60/60 Forced Flowering Approach

[Guest]

Harvesting 60 oz of weed in 60 days of outdoor growing.

This method of growing is the fastest way i know of to harvest a good crop without much outdoor exposure. It's cheap in that you only need one female plant and that can come from bag seed, but quality strains are better. Site development is minimal and easy. Its the only way I can grow 12-14 week flowering strains, so I know its the only way anyone north of me can grow long flowering strains, without a greenhouse. This method is not about growing marijuana plants. but instead, just growing marijuan buds using controlled forced flowering

Heres what I do.
In early April,(now), i start my target females. If its a standard strain,I start 5 seeds. This year Im using a femmed strain, so I only planted 2 seeds. By early june, this female plant will be big enough to provide me with 25 clones. I have a little home made aerocloner from walmart materials. I start my 25 clones.

The plan will progress like this: 14 days to root well in the cloner. As soon as they have decent root development, I put them in soil and start 12/12. Within 5 days, i begin to set them outside to harden off and continue the 12/12. Within 10 days im starting to see real flower development and its out to the grow site to be harvested 60 days later , the first week of august. These plants will finish however many days your strain takes to finish minus a week, after you set them out. If that date is the first of july and its a 60 days strain expect to harvest the first of September. If its a 14 week sativa like Kali mist, it will be early october, but without this method, it will be november +.

This is the most critical part. Timing. You must know the date in your area when the clones wont try to reveg. Usually, on a typical october finishing strain, i will see my first flowers at the end of July or by the 1st of August. That date minus 25 days is my FF date.
I am at 38 degrees, and I can set 4" clones that have been forced into flower outside on the first week of july and it won't try to revege. Those 4" clones finish 55-60 days after I set them out
which is the first of August at 20" or so tall, with 2-2.5 oz each of yeild and I have 25 of them. (sativa's may stretch and could reach 4')

No pest problems here, i know of know creature that will try to eat resin producing mj. Before flowering it may be eaten, but not stinky buds.
These 20" plants are very easy to hide. I have a few spots where i have more than 1, but not many. They never get found. Im only outdoors for 60 days and I harvest 5lbs of weed.

I know a grower at 46 degrees that is using this method except that he is now planting almost 100 clones of critical mass and he is harvesting up to 300 oz of weed 55 days later. He plants his clones on July 25, and harvest them in the 2nd week of september. Its a 50 day strain and a branch breaker.

Site development is so easy, because your root ball is going to be small. Heres my site prep. I take a plastic 2 gallon pot like a typical nursery pot. Theyre cheap but you can get them for free from any local landscaper. They throw them away by the dozen.

I fill my 2 gallon pot with soil, whateverkind you use. I then tape a plastic top on it so it wont spill out. This is one site, and during the winter or when I dont have anything to do, i take my posthole diggers out and bury my little ready plant pot. 1 spot ready and 24 to go. When my clone is ready, i will come back, pull off the plastic cover and plant my clone and 6o days after that...

I hope there is something here to get you thinking.

sb

 

[Gantz]

so you force flower them indoors and put them outdoors to finish? it's not exactly an all outdoor grow, but hey if it works better than using "the old black plastic bag over the plant everyday" - props to ya man!

 

[phrank]

hey now...

hey now...

sb-

You said:

"If that date is the first of july and its a 60 days strain expect to harvest the first of August. If its a 14 week sativa like Kali mist, it will be early october, but without this method, it will be november +."

I don't understand this. July 1st to August 1st is 31 days total. Does the indoor pre-flowering period account for the other 29 days of the 60 day flowering period..?

What size containers are you using indoors..? 3.5" squares..? Solo Cups..?

Do you attempt to align your 12/12 indoor regimen with the natural light cycle?

Also, do you harden off in a well-shaded area? It seems that this might really help to maintain flowering and prevent re-veg.

phrank

 

[sunwukong]

This little article should be read by all outdoor growers. This method makes things more secure (smaller plants are harder to see), allows an earlier harvest, a big concern for those who have crappy fall weather, and lowers the likely hood of rippers gettin' your stash. All in all a solid pland and a good write up. Thanks for the tip man. K+

 

[sherlockk]

i put a clone outdoors last year.. and well just to say.. it didnt flower "instantly" (it was from a mature plant too so).. it took about a month or so.. nor to think that would cause a lil bit of stress on the plant to put clones that were flowerin on 12/12 indoors to an outdoor enviorment. but well thats my input.. not tryin to diss your idea or whatev.. just some things to think about.. good luck to ya with it =].

 

[NPK]

This is intelligent use of day length at its best--ingenious! I learned the power of that last year, when I pulled an early spring harvest with clones I put out during an unseasonably warm March. I'm doing it again this year--am flowering 20 of a quick-flowering strain that's ripening up nicely even with the chilly but frost-free nights. Should be ready in about a month.

We're at virtually the same latitude, so your information will be very useful to me. I'm gonna do a bunch of mini-guerilla grows with various kinds of clones myself--most interested in squat, fast-flowering indicas to do the job. Shit's a fast, yieldy choice--C99 would be excellent too. Ditto Odyssey. Kind of mind-boggling to think about how productively you can grow over multiple seasonal rotations.

Great idea, hope more people take advantage of it!

 

[Guest]

Phrank, the reason thats confusing is because it should say september, not August. Im gonna edit it. After forming roots in the walmart aerocloner, I plant them in a 16 oz styrofoam cup until they go to the field. I start the 12/12 as soon as they leave the cloner. The entire time they are developing root systems and hardening off, they are in 12/12. By the time the clones are rooted and hardened, they are in full bloom and ready to be transplanted. It just cant be so early that they reveg.



NPK, as time has gone by and Ive developed my use of this, it becomes more and more versatile. These plants are so easy to hide

Sherlock, you have to force the clones to flower before placing them out doors, and it cant be so early that they try and reveg. Indoors, i flower clones as soon as they root all the time. Im assuming others do it as well.

Hey Gantz. It is an outdoor grow really. The first time i used it was several years ago when life circumstances just wouldn't let me mount a grow. I started 5 bag seeds and by june i had 2 3' females to clone. 6o days later, I was harvesting a season of smoke. This is an alternative to traditional growing or a supplement to your regular crop. It also allows good breeding possibilities because you have a bunch of seperated females. You can hit each one with something different. sb

sunwukong, you got the point man. I have been impressed with this and once you start it, the possibilties of this approach become apparant. I showed my buddy at 46, and he abandoned traditional growing and is better at this than I am now. He says he was crazy to try and grow all year just to get ripped off or caught. Plus, he says until he used this, he was never really able to harvest fully matured, dense bud outdoors at his lat.

 

[phrank]

?s to help clarify this technique

?s to help clarify this technique

You said:

"Usually, on a typical October finishing strain, i will see my first flowers at the end of July or by the 1st of August."

Can you name a few a few typical October finishing strains ?

Early, mid, or late October?

What do you mean by first flowers ? A few pistils in the crotches..? Later than that..?


Also, I noticed that two outdoor dates were given in which such first flowers had developed. That is, your own, and the grower at 46N - with the latter date being much later.

I am assuming that the primary factor explaining the difference in these two dates, is the differing hours of daylight available on a given day, as you move farther North from the Equator. Is it possible for you to post the hours of daylight that your area is receiving at your stated date for the appearance of first flowers, which was the end of July or August 1st?

I think that this info would be readibly obtainable via the Farmers Almanac..? At that point, growers who wanted to use this technique, would only havre to look up when their locales were receiving a similar daylength.

Do you see what I am getting at here? Just trying to make this technique plug-and-play, so that everybody can benefit from your experience. Maybe I am totally offbase with my understanding of how this works..?

Care to suggest some dates for 43.5N..? Strain would be C99, which would need only 50 days after being planted outside. I don't know if it matters, but the last frost date here is between May 25th and June 1st.

phrank

 

[Guest]

Hey phrank. Ill start at the bottom.

At 43, I am going to guess and say your date would be about July 15th. Maybe a few days later, and yes, the almanac may give you a good clue.

Given this scenario, if your clones are rooted and begining to flower on July 15th, you could immediately place those outside and harvest at least a couple of ounces per plant about 40-45 days later. Usually, the combination of the clone and the forced flowering reduces the flowering time after transplanting by
7-10 days. So if your strain is a 50 day strain, you will be ready to harvest about 40 -45 days after transplanting.

You are right on track with every aspect. Yes, the further north one travels, the later will be the forced flowering date. Mine is the first week of July, you're 5 degrees north and its going to add a week. The grower i mentioned above is at 46, and he is the 3rd week of July.

A "typical october finisher". 80% of the strains on the market. Any strain that the breeder states will finish somewhere between the 1st day of Oct, until the 31st. This includes nearly every indica or indica dominant plant and probably more than half of the sativa strains. "First flower means the date you normally start seeing flowers on plants at your lat.. For indica dominate strains, at 38, that date is the last of july to the 1st of Aug. The number of weeks the strain takes to finisht will be added to that date. For example, if it is a 10 week strain and my first flower date is Aug 1, then I would normally be harvesting that strain in mid oct. An 8 week strain I woul harvest Oct 1.

Whether or not the strain is " early or mid oct" is irrelevant here. The only releavant number is the number of weeks it takes a strain to finish and on what date you started forcing them. For example, your C99 is a 50 days strain and your going to harvest it 40 days after planting and for you, we think that date is July 15. Your c99 should be done by Sept 5th or so.. This summer, i have one strain that is 14 weeks. I will set out the clone July 5, and harvest it in mid october. Follow?

While this approach is very productive, its greatest value may be the doors it opens in ones mind. As soon as you start using this approach you will begin to innovate and quickly, the growing possiblities become clear. This is perhaps the most beneficial and productive effort I have ever undertaken while growing cannabis. The possibilties are endless.

 

[A-Loc]

couldn't you do the same thing by having the plants on 24 hours veg and than putting them outside around june or july without worrying about reveg?

 

[Jon]

SB,

Can't wait to try it this year. Dude, you're like my favorite poster here next to the babas. Very informative. Seriously, I'm going to spend more time at this site than I did in the past and soak up everything I can.

 

[Jon]

SB is right. The possibilities are endless. As a medical grower, this is a GREAT way to maximize my plants. For my wife and myself, we’re allowed a total of 12 full matured plants or 24 immature plants. The laws are very vague as to what constitutes an immature plant and a mature plant. Clones? Seedlings? For my intents and purposes, I define that as flowering and non-flowering until law enforcement tells me something else.

So for this style of growing, I think I’ll force flower 2 of my clones that I now have at 12 inches (I put them out during the day and put them under lights in my closet during the night) as well as 4 of my seedlings (I’ve got about 14 seedlings right now). Of course I’ll have to put more than 2 seedlings under 12/12 so I can destroy the males. So that will give me 6 plants to harvest in August or September (I haven’t done the math yet. I’m at work! Ha!)

Then I’ll have 12 other plants vegging. By having 6 mature and 12 immature plants, I’ll be staying at my limit. By the time I harvest the 6 early ladies, I’ll have 12 huge veggers just starting to flower!

Loopholes baby!

 

[A-Loc]

i'm defiantly gonna give this a shot along with my others i'll be putting out this year. i think you would be able to harvest sooner though if you put them outside after they have been under 24 hours of veg.

 

[luciano28]

Im also gonna try this, I can get clones from a friend just about any time I want them, he always has something flowering=). I'll probably be starting a grow thread sometime soon and I'll try to document all my progress this year with pictures.

Silverback, at 40 degrees N, when should I get the clones from my buddy and put them out? I was thinking the end of July? I can usually go until late October, even early November sometimes before a frost here in the valley.

This will be a fun experiment. Im doing lots of digging and hauling now for my seedlings I will be putting out at the end of the month, after I get them out, now I get to do some more digging!!! lol.

I might need a new backpack, lol.

 

[Jochsmokes]

hey silverback

I think this will definatly help me out up here, due to the shorter season. I've also been vegging a sour d mother for about a month and didn't think i'd be able to use it outdoor this year but maybe with this method they might finish? Could i see a pic of the wal mart aero cloner? maybe a parts list? 14 days is quicker than what i'm getting w/peat pucks.
thanks for the info! JS

 

[HighonthePrize]

Thank you silverback for your detailed contributions.

Do you have any experience doing this with plants from seed? I was thinking of vegging for 2-3 weeks, switching to 12/12 till they show sex and transplant to a cornfield. I have 10 fem mandala #1, and several standard beans. do you think i should veg longer?

 

[Guest]

Hey friends,
It is so enjoyable to be able to come here and discuss my lifes hobby with people just like myself. You folks have enriched my life.

Sunwukong, Youre getting it man. Smaller plants, easier to hide, not eaten by anything and grow anything you want. You wil adapt this to your own grow style and come to love it. Read my double dip suggestions below.

Sherlockk, you got to make sure they're in full flower before you put them out. I start 12/12 as soon as i take the plants out of the cloner. That way, 2 weeks later, they're ready to plant and in full bloom.

NPK and A-loc, Read the post below about seeds.

Jon, you have figured out just one of the many benefits of this type of growing. you will discover more. Wait until you harvest that fully matured bud of some strain you couldn't ordinarily grow or just to have a harvest in 40 days. I am still impressed when i harvest just 40 days or so after I planted. You can perpetual grow with this method right up until the end of the season.

Luciano28, at 40 degrees, you can plant by mid july i would think without any attempt to reveg. Depending upon the weeks to maturity for your strain, you can project your probable harvest date

Jocksmokes, yes. This will let you grow fully matured sd and harvest it mid- late sept. Go for it, you'll fall in love quick.

Highontheprize, read below about seeds. I have some of the M#1s going right now. We'll compare notes as the season goes by.

Phrank, I like your label. We'll call it the "plantlet method", and your assesment is right on. All positive and no negs.
______________
Double dipping;

After growing like this and being so impressed with the outcome, I began to ask the question of myself: How can I start this process even earlier.

The answer has allowed me to now harvest 2 crops and am looking at 3 per year. Let me explain. Those with questions about seed grows will be interested in this.

What plant wont stop flowering and attempt to reveg even under the spring daylength? Autoflowerers.

I have had 30 autos under lights for 24 hrs a day since the 1st of April. I can plant the last week of april, so next week, I will cut the lights back and the females will begin to flower. I will transplant these flowering females to my pots and by mid to late june, i will harvest these females just 2 weeks before my forced flowered clones are potted. 2 crops from my set of pots. Just for the record, if you don't think autos are potent and worth growing, you may be growing the wrong strain. There are some potent ones.

I would recommend anyone interested in any of this to pick a strain and do some experiments this summer, although honestly it will reveal its potential as soon as you begin and you'll take off.. You may have to make some adjustments in planting date or other issues and I have begun to modify my preprepard planting pots so that they are more self watering. You will grow to love this method once you start . I have

sb

 

[Guest]

Sounds good!

Sounds good!

Hey cool idea,been done before many times....

Have a look at my clone,just as they rooted i place
them outdoors to flower having 12/12 light hours.....
My spring is a bit cool at first witch keeps them tiny!!

Clones=Pine#5,Ice, and the Pineapple skunks are the taller ones haha!
All in one gallon pots at about 3 to 8 inches tall,if you wanna call it tall?
Love these puppies i mean who couldn't hide these things anywhere???


May work in summer better here..
Stil i get a kick out of it hahahahaha tiny but good!

 

[phrank]

yet anothr comment...

yet anothr comment...

The only part of this method that lies outside of my experience is the stretch factor. You say:

"I can set 4" clones that have been forced into flower outside on the first week of july and it won't try to revege. Those 4" clones finish 55-60 days after I set them out, which is the first of August at 20" or so tall, with 2-2.5 oz each of yeild and I have 25 of them."

I am more familiar with indoor cultivation, where a stretch of 5 times the starting height at the beginning of flowering is unusual, but I gues the great outdoors is different..? It seems to me that allowing a short veg period might help ensure the type of yiels that you talk about. Just thinking. Man, I hope this works!

 

[Guest]

Thats great Lougrew!

Phrank, yes, outdoor stretching is less, at least for indicas and indica dominants. I dont know about sativa's much. I did have one Mikado clone last year that I did this with and that strain has a very sativa growth habit. It stretched significantly and was over 3' tall at harvest.. I was worried my little 2 gallon pot wasn't going to be enough.

The strains I normally do this with are sensi star and Maple leaf indica. ,
When I grow SS indoors, I flower it at about 6" and it ends up at near 30". Outdoors is about 20, maybe 24"

With MLI theres not as much difference between indoor and out.