seed outside supplemental h2o necessary?

[dmcheatw]

if i start some seeds outside on the side of a mountain in the VA,TN area can you just set them and leave them and come back in oct to harvest?

obviously this would not be an optimal crop but my gut is telling me that as long as they got regular rain at the so crucial seedling stage they would survive. they have such a vigorous taproot seems they would reach the water table but even if not they would still have an extensive root structure

 

[smokie7902]

hey,
if you no it the soil is good there and will keep moisture in then yes..i wouldnt put them there untill they r about 10cm as ive kinda tryed this idea and when i come back they seem to ahve piles of leafs and other stuff piled up on top of them

peac

 

[Stoner133]

If your question is, can a seed germinate and survive in your climate? I would answer, Yes. There should be plenty of moisture to insure the seedlings survive.

Can you plant a few seeds and return in the Fall for a harvest? The odds are stacked against it.

First, seedlings are very vulnerable to pests like rodents, birds or insects. In the wild, Cannabis produces huge volumes of seeds, thousands per plant is typical. In order for the plant to reproduce, only two of the thousands need to survive to maturity.

That puts the odds of an individual seed making it to maturity at >0.05%.

Next, you will be lucky to see 50% females and the odds are pretty good they will end up fully seeded, useless for commerce, but possible to catch a buzz when all the seeds have been removed. If you miss even one, the toke tastes like crap.

On the other hand, If you can protect the seedling through the first month, remove the males as they appear and provide adequate conditions while they grow and flower, it is quite possible to bring home a nice crop.

 

[dmcheatw]

ahhh stoner your input is always appreciated, much respect for you

well i have 4 females and they got seeded but i don't know where the male flowers are b/c the plants are huge, since they have already been pollenated i'm waiting for the seed to mature before harvest that way i can have many to work with this spring so here are two questions:

what is the chances that these same seeds will hermie again? i had been giving them all kinds of fluxuating ph levels depending on how much ferts i added to the water which is initially 8.20 so i think i actually caused this... i've heard if a predominate female plant pollentates itself then you should avoid the seeds, but if it pollentates other females then that is the process of making femmed seeds correct?

so if i germ and individually plant 300 seeds with no starting indoors u think i would end up with 50 finishing females?

If i germ and start them inside for 2wk u think the amount of finishing trees will be like 70% as opposed to 20% or worse?

i know these questions don't have exact answers but i'm just not sure how much i should expect to harvest or if i should even try to use these seeds.

 

[dmcheatw]

smokie, i agree about starting them inside, do u think even 2wk inside would greatly improve their odds of survival? i don't prefer to begin inside, and if i do i won't be able to harden them off before transplanting them all at once, yet i have started from seed on 3 diff occasions outdoors and i find only 1 or two survives until the end

 

[Jiant_J]

you dont have to start them indoors per-se.. you just need to do it in a safe environment, like a back porch, and make sure they have some cover so animals dont screw up your whole crop. As far as hardening them. plan to put em out during a rainy/cloudy week, so they automatically by the function of the weather get acclimated..

 

[Stoner133]

...what is the chances that these same seeds will hermie again?

...if i germ and individually plant 300 seeds with no starting indoors u think i would end up with 50 finishing females?

If i germ and start them inside for 2wk u think the amount of finishing trees will be like 70% as opposed to 20% or worse?

I don't have much experience in dealing with hermis. In fact, it wasn't until last season, working with a Train Wreck cross that I encountered my first hermi.

That put a immediate halt to my thoughts of doing a seed bearing grow. If I had a known hermi in the line, I would always be concerned about it showing at a bad time, like 4 weeks into flowering.

A plant that will produce a hermi under stress is one thing, but I had an apparently male plant show pistils under excellent conditions. I suspect inbreeding has a lot to do with it.

Starting 300 in hopes of finishing 50 is leaving a lot of room for error. If you feel you can handle the demands of 50 plants, you may find yourself overwhelmed by the needs of hundreds. That could drop your count to zero.

My thoughts, start a few seeds and select a good female for cuttings. Let the cuttings root and repeat for as many as you need.