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- fine-ass '22 harvest!
- Nothin' doin' mon, it's in many ways far more simple that indoor,... As a hydro gal, you're tackling the steepest learning curve there is for cannabis growing! Hydro' is constant vigilance and adjusting on pH, ppm's, res' T, etc., to say nothing of all the rest of the gig... lights, env. control, air movement, stank scrubbing,... 
...Top that with how twitchy the nutrient availabilities are in solution with pH, which makes everything happen faster, often worse,... upside, things can be fixed faster though!Now consider outside, IF you have the right climate and security, have chosen strains carefully in relation to this, then the burden of light and all env. control is lifted off your back! For auto's, it's more difficult to be sure vs. photo's... warmer T all around, and those extra light hours indoors make them perform their best, hands down,.. some auto's do OK outside, others turn out shaggy and larfy no matter what,.. Cool is a real party killer especially during dark hours... Before I got a real tent (and it's still not inside, when season/weather is good, it's in an small outside courtyard with a small heater), I was growing them outside mostly, just giving supplemental light in a garage ghetto rig "tent",.. always small plants-
... now with the tent, in soil and part organic, part synthetic nutes regime, I average about and oz/gal pot size, which is 2-3 gal only,... not too shabby! 
I'm far less concerned with yield, much more for quality,... all the girls Sunbathe from about mid-bloom on for a few to several hours if possible. The Sun and UVB work their magic no doubt!
Photo's are of course, more tolerant and flexible because of their longer life cycle, veg' time, larger size in general,... bugs are a hassle, some are so ubiquitous that there's no stopping them, just keeping them from getting established; thrips, aphids, a few caterpillar species are what bother me most often, but as mentioned above that systemic keeps them at bay,.. they may grab a taste or two, I still see minor leaf damage, but they don't stay-
.. Well, aphids aside, this one little black flier species was my [HASHTAG]#1[/HASHTAG] headache at the previous spot, a clients courtyard,... color and likely, aroma draw them in, no stopping that... they still will feed some, and crap babies everywhere meantime, so for several weeks, I do have to go on kill-patrol nearly every day- 
....20+ can move in daily! 
.... The new spot I'm in now, cooler, closer to the ocean, was nearly bug free, so there's a big "local" factor involved with that,.. Some folks with extensive gardens, veggies in particular, have more problems with canna' bugs than most because the yard is a vermin paradise, drawing them in all the time! I'd say the real hand-wringing starts during late bloom, weather depending, and security,... few thieves bother with veg'ing plants, right? but in these techy-days, peoples yards are more well monitored than before, and anybody risking fence diving risks getting busted one way or another! I have to laugh, here in a legal state and grow, I can literally call the cops to report the theft! -- hey, trespassing is trespassing, to say nothing of the value of the plants,.. that could push it into felony charges range! 
.... no, my biggest enemy is mold, botrytis aka bud rot,... there are some tricks to work there to help reduce impact, certain microbial sprays (they eat fungal microbes), a fan for air movement,.. smaller pot can be hauled off to rain shielded areas too if you're lucky! Here is where strain choice matters greatly 
.... gotta do your research on mold resistance, and chose wisely or risk a real shit-show at the end! ... sheesh, ramble on Mr. gellie-
thanks RG, it's all about paying it forward,... I had some old Admin help me out plenty when I first came, green as the plants at growing canna' at least,.. I did have lots of experience with species orchids, carnivores, cactus/succulents, which definitely helped, but running any annual is a very different game,... So, you dig in, research, read up, pester the shit out of better growers-- and sponge it all up and apply best you can! This is how I got roped into becoming the Infirmary chief,... mentors helped me diagnose my plants, then I started helping mates, and it grew from there,.. then I got snagged by JM and Aunty mossy for staff! We have excellent hydro growers here, they would know best of the Bt will be a problem in a res' env., even if it's just to snuff the bastards in the wool cubes or whatever,... my worry is "contaminating" the res' solution and throwing off the other beneficials in there,.... soil so so so different in this regard, much more dynamic and competitive (read stabilizing) from the sheer numbers and types of microbes,....
I know, Canada is a real beating for certain products, shipping, etc.,... spinosad isn't the product name per se, it's the active ingredient... it can be found as a ready spray, or as a conc.,... it's derived from a bacterium, so is "food safe, organic" and all that jazz,... it's not a contact killer, it needs time to work ( a neurotoxin, like pyrethrum, which comes from chrysanthemums),.. usually they sicken quickly, go off feed, and croak out a day or so later! 
...
I love it! ...how I miss that orchid job,... My collection is a pale shadow of what it was back then,...
... best part was getting to try out different species, and if they didn't like Life there, they came back before croaking out! ...had some great surprises that way, some real jungle types like Den. antennatum did surprisingly well in such a temperate climate, and indoors,... others were a flop! 
--crazy cool red comet-like flowers! ... seeds of this common Sundew variety have been carrying on into most divisions I make for years now- 
eeeeeewwww...! 
- goes your dignity! 
... I've not tried it myself for this, but will when the chance presents! I figure on veg'ing plants, fans only, any remnants will be of no concern,... Might have to test that regardless and see if a water rinse+wetting agent clears most of it out..?
.... You'll see!
...... yes, a few were insufferable, they weren't interested in anything but the satisfaction of crapping on somebody, but usually "management" knew these clowns well enough to where the real bitching was coming from....Most were OK though, and a few others were great to work with,...and spent the $$! .... I didn't totally escape from butthead customers at the greenhouses though, this place was one of the few around where regular customers, orchid societies, tours, etc. could literally browse the greenhouses directly by appointment... We did orchid shows too...But they were actually few and far between, plus my friends/bosses knew well and would warn me ahead of time... then after, we'd all go have a "safety meeting" 
....
