growing outdoor in cairns

[nbakes88]

Right, so i jst moved up to Cairns and found a few seeds in a bag i bought. Germinated them no probs and got them into a pot sharpish. It's been 2-3 days since potting and i've got sprouts coming up nicely. So far so good. As this is my first grow any tips would be greatly appreciated. I've got them outside and reckon they receive about 5 hours direct sunlight daily. I've been watering them every morning and have them in a mix of soil and compost. The first water i gave them was laced with a nutrient additive and i plan on giving them this nutrient water about once a week. Am i on the right lines here? also i will be moving to sydney around mid dec (approx 12weeks), does this give the plants enough time to bud up? or is that largely strain specific?

[dopedogg]

Aww why are you leaving cairns ? Too many cane toads ?

But yeah unless it's an autoflowering strain then your plants won't finish until some time later than march next year

Use these ones to get an idea of what the plants like / don't like and your next grow in Sydney will be even better

I think if you had seeds sent to your Sydney address close to when you arrive there , you will still have time to grow a few smaller plants this season .

Good luck

[-RiverRat-]

Mate all depends on the type of seed you have planted. If theyre indica they may flower very soon if sativa theyl possibly go though till next year. 50/50 hybrids will be touch and go... Northern Australia is diferent from the rest as light hours can range around 11.5 - 13.5 daylight hours from winter to summer. This makes for a less defined growing season. Your guess is as good as anyones here. The truth is no one from this forum can tell you what the outcome will be without completely guessing. All depends on your strain traits and how they respond to tropical conditions. You've taken the punt so enjoy bringing them up and all the luck to ya.

 

Rat

[-RiverRat-]

Having thought about this for all of 2 mins there is a technique you can use to make them flower. Increase the amount of light they receive to 18 hours per day. Do this by using a couple of cheap cfl lights to extend the light hours during the night hours. Given you dont have much time do this for 3 weeks then just leave them outside and the reduction of light hours will make them flower. It should give you 8 weeks of flwering time.

 

Its a proven technique and your best bet. Once more Good luck

 

Rat

Edited September 22, 2011 by -RiverRat-

[nbakes88]

hey guys, thanks for the responses. sorry for delayed reply been busy working and trying to get hold of a car...

couple questions, as im trying to be as subtle as poss (one of my housemates doesn't know im growing and we're unsure of what her reaction would be to the situaton) im not too keen to bring the plants inside. however we do have a couple of large tube fluorescent lights in the outside area of our house, would these give off enough light to stimulate the plants after the sun has gone down? or instead of increasing the light hours followed by reducing could i wait the 3 or so weeks and then reduce the light cycle by covering the plants before the sun goes down? or will this shorten their light/darkness too much and nothing will happen other than maybe killing them off?

thanks in advance

btw they are growing nicely, here's a couple photos..

[wellz001]

i read an article online about usind a dome with a flouro in at night time to get more light cycle ,?????????

maybe even a little one like youd use to hang above an engine bay to work on your car,

[Auntynorm]

G'day 88.

 

Take them with you.

 

:guitar:

[-RiverRat-]

JUst have the lights close to the plants. A cfl on a chord will sufice.

[nbakes88]

Thanks for all the input guys. I've started a grow diary so if any of you are interested in how the plants are doing you can follow it here

 

https://cannabis.community.forums.ozstoners.com/topic/40740-first-time-grow-outdoor-in-the-tropics/page__p__321846__fromsearch__1#entry321846

 

Got a few pics up, they've grown quite a bit in the past 5 days..

Thanks again and good luck to anyone growing atm