April or May?

Up north in lake county just trying to figure out the perfect time to put my plants outdoors? Thanks.

I live on the same belt line as you and I would put them out on March 17th

I like to go out around may 7th. I also grow in the lake. Hope it helps you judge what's best for you.
LLHS

Mid to late May is probably safe. March 17th? Huh? The day length at that time of year is 12 hours which is not really what you want.

Its 12:04 minutes. In seven days after that it will be 12:22. The plants are not so "black and white" like humans. They will know that the days are getting longer. By the time the plant gets over the shock from indoors / outdoors the light will be pushing 13 hours. April 5th your looking at 13 hours. I like the two weeks for my plant to root in, and get ready for the sun.
Now all this changes if you live where its shady / tress in the way.
These are things you can figure out your self. I am just telling you what its like where I am near.

HTP is absolutely correct... it doesn't matter at this point bc even if it does start flowering (highly doubtful as there is a premature stage where plants arent mature enough to flower regardless of photoperiod) it will reveg and you got some monsters on your hands

Good lookin out im doing it pretty big this year cant have any mess ups. I need 30 of what your pic looks like

go to talk and toke and look for april on the list at the bottom she might be able to help

will do thanks

May, if you want to be safe from frost.

I don't know anyone by the name of May here , but April is one HOT WEED NYMPH

May 7th is the final decision. I already got 40 1 footers in my spare room i figure by may 7th they should be monsters. Hoping for 2-3 units per?

Just as important as when to put them out is how to put them out.
If you have the opportunity, it's best to do it gradually, starting on an overcast, warm day, bringing them in at night and slowly building up to full sun/wind/nights etc. Obviously, they need keeping in pots for this period.
If you are lucky enough to be in this position, you can start putting them outside earlier.

One rule to follow by, is not to plant outside until your last frost date. All areas vary in dates, its may 6th here, google your last frost date for your area to give you an idea. After the last frost, everything begins to grow, including marijuana plants which you can put out and will grow. One thing to consider though like already mentioned is to watch out for the hours of light per day. If you were vegging inside, and put a sexually mature plant outdoors in early spring, it will go into flower. A lot of people can get away with starting outdoors from seeds really early, because it takes time for a plant to become sexually mature, by which time the length of light per day has increased. So in my case, My last frost date is may 6, I can start seeds outside then, or even earlier with a cold frame or greenhouse, but plants that were vegged indoors since march or earlier do not go outside until AT LEAST June, by which time the day time light has increased, keeping them vegging. Hope that helps, happy growing

^
This is true, but not gold. You can keep your lights at 14 hours to get them ready for the shorter days. There is no need to take a plant that was indoors at 20 hours a day right outside for 13 hour light. However you can keep it at 20, then slowly back it down to 14 - 13 for a while to get the plants ready for out doors .... Common sense also works magic.

HTP said:

Its 12:04 minutes. In seven days after that it will be 12:22. The plants are not so "black and white" like humans. They will know that the days are getting longer. By the time the plant gets over the shock from indoors / outdoors the light will be pushing 13 hours. April 5th your looking at 13 hours. I like the two weeks for my plant to root in, and get ready for the sun.
Now all this changes if you live where its shady / tress in the way.
These are things you can figure out your self. I am just telling you what its like where I am near.

Click to expand...

your right and yet wrong... if you take a plant thats a early fininshing plant thats is 4 weeks old on 24hour a day light. and put it out. on 13 hours of light it will flower.... if you take a late finisher and do the same thing it will flower. if you take a plant from seed on 12/12 for 2 weeks it will be starting to flower and place it out in 13 hours of light it will start to reveg...it all depends on the plant and what its being kept at.

HTP said:

^
This is true, but not gold. You can keep your lights at 14 hours to get them ready for the shorter days. There is no need to take a plant that was indoors at 20 hours a day right outside for 13 hour light. However you can keep it at 20, then slowly back it down to 14 - 13 for a while to get the plants ready for out doors .... Common sense also works magic.

Click to expand...

that wrong.. any plant will notice a move in hours of light. from 10 to 9 or 20- to 19. wheather it slow or fast. that plant will start to flower

sigh ...
Its nice to see no one really reads the full thing and just looks at the numbers. I never said take a plant that is living in a 20 hours of light room and flip it too 13 hours.

So suggest starting 14/8 from seed for a couple weeks then throwing them outside in mid April here in CALI!?

HTP said:

^
This is true, but not gold. You can keep your lights at 14 hours to get them ready for the shorter days. There is no need to take a plant that was indoors at 20 hours a day right outside for 13 hour light. However you can keep it at 20, then slowly back it down to 14 - 13 for a while to get the plants ready for out doors .... Common sense also works magic.

Click to expand...

Common sense is knowing the topic you are trying to discuss and also having personal experience. I actually have experience on this topic and know that sexually mature plants put out in early spring (in my case may or earlier) will go into flower. This is due to the lack of hours of light per day. Like I have already mentioned, you can start seedlings outdoors very early in the spring, as they take time to become sexually mature, by which time the length of light each day has increased. Plants will go into flower with more then 12/12 lighting, They will flower with 13 hours of light and some right up to 14 hours of light. Experienced outdoor growers know for a fact, not to put out sexually mature plants like clones until later in the spring, June in my case. They know this because it is a complete waste of time to have a plant go into flower, then slowly start to re-veg, slowing the overall vegging process by weeks, resulting in a lower yeild. In my experience re-vegged plants do not have vigorous growth and are much smaller and or stunted plants. As you said, slowly decreasing the hours of light per day, is not going to do anything, Once the plant is fully outdoors, it will still perceive the hours of light outdoors, which in early spring will cause the plant to go into flower. Now thats some golden information