Outside during the day and under light at night. Good idea or not?

Is there any benefit to leaving plants under a 400 watt MH light all day rather than letting them get natural sunlight? I live in the sunshine state and there is plenty of bright sunlight. Any reason not to move in and out?

Cheers

bugs........ other than that, I can't see any...... but I don't know for sure.

Some people say this will stress the plants because your artificial lighting simply can't match the sun & the plant will in a sense get pissed when you have it under 24 light, but only half is real sunlight. I don't know if this is true, but they also say that this can lead to the hermaphrodite condition. What you can do is give the plant 2 or 3 weeks of artificial light for 24 hours a day & then put it outside for 12 hours of natural sunlight & bring it in for 12 hours of darkness. I think this way is is probably the best, fastest, most efficient way to grow if you have an area to do so like a shielded yard in a quiet part of town. Just think it's only outside for 12 hours when it's flowering so even the smell might not be a problem like I said depending on your location.

I also agree about the insects, but maybe your area isn't too bad?

Remember - Nothing beats the Sun!

Here are a few more specifics. I have a timer that turns the light on at 8 AM. Around 10 AM I move the plants to a secluded area. I wait until 10 because of shadows being present before then. Around 6 PM I move them inside again due to shadows and let them sit under MH for two hours until the 12 hours of darkness starts. There will be days when due to not being able to work from home I have to leave the plants under the MH for the full 12 hours so there really isn't any consistency to be honest.

Completely understand the bug issue. Will have to monitor that.

You should attempt to be consistent. Don't worry about the shadows - that's natural. Plants can deal with this better than an irregular schedule of lighting - unnatural. As little as five hours of natural sunlight a day will dwarf any artificial light system available & it sounds like your getting 10 or more so your plant will grow exceptionally! Do this - put your plant outside in your spot everyday from 7AM to 7PM or 8AM to 8PM, whatever suits your schedule & then bring them in to an area of total darkness for 12 hours. This will work many wonders - 1)You won't have any effect on your electric bill - 2)You simply can't beat the sun if it's available - 3) Your plant will like the set schedule(shadows & all)better than 10 hours natural light,4 hours artificial light,12 hours darkness - trust me.

This also allows you to contiuously grow because you can if you chose use your indoor light to start young plants out until they are ready for mother nature while obviously being able to continue with bigger plants!

What do you think ManUFan???

Sounds reasonable to me. I tend to think that the natural light and sunlight being so intense that it would be better than the artificial. Now I begin to wonder about humidity etc. The sunshine state, Florida, is quite humid. There seem to be so many variables and they are discussed to infinite detail that one has to wonder at which point its all overkill. I get that doing anything to the best of is going to produce better results but just how much better is the question.

It sure would be a easier to just leave them outside during the day. I am going to go with your suggestion and let them stay out during the day. If I have weather issues I can always fall back on the MH for a day or so.

Thanks so much!

Your welcome. Don't stress too much - I myself like to keep it simple & that seemed like the most simple way in your situation. In my opinion, it's a weed it will grow almost in spite of you & what you do or don't do & anything that is a natural occurence such as humidity the plant will adapt to I think. Some areas just aren't fit for growing Cannabis, but come on your're in the sunshine state definetly a great area for that! Keeping an eye on the weather is a good idea as well although I don't think a little rain will hurt the plant unless you're in or really close to a city. Cities produce that crap acid rain. Rain in the suburbs is probably better for the plants than any kind of other water.

I had a similar idea and wanted to consult it with you guys. I live in Florida as well. I'm in the process of setting up my grow room and have decided to go with a SOG method. I will have an 8x8 area with a 1000 HPS. This is as big as I can go.

My plan: Clones will go to 24/7 light. When they are strong enough to begin flowering, take them outside for 12/12. When those plants are big enough that they start to smell, or I'm unable to hide them, they will move inside to a 1000 HPS until harvest time. I figure they'll be outside for a couple of weeks (maybe 3) and the rest inside. That way, I save money on electricity and can harvest more weed.

Thoughts? Will the plant be happier this way than if I go 100% artificial light?

Plants are always happier under natural sunlight - that's where they belong. I'm not 100% sure, but I believe going from artificial to natural is o.k., but going from natural to artificial can actually piss the plant off because artificial light just don't perform like the sun.