Outdoor cannabis cultivation: how to do it?
Growing cannabis outdoors: how to do it?
Many people find it easiest to grow outdoors. Outdoor growers take advantage of what Mother Nature has to offer and produce the maximum possible crop. Outdoor cannabis cultivation is advantageous in thatyou don't have to spend a lot of money and you can rely on the sun's energy. If you are trying to grow outdoors for the first time, we will be happy to help you. Read on, prepare carefully and get the harvest you want!
The benefits of growing outdoors
Growing cannabis outdoors brings with it a number of benefits, both for the grower and for the cannabis plants themselves. Here are some of them:
Environmentally friendly
Growing indoors can be uneconomical. In contrast, to grow outdoors, all you need is sun, air and water.
Higher yields
Other benefits of growing outdoors include abigger harvest. Thanks to the sun and carbon dioxide, the plants grow extra-large leaves. This in turn helps to build up more energy to produce large sticks. You can therefore get a large amount of dried cannabis from a single plant.
Less costly
If you can rely on solar energy for growing, youdon't have to spend a lot of money on growing equipment. On top of that, you have an unlimited supply of fresh air, carbon dioxide and rainwater. You don't have to pay for electricity for lighting or air conditioning.
What is the best time to plant cannabis outdoors?
If you decide to grow outdoors, you first need to think about where to place the plants. Choose a location that guarantees a stable temperature, plenty of sunlight and protection from inclement weather. Growers in the northern hemisphere usually plant in April or May and harvest in mid-autumn, but it always depends on the variety. In the southern hemisphere, the growing season is the opposite. Planting occurs in early or mid-autumn and harvesting in mid-spring.
Choosing a suitable location for outdoor growing
There are plenty of suitable places whereoutdoor cannabis can begrown . Some growers have a large garden, others are limited to a smaller area. The most common growing locations include:
Balcony
If the balconies are south-facing, they get plenty of sunlight. However, there are some disadvantages that greatly affect the volume of your harvest. Plants grown on a very high balcony can face alot of wind and may not thrive on a north-facing balcony because they receive almost no direct sunlight.
Garden
The garden is one of the best places to grow cannabis. If you have plenty of space, you can grow several different types of cannabis at the same time in a 'polyculture', which improves the soil and helps fight pests, weeds and diseases without the use of chemicals.
Greenhouse
Greenhouses offer the best of both indoor and outdoor growing at the same time. They make use of natural sunlight and provide warmth and shelter. However, greenhouses need to be properly ventilated to prevent moisture build-up.
Growing in pots vs. in soil
Most outdoor growers grow cannabis either straight in the soil or in pots.
Growing in soil
Growing in the soil allows the plant to grow without any restrictions, resulting in a richer crop. A larger growing area also allows the plant to access more nutrients and water in the soil. However, growing in the ground is not without its drawbacks. You can't move the plants around as you can with potting, and in extreme weather you will need to protect them with additional materials.
Growing in pots
Growing in pots is advantageous because youcan move the plants around the garden to get as much sunlight as possible or to protect them from adverse conditions such as rain, strong winds or high temperatures. If you grow your plants in pots, they need to be repotted during the growing season to keep them growing.
Avoid ceramic pots as they are heavy and retain heat which can lead to drying of the soil and plant roots.
The best soil for cannabis grown outdoors
Soil is the topmost layer of soil in which the plants grow. Itis amixture of organic residues, clay and small stones. Cannabis plants need a specific type of soil to grow well. Therefore, youcannot use any substrate you can get.
When choosing a suitable soil for outdoor cannabis cultivation, you need to take into account its pH, texture and the presence of pathogens. The best soil for growing cannabis outdoors is one that isloose, drains well, but also retains enough moisture. The soil consists of three basic components: sand, silt and clay in a ratio of approximately 40:40:20.
Sand
Sand is the main component of soil and is made up of granular particles of rocks and minerals. Sandy soil is easyto work, drains well and warms up quickly. On the other hand,sand is less able to retain moisture and contains almost no nutrients.
Silty soil
This soil is composed mainly of loose clay and rock materials. It iseasy to cultivate, warms up quickly, retains moisture and drains water well and contains large amounts of nutrients and minerals.
Clay
Of these three components, clay has the smallest grains. Clay soils areslower to drain water and less able to hold oxygen, so they need to be fertilised thoroughly. However, they contain many important nutrients.
Choosing fertilisers and nutrients for outdoor cannabis
The key to successful cultivation is to provide the plants with sufficient nutrients. Good quality soil contains sufficient organic matter to start the growth cycle, but as the cannabis plant grows and moves into the flowering phase, the available nutrients may start to run out and additional fertiliser should be applied. The main nutrients used in growing cannabis are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. During the growing phase, plants need more nitrogen for root and leaf formation. At the beginning of the flowering phase, plants need more potassium and phosphorus.
Pest and weed control
When growing cannabis outdoors ,pests and weeds areunavoidable , but can be controlled with insecticides or pesticides. Keeping a clean environment around your cannabis plants will also help reduce these unwanted phenomena.
Final tips for successful outdoor cannabis cultivation
Growing cannabis outdoors can be a bit more challenging. Good quality soil is very important for successful cultivation and is one of the few factors you can control when growing outdoors.
In addition, by growing properly outdoors you can reduce emissions, reduce or completely avoid the use of non-organic pesticides and fertilisers and also save money significantly.
Practice and experience are a guarantee of success, so keep a regular growing diary and record all your mistakes and successes. Keeping these records can help you achieve a bountiful harvest in the future.
As you have seen for yourself, there is nothing difficult about outdoor growing. You can therefore buy cannabis seeds suitable for outdoor planting with a THC content of up to 1% in our e-shop and grow your own cannabis plants.
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