When can I germinate? (semi auto)

[firsttimejoe]

I am going to be starting them indoors, I have everything set up, tent light etc 

 

I know its best to start thinking about getting them outside in may, but I see mixed opinions on when to germinate, some say you can start feb but then some say not too and just germinate a few weeks before may

 

I'm thinking getting them going for a month or 2 before putting them outside will make them bigger in the end and more likely to survive

 

thanks 

[panik]

All depends on strain and variety, if they are not prone to early flowering like most outdoor semi auto varieties you could start seedling’s now and veg some nice size plants to bang out in May , BUT. Then comes with the problem/ hassle of transporting huge plants to your location ,  that come with a higher risk being seen/getting caught and also the fact the plants will grow into fucking trees which also is a risk plus headache, imo smaller plants in numbers over different plots/locations have always worked well for us  , easier to manage .. there really is no rush patience is key in this game , plants started beginning to mid May in good location/ conditions can still reach 12-15ft harvesting 20+oz 

[firsttimejoe]

1 hour ago, panik said:

All depends on strain and variety, if they are not prone to early flowering like most outdoor semi auto varieties you could start seedling’s now and veg some nice size plants to bang out in May , BUT. Then comes with the problem/ hassle of transporting huge plants to your location ,  that come with a higher risk being seen/getting caught and also the fact the plants will grow into fucking trees which also is a risk plus headache, imo smaller plants in numbers over different plots/locations have always worked well for us  , easier to manage .. there really is no rush patience is key in this game , plants started beginning to mid May in good location/ conditions can still reach 12-15ft harvesting 20+oz 

your the best man to ask the question as I am gonna be using your fast skittlez and then deciding between fast lemon cake, fast cookies or super 61

 

transporting bigger plants isn't a issue, but at the same time I don't want trees 

[MindSoup]

What Panik said. I know it's exciting and there's that urge to start as soon as possible, but once you've grown a few trees you realise it's no the way forward. Bigger buds are more likely to rot, plus if you get a crap pheno you might end up with 5 ounces of weed that tastes like shite and doesn't get you high (looking at you Frisian Dew ).

 

Lots of small plants, more variety, more eggs in more baskets etc etc. 

 

Maybe grow a tree or two, just to scratch the itch/for the novelty, it is quite fun sitting under a ganja tree on a sunny day smoking a fat one. Fast Lemon Cake (One of Paniks strains funny enough) is a great candidate for enormous plants, check out @latitude54's diary from last summer. 

[bfehillbilly]

Fast Zkittlez is not a semi auto infact she is a late October finisher I grew several FLC last year and the last one to finish was beginning of October bout the same for S61 never grew the fast cookies 

[firsttimejoe]

16 hours ago, bfehillbilly said:

Fast Zkittlez is not a semi auto infact she is a late October finisher I grew several FLC last year and the last one to finish was beginning of October bout the same for S61 never grew the fast cookies 

 

How was the smell while growing for the FLC and fast Zkittlez? smell from far away?

[bfehillbilly]

The FLC smelled like well lemons the FZ was more fuely with a bit of eucalyptus neither was overpowering while growing 

[murphyblue]

I have grown both outside and as @bfehillbilly said the FLC smells like lemons and tastes like lemons.

The fast zkittles i grew a couple of seasons ago and again the dude is right it will finish late but it will have good mould resistance neither smelt much when growing outside.

Saying that i got a fast zkittles on the go at the moment in my little indoor winter grow and she is stinking the room out in minutes when i got the cab open.

I would say keep ur seeds in the fridge till at least the middle of April.

Dont forget plants can get stroppy and going from a nice warm sunny enviroment to sometimes a cold damp enviroment (the great outdoors) can feck em up.

Some will just stall and not grow for weeks others might go into flower and then when the light does increase reveg then start to flower again it can get messy.

Best advice listen to @panik

 

 

[firsttimejoe]

Ended up going with fast zkittles and fast lemon cake 

 

defo got excited thinking start ASAP but defo don't want monster plants so will leave it til mid april minimum.. found a good spot today which can't be seen but starting to think that the smell might give it away

 

I did a grow yearrs ago but cant remember how bad it smelt, say I did 2 fast lemon and 2 zkittles, how far away could they be smelt? or play it safe and just do 2 of either 

[MindSoup]

On a hot day with a nice gentle breeze it can be 100m easy. But saying that I've had plots within 10m of a footpath and got away with it. Out of sight out of mind and all that. If you're only going to do one plot then make it something way off in the distance and super secure, if you're doing multiple you can take a few risks on one or 2 as a bit of a wild card. I always used to plan to bring home about 10% of what I planted out, you'll generally get a lot more than that, but on bad years you might get even less, it's a game of numbers. 

[murphyblue]

You can get away with a lot outdoors smell ain't usually a problem as mindsoup says it depends on the weather at any given point in time.

Best advice would be keep em as far away as possible from any signs of life with good soil and u can grow some monsters.

Sort urself out a diary dude when the time comes there's always plenty of help about.

A rough guide would be get autos out at 12 days from seed and photos 3-4 weeks.

 

[firsttimejoe]

2 plants could be smelled from 100m away weather dependant?!

[MindSoup]

Yeah mate. But at the same time Immy friend always has a few in his garden in the summer and people will often sit within 10 feet and not notice them. It's weird. 

[dingo bingo]

On 19/01/2024 at 18:10, murphyblue said:

You can get away with a lot outdoors smell ain't usually a problem as mindsoup says it depends on the weather at any given point in time.

Best advice would be keep em as far away as possible from any signs of life with good soil and u can grow some monsters.

Sort urself out a diary dude when the time comes there's always plenty of help about.

A rough guide would be get autos out at 12 days from seed and photos 3-4 weeks.

 

 

I'm thinking of doing auto's for the first time this year - when you say 12 days from seed do you mean 12 days from them popping up above ground?

[Ch@ppers]

On 20/01/2024 at 10:14, firsttimejoe said:

2 plants could be smelled from 100m away weather dependant?!

That's some distance. I remember a plot described as "The size of a football pitch" that was 40 yards from a well trodden public footpath, the growers pulled a decent crop that season. I also remember a crop of cheese also grown outdoors that stank the area out.