Starting outdoor plants indoors

[New Haven High]

I live in Vermont, The safe time for a summer garden is mid May to June 1st.
I would like a little advice on when I should start my seeds indoors. I did order from Herbies (Hope it was a good choice) I am starting with 15 seeds, I do not have a grow room yet. I am hoping to build one over the summer (that will be a subject for another day). When should I start the growing process and what is the best way to start (Peet pots, little plastic pots, egg crate ect...)? What is a the best soil to use? (Mericle grow mix, seed starter, potting soil ect...)? Many years ago I tried but the stems grow tall and laggie then fell over.

[Schmokin]

Hi NHH. Welcome to the forum.
Couple of questions for you.
When is the risk of a frost finished where you live.? And, what cannabis strain did you buy?
The answers to these questions will help us advise you....
Herbies is a good supplier, we get lots of good reviews for them here.
As for the problem you had last time. If they get too leggy you should use stakes to support them. If they got so leggy they fell over I am wondering if you had them a bit too sheltered. A steady breeze on them will help strengthen the stems and make them sturdier. That is one of the reasons for a fan when growing indoors.

[New Haven High]

Sorry for the late reply. The last frost is between mid May and early June. I ordered "Bomb THC bomb" and "green house big bang"

[Schmokin]

Hi there.
Give your plants a month or so indoors to get started. So, germinate your seeds around early to mid April. If you want to start a bit earlier indoors you can, longer veg will increase yield and your plants are photoperiod so, outdoors, they will finish according to the length of daylight, regardless of when you planted them.
Starting them indoors will give them a good head start and should improve your yield. Wait until you are sure that the risk of frost has passed before planting them out.
When planting out, be sure to make sure you have real good drainage. A couple of shovel fulls of gravel at the bottom of their planting holes should help.
Your plants should be ready late September/Early October. The THC Bomb will probably be ready a week or two before the Big Bang.

[New Haven High]

Thanks Schmokin for the advice. This will give me a month to get my supplies. Is miracle grow seed starter a good choice for seedlings?

[New Haven High]

I bought my seeds and I see now that I purchased regular not feminized. How tall should they be to be sexed? How far away from a male should the females be so they do not get pollinated? Is the male plant worth saving if separated from the female plants? I also wanted to know if I can keep my girls in one gallon pots outdoors instead of planting in the ground, this way if an early frost happens I would be able to bring them in without disturbing the roots.

[Schmokin]

Preflowers begin to form at around the 4th or 5th node up from the bottom. So the plants need to be that tall or taller. Being outdoors the plants will flower when the light is right, regardless of size or when you planted them. Start looking for flowers early to mid August. Your plants will be way bigger than 4 or 5 nodes by then.
If you do not intend on growing for seed production you should pull up the males and kill them at the first sight. Even if you place them away from the females, pollen has a great knack of finding its way to them and can get there on your clothes, skin and hair as well as by wind and insects. If you have no use for males. Destroy them before they get a chance to produce pollen.
Keep your plants in 1 gall pots if you like, but only until the chance for frost has passed. Then transplant them into the ground. They will grow to fruition in the pots, but you will get a much better result in the earth. If you really want to use pots (you may have to move them one day depending on your stealth issues) then go for 2 or 3 gallon pots. 1 gallon is fine for starting, but quite small for a full sized, mature outdoor plant.

[New Haven High]

Started germination March 07/2014

1 X "Strawberry Blue" Feminized seed.

2 X "Delicious Cotton Candy" Feminized seeds.

3 X "Green House Big Bang" Feminized seeds.

5 X "Hawaiian Skunk Haze" Regular seeds

Eleven seeds total. Now we will see how many of them will sprout!
Next step will be in 3 - 5 days when I open the wet paper towels to plant the sprouted seeds into my 4" "Cow Pots" with Miracle grow seed starter mix. 10 - 12 weeks till outdoor in-ground transplanting.
I may start some THC Bomb in about 4 weeks.

[New Haven High]

Took a look at my seeds today, (March 10/2014) all of them were sprouted. I used 11 "Cow Pots" (These are like cardboard but made of cow manure) I filled them with Miracle grow seed starter and after moistening the soil I gently placed the sprouts in the soil about 1/2", 1 sprout per pot, 11 pots of pot. Now I wait till they show there pretty heads and then on the warm days I will place them outdoors for a few hours for fresh air in the shade so they will not burn. My next update will be when the 1st nodes are showing and I will start taking pics to share with everybody.

[New Haven High]

That makes sense. I am going to put them in the shaded areas when I do put them out for air. Still a bit chilly here in VT, U.S.A.

[New Haven High]

Today, March 28 2014. It was a very bad idea to start my plants too soon, I have 2 "Hawaiian Skunk Haze" still alive. The temps are too cold and I do not have grow lights yet. So back to plan A. I will try again in April. The weekend of April 5th I will re-start my new summer hobby. I have been reading a lot on the internet (info overload) and I have "Jiffy peat pellets" kit. Any suggestions are welcomed. I have read articles that say to use wet paper towels or a glass of water to germinate and some say to just put seeds directly in the "Jiffy peat" to avoid handling tender roots.

[Katzie_Wolf71]

Why not just get some small CFL lights and keep her going till its time to actually put them outside?

[Mega nute]

Hey all, what's up! There is definitely a chill in the air even here in South Carolina. It was a shame that you had to lose those seedlings. No way to find a cheap shop lite with a warm white bulb? I have carried many a plant over the winter by a cheap light! I did not say they were pretty, but I was able to take cuttings and set another crop! I am sure someone has answered your ?'s, if not ask again. MN

[Katzie_Wolf71]

Took a look at my seeds today, (March 10/2014) all of them were sprouted. I used 11 "Cow Pots" (These are like cardboard but made of cow manure) I filled them with Miracle grow seed starter and after moistening the soil I gently placed the sprouts in the soil about 1/2", 1 sprout per pot, 11 pots of pot. Now I wait till they show there pretty heads and then on the warm days I will place them outdoors for a few hours for fresh air in the shade so they will not burn. My next update will be when the 1st nodes are showing and I will start taking pics to share with everybody.

PUt them in the sun will not hurt them especially at this time of year

[slo-han]

You might want to take it easy with getting them used to the sun - to much all at once and your leaves will canoe on you - been there done that - patience my friend - a little at a time until you achieve full sun exposure ----or you can fry them - again, been there done that - -slo