When to Start Seedlings in Spring

[romanoweed]

i showed the most spaghetti ones on the Pic.. I also dont consider it the BEST method, but its DEFINITELY doing the Job, if you dont fight for every single Gramm Bud, wich i dont have to, i have nice Outdoorspot. My method is definitely easy, IF you can water These Little Pots regurarly, ATTENTION i have to water them 3 Times a Day otherwise they byby. Thats basically all. I dont fight for every Plant , and well , they basically make it all, couple might dye cause Light but rarely. Ist just the simple method. This Year i even dont move them around, again, not perfect but just getting my Seedruns done. Moving them could artificaially be achieved with mirrors reflecting the light back, but i have suspicious neighbours

 

[Bud Green]

At 36 degrees north, I have 4 seasons. My winters are cold but not severe..
I like to put my plants outside in the holes in mid to end of May...
The soil has warmed up and the weather is warm.
And the day length is not too much shorter than my light schedule of 15 1/2 on and 8 1/2 off...

I like my plants to be about 18 inches tall when I put them in the ground, so I start my seeds in the last week of March and the first week of April...

For me, by putting an 18 inch plant in the big holes near end of May means they are going to just start exploding in growth within the next few days...

..

 

[romanoweed]

bringing Plants out to big is very fringely i definitely lead that. They all arive lame cause Pressure and small space in Bag. So thats why im later this Time.

last Time i grew them in very shady Spot, they nearly stagnated compared to sunny Spot, i learned that is a Situation i wanna avoid, very stressy for SMALL Plants cause ALL RISKS

And look: now i use Aluminium-Foil, when i bring those out, i can fold the foil up to the Stems, and that Way they are super transportable. Just used a Plasticsheet cause Metal-Root-Danger


viet Thai hoa:

 

[St. Phatty]

Whenever cold temps are no lower than 40 F/ 5 C most nights.

Which is usually about when you get your first serious warm sunshine.

Which I guess is right about now for a lot of the US. That's why I changed my signature from ice planet to desert planet. There is no spring or fall where I live. Summer just started.

 

[calientecarlos]

I decided to sow my seeds outside again late march. Never had good luck transplanting so I just spray n pray. Few cold nights, mid 20's, comin this week but I don't think they'll be affected. I am on west slope of Coloradical at aboot 6600'. Best wishes to all dis season!

GG4 x whatever hemp pollen blew on em two years ago.

 

[RED 1]

A March start gives you the option to add in May again if needed
I started this summer's outdoor grow mid March.Not perfect conditions, but..

First night that I'm getting 15C(started end of March)
Daytime temps , shade 25C,direct light 35/40C
Due to circumstances, this year's balcony/outdoor grow, at 42N

 

[flylowgethigh]

Last year I had seeds in the ground from the year before, volunteers sprouting around March 1 with snow on the ground. Couldn't believe it. They ended up being some of my biggest best plants.

I saw #13, Those seeds came up, through the snow. A year later. That part is crazy.

I have seen a volunteer where we used to smoke bagweed and seeds would sneak into a doob, and sneak out somehow, then grow where we stood and toked. The ones that didn't burn a hole in your shirt, that is.

 

[therevverend]

My friend has a story, this guy used to throw all his seeds out the window, next to the chair where he smoked. Put a big pile of compost out there. By next spring, well, you can guess what happened.

There's four seasons here, fall is the shortest. I'm at the extreme north of the USA, 47 degrees N. Gardening requires a lot of planning, you need to always plan ahead. If you don't start your veggies and ganja indoors the season before your planting season you've got scrags.

A big problem is that we don't get a lot of sun, outside of summer. Spring are wet, lasting right through June. Peas, lettuce and spinach go on President's Day when it's still winter weather. Tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans, all need to go now or you're too late. Wait until May and they won't mature all the way. You get a few tomatoes in September but that's it. Summer ends literally overnight, by October there's no more warm days.

I'm a regular customer at the fruit stand that sells veggie starts, 4-6 for $1.88. Otherwise I wouldn't have any peppers and tomatoes. Normally I overwinter my pepper plants in a window. This year I didn't save any, there weren't any good ones in October to move indoors. First time in a long time. It sucks, usually they're fully in bloom right now and I get little chili peppers all summer. I'll buy some as soon as they go on sale. I don't bother planting them, peppers from seed are hard to do here.

 

[romanoweed]

update on my Window-Grow, i Show you the thinnest and the fatest Seedlings, some are bit too Spaghetti, but i just plant them deeper, ist not like they tip over an die:

 

[romanoweed]

Everything went allright, but one Thing i have to do different next Time:
I Need Soil that holds moisture well, cause i noticed: the one Soil dried out in 4 Hours, the other Soil dried out in 2 Days!! If you have such small Cups and wrong Soil it is very dangerous they dry out if you only sleep till Noon, and it happend one time.. they just about recovered now, and it just went good. Big differences in buyable Soil..

 

[romanoweed]

I just lost most of my Vietblack lowgernerations to Snails.. Just to tell you, my method is good to Transport them, but its ultrahighdangerous. It rained straight for one Week and despite Snailgrain, they went over the Grain and topped most Plants , yes they have bitten the Mainstem. Never will do that Method again. If you have Snails, bring them out 30 Centimeter, one Foot.

 

['Boogieman']

I start germinating my seeds April 10th and keep them under 15/9 Until they go outside in late May. Most of my plants sex by then under 15/9 light cycle but never bloom. I plant the females that sex first under the idea that they will finish first, bro science I guess.

 

[Longbottom Leaf]

the thing with outdoor light is the spectrum change of the season that really triggers flowering, so as long as your hours of light inside lineup with the amount of hours of light during the day then they shouldnt be stressed when moved outside, keep in mind during the morning and evening the light spectrum changes and is a major part in a cannabis plant producing hormones for the flowering season. This is why depending on how many degrees north you are greatly influences on how long the plant will flower as closer to the north pole the hours of light during the summer months even past the summer equinox of June 21st stays well above the hormonal switch trigger of most plants unless they have been bred that far north wherein they will adjust and there biological clock will eventually start earlier due to genetics passed down by the strongest ones.

Also far red light which is caused by being under a canopy of trees or in the shade of something also causes early flowering, so if your area does not get enough full spectrum light, and is in the shade for a great part of the afternoon during the summer months your plants will yield less and flower earlier due to them gathering more far red light and it tricks them into thinking it is autumn when far red light is very prevalent .

 

[therevverend]

the one Soil dried out in 4 Hours, the other Soil dried out in 2 Days!!

Yes you need to use soil that retains the right amount of water and I always want to give my seedlings room to stretch their roots. Especially if I want big plants. I always plan ahead for the next step in growth.

I just lost most of my Vietblack lowgernerations to Snails.

That sucks. Slugs are the pest in my area. My buddy has lost a couple plants, had a few more topped, by slugs. I keep my seedlings in a slug-safe space until they get the right size. I'm also getting copper wire mesh for my veggie garden. Slugs will be very reluctant to cross a copper barrier. I'll make little copper cages to keep them out. Baby slugs or snails can get into almost any space.

Most of my plants sex by then under 15/9 light cycle but never bloom. I plant the females that sex first under the idea that they will finish first, bro science I guess.

Yeah that's a great trick for early sexing. I tend to plant my females that sex early first because I want sexed females in the ground. I wonder about the bro science part of it. I don't want to bias my breeding too much towards early showing females since hempy types tend to show early but that's bro science as well. I wish I knew for sure but it seems like the early sexing females do fine. There is a bit of evidence early flowering males are weaker. The ones that are almost Autoflower.

the thing with outdoor light is the spectrum change of the season that really triggers flowering, so as long as your hours of light inside lineup with the amount of hours of light during the day then they shouldnt be stressed when moved outside, keep in mind during the morning and evening the light spectrum changes and is a major part in a cannabis plant producing hormones for the flowering season.

Yeah that's the trick if you start them indoors. Switching from 24 to 13 or 14 in the spring is a big shock, enough to force flowering.

Also far red light which is caused by being under a canopy of trees or in the shade of something also causes early flowering, so if your area does not get enough full spectrum light, and is in the shade for a great part of the afternoon during the summer months your plants will yield less and flower earlier due to them gathering more far red light and it tricks them into thinking it is autumn when far red light is very prevalent .

Good point about the red light. I've seen very nice ganja grown in a wet northern region with only a few hours of direct light. The buds were small of course. The grower let the plants get root bound and didn't feed a lot. It forced early flowering before the weather got cold and wet. By 'forced early flowering' I mean only a week or two but that can be enough to make a difference. The small buds were also less mold-prone. The shade probably also blocked some of the moisture. Of course your plants would be doomed in full shade.

 

[romanoweed]

a Video wich seems to proove Copper-Tape is easy and quiet proove:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-4jOPK0llY

Or not: here it doesent work perfectly:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFn9TT_rlXU


Im quiet shure the secound Video is missleading cause: Snails never like to dry out, and thats why they had to escape.

I will buy even a big Foil, cut a Hole for Plantstem, for Extended Safety-Zone

 

[therevverend]

Yeah the copper tape isn't 100% fool proof. They don't like crossing it and it fucks with their bodies but they'll do it if they have to. If it's spring and there's plenty of other green vegetation for them to eat they'll almost always leave your plants alone.

Last year I bought a couple rolls of the tape for my garden from the hardware store, $4 each. It turned out to be a joke, the rolls were a foot and a half long. So be sure to check the length of the roll you're buying. This time I'm buying copper mesh. For my veggies, not my ganja. I've seen a nibble or two but my plants are out of the danger zone, big enough the slugs can't do much damage. I also find once they start to stink the slugs aren't as aggressive. Of course there's some places where they'll fuck up even big plants.

I'm going to wrap the mesh into the ground around my lettuce, spinach, and other vulnerable plants. They don't like the nightshade family, potatoes, tomatoes, and the rest.

Here's a couple pictures of one of my seedlings. They're outgrowing their 1/2 gallon containers. First one is (Grape Ape x Romulan) X Diesel.

And a Flashbang.

The Grape Ape Rommie hybrids are vigorous, my last planting but they've caught up to the others. They could end up being huge.

 

[therevverend]

My early start this year has paid off. My first female showed on Memorial Day. Prayer Tower! I'm stoked. On another note I can't believe how small the plants are in my picture above. The little Romulan hybrid is rootbound, it's huge and bushy. It's got me worried, it's already showing 'tassels', weird male looking pre-flowers. I won't cull it, don't know for sure but it makes me suspicious. I've got another one with a full-on ball looking thing but it's early, pre-flowers can be deceptive.

 

[dirty-joe]

I've always sprouted seeds end of May, then immediately out the door into a cup for a week to 10 days, then into the ground. Hardy plants, usually got a frost


45° N here.


Anyway this year was the first time ever I got a little head start.


May 3, soaked seed (10 PM
May 8 popped up, day 1
May 20 up pot to 2 L pots
May 24 kicked em out for better or worse, first night was +1° C (supposed to be +4)


May 26 picture.
These are Richard Williams "Hasha", could find no grow report on them, so see for myself.

 

[romanoweed]

Ok, then:

2nd Attempt after most Vietblacks were eaten. Im very late with those.

I found out how much Time you loose even if you only use restricted Pots in the First Days!!!
I started this Batch in restricted small Potts as usual, but compared to those wich i planted in Ground, they nearly twice as slow!!!!

Also, if Snails Eat Plants, and there is a tiny bit Leaf left, so they survive, it costs you insane amount of Time, insane. Its called stressing Plants, they re stressed and nearly cant function for a While.

Yeah, atleast i found a very save Protection, its Copper with Snailgrain.
You just need:
-Coppper (they re Selfsticking) ,
-Cups,
-Sticks (Skewer) to fixate
-Snailgrain

I had 100 Percent Protection over an extended heavy Rainperiod, with like 40 Snails defended (died) . Exuse me Snails, RIP. I tried it without (its the Truth) and you Snails eaten many Vietblacklowgen.

the longer the Distance, the better the Defense.
7 Cm /3 Inch Chopper is minimum for nice Protection. Also watch for nice Groundcontact.

I dont know why, but some Wildpigs i believe played with some of the Cups!!! I dont know if it the Chopper attracted em, but that might be the only Problem? But in the Wildpigfree Spot all good!!

This Method is more chilled than using Plasticrings, i just hate to transport big Things

 

[St. Phatty]

I planted seeds in February.

then froze those in March.

then planted more seeds in May.

just putting some of the re-gens of the frozen plants into 3 gallon pots now. while i wait for the compost to be ready for their 30 gallon pot.