Can I use grow lights outdoors?

Recently moved and transplanted three six-footers (all growing together looks like 1 plant) into my yard which does not get great sun, there are these huge trees blocking light most of the day and the plants mainly only get filtered light with maybe 1 hour of full sun a day where as before they were getting 4-5 hours of full sun per day and were doing really healthy. They have recovered from their transplant shock, but I would still like to give my plants somewhere nice to live.

I'm thinking about using a metal halide HID 600 watt on them, maybe taking it in and out only when I need to juice my babies up, what do you think? First I need a 200ft extension chord. . .

Ummm sounds like a bad idea? Not only will nost of the light escape, but your also wasting electricity and might atract attention with a big light on your plants

Ok, you are going to pull 5 amps through a 200' extension cord.... do not use a 16g or 14g cord, get a commercial or contractors extension cord with 12gauge wire. It's going to be pricey. As far as a light outdoors, do you have a way to do it so it doesn't attract attention? What about wind gusts and sudden poor weather?

Good Luck

Ya you can. But the only time it'd be worth your while would be if you were trying to extend the hours of "daylight" or delay the flowering period. If your thinking about supplemental light then no, it's definitely not worth it.

Maybe I should have read the entire post before replying. Your plants need a minimum of 3-5 hours of direct sunlight each day in order to prosper. Have you tried trimming or pruning any of the trees that block it's light? What about LST'ing them towards a better lit area? But if I were you I'd just move them somewhere else, the whole point of outdoors is no lights should be necessary.

You guys acting like HPS arent used at Night outside ever. My nieghbor surrounds his house with a bunch of them about a 1ft off the ground. Theres even one the pole beside my shop. What I was thinking was if your not consistent with turning the lights on every day at same time will it stress the plants?

gdingy said:

You guys acting like HPS arent used at Night outside ever. My nieghbor surrounds his house with a bunch of them about a 1ft off the ground.

Click to expand...

My other hobby is astronomy - hate to live next door to him.

Try this:

Take your light outside in the shade.

Turn the light on and hold it six feet above the ground.

Hold your hand under the light.

Does your hand cast a shadow on the shaded ground?

How dark, in comparison?

The difference probably isn't worth the effort.

I'd say let them grow, and learn from the experience.

You should get something.

Does anybody know if I can use a normal extension chord????

also, they r pretty much in shade but get 15-20 minutes of light

they look ok... should i wait until sings of dying to move them? or will i need to move them before flower, hmmm...

nobody knows about growing in filtered light? or under canopies?

I don't know jack but if the plant looks healthy, why move it?

Today I set up an outdoor MH 600watt about 3 feet above the highest apical meristem (growth tip) and while it looked like the light was making the plant photosynthesize, definitly a lot of light was being lost to the surrounding area (considering the lights are so high, 10ft, and there are no reflective surfaces)

anybody want to give me some tips? I think this well definitly work as supplemental lighting in a filtered light spot. . will post pics soon!!! 6ft monster under HID outside!


edit: also, i have two clones that about 4-6inches and they look like they started flowering even tho they are outdoor and we have not hit the 12-12 mark until sep 26th, should i leave them to flower or should i try to put them under some lights so they can veg more first?