When to move outdoors

Raven121415

Well-Known Member
I got a very late start to the season this year after a couple disasters in early and late spring I am now left with 1 lonely young start. I have been using a 19w 6500k and a 15w 5000k cfl with a mixed 24/0 and 18/6 lighting schedule. I am honestly impressed that there has been much growth at all, but slow and steady she keeps growing. I want to get her outside as soon as possible, but have never started by artifical light before and could use some advice on the transition. Thanks in advance for any advice given.
 

MeJuana

Well-Known Member
An indoor plant doesn't develop a protective waxy coating on her leaves. So you need to acclimate her to UV-B slowly allowing only a couple or few hours of sunlight per day for about the first week. When you move her into the sunlight full time this needs to be a day where you can keep checking to make sure she didn't droop. Anytime she droops from the sunlight place a shade block in front of her immediately. Don't stress just don't let her sit drooped for hours in sunlight otherwise she will lose those leaves and have to make more.. (setback)

You don't want to light shock her into early bloom by dropping light hours too drastically all at once. Little by little you need to reduce light hours until you are at the same amount of light hours as it is outdoors right now. I am sorry but I do this differently so my experience trails off right here I don't know what schedule to reduce your lights by, days, weeks, how many hours reduction.. So Google or wait for another response. Personally I start in March/April and I use ambient light in conjunction with fluoros then I reduce my lights through May, the end of May is when I put them out. You need a little faster pace than that so Google to get ideas. I know for a fact guys do exactly what you are doing with great results so I expect you to be rewarded by this.
 

Raven121415

Well-Known Member
An indoor plant doesn't develop a protective waxy coating on her leaves. So you need to acclimate her to UV-B slowly allowing only a couple or few hours of sunlight per day for about the first week. When you move her into the sunlight full time this needs to be a day where you can keep checking to make sure she didn't droop. Anytime she droops from the sunlight place a shade block in front of her immediately. Don't stress just don't let her sit drooped for hours in sunlight otherwise she will lose those leaves and have to make more.. (setback)

You don't want to light shock her into early bloom by dropping light hours too drastically all at once. Little by little you need to reduce light hours until you are at the same amount of light hours as it is outdoors right now. I am sorry but I do this differently so my experience trails off right here I don't know what schedule to reduce your lights by, days, weeks, how many hours reduction.. So Google or wait for another response. Personally I start in March/April and I use ambient light in conjunction with fluoros then I reduce my lights through May, the end of May is when I put them out. You need a little faster pace than that so Google to get ideas. I know for a fact guys do exactly what you are doing with great results so I expect you to be rewarded by this.
Awesome! Thanks for the advice! I had 6 starts all about 8" when my puppies got into the garden area and tore everything up. I just put it out under cloudy conditions. I was thinking about keeping it there for 2-3 hrs today and then try to increase time by 30 min increments for first 3 days, then by 1 hr increments for next 4 days and leaving there permanently during daylight hrs at day 8 until ready to harvest. I will get a pic of her when I bring the pot in and keep this little experiment going. Curious as to what I can do with some lst and added light in evening time with the cfls.
 
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