First Grow- Seed Germination and a few other Q's

So I'm gonna be raising some plants outdoors ASAP. I've never grown before (indoor or out), so I have some questions I was hoping you guys could help me with. Here goes:

First off, am I too late to plant outdoors? I know I missed it by a couple months, but I was talking to a group of kids yesterday who said they planted some shit outdoors around this time last year and it turned out alright. I live in the Buffalo, NY area, and right now the temps are usually low-mid 80's during the day, occasionally a bit cooler (70-75ish), so would I be in the clear to plant with any sucess, or am I too late?

I've also got about 50 seeds, and some of them (about 20) have been germinating for about 2 days now. The method I used was the two paper plates/wet paper towels in the middle. I've been keeping the paper towels wet, and my question is this; will this method work? The seeds have been in about 75-80 degree weather, with the exception of nighttime, when it is more likely 70ish. They are covered with plates, so they are in darkness, and they are being kept inside. If this method will work, how much longer should I wait for them to bust open?

Also, if the idea of germinating seeds is simply to get them to absorb as much water as possible, wouldn't simply placing the seeds in distilled/filtered water for a couple days be much more efficient? Or is there something I am missing here?

This is only the begining of a whole shit-ton of questions I have, but any help with these first would be great, and much appreciated. Thanks

 

It's not too late to plant outside at all! A cannabis plant will only grow to be a certain size. If it gets the best of care and conditions it will just about stop growing (at full size) in late Summer, way before flowering sets in. If you plant now and take good care of them, you have plenty of time to grow monsters! Start out by making good planting holes with lots of organic potting soil. Your temperatures sound really good for now, what's it like around the end of September?
Germination method is fine, keep a single, moist, paper towel over the seeds (they need air too!). They don't need total darkness, just avoid bright lights. They should be starting to show the taproot any time now. If they get any cooler than "room temperature", you might want to keep them in a warmer place.
"Also, if the idea of germinating seeds is simply to get them to absorb as much water as possible, wouldn't simply placing the seeds in distilled/filtered water for a couple days be much more efficient?" Or is there something I am missing here?" Not really - although some people do that! The germinated seeds need air as well as water, otherwise they will soon drown! It's not about "as much water as possible", it's about as much water "as is needed".
Read back though the older threads and learn eveything you can. Find Rangerdanger's Guide to Guerilla Growing, it's around here somewhere!

 

Alright, thanks for the reply. Temps around the end of September would be considerably lower, prolly 50's during the day. That leads me to another question which I'll address below...

So I just checked them, and some of the seeds have cracked, with a white root starting to make its way out of the shell. How long should I let this root grow to before I plant them? Right now it is just BARELY sticking out of the seed.

Also, I'm reading Ranger's grow guide, and I guess it takes 7 months for a plant to be entirely mature. So, say I plant them within the next couple days, I would have to pick them before the first frost of fall correct? I'm not entirely certain, but thats probably going to be mid-late September. Do you think the bud will be developed enough, and that I will get enough yield from the plants to even bother with this?

One more thing... For soil, would a mix of top soil (from the forest) and peat moss, with a layer (roughly 3-4") of potting soil on top work alright? I dont have too much potting soil left, and I'm REALLY strapped for cash for a while (long story), so if I mix up some top soil and peat moss (to help keep it moist), and water this mixture every couple of days before planting (again to keep it moist) work? If it is absolutely necessary (as in; I wont get any pot if I dont use it) I will pick up some potting soil. Keep in mind, I'm not looking for 100% perfection, top-of-the-line plants, I just want to get a decent amount of decently grown buds. If my concoction will work with mild-moderate sucess, I'll just go with it.

Dont get me wrong, it would be nice to do everything to perfection and get amazing yield and amazing buds, but I'm just starting, and I just want to give it a go and see how much sucess I can have with it. If all goes OK, I will invest SERIOUS time into harvests in the coming years.

EDIT: One more thing

Yesterday morning I put 4 seeds in a shotglass half filled with warm bottled water, and covered the shotglass with a coffee mug to keep out light (I read of this method online somewhere). A couple minutes ago, I took the coffee mug off and the seeds were still floating (hopefully getting enough water AND air) but as soon as I touched the shotglass, the seeds all sank to the bottom? Should I take them out now? I haven't taken them out of the water yet, but from my examination, it doesnt look as if the seed has broken yet. But like you said, the seeds want water AND air, thus leaving them to sink in this shotglass seems like a lost cause. So, are these seeds still good, or is there anything I can do to make them still germinate?

 

By Four Winds:
"Temps around the end of September would be considerably lower, prolly 50's during the day."
That should be about the time of your harvest, more or less.

"So I just checked them, and some of the seeds have cracked, with a white root starting to make its way out of the shell. How long should I let this root grow to before I plant them? Right now it is just BARELY sticking out of the seed."
The sooner the better! Once the white "tail" gets long, it becomes fragile. There is no advantage, that I know of, in letting the taproot grow long before planting. Remember, seeds naturally germinate already in the soil.

"Also, I'm reading Ranger's grow guide, and I guess it takes 7 months for a plant to be entirely mature."
A cannabis plant grown outdoors may take 7 monthes to grow to it's full potential size; but it is sexually mature (able to grow buds) at about 4-5 weeks (as displayed by alternating nodes). The growth rate can be accelerated by providing ideal soil conditions, nutrients, etc., in other words you can grow a plant to full potential size in less time. At any rate; your plants will grow in proportion to the amount of veg time they get and will be fully sexually mature, by harvest time, regardless of size.

"So, say I plant them within the next couple days, I would have to pick them before the first frost of fall correct?"
This is kind of a grey area! A "light frost nip" may not hurt them at all, or it may damage some leaves (some strains are more resiliant). The "hard frost" is the killer!

"I'm not entirely certain, but thats probably going to be mid-late September. Do you think the bud will be developed enough, and that I will get enough yield from the plants to even bother with this?"
I'm not familiar with your area, but my guess is that you will be just fine - barring an early freeze!

"One more thing... For soil, would a mix of top soil (from the forest) and peat moss, with a layer (roughly 3-4") of potting soil on top work alright? I dont have too much potting soil left, and I'm REALLY strapped for cash for a while (long story), so if I mix up some top soil and peat moss (to help keep it moist), and water this mixture every couple of days before planting (again to keep it moist) work? If it is absolutely necessary (as in; I wont get any pot if I dont use it) I will pick up some potting soil. Keep in mind, I'm not looking for 100% perfection, top-of-the-line plants, I just want to get a decent amount of decently grown buds. If my concoction will work with mild-moderate sucess, I'll just go with it."
Almost every grow is a compromise in one way or another! This is your trial run, just see what happens with a modest investment. If everything works out ok you can throw in some bigger bucks next time! You can judge the quality of the forest topsoil by observing the vegetation it supports, if the growth is thick and lush cannabis will do fine too. If the growth is sparse and small it is poor soil.

"Dont get me wrong, it would be nice to do everything to perfection and get amazing yield and amazing buds, but I'm just starting, and I just want to give it a go and see how much sucess I can have with it. If all goes OK, I will invest SERIOUS time into harvests in the coming years."
There you go! That's a great attitude! The first grow is all about learning from your mistakes - remember "You can kick their ass next time!"

"as soon as I touched the shotglass, the seeds all sank to the bottom? Should I take them out now? I haven't taken them out of the water yet, but from my examination, it doesnt look as if the seed has broken yet. But like you said, the seeds want water AND air, thus leaving them to sink in this shotglass seems like a lost cause. So, are these seeds still good, or is there anything I can do to make them still germinate?"
I have never used the "glass of water method" so I really don't know how to answer; except to say that some people throw their seeds into water to see if they will sink or float. If they float (after being pushed under) they aren't any good, if they sink they are probably viable seeds.

 

Alright, thanks for everything up to this point, its helped a lot.

Anyways, today I planted one of the seeds into my soil concoction, about the seeds length deep. In the guide, it says that the first three days not to put the plant in direct sunlight. This is true, correct? If so, should I let it get some sunlight, or just keep it in the shade for that amount of time?

Also, several more seeds have germinated. The shotglass method actually did a nice job, I checked the seeds a little while ago and they have germinated nicely. About 5-6 more are ready from the paper plate method too. I don't know how many I'm going to plant yet, as I'm going to have to find a lot of other places to put them. I don't want them all too close together, in case they get spotted or someone finds one, I don't want them to get my whole stash.

Another issue is the 5-0. A couple years ago, this guy told me that the police have a sensor they use in the helicopters which picks up some kind of shit the plant emits, and that they can spot weed even if its indoors. This is of concern to me. If they can find the shit in your damn house, they're definitely gonna spot mine. I'm hoping this is not true, or its some type of new technology barely in effect in a lot of places yet.


And how about rain? I live in Western NY, the weather here can be fairly unpredictable, not too often, but its not afraid to show up. We have bad thunderstorms with a shitload of rain in the summers on occasion, will this excessive rain kill my crop? Or, if the weather turns shitty for like two or three days of straight rain? Are plants durable enough to survive in most natural climates?

I'm real excited to start watching them grow. How soon do you think I'll be able to tell the sex of the plant? I've read different things on that. And you said after 4-5 weeks they will start budding. I read somewhere (ranger's guide I think) that plants will begin flowering when they get exactly 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. Since my plants are in the forest (but get sun from the East, North, and South for a good amount of time in the day, but definitely not a whole 12 hours. Does it have to be exactly 12 hours of each, or is that just the optimal condition for a superb plant?

I should get setup to plant more of these tomorrow, some seeds have quite a long taproot now. I'm probably gonna pick up some potting soil (but I am so damn broke), to make sure they grow nicely.

Shit I just remembered another question. How often should I be watering the seeds I planted? I didnt want to overwater, so I just sprayed it with a mist bottle of water today so the soil was moist. How often should I be doing this? And when should I start giving it more water, like when the plant gets to what size?

Thanks again for your help.

BTW, I'll post pics along the way.

 

By Four Winds:

"In the guide, it says that the first three days not to put the plant in direct sunlight. This is true, correct? If so, should I let it get some sunlight, or just keep it in the shade for that amount of time?"
Plants that are started indoors then brought outside need a little bit of a "toughening up" period. I've never had a problem with plants that were sprouted outdoors prior to the "intense Summer sun". If you're getting, full-on, Summer Sun you might want to give it about 1/2 shade at first (increasing the exposure about an hour or so each day).

"A couple years ago, this guy told me that the police have a sensor they use in the helicopters which picks up some kind of shit the plant emits, and that they can spot weed even if its indoors. This is of concern to me. If they can find the shit in your damn house, they're definitely gonna spot mine. I'm hoping this is not true, or its some type of new technology barely in effect in a lot of places yet."
This is totally bogus paranoia! All the cops have is heat detecting sensors that pick up warmer areas in walls and roofs (indicating a possible grow area in a building), they can't see through anything!

"And how about rain? I live in Western NY, the weather here can be fairly unpredictable, not too often, but its not afraid to show up. We have bad thunderstorms with a shitload of rain in the summers on occasion, will this excessive rain kill my crop? Or, if the weather turns shitty for like two or three days of straight rain? Are plants durable enough to survive in most natural climates?"
Rain usually isn't a problem during the veg stage, but during the flowering stage it can be a pain in the ass - can cause mold, be careful.

"I'm real excited to start watching them grow. How soon do you think I'll be able to tell the sex of the plant? I've read different things on that. And you said after 4-5 weeks they will start budding. I read somewhere (ranger's guide I think) that plants will begin flowering when they get exactly 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness."
Woah! Slow down. Being sexually mature and flowering are two different things. Indoors; plants can be flowered at 4-5 weeks by changing the light cycle to 12/12 hours. The period of undisturbed darkness is what triggers flowering, not the age of the plant - as long as they are sexually mature (autoflowering strains are the exception to the rule - do a Yahoo search for "Lowryder").

"Since my plants are in the forest (but get sun from the East, North, and South for a good amount of time in the day, but definitely not a whole 12 hours. Does it have to be exactly 12 hours of each, or is that just the optimal condition for a superb plant?"
Most strains will flower at between 11-13 hours of undisturbed darkness (night time). Partial sun or shade reduces the amount of light reaching the plant which reduces photosynthesis, which in turn reduces growth - but doesn't contribute to flowering.

"How often should I be watering the seeds I planted? I didnt want to overwater, so I just sprayed it with a mist bottle of water today so the soil was moist. How often should I be doing this? And when should I start giving it more water, like when the plant gets to what size?"
Don't overwater! As long as the soil isn't dried out the small plants will be fine. It depends on how much rain you get and how the plants look! If the top 2 or 3 inches of soil is dried out, give them some water. If the plants start to "droop" a little, give them some water. Every area and every region is different so I can't really tell you how much to water, you just have to get the hang of it on your own! Judge by the native plants in the immediate area, if any of the less hardy ones seem to be a little dry - give your plants some extra water!

"Thanks again for your help."
You're quite welcome!

BTW, I'll post pics along the way.
That's always a good idea!