Gold Leaf outdoor New England?

I was all set to order Robert’s Gold Leaf special and realized they are not autoflower. Would this strain grow well outdoors in New England zone 5b?

In the past I’ve had issues with non-autoflower and having to cover with impending frost before I hit optimal stage of harvest.

Thanks!

L

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I’m in New England (MA) and I think you need to talk to @Willd is the outdoor guy around these parts (ME)

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Hello @medicinemuse -
We share 5b
So here are the 2 tricks I use to try to make it all happen before first HARD frost here on the Mid Coast. These plants tolerate light frost and will even take a hard frost or 2 without sustaining any noticeable damage.

First is having a setup to start them indoors*
That setup can be anything from a makeshift plant stand in a sunny window to a tent or greenhouse with lights and or heat. I used to do it on a stand in the picture window but achieve much better results using a $50 greenhouse from OSJL and a couple of low watt Lithonia T5 grow lights I got at Home Depot which I set up in my cellar from Feb to mid May until I get them outdoors.
*If you don’t have a way to make that happen, the odds of achieving your best possible harvest are greatly diminished.

Second is knowing where your shade is and which spot in your plot receives shade soonest. This might not be so easy if you’re in a new location for <a year or never needed to pay attention to that.
You’ll want to locate them where 12 hours of shade starts to encroach on your grow 8-10 weeks before first HARD frost.
The flower cycle of the strains I grow range from 50-85 days. I start the 85 day seeds a few weeks earlier than the other and plant it where the shade hits the plot 2-3 weeks sooner than the rest of them so they’re uniform in size when flowering starts. That difference can be as far as 50’ away from the strains that ripen in 60-ish.

WillD’s GOLD LEAF ARCHIVE

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Thanks so much for the info. I’m behind on ordering seed, so do you think I
should just go with an auto flower like Blueberry for this season?
If I order seed now for GL it won’t get here for 2 weeks, so we are talking
6 week old plants in the ground Memorial day. If you think I can make it
work, let me know. If not other suggestions of strains appreciated.

All the best,

L

The gold leaf is on sale right now twenty seeds for $189 is now for $89

@Willd and I will probably agree on the auto for this season. Do you have an indoor setup to start them in?

And it really depends on what you are looking for as to which auto you buy. The blueberry auto is pretty popular (i have some on order myself)

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Personally, I think 6 weeks old by mem day should be fine. I have 0 experience with Autos but if you are that concerned I’d err on the side of caution and go with the Auto Blueberry @bob31 recommends
I believe ILGM offers a mix pack that includes Auto something or other as well as fem seed for the best of both for one low price.
ILGM SPICY MIXPACK

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I have set up for indoor starts, yes. I would like a higher CBD strain, as well as THC if possible. Partial to Indica dominant.

Tempted on the Gold Leaf, but I feel like I am behind the 8 ball on getting started.

I’d like to have a couple of different strains going, and not put all my eggs in one basket. Growing for a friend with migraines as well.

Peace,

L

Maybe I’ll top the GL and build a sweet little greenhouse for them for the fall!

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are you in a friendly location? law wise?

Plead the 5th.

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ok, np. Just trying to understand the issues. I’m in a free state. I still have laws that I have to follow here

So what I would recommend you do is this:

Go through the seed side and look at all the different seeds. If you see some that you like, go over to leafly and search the strains and read up on their effects.

Another thought is AMS Seeds. They don’t have any auto’s but they have a better selection of higher CBD strains. They’re an associated company to ILGM

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@medicinemuse I’ve done good with both photo and auto I’m not in the same location as you guys but after seeing @Willd grows you will not have any issues with your autos they are oddest little plants you only get about an ounce to possibly three dry so you will not yield near as much so you will need several plants if you want more than an ounce per plant but they could get a lot more than that it just depends on how they like their home that they will not produce near what a photo well

Thanks for the info about AMS @bob31 I was unaware of the association.

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I think I’ll give the GL a try, and also the autoflower mix pack. I’m sure you will be hearing more from me…Appreciate the help!!

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Sounds good @medicinemuse Looking forward to tagging along!

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So I have several Gold Leaf and several autoflower growing. I need to get them outside or to bigger smart pots. Several of the autoflowers are already flowering, and they are pretty small plants. Will putting them outside increase yield dramatically? Should I top or FIMM the AF plants that aren’t flowering yet?

I’m going to top a few of the GL as I know they get super tall.

Any advice is appreciated.

Oh, and is it too late for planting more auto seeds here in New England since mine are so darn small and flowering already?

<3

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wouldn’t top any auto flower, they are just not around long enough to make up for the topping, i have tried topping and not topping with white widow autos and got more out of the ones i didn’t top, even some slow growing indicas i found not topping is better are you growing GL autos, and there not doing great? decided on a auto for my winter grow

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