Open Outdoor Auto Thread, 2022

Nutty sKunK

Well-Known Member
that's true, different environments have different outcomes, means and methods. I'll try to grow more indica or indica dominate in cooler months vise versa for hot months. That seems to help with growth. The ones I grew during winter are cotton candy kush, from Pacific seed bank, via myself. I'll buy 3 if I like the strain I'll use tiresias mist on the third.

Appreciate the kind feedback.
Northen Lights is very cold resistant in my experience. Fastbuds have a gauge on their website for cold tolerant strains which helps in deciding which ones to choose

 

GroBud

Well-Known Member
Northen Lights is very cold resistant in my experience. Fastbuds have a gauge on their website for cold tolerant strains which helps in deciding which ones to choose

I appreciate it my highs were in the 40s to 50s I'd bring them in at 36 or 37 degrees. My winter months are January and February its already been 102° lol summer temps 120° just throwing that out there incase someone maybe on edge about cooler temps and growing. Good information tho again appreciate it

Southern new Mexico close to white sands national monument
 

Humanrob

Well-Known Member
All transplanted now and enjoying the sunshine!

View attachment 5140317
Healthy looking plants! You're just a bit ahead of me, looks like the weather is going to heat up for a bit here on the 31st - my garage is not well insulated so it'll probably get too hot in there for them at that point. They'll be 15 days since sprouting, probably too soon to up-pot them. I'll take it as it comes and decide as I go. If I don't up pot them right away, I might tuck them back in the garage after that sunny spell until that next wave of rain and cool weather passes. Good thing they're autos, light changes like that shouldn't impact them.

05.28.22_weather.png
 
Last edited:

Humanrob

Well-Known Member
This is the first year I've ever up-potted them and left them in the garage, usually that lines up with putting them outside. It's been a cooler spring here and I'm satisfied with their progress under lights in the garage, so I'm hoping to wait for it to warm up more consistently before I put them out. Looks like that'll probably be another week. At least that's the plan based on the current forecast...

I've noticed in the handful of summers I've grown autos outdoors that their final size is heavily influenced by how cool it was when they were young, so we'll see if this controlled warmth gives them a strong start and a better finish.

Day 15 since they broke the surface, except for the one that started late, that's on day 7

05.31.22_up-pot6.jpg
 

Nutty sKunK

Well-Known Member
This is the first year I've ever up-potted them and left them in the garage, usually that lines up with putting them outside. It's been a cooler spring here and I'm satisfied with their progress under lights in the garage, so I'm hoping to wait for it to warm up more consistently before I put them out. Looks like that'll probably be another week. At least that's the plan based on the current forecast...

I've noticed in the handful of summers I've grown autos outdoors that their final size is heavily influenced by how cool it was when they were young, so we'll see if this controlled warmth gives them a strong start and a better finish.

Day 15 since they broke the surface, except for the one that started late, that's on day 7

View attachment 5142359
Looking good dude!

One thing I noticed with my plants is when they went outdoors they stretched quite a bit! More than I’d like but planning to top them. I want smaller buds which are prone to less rot when we get our 99% humidity mornings through most of august lol
 

Humanrob

Well-Known Member
Looking good dude!

One thing I noticed with my plants is when they went outdoors they stretched quite a bit! More than I’d like but planning to top them. I want smaller buds which are prone to less rot when we get our 99% humidity mornings through most of august lol
Thanks! :)

I agree about bud size, everything I focused on indoors -- big, fat, dense buds -- is the opposite of what I want outdoors. Smaller "open structure" buds have better odds of avoiding mold.

I'm trying to be patient with this one, not rush to put them out. I'm not sure why, maybe they weren't wet enough, but it was a rough transplant, lost significant amounts of bottom roots on just about all of them. Only one looked sad for about a day, the others didn't miss a beat. I can see why transplanting is a topic that comes up a lot, it's something that needs to be done carefully with autos. That possible stunting event is another reason I want to keep them in, I don't want anything else to shock or slow them down like a week of cool early summer days and nights. But I'm probably over thinking it.

I'll top two today that have been the quickest to grow. They were the first to pop, and I bet they'll be the first to finish (RB/Pineapple Sunrise and Meph/Cosmic Smile). I'm hitting these after the forth set of branches is established. I've never neutered a farm animal, but for some reason that's the weird 'ouch' feeling I get every time I snip that primary growth off a young plant. It's one of those things I know is necessary, but on some level feels wrong to do.
 

Humanrob

Well-Known Member
Summer seems reluctant to arrive. I've always started my outdoor plants in the garage, but I had never even created a setup where I could keep them there past up-potting. My normal intention is getting them outside as soon as possible although this year has been different, and they seem OK under about 470w of cobs, it's mostly in the high 70's in there.

I was going to put them out on 5/31, then I moved it to 6/7, but now it's looking like one warm day and then back to either rain or cooler weather. I'm not sure what's best for the plants (in terms of of being most conducive to growth), just staying under the lights for another week +/- or putting them outside. I wish I could ask them which they preferred... :)

Screen Shot 2022-06-04 at 3.25.15 PM.png

Day 19 since popping (for most of them)
06.04.22.jpg
 

Humanrob

Well-Known Member
In the question of whether to keep them inside or put them outside, I decided the answer is Yes. We'll see which group does better. There were two I suppose with more of a Sativa dominance, and they started to spread out and get taller, so I split them up. The weather is beautiful today, but will be overcast and/or raining for most of the next week. I'll leave the ones indoors until either the garage gets too hot, or the weather is at least 50% sunny. Maybe I'll learn something from this, and next year I won't have to wonder as much.

06.07.22_inside.jpg
06.07.22_outside.jpg
Screen Shot 2022-06-07 at 9.19.30 AM.png
 

Humanrob

Well-Known Member
I'm on day 25 (for all but one). It's only been 3 days since I put some outside, so there isn't much notable difference. Each group has one that has started the early flower stage. The outdoor structure has been modified for this season into a screenhouse, just bug netting, no plastic, so the outdoor ones are getting wet. A tray I left out filled up with about an inch of water in the last day or so, hopefully they won't get over-watered.

06.10.22_outdoor-side.jpg
06.10.22_outdoor-top.jpg
06.10.22_inside-side.jpg
06.10.22_inside-tops.jpg
06.10.22_outside-flower.jpg06.10.22_screenhouse.jpg06.10.22_inside-flower.jpg

The "little mutant" is becoming a plant, it's much smaller than the ones it started with and never formed a main trunk, there is no reason to top it because it sort of self-topped.

06.10.22_mutant-top.jpg
06.10.22_mutant-size.jpg
 

Nutty sKunK

Well-Known Member
Looking good nutty! Good thing the cold snap didn't stick around. We're having a very wet cool spring here, not sure what the long term affects will be. Are those 3 or 5 gallon pots?
White ones are 7l so just under 2 gallon. Brown one is 10L

Aye the next 10 days are pretty cloudy here and only low 60’s. Doesn’t seem to slow down the kosher cake tho! Fan leaves are getting a good size!

CCF39E93-C7DB-4E30-B9DA-4C6F9E0F8BB7.jpeg
 

Nutty sKunK

Well-Known Member
I'm on day 25 (for all but one). It's only been 3 days since I put some outside, so there isn't much notable difference. Each group has one that has started the early flower stage. The outdoor structure has been modified for this season into a screenhouse, just bug netting, no plastic, so the outdoor ones are getting wet. A tray I left out filled up with about an inch of water in the last day or so, hopefully they won't get over-watered.

View attachment 5147290
View attachment 5147289
View attachment 5147284
View attachment 5147287
View attachment 5147283View attachment 5147285View attachment 5147286

The "little mutant" is becoming a plant, it's much smaller than the ones it started with and never formed a main trunk, there is no reason to top it because it sort of self-topped.

View attachment 5147288
View attachment 5147282
They’re a nice size for day 25! Crazy how well it toppeditself
 

Humanrob

Well-Known Member
They’re a nice size for day 25! Crazy how well it toppeditself
Thanks! I'm just happy the little one looks like it will produce some buds. I'm hoping that it's unusual shape and slow growth don't stop it from producing what would be considered normal buds for a Brooklyn Sunrise. It'd be nice to get a sample from it that accurately reflects the strain.

I think spending their first three weeks under lights (about 18.5/5.5, 73-80º with the lights on, not below 65º when they were off) gave them a decent start. I'm lucky to have the ability to leave half of them out of the elements until summer actually arrives. I have options when the weather is too cool, but really none if it goes the other way, like last year.

This part of Oregon used to be known for fairly predictable weather patterns, but even in the 18 years I've been here that has shifted. Even in the simplest sense -- it seemed you could start seeds on May 15th, put them out the first week in June, and give or take that was fairly reliable. My expectations for outdoor growing are evolving with climate change -- less ambitious in scope and losing any rigidity I had to specific grow techniques, more just staying flexible, take it as it comes and see what I can make work that year. I'm also leaning into the concepts of ecological resilience: diversity, redundancy, modularity. Got them all going on in this grow (at least until they all go outside).

We're supposed to get another inch of rain in the next day or so, so I'll probably throw some plastic just over the top of the hoop house. The downside is that it'll cut another 20+% of whatever sunlight we're getting (above the 20% the netting is already filtering), but they're really soaked, so at least for a day or so, might be worth it.
 

Nutty sKunK

Well-Known Member
Thanks! I'm just happy the little one looks like it will produce some buds. I'm hoping that it's unusual shape and slow growth don't stop it from producing what would be considered normal buds for a Brooklyn Sunrise. It'd be nice to get a sample from it that accurately reflects the strain.

I think spending their first three weeks under lights (about 18.5/5.5, 73-80º with the lights on, not below 65º when they were off) gave them a decent start. I'm lucky to have the ability to leave half of them out of the elements until summer actually arrives. I have options when the weather is too cool, but really none if it goes the other way, like last year.

This part of Oregon used to be known for fairly predictable weather patterns, but even in the 18 years I've been here that has shifted. Even in the simplest sense -- it seemed you could start seeds on May 15th, put them out the first week in June, and give or take that was fairly reliable. My expectations for outdoor growing are evolving with climate change -- less ambitious in scope and losing any rigidity I had to specific grow techniques, more just staying flexible, take it as it comes and see what I can make work that year. I'm also leaning into the concepts of ecological resilience: diversity, redundancy, modularity. Got them all going on in this grow (at least until they all go outside).

We're supposed to get another inch of rain in the next day or so, so I'll probably throw some plastic just over the top of the hoop house. The downside is that it'll cut another 20+% of whatever sunlight we're getting (above the 20% the netting is already filtering), but they're really soaked, so at least for a day or so, might be worth it.
Aye try keep that rain off them. Weather has always been unpredictable here in Scotland but even more so now. Can get 12c in July or Xmas day lol

Seriously considering getting a wee solar farm in my field. Would be quite ironic growing weed from solar generated power lol

One thing which is most important for outdoor growing is mold resistance. I’m interested to see how yours fair.
 

Humanrob

Well-Known Member
Aye try keep that rain off them. Weather has always been unpredictable here in Scotland but even more so now. Can get 12c in July or Xmas day lol

Seriously considering getting a wee solar farm in my field. Would be quite ironic growing weed from solar generated power lol

One thing which is most important for outdoor growing is mold resistance. I’m interested to see how yours fair.
Yeah, I put some plastic over the top to stop rainfall, left the sides open for airflow. We generally have dry summers, and I've had young plants get wet without a problem because it hasn't lasted long. Right now we're having a very rare for this time of year "atmospheric river" causing all of this rain. I can hit them with Green Cure if I see any PM showing up, hopefully we'll get a break soon.

Solar has come a long way, from what little I know. If it powers the fans in a greenhouse that would be something, and the need would coincide with the power availability minimizing battery use, I would imagine?
 

Nutty sKunK

Well-Known Member
Yeah, I put some plastic over the top to stop rainfall, left the sides open for airflow. We generally have dry summers, and I've had young plants get wet without a problem because it hasn't lasted long. Right now we're having a very rare for this time of year "atmospheric river" causing all of this rain. I can hit them with Green Cure if I see any PM showing up, hopefully we'll get a break soon.

Solar has come a long way, from what little I know. If it powers the fans in a greenhouse that would be something, and the need would coincide with the power availability minimizing battery use, I would imagine?
It’s been a mixed June so far here. Normally 20c + but sitting around the teens so far and wet.

Solar powered fan easily done, don’t use much at all. I dare say with a bit enough battery you could run a couple of green house heaters. The small 75W ones…depends on amount of panels I guess..
 

bc_southbuds

Well-Known Member
In the same boat here weather wise: 50 degrees latitude, Canada, cold wet spring rarely going over 21-22c (70f).
No garage with lights for me, just waiting for the weather to get better! I have 4 plants, all autos: Northern Lights, Gorilla Glue #4, Green Crack, Gelato. All are seedling stage atm and have stayed the same for at least 4-5 days now waiting for summer and sun.

845F62C7-4493-411C-8E4C-68C25F626DB8.jpeg
Promix only (but extra perlite), 5gal bags, will be Maxibloom only all the way through.

Your comment about starting off stronger for better yields makes sense, Autoflowers are not very forgiving (so I’ve read). I’m actually going to start 4 more sativa leaning strains in the next week if things don’t get better….then just pray that we get a nice hot summer and “Indian summer” in September.

Your set up looks great!
 

Humanrob

Well-Known Member
In the same boat here weather wise: 50 degrees latitude, Canada, cold wet spring rarely going over 21-22c (70f).
No garage with lights for me, just waiting for the weather to get better! I have 4 plants, all autos: Northern Lights, Gorilla Glue #4, Green Crack, Gelato. All are seedling stage atm and have stayed the same for at least 4-5 days now waiting for summer and sun.

View attachment 5148110
Promix only (but extra perlite), 5gal bags, will be Maxibloom only all the way through.

Your comment about starting off stronger for better yields makes sense, Autoflowers are not very forgiving (so I’ve read). I’m actually going to start 4 more sativa leaning strains in the next week if things don’t get better….then just pray that we get a nice hot summer and “Indian summer” in September.

Your set up looks great!
I used to grow a lot more volume than I do now, which allowed for a lot of mishaps and ultimately waste. Now that I've scaled down, I really want each plant to finish well. My garage set up works within certain parameters, once it gets to be over 75º and sunny outside, the space will get too hot, so it's usefulness is limited. That said, during times like this it's in its operable zone and really helpful.
 
Top