What is your biggest question about growing cannabis?

[BreezyGreens]

I have questions.

If I want to start weed the same way I do my veggies, is it possible to do that w photoperiods?

I see a ton of info on indoor growing setups and outdoor ones respectively, but there's virtually nothing on hybrid setups, like how gardeners in colder zones typically manage veggies and other tender annuals.

My veggie seed starting setup definitely doesn't generate as much light as is suggested for full indoor grows, and as my seedlings get bigger and the weather gradually warms, I harden them off outside on nice days starting in like April or May (bring them outdoors in the mornings, take them back inside in the evenings) before transplanting them permanently outdoors. It's haphazard, highly weather dependent (I live where snow in April is not unheard of, and our springs can have 7-10 consecutive days of chilly rain and drizzle); some days, they're out there the whole day, others, not at all. It's absolutely not the carefully engineered and controlled environments that indoor growers use. My chaotic "system" works great for veggies, but would it work for photoperiod weed?

Also, does an earlier start change photoperiods' veg-flowering cycle, or no matter what, outdoor grows are at the whim of the weather until October due to hours of daylight?

Finally, do things like hours of shade from shifting sun angle as the growing season progresses and nighttime light pollution (year round; unchanging) throw off photoperiods' veg-flower cycles? When grown outside, do they need more than 6-8 hours of full sun for a solid veg cycle and pitch blackness at night?

[hawg1944]

Thanks! That is good to know.

[Bluey]

If your seeds are fresh 12 months in a dry and cool and dark place will be fine. If they are a couple of years old seal them in a very dry container (very low RH) and freeze.

[hawg1944]

I have extra seeds that I will not plant until next spring. Is it best to store in freezer, refrigerator or simply in a drawer in air tight containers?

[Rootsruler]

Unless you're breeding a cultivar indoors for years on end I don't see why it would change its morphology.

[ssf]

I’m a newbie, having completed 4 grows with largely underwhelming results. I grow indoors, 32”x32”x5.5’ tent, 1 spider farms 1000w light, and all autoflower strains (mainly due to height constraint). I use nature’s living soil with fox farm bush doctor coco loco. I therefore water only. My plants seem robust but i have never been able to achieve large, dense buds. I instead get many small buds. I have used a timer on the light with 12/12 cycles, and also left the light on all the time. These are autoflowers but i wanted to see if it made any difference. Not that much. So, i have three primary questions

1. what is a recommended light cycle for autoflower strains? I know it doesn't affect the flowering transition, but is there a recommendation?
2. Is the living soil + coco loco a good approach or is something else better?
3. What else do you recommend to see large dense buds?

thanks in advance for any guidance you can provide!

[Rwise]

Plants started indoor must be "hardened" to the outdoor environment or they may die, even tomatoes. Not to mention bugs!

[Bluey]

Probably.

Plants and animals evolve genetically to adapt to their environments.

[Jitterbug1971]

Does long term indoors growing have any effects on the genetics of plant/seeds ability to tolerate outdoor elements?

[Cembo]

The person I'll be growing for is allergic to coco so I don't want to take any unnecessary risks but thanks, and I don't really care about having more yield as long as it's high quality

[Rootsruler]

Agree with Bluey. Coco will yield better overall due to its O² holding capacity but if you aren't on top of it you'll kill them quick. I know this because I've killed plenty being a lazy gardener. This is one of the reasons I grow in dirt.

[Bluey]

It's not difficult growing in coco, it's a very forgiving medium when it comes to watering practices, but you must be on top of pH and nutes.

It yields more than soil for sure.

[Rootsruler]

I understand WHY Nebula posts those numbers. Probably to keep new growers from overwatering which is a common problem. As great as that is it doesn't really teach you how to actually water properly and know the signs of over or underwatering. Nebulas reasons are valid but I would prefer that Nebula state that these are start points and that you should learn proper watering practices for the long haul.

[Cembo]

First off, thanks for the lengthy post I appreciate it.
I have been doing a lot of reading for a while now so I'm definitely looking forward to it.
I chose to grow organically for medical reasons and I know everything might not go perfect the first time but that's ok, I'll be keeping a diary so I can do better next time.

The perched table cleared some things up for me and also interesting to see how transplanting puts all the roots above the saturation zone again.
Just like in your article, Nebula also mentioned that some growers lift their pots to determine when to water again, so I guess I'll try using both techniques (lift+finger technique) and see how they compare to each other.

I also just found a post where Nebula said that the above schedule should work for seedlings in pots between 3-10 gallon because seedlings typically drink about the same amount of water.
But after reading your post I'll try to use Nebula's schedule as a very rough estimate for my first grow and I'll try to water without a particular water volume in mind, while watching the plants for signs. Then I'll have a better idea of how much and how often plants want to be watered in my setup/environment for my next grows.

[Cembo]

Hey thanks for the reply Bluey, I'll give more water less often then and I'll use the above as a rough estimate.