before shock or disease arrives. I've got a top that will be ready before OTHERS. Or maybe I'm wishing
When you harvest, do U chop off what's ready & if so, what does the plant do?? Will the lower buds keep maturing?? And if so, for how long . . . before shock or disease arrives. I've got a top that will be ready before OTHERS. Or maybe I'm wishing
lucky jack
New Member
Tis the season. I'm up in Canada, prairie province, continental climate. Had a brutal frost a few weeks ago, got down to -5C (23F). I managed to cover one of my plants, but couldn't cover them all. I came out the next morning and I was sure the plants were dead. Leaves were frozen solid. Had sunny hot weather the next day, and long story short they seem to be OK. Tomatoes dead, Corn Dead, Beans Dead, Squash dead, but my "CBD Critical Mass" are still growing strong. The colas lost their white pistils and overall they have a more purplish look to them(leaves still green), but they appear to be continuing to grow and ripen. Had 2 plants still in veg and there isn't any noticeable damage.
Still curious about any potential positive effects of frost. Didn't notice any "shock" into budding on the veg plants. Some of the uncovered colas have amber trichomes, covered cola trichomes are all milky or clear. The amber trichomes are likely evidence of frost damage rather than faster ripening...
We also have some pretty extreme diurnal temperature fluctuation(difference in temp between day and night) this time of year. In fruit(apples, grapes, strawberries) diurnal temperature fluctuation causes more sugars to accumulate, it makes fruit sweeter. I wonder if diurnal temp fluctuation has any effect on bud quality....
Still curious about any potential positive effects of frost. Didn't notice any "shock" into budding on the veg plants. Some of the uncovered colas have amber trichomes, covered cola trichomes are all milky or clear. The amber trichomes are likely evidence of frost damage rather than faster ripening...
We also have some pretty extreme diurnal temperature fluctuation(difference in temp between day and night) this time of year. In fruit(apples, grapes, strawberries) diurnal temperature fluctuation causes more sugars to accumulate, it makes fruit sweeter. I wonder if diurnal temp fluctuation has any effect on bud quality....
Yes, that's what I saw in mine. Temp is supposed to hit 29 tonight. So I'll have them covered. My tomatoes & peppers didn't survive frost from 2 days ago . . .the first frost of the year was on sunday night, i checked my pumpkin patch today - tuesday - and everything seemed fine. the temperature dropped to -1*c so it wasn't a hard freeze - the weather network also posted a frost warning. the only difference i found was that top colas were 'browned' and withered a bit but the rest of the plant parts (colas underneath, leaves, stems, roots etc..) seemed intact.
here are two photos of the top cola of one of the plants. the first one is from friday (before the frost) and the next one is from tuesday (2 days after the frost).
hope it helps as i had no idea what to expect as well...
After tonight it's supposed to warm up, might even see 75!! If I can only keep em cooking a while longer!?
deadbeet
Member
Hmmm.. sounds like you're a Northern MN grower. I [ahem] sorta know a person in a similar zone who is also presently seeing temps in the 29-30 degree range. We covered our outdoor, in-ground plants the last couple nites.. tonite especially! Didn't get out there until just now, in fact.. 10:30 PM Central.. 29 degrees F. First time I've seen what looks like minor damage to sun leaves. Plants were frosty and felt mildly crusty/frozen. I'm hopeful they'll bounce back.. we're supposed to see some sun tomorrow. Regardless, I'll check in and let you know what I find. I'm eager to keep this conversation going. As an outdoor grower in the far, far North, it's helpful to know my limitations!