I’d like to start growing outdoors (zone 9a in south Texas) and I’m trying to pick some seeds to start planting here shortly.I could sure use some help picking out some strains. Because we’re already at mid summer but have months of hot and warm weather ahead, I was thinking about starting out with a couple of auto-flowering strains like Northern Lights Auto-fem, White Widow Auto and Amnesia Haze. Then, getting something like LA Confidential, LSD and a standard photo White Widow. If I’m understanding correctly, the auto-flowering strains will allow me to grow those strains from the summer (in staggered starts) thru the fall until we get our first really low temp drops; and, then, start up again come early spring, when we hit the daytime highs into the mid to upper 70’s. Then, I can take the photo seeds and grow them next spring/summer - letting them veg throughout next summer, with an anticipated harvest in October. Do I have this correct about the use of the auto-flower seeds versus the photo seeds and is this a good plan?
What seeds/strains would you suggest and why?
FWIW - Summers here average 100º (extreme’s to 104º-108º) from late June/early July into early September and I can provide full sun or partially shaded afternoon sun. We get lots of sun with very little rainfall; but when it does rain, we can get a serious downpour. November will see temps dropping into the mid 80’s and December will have average daytime temps in the mid to upper 70’s but we may have a few days in the upper 50’s and lower 60’s. January brings our first frosts, usually, and they will occur thru February and possibly into early March. Late march will see temps into the lower to mid 80’s and we may see 90º by the end of April. We usually getting a fair amount of spring rain from mid March to late May. April and May will be in the upper 70’s to 90º and June will be in the upper 80’s to low 90s with occasional intermittent rains - usually heavy downpours and rarely a slow soaking rain. We generally have fairly low humidity and we get a pretty decent wind regularly, with the supper windy days. This tends to dry our the ground pretty badly so watering is very important for any plant around here.
So, do I have it right about the auto flower theory and, is that my best route for starting this time of year?
The last time I grew it was indoors in Colorado. I was in college and I ordered seeds from a place in Holland known simply as “The Seed Bank” that had a paper catalog and the seeds were just seeds - no such thing as “feminized” or “auto flowering.” Lol! I’d feel better getting my seeds from a reuputable source in the Netherlands. Seems like ILGM is a great option…no? Is there another source you recommend? ILGM has a sale going on Auto-Flowering seeds right now.
Greetings Fellow South Texican…halfway tween H-town and Brownsville here.
Unless you are very lucky and have the loose fluffy soil away from the coast, I would suggest you till in perlite, small pebbles and other fluffing stuff.
Now, your plan to do auto’s is the best way to get fast harvest. If you have the option of using buckets…cloth is best. Moving the Ladies to a safe place during a major hail/wind/rain storm would be wise.
Regular photos will grow and flower before the late November frost starts. Next year, start photo’s indoors around mid-February…then move to final home.
Start all seeds in wet paper towel. Plant in clear plastic cups till roots are showing on the bottom and sides…maybe two weeks…and about 3"+ tall. Then transplant to final home soil. ***critical to auto’s staying in same home start to finish. Dun top them either. Plant, feed, love and allow the sensitive plant to get it’s job done.
Supporting plants is a good way to help them focus on growing healthy. Pipe cleaners loosely looped around the seedlings stem are a very good idea. Stakes…bamboo or plastic and plastic coated wire is best for older plants.
@DTOM420 I’m right up your alley my friend, I’ve grow a few auto straight thru winter time without a problem, mine were in 3gallon pots so I can bring them in from when weather gets bad in the winter time. As for photo I like growing sativas, my trainwreck does really well out here, it don’t complain a bit about hot wether and is well resistant against spider mites, that’s a big factor growing out here , also I start my photo seeds indoors at 12and a half hours, so by April 1st you can catch up with the sun natural hrs and don’t go into flowering, @DTOM420 welcome to the forum and just tag me if you have any questions. @TDubWilly thanks for the tag
Thanks for the info! I’m on the northern edge of 9a in the Eagle-Ford shale area around Pearsall, Cotulla and Carizo Springs. I was going to try cloth bags as well as some in the ground with Happy Frog, Perlite and and some compost mixed into the native soil- in the case of those in the ground. We have some decent soil here but it’s got a fair amount of clay, so it doesn’t drain well without the addition of something like sand, mulch or perlite. I’ll start another thread for my actual grow and I’d sure love any help y’all fellow Texans can give me, step by step as I go. This thread was strictly to help me find the right strains to order. So, it sounds like I’m safe to start with the auto-flower varieties I listed - at least for now. Correct?
Do y’all think I have enough time to mess with planting a few photo-flowering plants this year or should I focus on the autos and leave the photos for next year?
I keep hearing about TrainWreck so I think I may need to throw that into the mix for my photo sensitive plans for next summer.
@TDubWilly - I’m curious what the problems were that you had growing outside?
@Mrcrabs - Thanks for the advice on the 3 gallon cloth pots! That sounds like a great option for me. Do you think I can dig slightly larger holes and put the bags down in the holes? We do get some minor aerial traffic (Ag related) overhead and I’d like to keep things less obvious, if possible. In the case of storms, I was thinking some 55 gallon drums over the top would work for protection as they will be fairly remote and not that easy to move.
It’s not too late to start you reg photo’s. You should be able to get 4 months plus or minus. Lots of sunny days to grow yet. Sounds like you are planting away from the house? Might be a good idea to plan on chicken wire or hog wire to keep munchers off the Ladies.
IF…you can safely run 18 hour lights indoors…it would really help your photo’s size up before transplanting to final outdoor site.
Are you going to be able to water daily? Planting in random pattern will reduce possibilities of aerial spotting.
I wouldn’t suggest using cloth bags outside in Texas unless you get really large ones.
It’s so hot here that is your plant is in a bag then it’s roots are going to be super hot also.
Planting directly into the ground in Texas will help keep the roots cool. Something like 6-8" under the ground it’s only 65 degrees or something like that. If you plant in pots above ground your roots temp could shoot up over 80 or higher in the Texas summer. Those temps are not good for roots
I see @Mrcrabs is using 3 gallons outside. If he says it can be done then go for it. That’s where I was unsuccessful though was I was in pots where the roots were getting to hot @DTOM420
I hear ya! I’ve had lots of trouble with other plants in pots for that very reason. I thought I’d experiment with both in-the-ground and 3+gallon bags set down in holes and surrounded by mulch. That way, I can remove the bagged plants, if I really need to, in case of a bad storm but still get some of the insulating properties of the ground.
I will be planting away from the house and plan on building some cages around them and, then, covering the cage with some camo netting. I’m thinking that’ll keep the deer and rabbits out and help to disguise them but still allow plenty of light to get through. I can water them daily, no problem, but they will be close enough to a water source that I may setup a auto-drip system similar to one I use in my vegetable garden. Too many visitors to the house to keep things close to home.
I’d like to try starting them under a light but won’t have one in time for this first grow. If things go OK, I’ll probably add some more a month or two in and, maybe, I can try it then. For the time being I’m about maxed out budget-wise and just can’t afford a good light. Wish I hadn’t given away all the HPS and MH lights I had 25 years ago. Lol! Oh well. Just gotta start off slow. I like buying quality and, when I do purchase some lights, I’ll buy really good ones.
@DTOM420, I put mine in full sun only after I have them 3gallon pots, I have never dug a hole but like the idea for stealth, this one is in a 3 gallon trash can converted into a pot,
. I’ve been successful by having a routined water schedule, water in the mornings and let it dry out all day, if it’s still wet the next morning I’ll skip a day, I don’t like to mix in any native soil it’s to clayish, I like good drainage, my soil mix is a peatmoss, compost , vermiculite, chunky perlite and biochar mix. Once I see a good root system develop on this 3gallon pot she’s ready for the ground. I’ve planted in a natural habitat by the river so I just dig a 3x3 hole put in my mix and watch her grow. I have never used cloth bags so I can’t give any info on them. I like to give them a aloe Vera foilar feed every night if possible , it works wonders on heat stress. Hope this helps buddy, and my money is on the trainwreck strain, she won’t disappoint you. I’m Gona order me Durban poison next I’ve heard it a good plant for high heat and humidity area, also like the 55 drums as shelter from a storm
I usually start mine in 3 gallon smart pots then transplant into 55 gallon drums. Make sure ti shoot plenty of holes in the drum though. .357 ir 30-06 works nicely.
