Late flowering sativa + forecasted frost = Early harvest?

Userbosco

Userbosco

New Member
Hi guys, sorry if this is a redundant post, but I started a pure sativa variety in late spring and it lived up to its reputation as a LONG grow! After 16+ weeks of veg, I started to get flower in in October and now it's stacking nicely with terps and an amazing lemony scent. The plant is in a 25 gal. pot, approx 8 feet tall and 6 feet in diameter. It's super happy. Now the bad news, I live in coastal VA, and we're forecasted to have a freeze w/ sleet and/or snow next week. Although not mature or close to ripe, should I let it take the weather or should I go ahead and harvest? Lesson learned, will get this variety started and potted at least a month earlier next season! :-P
 
mudballs

mudballs

Well-Known Member
How long is the stormfront projected to hover over you? Id throw a blanket over it and then over the blanket some thin painters plastic. I may have to do this myself so im not blowing smoke up ur butt.
The real question i dont know is how long we can keep them covered like that? 1 day? 2, 3? I have no clue yet but i know the blanket thing works from orange trees in Florida. Im a parrot on this topic, these guys are probably sick and tired of seeing me say it too
 
bam0813

bam0813

Well-Known Member
Ya I mean with that much time in why not try to protect it and see. IMHO if you just got into flower in beginning of oct you still have probably a couple months left until full maturity? Will it get there is another question and your going to need protection or chop early. Just the way I’m seeing it
 
R

RobCat

Well-Known Member
Userbosco said:
Hi guys, sorry if this is a redundant post, but I started a pure sativa variety in late spring and it lived up to its reputation as a LONG grow! After 16+ weeks of veg, I started to get flower in in October and now it's stacking nicely with terps and an amazing lemony scent. The plant is in a 25 gal. pot, approx 8 feet tall and 6 feet in diameter. It's super happy. Now the bad news, I live in coastal VA, and we're forecasted to have a freeze w/ sleet and/or snow next week. Although not mature or close to ripe, should I let it take the weather or should I go ahead and harvest? Lesson learned, will get this variety started and potted at least a month earlier next season! :-P
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Just prepare yourself a short lived shitty feeling buzz. Sativas are horrible unless theyve had time to finish properly. I had to take a hawaiian sativa at 7 weeks one time and it was so bad i threw most of it away. it was like smoking that spice crap they took off the market
 
Userbosco

Userbosco

New Member
RobCat said:
Just prepare yourself a short lived shitty feeling buzz. Sativas are horrible unless theyve had time to finish properly. I had to take a hawaiian sativa at 7 weeks one time and it was so bad i threw most of it away. it was like smoking that spice crap they took off the market
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Oh shit.... Thanks tho :-P
 
Userbosco

Userbosco

New Member
mudballs said:
How long is the stormfront projected to hover over you? Id throw a blanket over it and then over the blanket some thin painters plastic. I may have to do this myself so im not blowing smoke up ur butt.
The real question i dont know is how long we can keep them covered like that? 1 day? 2, 3? I have no clue yet but i know the blanket thing works from orange trees in Florida. Im a parrot on this topic, these guys are probably sick and tired of seeing me say it too
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Forecasting 2 days in the 30's then back up to mid-50's and low 60's during the day. Still. mid-to-low 40's at night. Seems like just letting her roll is the trending opinion. I don't have stakes big enough to cover her w/ a sheet or anything unfortunately. This is a really tall plant, but not strong enough to support a cover w/o damage I suspect. Thanks!
 
Userbosco

Userbosco

New Member
bam0813 said:
Ya I mean with that much time in why not try to protect it and see. IMHO if you just got into flower in beginning of oct you still have probably a couple months left until full maturity? Will it get there is another question and your going to need protection or chop early. Just the way I’m seeing it
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That's the plan I guess! Thanks!
 
N

Northwood

Well-Known Member
Userbosco said:
That's the plan I guess! Thanks!
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From my experience, tender emerging seedlings can withstand -4° C (25° Fahrenheit) and a couple inches of snow no problem. Larger plants can get a couple degrees Celsius colder without issue. The only potential problem is that at those low temperatures trichomes get brittle, and certain precipitation like snow pellets or hard freezing rain can break off the exterior ones leaving the bud looking a little bare. If you expect that kind of weather with below freezing temps, it's best to protect them by throwing a light large tarp over it - tied down of course so that the wind doesn't flow it away.
 
mudballs

mudballs

Well-Known Member
Userbosco said:
Forecasting 2 days in the 30's then back up to mid-50's and low 60's during the day. Still. mid-to-low 40's at night. Seems like just letting her roll is the trending opinion. I don't have stakes big enough to cover her w/ a sheet or anything unfortunately. This is a really tall plant, but not strong enough to support a cover w/o damage I suspect. Thanks!
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Its not the temps you need to worry about, it's the sleet and freezing water on the plant tissue we gotta stop. I wish i was there to help, i've manhandled these plants for a while now and they'll be fine if you're gentle. Yeah supports would be ideal setup, but since we can't really do that i'd still toss a sheet over them. When i was a younger man in landscaping and nursery we'd get a bit aggressive with them, they'll be ok, i've tied up many a shrub and tree. Yeah we'll kill off some pistils but saving the plant is the goal.
Screenshot (78).pngScreenshot (77).pngScreenshot (76).png
 
mudballs

mudballs

Well-Known Member
bam0813 said:
Ya I mean with that much time in why not try to protect it and see. IMHO if you just got into flower in beginning of oct you still have probably a couple months left until full maturity? Will it get there is another question and your going to need protection or chop early. Just the way I’m seeing it
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i think i've noticed something on sativas. I actually hate sativas and only grew a handful but i've noticed that the sativas in my 5g are ripening way faster than the ones i have in my mounds. I think if i had to do sativas outdoors again it would be in small containers to bind up those roots just a little bit and speed up that flowering phase. Idk i'd have to test it out a few grows but im convinced it's the way to go on sativas until i know more.
 
Userbosco

Userbosco

New Member
mudballs said:
Its not the temps you need to worry about, it's the sleet and freezing water on the plant tissue we gotta stop. I wish i was there to help, i've manhandled these plants for a while now and they'll be fine if you're gentle. Yeah supports would be ideal setup, but since we can't really do that i'd still toss a sheet over them. When i was a younger man in landscaping and nursery we'd get a bit aggressive with them, they'll be ok, i've tied up many a shrub and tree. Yeah we'll kill off some pistils but saving the plant is the goal.
View attachment 5031547View attachment 5031548View attachment 5031549
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These pictures are great! I think I'll head over to hardware store and pick up a pair 10ft 2x2 stakes. I have a spare sheet we use for painting that I should be able to get over the plant like a circus big-top :-] Thanks and cheers!
 
mudballs

mudballs

Well-Known Member
Userbosco said:
These pictures are great! I think I'll head over to hardware store and pick up a pair 10ft 2x2 stakes. I have a spare sheet we use for painting that I should be able to get over the plant like a circus big-top :-] Thanks and cheers!
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dont forget the thin painters plastic if you expect sleet, you gotta keep that freezing water off them. once the threat of freezing rain passes you can strip off that plastic...and probably the sheet, i wont panic until i see 25degree farenheit in my garden. that's when i'd get out there and sheet them up without plastic.
 
Userbosco

Userbosco

New Member
mudballs said:
dont forget the thin painters plastic if you expect sleet, you gotta keep that freezing water off them. once the threat of freezing rain passes you can strip off that plastic...and probably the sheet, i wont panic until i see 25degree farenheit in my garden. that's when i'd get out there and sheet them up without plastic.
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Roger that, will bundle up the roots, too. Would be a shame to loose all this flower after such a long grow.
 
Southernontariogrower

Southernontariogrower

Well-Known Member
Userbosco said:
Hi guys, sorry if this is a redundant post, but I started a pure sativa variety in late spring and it lived up to its reputation as a LONG grow! After 16+ weeks of veg, I started to get flower in in October and now it's stacking nicely with terps and an amazing lemony scent. The plant is in a 25 gal. pot, approx 8 feet tall and 6 feet in diameter. It's super happy. Now the bad news, I live in coastal VA, and we're forecasted to have a freeze w/ sleet and/or snow next week. Although not mature or close to ripe, should I let it take the weather or should I go ahead and harvest? Lesson learned, will get this variety started and potted at least a month earlier next season! :-P
Click to expand...
Inna pot, drag into sheltered area. Put tarp over or lots of garbage bags, take off asap. Bales of hay!
 
mudballs

mudballs

Well-Known Member
buckaclark said:
Im in Va as well,the weather was not nearly as bad as predicted.We have had one night of about 30f,No sleet or snow that i have heard.
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am i evil for wishing this to happen to someone lol? i need to know if this works or not and how to best implement it.
 
JimmiP

JimmiP

Well-Known Member
I have done it and the plants came out fine.
I made what amounts to a small tent with sheets and plastic using sticks to hold the coverings away from the plant. I also put sterno cans unde the tents to add a little heat. Those plants lived another few weeks and got to finish up nicely.
In the end it will work or maybe it won't. You won't find out unless you try. The odds of survival are much better if you at least do something. Just try to keep the material from touching the plant.
 
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