Outdoors in SE Virginia

Retired engineer

Well-Known Member
We paid off the local papers and TV stations to keep things on the down low...

I just looked up my first frost date, according to the Farmers Almanac, and it is 15 Nov! I thought it woulda been sometime in mid-Oct (last frost is normally 1 Apr). I’ve got another 3 or so months of growing season left, but I doubt the autos will take that long. I’m stuck with autos cuz of the solar lighting on my patio, so the goal next year is to start indoors early, get them outdoors in mid Apr and try to squeeze two complete grows in one summer.
 

FirstCavApache64

Well-Known Member
Holy crap you get an extra month! That just doesn't seem fair. Then again I don't have to deal with the weather you do like hurricanes coming up the coast. That stuff never makes it this far west. Well, hardly ever.
 

FirstCavApache64

Well-Known Member
I would stagger them 2 weeks apart over a period of time like a perpetual grow. You can pay more attention to each small group that way when they are getting started.
 

Retired engineer

Well-Known Member
Yep, got the calendar out...

the last hour of sunlight is called the golden hour, the light is flat and shadows are at almost 90 degrees to the object. Can get some nice shots. I’m sitting in my deck, enjoying a layered spliff (1/3 GG4, 1/3 GSC, 1/3 the gelato I just harvested. Gonna be a nice night...
 

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FirstCavApache64

Well-Known Member
That's what hunter's call it too, or magic hour. It's the hour when the woods come alive and all the deer start really moving. First and last hour of sunlight. I had to run and hide mine under the lean to because we had a really nasty storm skip over the mountains from the west. Didn't do much here but East of me got it pretty bad. Now I have to pull everything out again tomorrow morning. I'm ordering some caster wheels from Amazon tonight. I tap as far as dragging these back and see forth. I'm already using ropes and pulleys.
 

FirstCavApache64

Well-Known Member
Sunny and crazy hot for this area. 105 real feel whatever that means to a plant. They're calling for more afternoon thunderstorms again. I'm doing a retractable roof Superdome grow next year, this shits getting old.
 

Retired engineer

Well-Known Member
They are getting pounded by direct sun today, from 0830 to 2000. I’ll move them one more time so the dominant side gets the setting sun this evening. More clear skies, hot and blazing sun predicted for tomorrow...life is good...
 

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FirstCavApache64

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You and your damn sunny skies. As soon as the sun cleared my woodline and I started getting really good direct sunlight I got clobbered by a bad thunderstorm that only lasted 20 minutes but still made me run around and set up all the damn rain tent crap. I just want to protect the cola tops especially while they're setting buds. Now it's time to go back out and take it all down unless the radar changes ... arghhh, summer weather.
 

FinnWinn

Member
Looking awesome man! Never tried autos. I'm also growing outdoors in se va. New to the forum. Looking forward to following your grow. Good luck with the harvest!
 

Retired engineer

Well-Known Member
You and your damn sunny skies. As soon as the sun cleared my woodline and I started getting really good direct sunlight I got clobbered by a bad thunderstorm that only lasted 20 minutes but still made me run around and set up all the damn rain tent crap. I just want to protect the cola tops especially while they're setting buds. Now it's time to go back out and take it all down unless the radar changes ... arghhh, summer weather.
Another blazing day predicted here - full sun all day long and in the mid 90s. I just started paying attention to ph and adjusting after mixing up the daily magical elixir...fed them bone meal and Terpinator today. The soil was already pretty wet from a squall that moved thru last nite. The rain came down in buckets and the winds were strong and swirling around for about half an hour, then absolute calm. They all withstood the pounding and are ready for another day of goin nuts...
hope you get tons of sun today!
 

Retired engineer

Well-Known Member
Looking awesome man! Never tried autos. I'm also growing outdoors in se va. New to the forum. Looking forward to following your grow. Good luck with the harvest!
Finn-we’ve had some awesome growin‘ weather here in SE VA for the last couple weeks sure ‘nuff...

they start the day where the sun hits my patio at around 0830, and I move them around 2 or 3 times during the day to expose the entire plant to direct sun. My patio points exactly due west at 270 degrees, so they get direct overhead sun from 0830 until around 2000. I might move a couple things around so they are in the sun by 0800 - that'd give them 12 hrs of direct sunlight.

i keep them low for aesthetic and stealth reasons - my neighbors can’t see them at all since they are screened by aromatic plants/herbs that help with the smell and hopefully ward off critters and insects. I think they are done with their stretch and filling out the colas now...
 

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FirstCavApache64

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We get them in the fall so bad. I get tired of carrying them outside. I have all these strange new white hairs growing on my Blue Dream.
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I don't think I'll worry though :). She's got a ton of new growth and I can't wait to see what happens in the next 4 weeks as buds really form up. They're going to get a mild dose of nutes to get started tomorrow morning. Along with some Big Bud for the first time.
Finally had a day of sun today. Still waiting on storms tonight but at least I got through the day. Tomorrow sounds like a cooker. Soaking everybody down till runoff first thing in the morning with my coffee at sunrise in the garden. I'm putting up a bat house this weekend for the bats I have, trying to get more to hang around and help pick off the moths. They are amazing to watch at dusk taking care of my bug problem all natural.
 

FinnWinn

Member
Pet bats? In 2021? Thug life!

Bats are awesome though. I kinda want some now. How do you get bats?

Oh I get it. I'm an idiot. The bats are local. Still cool
 

FirstCavApache64

Well-Known Member
No, it's cool. We have the big brown bats just chilling local I already have a bat house for them. They're a cave bat so they like the house hung really dark and quiet. It's hard to find a safe spot to put up another one. SE VA has some really cool ones Brazilian Free tailed bats. Oops, end animal channel special and return to weed growing discussion. :bigjoint:
 
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