Outdoor Plant Spacing

[Woody76]

With a mild winter, I am preparing an outdoor bed for some autoflowers that should go 2 feet tall. How many would my 3 x 6 foot bed support? My plan is to start them in the tent and bed them mid-May (Ohio) or sooner if weather cooperates.

 

[SoOrbudgal]

It's kinda importaint to know the height an width of these autoflowers if they tell you that in the description from whom you purchased or got them gifted to you. You say 2ft tall but are you in a boxed in bed or just into the ground? I have metal raised beds like metal roof sheets. I'd probley only do 4 every 24" apart. Your gonna have to be really watchful for bugs cause they love weed plants. Best of luck, i don't set mine out till mid June in Oregon. Autos love long days of sun, lots of heat and don't like rain much.

 

[Woody76]

Thanks for that. They're RQS Royal Runtz and a Northern Light freebie. I'll go in ground with these, blending in some sand and coco to keep it loose. Appreciate the advice. I'll come back with pics.

 

[Orggrwr]

I agree with SoOrbudgal, 4 sounds about right. Even autos can get pretty big outdoors. You will love the Royal Runtz. I have grown that strain a couple of times indoors and it produces lots of smallish, tasty buds that are rock hard after curing.

 

[Woody76]

Thanks! The consensus is four - I’ll give that a go. I heard what SoOrbudgal said about bugs. I like what I’ve read about BT sprays and neem oil for insect control.

 

[Bluey]

Regular garden variety spiders seem to have worked well for me in the past in the outdoors. I grew for 5 years or so in a netted orchard and had the highest spider count in there of all my grows over 30 years. Lots of them in the orchard and many all over the plants. They stayed away from the buds but loved the leaves. No caterpillars or moth larvae were detected in all those grows. I got a few fingers of the leaves curling from the spider nests on the downside, maybe a dozen or so at most on each plant so no real issue. White fly only at very low levels on those grows and in the past normally high levels of those and had to treat for them. I don't remember ever having to treat for flying pests over that time, just snails.

 

[Woody76]

Good idea - thanks. I used to read about using Lady Bugs for pest control in Organic Gardening magazine, but hadn’t tho of spiders as being beneficial. Of course that would keep Mrs. Woody out of the plants, too.

 

[Rwise]

IDK about the BT, but no neem oil on flowers.
I grow photos and space them at 6 feet apart for air movement, but they get much larger than autos.

 

[Woody76]

Yeah - I think I would avoid spraying anything during flower, let alone on flowers.​

 

[Woody76]

Thanks for all the help everyone! Looking forward to getting outside.
This is my Green Gelato Auto (Royal Queen) - hoping it’s ready to sample at the eclipse here in Ohio in April.

32 x 32 Tent
Cheap LED light

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[Bowhunterwoody]

Yep. April 8th. Going right over my camp in the Adks. We'll be up there. Plant looks nice and healthy!