Smooth Transition from Indoor Seedlings to Outdoor Grow (Germany) – Timing, Plant Stage & Best Practices and Experiences?
999_420started grow question 3mo ago
Planning an outdoor grow, starting ~15 photoperiod plants indoors under a SANlight STIXx (54W) and Q6W (215W). Looking for advice on light cycles to prevent early flowering, potting stages, hardening to sun, PPFD apps vs meters, soil choice, and avoiding stretch or overwatering.
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squalinoanswered grow question 3mo ago
Hi my friend .
This is a great project for outdoors! Preparing 15 plants indoors requires organization so that they are ready to face nature without stress. Here's how I would go about it with your equipment:
​1. Light cycle and prevention of early flowering
​This is the most critical point. If your plants go from 18 hours of light indoors to 14 hours outdoors too early, they risk going into premature flowering.
​My advice: Start in 18/6 at the very beginning.
​The transition: Two weeks before taking them out, gradually reduce the cycle (for example 15 minutes per day) to get closer to the actual length of daylight outside at the time of planting.
​2. Light management (SANlight and PPFD)
​You have great gear. The STIXx (54W) is perfect for the first two weeks, then the Q6W will take over.
​PPFD: Aim for 200-300 for sowing and 400-600 before release.
​App vs Tester: A real meter (Apogee type) is ideal but is expensive. The Photone application (especially on iPhone) has become a very reliable reference for the price. This is more than enough to avoid burning your plants or preventing them from “stemming”.
​3 Repotting steps and substrate
​Steps: Starts in small pots (0.5L), then moves to 3L or 5L pots before planting. This helps develop a dense root bun.
​Floor: For interior use a Light Mix (Biobizz or Plagron type). This is safer to avoid burning young roots. For the outdoor hole, an enriched potting soil + local soil + perlite mixture is perfect.
​4. Hardening off
​This is the step where many fail. We don't go from the comfort of the box to direct sunlight.
​Day 1-2: 1 hour of bright shade outside, then return to the closet.
​Day 3-5: A few hours of morning sun (mild), then afternoon shade.
​Day 6-10: Increase direct exposure.
​Tip: A small fan in your box from the start will strengthen the stems so that they resist the wind.
​5. Avoid “Stretching” and overwatering
​Stretch: If they stretch, move your SANlight closer. If the stem is too long when repotting, bury it up to the first leaves (cotyledons).
​Watering: Don’t water them “out of habit”. Weigh your pots: if they are light, water. If it's heavy, wait. Indoors, humidity stays longer than you think.
​In summary: Prepares stocky plants with a smooth light transition to the outside. have nice day
Nocone_Purpleanswered grow question 3mo ago
Run 18–20h light to keep veg and avoid early flowering.
Start in small pots - 3–5L - final pot/ground, don’t let them get rootbound.
Use light, airy soil with perlite to prevent overwatering.
Water only when top soil dries.
Keep strong light to avoid stretch (200–400 PPFD seedlings, 400–600+ veg).
Meter is better, app is OK for rough estimate.
Harden off slowly over 7–10 days, start with a few hours of sun.
Avoid midday sun at first.
Match indoor light schedule to outdoor before moving.
Good airflow = stronger plants.
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00110001001001111Oanswered grow question 3mo ago
Flower is controlled by hours of uninterrupted darkness. Simply avoid the plant receiving 10 hours or more of uninterrupted darkness and you will avoid early flower. It's possible a rare plant may flower with slightly less than 10 hours... it's a generalized concept, not a line in the sand. People use 12/12 indoors to cover genetic diversity. So, the same goes for outside. I'd make sure it receives less than 9 hours of uninterrupted darkness to be safe...
There is no difference in light intensity outside as there is with an artifical light indoors. Being a few feet further from the sun is irrelevant. No worries about a level canopy, but you still want to spread the plant out as best you can. Inconsistent height is irrelevant. Zero need for light or quantum meters unless for purely curious motivations.
The rest you can easily find with google searches instead of someone typing out a 50-page how-to-garden book for you, lol. Most of it isn't quite one-size-fits all anyway. How often you need to re-irrigate depends on several local variables.
if you don't know how to water a plant, i'd advise against growing 15 plants. Some basic competency would help before taking on a big project. A marijuana plant is just a plant... it's not that unique or special in regard to proper watering, hardening off, and such. Also, if your region has a low DLI while you grow it will stretch more than you want... the only fix for that is adding artificial light.
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