Growing marijuana outdoors can get you a big harvest. One of main reasons for that is that they can grow into very big bushes. Growing inside requires a bit of investment on your side, while growing marijuana outdoors can be fairly cheap as you don’t need that much of special equipment.
In this article we will try to cover a subject of how to grow marijuana outdoors and have a good yield.
Note: When growing marijuana outdoors you should take into account what kind of climate are you planning to grow in. Cannabis loves warm weather and sun. However, not all of us live in such climate zones, yet you can still have great results growing in colder climate.
Choose the right strain
Over the years people have been breeding and cross breeding lots of different cannabis strains. Some grow tall, some grow small, some of them are more or less potent and the list goes on. So that means you can find strains that were bred specifically for growing marijuana outdoors. Find outdoor seeds
These type of outdoor strains tend to take less time to grow and less time to reach flowering stage. They are more resistant to humidity and mould. Read more about cannabis seeds here.
Best time to plant your seeds
Like any other plant, cannabis has a life cycle from seed to fully developed plant. Spring is the best time to plant marijuana seeds. From spring to around mid-summer your plants will be growing wild, but when the days start becoming shorter, they will start putting their energy and resources into flowers.
In different parts of the world and different climate zones spring may come sooner or later. Find out when does spring start in your region so you would know exactly when is the best time to plant them.
Where should you plant your seeds?
Now this is, really, a question that only you know the answer to. If growing or even having cannabis in your country is illegal then we wouldn’t advise you to grow it at all. But if you insist, then think about a place where your plants could get direct sunlight, but at the same time would be well hidden. Could be your garden, could be a good spot in the forest. Use your imagination. If it is legal to grow where you live then ignore the above suggestions.
It’s a good idea to plant your seeds and keep your plants in pots through out their lifespan. You can plant seeds directly into ground, but I wouldn’t suggest that. There’s all sorts of crap in the ground that you might not even be aware of which can cause a lot of harm in future for your plants.
Germinating seeds
As we discussed before you should plant your seeds early in the spring. Try planting more seeds then you plan to grow, just in case. Some of the seeds might not even come out, some of them may turn out to be male plants. If however you have ordered seeds online, they should all be feminized (female), but even then it’s good to double check (more on this subject later).
You can read this article for more in-depth knowledge on “How to germinate marijuana seeds”.
For the first 3-4 weeks or so, you should keep your plants inside, somewhere warm and where they could get direct sunlight. Why inside if I’m growing marijuana outdoors you ask? Well, for a simple reason – predators. Yes, a lot can happen to your baby plants in wilderness that is outside those doors – snails, animals, harsh weather. You should take it outside once the plant grew strong and big enough that it could stay and enjoy the outside.
Check out our How to germinate cannabis seeds guide
Time to take them outside
Once the 3-4 week period has passed it should be safe to take you plants outside. You can put your plants either in pots or directly into the ground. Whichever one you choose, make sure you’re using good soil. A good soil is dark, close to black, it’s rich with nutrients and fertilizers. It is a good idea to buy a potting mix or a quality garden soil. If there’s no perlites ( little white clay bubbles) try getting some and mixing it in with the soil.
Pots
Cannabis loves light and rich soil. Try not to pressure the soil as marijuana roots need oxygen. That’s also where the perlites in soil come in handy. If you’re using plastic pots, you might want to drill or cut lots of small holes in it for oxygen to come in. But we strongly suggest using fabric pots for that matter. Oxygen can easily reach the roots through fabric. The bigger pots you get, the bigger the plant will grow as it will have more room for roots. 7 gallon or bigger pots will do the trick.
Ground
If you decide to plant cannabis directly into the ground, make sure the soil is good. It’s a good option if you dig a hole about half meter (20 inches or more) in diameter and depth. Fill the hole with quality soil and plant your plants in it.
Note:
Remember, good soil and letting roots breath is one of the keys in successful grow. Obviously good sun exposure is necessary. If you plant your cannabis in pots, you will be able to move it around if necessary. Make sure there are no big plants or trees around it that would block the sun.
Time to lay back
So the important part is finished. You have chose the correct strain you want to grow, you germinated it and planted it in to pot. Your plants are now outside and enjoying warm and sunny weather.
Don’t forget to water your plants regularly. When the soil dries up it’s time to water it. The trick is, feel the soil with back of your fingers, if it’s cold – there’s still enough water in it. If it feels warm and looks dry – time to water it. Don’t over do it with watering.
Fertilizer
In 3-4 weeks you can start using fertilizer. Up till this point your plants have had enough nutrients they needed from the soil, but cannabis is a hungry plant. If you want it big and healthy we suggest using fertilizer.
Any fertilizer designed to be used for food plants works ( for example tomato fertilizer). There are some fertilizers that are designed for marijuana, it may be a little bit more pricey, but it’s designed to fulfill the needs of this particular plant. Don’t forget you or someone will be smoking this weed so you don’t want to use something harmful.
Don’t over do it with fertilizer too, it may damage your plants or kill them completely. Always follow the instructions on the label. Keep an eye on your plants, if leaves start to become yellowish or brownish, add some fertilizer.
Time to kill the boys
Once your plants start budding you might notice that some plants look a bit different than others. That is because cannabis can grow to be male or female. It’s best to spot male plants as soon as possible and remove them.
Why? *An obvious question arises*
If you do not remove male plants, eventually they will pollinate female plants. Once that happens, your female plants will start putting their energy in developing seeds. Which will result in lesser yield and seeds. Male plants in general have low Tetrahydrocannabinol (a.k.a. THC) levels and they don’t produce those buds that we use for smoking.
How to spot a male weed plant
As your plants start growing buds you might notice a difference in male and female plants. Female plants have small white hairs appearing on their buds, while males have something that looks like balls. Yes, balls. They may look a little smaller in early stages that the picture illustrates but you’ll be able to notice it. It’s usually found in between stems.
Simple way to remove it – just pull it out and do whatever with it afterwards. Mulch it, chop it, burn it. All up to you.
Now you have only females growing, keep looking after them for the next 2-4 months ( time may vary, depends on the strain you chose and other factors)
Time to harvest your ladies
After about 3-5 months of growing marijuana outdoors you will notice that your plants started growing less and slower. Buds have thickened, white hairs started turning brown. These are your clues that it’s finally time to harvest your precious buds. At this stage you might feel a little sad that it’s time to say good bye, but don’t be. Cause soon you will be so baked you won’t even care. Enjoy!
If you want to find out more details about harvesting marijuana read through this short article. You may also want to look into Drying marijuana and proper Curing of marijuana.
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