please help me choose

[Surfer Joe]

I have one northern lights auto from sensi and one auto gorilla glue from fastbuds that have sprouted but I only can grow one. Both have sprouted and are developing equally so far (about 3 days).
Can anyone please give me their opinion on which one might give me the best quality effect?

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Joe...you're growing...autos?

What effect are you looking for? Northern Lights is a pure Indica and is known for its couch-lock properties. Gorilla Glue is a hybrid that leans to the Indica side, but there is still plenty of sativa in there.

They will stay small...why can't you grow both of them?

 

[WeedHopper]

If you can i would grow both. They dont get that big.

 

[Surfer Joe]

Joe...you're growing...autos?
What effect are you looking for? Northern Lights is a pure Indica and is known for its couch-lock properties. Gorilla Glue is a hybrid that leans to the Indica side, but there is still plenty of sativa in there.
They will stay small...why can't you grow both of them?

I have grown the northern lights before (photoperiods) and have always liked them. I will be growing some NL5 x haze in the fall in the tent, which is a nice sativa hybrid, but I am doing a little experiment now.
I have a sunny secluded yard and have always wanted to try growing in the sun instead of a tent, and the virus lockdown gives me the chance to try a quick grow this summer outdoors, which is why I have chosen an auto so I don't have to worry about the day lengths.
I will grow it in a fabric pot (11L) in soil and not do any LST or anything to it since the sun will be equally strong from top to bottom of the plant. I would like to plant it directly in the soil, but I am not that confident that I might not have to move it if someone has to come by to work on the house.
I also have a glass greenhouse on the property, so I plan to let it sit outdoors in the day and move it into the greenhouse at night because it can get a bit chilly at times even in May and June here (I'm in the UK). I have never grown pot outdoors, but if my vegetable crops are any example, I expect the bugs to eat most of the crop. I have some broccoli in the ground that is currently being ravaged by worms eating the leaves.
I long for the day when I can grow openly outdoors in the soil, so this is just a little experiment and I don't want to mess with more than one plant. If the smell gets too bad in flower, I may have to finish it off in the tent. I think that the northern lights may be a bit less stinky, so I may go for that.

 

[Surfer Joe]

I decided to keep them both and they are growing very well in the sun.
I bring them into the greenhouse at night to keep them warmer and away from all the night pests in the garden.
Their leaves are in great shape and are in about the second week of flowering now and all the bud sites are getting wonderful light and the whole plant looks green from top to bottom, unlike the tent grows where the lower parts are pale and undeveloped.
I noticed that there are some tiny insects on some leaves but since everything outdoors is home to insects, I don’t plan to do anything about them.
Does anyone think that I should bother with them?

 

[oldfogey8]

depends on what kind of tiny insects. some can do some real damage. i would try to eradicate them before you get too far into flower. i use doctor zymes with good results and it is safe to use up until harvest or so they claim. i have tried mighty wash before as well but the spider mites came back. i probably should have sprayed every 3 or 4 days but forgot. good luck.

 

[Surfer Joe]

I noticed something beautiful about an outdoor grow.
I left the plants do their thing and they have developed a huge main cola but all of the secondary branches have arched away from the main stem and then up to catch the light better and avoid any shade from the other branches. It sort of looks like a menorah except that the side branches aren't as tall as the main cola, but they are all full as well. The plants seem to have done this on their own since they were alone outside and not crowded by other plants.
In the tent, they are always too squashed and I do lst or topping to get a more even canopy, but only the canopy looks good and all the cola branches tend to be closer together and casting shadows on each other. The lower parts of the plant are always less developed.
With these all the leaves are green and every bud site is getting the same light and the difference is amazing.
The bugs haven't become a problem so far, and I see very few of them on the underside of some older leaves, so I am not doing anything.
I wish I could grow outside openly all the time.

 

[Oldbay]

Same - would love to have a nice greenhouse one day. Pics?

 

[user 60570]

Spray those girls with Spinosad and you can thank me later

we spray twice a month then stop,after 3-4 weeks into flower

ha , I wish I would have grown indoors last year , lost 95% of crop due to hail and bugs like grasshoppers and aphids galore

this year is different , we have way better weather so there are actually less bugs

you may wish you could grow outdoors , be careful what you wish for

there is a waaaaay better chance of a successful harvest growing indoors than outdoors

 

[Surfer Joe]

Spray those girls with Spinosad and you can thank me later

Thanks. In the end, I left them alone and just brushed off the few tiny bugs under the leaves when I could see them.
They have come out great and are on their last week.
I really love how the sun reaches into all parts of the plant during the day.
I did keep them in a greenhouse at night to reduce the chance of bugs or getting rained on, and it has been a perfect grow with no leaf issues and even the smell wasn't as bad as I was afraid of, although I have a secluded garden.

 

[Oldbay]

They look great - break out the string lights, ornaments and tinsel!