First time outdoor grow questions

The-Liquor

The-Liquor

Well-Known Member
I have done around 5 or more indoor harvests roughly 10 Years ago but this is my first outdoor grow and first time growing in 10 years So I’m definitely a beginner and rusty as shit trying to relearn and research some of things I forgot. Way back then I used this site to post and get tips but lost the account who knows when but wish I could see what I posted, might be kinda funny or sad depending on what I thought was good at that time haha.

With it being legal in my Northeast state I decided to put two clones outdoors back in early June. I was told they were lemon cookie hybrid? The plants are starting to flower and I’ve read that during this time mold is at high risk and they should be covered during rain. What do people do during this time to cover? Tarp or like a porch umbrella? Or is this overkill and not needed?

Also read about people cutting away the fan leaves during this time. I get the logic of doing this but everything in me says that’s not a good idea and that the fan leaves are responsible for energy. Am I wrong here, is that a normal process or is this typically saved for a few weeks before harvest?

lastly I’m concerned with harvest. I know my plants are probably 6+ weeks away but I do not know where to dry. I have sheds, seems like a really bad idea, garage maybe would work but I foresee it not going well for some reason. Basement is available but my wife does not want the smell. Totally cool with growing and smoking but just doesn’t want guest over with the house smelling as strongly as it will. I do have a small green house I could hang in but wouldn’t it be hard to control the temp and humidity in there? Paper bags in the basement? Would that help control some of the smell?

Thank for any input
 

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Herb & Suds

Herb & Suds

Well-Known Member
The-Liquor said:
I have done around 5 or more indoor harvests roughly 10 Years ago but this is my first outdoor grow and first time growing in 10 years So I’m definitely a beginner and rusty as shit trying to relearn and research some of things I forgot. Way back then I used this site to post and get tips but lost the account who knows when but wish I could see what I posted, might be kinda funny or sad depending on what I thought was good at that time haha.

With it being legal in my Northeast state I decided to put two clones outdoors back in early June. I was told they were lemon cookie hybrid? The plants are starting to flower and I’ve read that during this time mold is at high risk and they should be covered during rain. What do people do during this time to cover? Tarp or like a porch umbrella? Or is this overkill and not needed?

Also read about people cutting away the fan leaves during this time. I get the logic of doing this but everything in me says that’s not a good idea and that the fan leaves are responsible for energy. Am I wrong here, is that a normal process or is this typically saved for a few weeks before harvest?

lastly I’m concerned with harvest. I know my plants are probably 6+ weeks away but I do not know where to dry. I have sheds, seems like a really bad idea, garage maybe would work but I foresee it not going well for some reason. Basement is available but my wife does not want the smell. Totally cool with growing and smoking but just doesn’t want guest over with the house smelling as strongly as it will. I do have a small green house I could hang in but wouldn’t it be hard to control the temp and humidity in there? Paper bags in the basement? Would that help control some of the smell?

Thank for any input
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Hugo Phurst

Hugo Phurst

Well-Known Member
The-Liquor said:
cutting away the fan leaves
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Fan leaves and then some.

Got pics that show the whole plant?

My plants were far too thick & just got pruned.
I also took out a lot of the middle so air and light can get in.
Last year was a complete disaster with weeks of cloudy wet and foggy, PM and bud rot.
This year (so far) has been my most successful. 3ft 11in , 5ft 2in and 6ft 2in.

IMGP7156.JPG






Removed about 25% of bottom branches, and all the small/weak inner branches.
IMGP7158.JPG

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This one had so many good looking buds I cut off fewer branches but really thinned out the center so you can see through in places.

IMGP7163.JPG

Good luck
 
The-Liquor

The-Liquor

Well-Known Member
looking at your plants I definitely should have taken more off the bottom, I did a little about a month ago but was unsure of how much to do. With flowering started is it to late to take more off the bottom?
I should probably thin out the middle a little bit right?
 
obijohn

obijohn

Well-Known Member
Outdoors here, your plants are looking good! I typically leave fan leaves and do little pruning until the buds are well developed, then I take off some lower popcorn buds and branches that aren't doing much so all the energy goes to finish the buds and it doesn't get moist in the middle and cause any issues.

I hear you with rain and bud rot, you can still get it if the air is really moist, or if you get budworms. Like me, you have yours in pots so they are moveable. I have a dayroom, basically a patio with a roof with screens all around instead of walls. If I know rain is on the way I just move them in there. Even if it rains for a day or so, they still get indirect light.

I usually harvest by cutting a branch off at a time, trimming the leaves while wet (much easier) and hang the branches on coat hangers in a closed closet. It's relatively dry here in Nor Cal, so I can only leave them there a few days tops, or they dry too fast and get crispy. I put some branches in a paper grocery bags and roll up the top, and open and rearrange the branches every day to keep mold away and they dry evenly, plus paper bags 'breath" so it's not like they're in a sealed environment . How long that takes for them to dry depends on your humidity. At that point I trim off all the buds and jar them, and open the jars each day to let them breath. You don't want them crispy when you jar but not very moist, still should be kind of rubbery.

Grocery bags will help the smell issue. Years ago I took all the leaves and put them in an ice chest and opened daily and mixed around. Did nice cure (did the leaves because I had friends who wanted a 'lighter' buzz and felt buds were too strong) I have not tried this with buds, so I am not sure if it would work well
 
The-Liquor

The-Liquor

Well-Known Member
I appreciate the advice! I think I will wait a little bit longer and then thin it them out a bit more. Still not sure what I’m going to do when the rain comes but I’ll have to figure something out. Maybe a big porch awning would work. How do you get them to the screened in porch? To move mine I had to hook up a sled to the mower and drive haha.
For the drying im Leaning towards just bringing in the house and pissing the wife off. She probably won’t talk to me for a few days but she’ll be alright haha
 
Hugo Phurst

Hugo Phurst

Well-Known Member
The-Liquor said:
looking at your plants I definitely should have taken more off the bottom, I did a little about a month ago but was unsure of how much to do. With flowering started is it to late to take more off the bottom?
I should probably thin out the middle a little bit right?
Click to expand...
late to take more off the off the bottom....yes, those are nice size & if you cut them (IMO) you'll loose too much, the small thin underdeveloped stuff on the other hand, take it all.

Yes - I'd thin them out for good air circulation.

"do you cover them?" - No, but I shake the water off them, a guy I was talking to uses a leafblower to dry his.

By tent I think he means something like this....(sans light)
Toss in a decent air-filter and you're laughing.
 
The-Liquor

The-Liquor

Well-Known Member
Hugo Phurst said:
late to take more off the off the bottom....yes, those are nice size & if you cut them (IMO) you'll loose too much, the small thin underdeveloped stuff on the other hand, take it all.

Yes - I'd thin them out for good air circulation.

"do you cover them?" - No, but I shake the water off them, a guy I was talking to uses a leafblower to dry his.

By tent I think he means something like this....(sans light)
Toss in a decent air-filter and you're laughing.
Click to expand...
God I feel stupid, of course a grow tent haha!

I’m going to have to try the leaf blower.

Thanks Hugo!
 
The-Liquor

The-Liquor

Well-Known Member
Hugo Phurst said:
Pluck them off... problem solved.

Leaves have a life cycle themselves, some wither & die before others.
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Thanks man! Got a bug problem now! Raining hard past 2-3 days. Damaged some branches, rain stopped so I’m repairing and checking and found these bugs on some of the bottom leaves.. nasty man are they root aphids? If so how do I get rid of them. I started a thread in plant problems to try to find out as well.

thanks
 

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ooof-da

ooof-da

Well-Known Member
The-Liquor said:
Thanks man! Got a bug problem now! Raining hard past 2-3 days. Damaged some branches, rain stopped so I’m repairing and checking and found these bugs on some of the bottom leaves.. nasty man are they root aphids? If so how do I get rid of them. I started a thread in plant problems to try to find out as well.

thanks
Click to expand...
I am gonna go lurk your thread cause I got the same shit going on but don’t have it fixed little bastards
 
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