When's the earliest that you can put a plant outside to veg?

anomolies

Well-Known Member
They say spring but why can't you put it outside in Jan/Feb when the daylight hours start increasing again? No frost here...
 

420God

Well-Known Member
Because the light cycle is too short and it can send your plants into flower depending on where you are in the world. It all depends on where you are and what your daylight hours are.
 

Jeffdogg

Well-Known Member
Well it all depends on where you live. More importantly is knowing when the last freeze/frost in your area will be, after that date you should be "ok" to plant. Where I live ill be planting the first week of March so they will turn into monsters :D
 

wiseguy316

Well-Known Member
last year i vegged mine in 5 gal buckets for 2 months before putting them in ground. just have to bring them in at night and give them a little light.
 

Auzzie07

Well-Known Member
last year i vegged mine in 5 gal buckets for 2 months before putting them in ground. just have to bring them in at night and give them a little light.
How long did you veg in total? How tall were they before you threw them into flower? How tall did they get by harvest? Yield?
 

anomolies

Well-Known Member
I live in Socal so frost is not an issue.

It's funny cus I asked the reverse question awhile back and the best answer I got was:
"You can flower a plant all the way up to the 2nd week after the shortest day of the year, beyond that they will reveg"

So going by that idea, you can put a plant out to veg in around middle of January.
However, the replies I got from this thread were that if you put a plant out in January it will flower.

Let me explain the paradox here if you don't already see it:


-Putting plants outside to veg in Jan/Feb will cause them to flower

-Yet having flower plants past December will cause them to re-veg?

Now if these 2 statements above are actually true, I would like someone who actually knows for sure or have tried themselves to comment. I think I have an idea as to how both statements could be true, but it's kinda iffy.

Can FDD or someone please comment? I can't believe the outdoor growers can't even give me a straight answer on this, how much do you guys really know about botany? (not saying I know much either) But shouldn't outdoor growers be familiar with this?
 

Jeffdogg

Well-Known Member
We give you different answers because we live in different places think about it for a second. Its going to be different for all of us, you should rephrase your thread title to get a more specific answer....
 

anomolies

Well-Known Member
I know you all live in different places but I'm referring to only the answers with reasons related to the "light cycle"

I just want a scientific answer.
 

pabloesqobar

Well-Known Member
I can't give you a scientific answer, but I'm in SoCal and I planted outdoors around the last week of February (last year). Worked just fine. Seems like you could get away with going earlier than that.
 

anomolies

Well-Known Member
Well this is my hypothesis, feel free to refute it if you know from personal experience what would actually happen. If you don't know don't comment please, I'm already confused enough, I'll probably just have to sacrifice a few plants to see for myself.:

1) If you put a 60 day flowering plant outside in December, it'll start to flower but after the winter solstice (Dec 21), it'll begin to reveg. Even though the hours of daylight are 12 or less, the plant senses the day to day increase in light causing it to reveg.
Correct/Incorrect?

2) If you put a mature plant outside to veg on January 1st, it will not flower because it senses the daylight hours increasing day by day, but may show preflowers.
Correct/Incorrect?

Or maybe this is all wrong, and the plant doesn't sense day-to-day increase/decrease in daylight but only when it drops below a certain threshold (i.e. 12/12, 14/10, 13/11, etc)
After an hour of searching I found an online grow-guide suggesting a winter crop flowering time of Jan-Feb.

From a few sources and anecdotes I've found, in areas such as hawaii or Florida people can do several outdoor harvests a year. So a winter harvest is definitely possible.

So question is, when does this winter time frame end so that when you put a plant outside, it won't flower?


 

pabloesqobar

Well-Known Member
The question you're now asking is not the one in the title of your thread. You may want to start another thread with your new query, as it is already confusing enough. Or, sacrifice a few plants to see for yourself.
 

Jeffdogg

Well-Known Member
you are right pab, but the question has been answered he/she just doesn;t like that answer so isn't gonna stop till somebody comes on here to tell him/her what he/she wants to hear. Plain and simple... He/she is thinking too much into it, Its gonna go into flower since the sun is still on the flowering cycle then its going to revert to veg after march/april (when Im at) but will be different for him/her since I live more south then he/she does. The answer will be different for ppl in different places cause the sun goes across our skies differently. Its not rocket science but this person is trying to make it out to be....
 

reggaerican

Well-Known Member
Because the light cycle is too short and it can send your plants into flower depending on where you are in the world. It all depends on where you are and what your daylight hours are.
yea that happened to my outdoor this year and plant took months to turn back to veg after they prematurly started flowering
 

Jeffdogg

Well-Known Member
yea that happened to my outdoor this year and plant took months to turn back to veg after they prematurly started flowering

Yeah thats the bad thing about outdoor, indoor you can adjust the light cycle to veg state and give it a few days to a week but the sun works on its own scale. That sucks bro hopefully it turned out ok, or is it still in bloom?
 

anomolies

Well-Known Member
you are right pab, but the question has been answered he/she just doesn;t like that answer so isn't gonna stop till somebody comes on here to tell him/her what he/she wants to hear. Plain and simple... He/she is thinking too much into it, Its gonna go into flower since the sun is still on the flowering cycle then its going to revert to veg after march/april (when Im at) but will be different for him/her since I live more south then he/she does. The answer will be different for ppl in different places cause the sun goes across our skies differently. Its not rocket science but this person is trying to make it out to be....
Ok you didn't say that on page one. I'm in socal so going by light cycles alone, you're saying that I can flower a 60 day plant from Nov-Dec, or Jan-Feb?

The question is the same, I just phrased it differently since no one gave me a straight answer.

March is beginning of spring for most people so that is the earliest that I can put a plant out to veg then?
 

Jeffdogg

Well-Known Member
The earliest you can put your plants outside or start growing outside Is after the last frost/freeze in your area. You have to dig around and find the last frost/freeze date for your area for 2011. After that date you can plant away. The most important thing is making sure you plant after the freeze date. Winter is on its way and friday was the last "summer day" (as in weather conditions) for this year. You might be able to grow nov-dec before it gets too cold but thats kinda pushing it you gotta be prepared. I wouldnt personally waste my time planting Jan-Feb due to the weather conditions. But please keep in mind when you start a plant this late in the year the yield is not gonna be no where close to what you want or think it would/could be.

Also when a seed package or site says the "harvest" time like 60 days. Thats not completely accurate sure 60 days into flower you "can" harvest them, but they wont be truely ready in that time. Companies think putting short flower times will sell their products more. After I read Fdd's tutorial I stopped going by what the package/site says and started going by the actual looks of the buds.

https://www.rollitup.org/harvesting-curing/28072-harvest-time-tutorial.html

March is pretty much the beginning of spring to us, just make sure of that frost/freeze date


Hmm I dont know how accurate this is I dont have a farmers almanac on hand to check, but some sites I have read are all saying we are gonna have a surprisingly warm winter. I hope that helps out a bit..

FR.jpg
 

Kaptain Kron

Well-Known Member
I hope we have a warm winter it looks like my parents are gonna be trippin if i try and grow inside my dad thinks imma make the house moldy or somthin lol hes funny so im probably gonna have to plant outdoors and right now i got some guys vegging up for when i decide i can throw em outside and not risk going into flower ill probably wait til the end of feb or beginnning of march Im in so cal as well.
 

Jeffdogg

Well-Known Member
Well Heres the forecast from accuweather.com

Winter's Worst Cold and Snow
Overall, AccuWeather.com Chief Long-Range Meteorologist Joe Bastardi is predicting that the worst of winter's cold and snow will be from the Pacific Northwest into the northern Plains and western Great Lakes. That will put cities like Portland and Seattle that escaped with a very nice winter last year, colder and snowier this year. Fargo and Minneapolis to Green Bay will also receive above-normal winter snowfall.
Other cities predicted to receive above-normal winter snowfall include Chicago, Omaha, Minneapolis, Detroit, Cleveland, Seattle and Portland.
Bastardi predicts severe cold will hit Alaska and western and central Canada.
"The Canadian winter will be as harsh as last year's was gentle," Bastardi said.
Wintry Battle Zone But No Snowmageddon
In general, the East Coast will be granted a reprieve from the tremendous snowfall that caused 2009-2010's winter to be dubbed "snowmageddon."
This does not mean a free pass for the Northeast. Bastardi predicts late November and December could get winter off to a fast start in the East, with a major thaw coming for much of the country in January.
Bastardi makes the early cold connection between this year's active hurricane season and his winter forecast.
He said that years that see significant landfall, such as 1995, 2008 and 2005, usually also have cold for much of the eastern and central portions of the nation in December.
He said this year from the central Rockies to the Northeast a higher variance of temperatures will be present - "greater-than-normal swings between winter's coldest and warmest days." The conflicting warm and cold air masses contributing to these temperature fluctuations have placed this area into what Bastardi calls the "Wintry Battle Zone."
Despite the wild swings in temperatures, cities like New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., will still have near-normal snowfall. To put this in perspective, New York City receives an average of 28.4 inches of snowfall during winter.
Warmer and Drier South
The South and southern Plains will escape the worst of the winter weather with warmer and drier conditions compared to last year. Dallas, which received near-record snowfall last year, will be lucky to get normal snowfall this year.
While these areas will be warmer and drier, this does not preclude the southern Plains and South from the threat of a couple of ice storms, as cold air tries to intrude southward.
The best weather this winter will be in Florida. Bastardi suggests that Florida will be a great winter destination, with warmer-than-normal temperatures all winter long. We will also see warmer weather all along the Gulf coast, which could help the beach resorts recover from the economic downturn associated with the oil spill.
Southern California May Suffer from Drought
Southern California and portions of the Southwest could be threatened by a severe drought and high danger for wildfires, as Bastardi predicts a much drier-than-normal winter season for the region.
According to AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist and West Coast Expert Ken Clark, strict water management for Southern California could result come next spring and summer.
However, Bastardi predicts that from San Francisco and areas to the north, there could be more precipitation.
"This may be a great winter for building the Pacific Northwest and Canada snowpack, which is opposite of last winter," said Bastardi.
Temperatures this Winter
Temperature-wise, Bastardi is forecasting slightly higher-than-normal temperatures (0.5 to 1 degree warmer) for Boston, Washington, D.C., and New York City.
Detroit, Chicago, Kansas City and Minneapolis will be a degree or so cooler than average, while much of the western part of the nation may see temperatures that dip a couple of degrees.
Bastardi said Salt Lake City could be as much as 1-3 degrees colder, while Denver will be about 2 degrees below normal and both San Francisco and Los Angeles will have temperatures about 1.5 degrees cooler.
Above-normal snowfall is predicted for the Great Basin region, the Northwest and northern Plains, while the South and Southwest will get less snow than average.
Edit: Just wanted to rub in that I live in FL ;P
The best weather this winter will be in Florida. Bastardi suggests that Florida will be a great winter destination, with warmer-than-normal temperatures all winter long.
Would be nice to start earlier then March, lets hope the forecast is true!! :D
 

wildshit

Member
Ok you didn't say that on page one. I'm in socal so going by light cycles alone, you're saying that I can flower a 60 day plant from Nov-Dec, or Jan-Feb?

The question is the same, I just phrased it differently since no one gave me a straight answer.

March is beginning of spring for most people so that is the earliest that I can put a plant out to veg then?
jeffdog in post #17 said it best.

HOWEVER --- everyone is forgetting the second most important factor. Every single strain has different light sensitivity. if you put guerilla gold or mighty might out that early, it will start flowering within a month or two. if you put an equatorial sativa out that early, it may know whatsup and grow into a tree.
However, even the super photo sensitive strains can vary. some will start flowering, and not give a F*** if the days are getting really long, as they are bred to flower even under 18/6 . However, other super sensitive strains may be finicky enough to start flowering in march/april, and then revert to vegging when may/june rolls around.... and then flower again after the solstice (declining sunlight hours)
same goes for the non-super sensitive strains.... some will start flowering and reveg, some will flower straight through....

there are exceptions to every rule . flowering initiation in cannabis is a very complex subject.


In general though, for the average joe...... in your case anyway.... why are you starting them so early? are you trying to grow 10lb 15 foot bushes?
your best bet is to either start 2 months before summer solstice... earlier if you need bigger plants before they shift into flowering mode after the solstice.
for you, start your plants March at the earliest (if only growing outside in natural light, with no artificial lights/timers)

what i do, start indoors under a timer. i like to set my plants out lat may/early june when the daylight is just under 16/8 or so.....
so my timer is at 15/9 for first month (april) and then bump up to 15.5/8.5 for (may) .... then when my girls go outside, they jump to longer days under natural light, and continue to veg untill the solstice, and then they Naturally start flowering when they want to.
fuckin with the Natural cycle of each plant can result in reveg and reflower mutations/growth patterns, and even cause hermaphrodites.

its really simple, believe it or not.
you just need to get to know your strains and your region. every strain is different, and there are differences between every plant.
look up sunrise/sunset charts on the net for your area. try all your ideas with every strain, see what works. thats all you can do anyway.

best of luck man.... just gotta get your hands dirty and do what feels right.
 
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