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If you start seedlings now most of them should pre-sex in May. You can get rid of the males early. Your females will have the potential to get huge.
I tend to prefer seedlings because they have more vigor, tend to get bigger. Most clones can't be put out earlier then May because they might flower. A way to get around that is to start seedlings early under 24, clone them, then put the clones out in April. This way they don't lose their seedling vigor.
The problem is getting them to show pre-flowers so you only put out females. Putting one clone of each plant under a fluorescent light at 12-12 is a good way to pre-sex.
I believe the reason some of us can't just throw them outdoors and start them in a greenhouse or hoophouse, especially with supplemental lighting may be/is due to the legal status of the states that we reside in.
As of current, more than half the US still remains illegal to cultivate cannabis. I work in the greenhouse business, part time. If I could do this, believe me I definitely would. I used too back in the day when I was a little braver than I am now.
However, I reside in Kentucky and no way I would ever build a hoophouse and put any marijuana plants in it. The laws are pretty strict here, even though they have lightened up a hair, your still facing felony charges for cultivating 5 plants and over, anything under is a misdemeanor.
I have been guerilla growing for going on 17 years now, in and out of commercial outdoor and indoor operations and the best advice for any of us still stuck in bible thumping and illegal states is, start them indoor... Somewhere discreet and private.
I always start my seeds in the current month we are in or in March. First week 24/0, second week 20/4, third week 18/6, then adjust slowly to the outdoor hours...
I have never had an issue doing this.
The seed plants I put out early, in March and April, usually start to flower about "half-ass", although they never get stuck there. They will always revert and go back to veg by middle of May-June 1st. This usually results in extremely bushy plants that I have always known as "monster cropping". I personally love the way monster cropping forms out the plant. However if they go too far into flowering, they seem to be too bushy and far too many shoots, that is a pain in the ass to trim back to a decent form. Just fyi monster cropping is an excellent way to make for awesome mother plants with tons of shoots. It is all about timing though with monster cropping.
As for clones, what I always do is take them in April, (24/0 light cycle till rooted). Once they root I keep them vegging under T5's and keep them on a 16/8 cycle and slowly adjust to the outside hours for 2 weeks prior to sitting them outside.
In Kentucky, you don't want to put the clones out before the first week in June. For me personally I always put them outside between June 9th to the 15th with good results every time.
In a guerilla garden, seed plants are king IF you are not able to supplement watering. That tap root and overall better root system from a seed plant gives overall deeper root anchorage. I never have to water my seed plants in the the ground and the two keys for this is: ---> Location and ground prep/amendment <---... You have to amend the ground correctly if you don't want to water. Guerilla style is not growing trees in your back yard like you can in NorCal in giant containers and have an unlimited supply of water. It is instead, being able to grow huge trees out in the sticks, with absolutely no access to water and taking all precautions necessary to minimize any supplemental work, while still yielding large harvests. I easily get over a pound per plant in my guerilla grows with no supplemental watering, because I amend the grounds correctly and feed them correctly all while choosing the location in best interest of the plants.
I usually always mix organic amendments into my soil, along with time released fertilizers as well. When I feel they need a boost, I keep a close eye on the weather forecast and plan ahead. A night or day before a predicted rain I always take a stick of screwdriver and poke holes around the base of my plants and mound up the dirt in a circle around the plant to "catch and hold" the water. Then I sprinkle water soluble fertilizers inside of this circular barrier and usually use "full and a half" strength doses to account for any run off from around the base of the plants because you are not directly and completely feeding the plant as you would if you watered in these nutrients yourself. Then it will rain and your plants will be cheerful and happy as a green fly on a dog turd by the next day.
If you are brave or if you live in a legal state please take these other guys that's living in NorCal's advice. If you are stuck in an outlaw state such as me, you won't regret taking all of this into account.
This is for norcal guys on private land. Light cycles and climate are just to different in other places for it to be universal. Amendments and gorilla grow watering is a bit off topic.
I think it would be cool for everyone to share how they are doing their starts. It's one of the most important parts of growing big plants. Big plants are 6+ lbs. 4s and 5s are really average these days.
Thejointedone: i am inclined to believe you are right just because of all the craziness i have seen about matching light hours on clones
I'm an idiot but am learning as quickly as my feeble brain can absorb and retain data. I live in a subtropical climate when 13/11 hours and decent growing weather begin early April.
What I'm experiment with this year is popping seeds March 1st and keeping them under 13/11 light with moderate heating when needed. The few plants I'm growing will be moved outside in good weather and light to take advantage of natural sunlight. They'll be moved inside to ensure a consistent 13/11 light schedule and/or during cold/wet weather conditions. The plants will be moved outside permanently April 1st, weather and light permitting, only moving them back into the grow box during bad weather and only while they'll still fit inside the box.