Outdoor cultivation is expected by gardeners from all over the USA and Canada and is carried out in one season, a time that covers the spring, summer, and autumn seasons, each moment with its own details and contributions to outdoor cultivation.
In the northern hemisphere in countries such as Canada and the USA, gardeners usually start their weed crops during April, the month in which spring usually begins. To avoid mistakes, they start by growing their plants indoors, and then let them grow and bloom outdoors to take advantage of the benefits of the sun that hits hard during the season. Cannabis plants generally flower until early or mid-autumn in the parts of North America or Europe where climates tend to be warmer and where gardeners tend to wait longer to harvest their crops.
For this reason, it is always good to know the local climate where you want to grow high-quality outdoor marijuana. Before growing, know the ideal temperature your plants require to thrive, the best site, the optimal time to plant and harvest, and the photoperiod of the season: the amount and intensity of light available during the duration of the crop season. Now, we are going to analyze some of the main variables or factors that you must take into account when growing outdoors in order to have maximum success with your cannabis plants.
Select the best place to grow marijuana outdoors
In general, growers from the northern hemisphere or from countries like the USA and Canada should place their cannabis plants facing south so that the weed plants can receive as many light hours as possible and have good development. As the plants grow and develop bigger arms, you will have to provide supports to hold the weight of the branches and prevent the weed plant from spending its energy supporting that weight. If the territory where you cultivate is very hot with long days of light, then you can use protective mesh that filters the sun’s rays in order to avoid light and heat stress to which the plants can be subjected.
On the contrary, if the climate is rather cold, you should ensure that the plants are not exposed to very radical low temperatures. Try to give some heat to the plants so they don’t become stressed by low temperatures, an issue that can reduce their growth or flowering and even the harvest. Gardeners are always on the lookout for when the rains start because usually in the northern hemisphere, this is typically when the plants are harvesting. So, it is always important to have a good cultivation schedule to avoid having problems with the first rains at the end of the season. In case you still want harvest your plants, try to cover them with plastic or keep them inside a greenhouse so the harvest is not affected.
Pots vs In-ground growing
As you already know, there are different ways to grow marijuana. At this point, we will focus on two formats. One is growing in pots which can be small, medium or large. This method is convenient because the plants can be moved from one side of the garden to the other to maximize sunlight or protect them from adverse conditions such as rain, strong winds, or extreme temperatures.
It is good to point out that fabric pots are the least expensive and most effective solution as they allow ample drainage and plenty of oxygen to reach the roots. On the other hand, plastic pots are also lightweight and inexpensive but tend to retain more heat than fabric containers. In case you plan to plant your marijuana plants directly in the ground or in a raised bed, you will need to prepare the growing area. If you want to use a pot to grow your weed plants, then you can use supports as the roots will grow thick and anchor to the substrate. Therefore, with a good support, you will help the plant to remain stable.
When we compare which mediums are friendlier to weed plants, we can easily recognize that direct soil cultivation or raised beds are more beneficial for cannabis plants because they can better obtain nutrients and their roots develop stronger and tend to have more strength than when grown in pots. However, this is not a perfect solution because the big problem generated by direct cultivation on land is that the plants cannot be moved from the place of cultivation and generally need structures to be protected. Hence, many growers use greenhouses which protect the plants from rain and wind as well as large metal structures (mesh) to give the ganja plant extra strength to concentrate its energies on the production of buds.
At this point, it is good to highlight the importance of healthy and strong cannabis plants because this is the first line to fight against pests and insects that can damage the final harvest. You can prevent the growth and appearance of weeds with homemade pesticides that prevent their proliferation. It is important that these herbs do not appear as they will reduce the amount of nutrients that the plant can consume and, therefore, will cause the harvest to be smaller than expected.
Do not spray plants with synthetic insecticides because they can damage them and more seriously, they can damage your health. There are no clear scientific studies that provide substantial data on how beneficial they are for weed plants. Remember, the more organic your crop is, the better the results you get. You can then use biocontrollers for pests and insects such as spiders, jumping spiders, ladybugs, and other native and beneficial predatory insects which can help rid the crop of insects such as aphids and whiteflies.
Nutrients
We already know that cannabis plants require nutrients to be able to grow and flourish which they initially obtain from the substrate they are grown in. After this, the plants always require nourishment with fertilizers that provide the necessary nutrition.
We do not recommend all-in-one fertilizers, that is, fertilizers that provide nutrients for both growth and flowering because they can contain a lot of nitrogen which can block the plant during flowering, at which time it requires more potassium and less nitrogen. What we do recommend is to use a more organic nutrition that is rich in microorganisms to stimulate life in the substrate. Use guano from bats and birds in bloom, worm humus for growth, and a more aerated and spongy substrate to promote strong growth of weed plants.
Select the right strain to grow outdoors
It is relevant to know what type of cannabis genetics to cultivate according to the type of climate in the place of cultivation as this can largely determine the success of the cultivation. For example: In the northern half of the USA where the growing season has shorter summers and rainfall that can be more abundant, weed gardeners may prefer mostly indica-leaning cannabis seeds. In contrast, mostly sativa genetics may be better suited to southern US climates where the growing season is longer with warmer days.
In addition, from the references that we have made, we can also affirm that the varieties that are selected according to the climate of the area of cultivation can vary according to their type. So, a grower from the northern part of the USA can grow Fast Version genetics or Autoflowering cannabis strains to ensure faster harvests without running the risk of damaging the long-awaited buds.
Gorilla Kush Auto
We recommend Gorilla Kush Auto when thinking of New England, the northern territory of the USA, including Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. This strain of autoflowering weed with a hybrid tendency is perfect for places like this as it is fast from sowing to harvest, requiring between 8 and 9 weeks for the entire cultivation cycle.
Also noteworthy is the power of Gorilla Kush Auto which is between 20%-24% THC, delivering yields of 19-21 oz/plant outdoors. If you grow it indoors, you will collect between 1.15-1.32 oz/ft2. The effect is very relaxing and will leave you in a state of meditation on the sofa at home which is perfect in combination with the flavors of the buds of this autoflowering marijuana which are earthy with sweet fruity notes and hints of pine or wood.
Grape killer 99
Grape Killer 99 is a feminized, mostly hybrid-type weed strain that aligns with these recommendations. It can be grown on the East Coast of the US, specifically New York, where the summer season tends to be warm with high percentages of humidity and good hours of sunshine. You are going to need quality cannabis seeds like Grape Killer 99 that flower in a short time of only 60-65 days, producing buds that will be ready before the first autumn rains.
If you want to harvest outdoors, the 21 oz/plant of buds that this hybrid variety of marijuana delivers, you must be careful with humidity. Therefore, we recommend growing it in a greenhouse or using cultivation techniques such as LST, defoliation in the lower part, and ensuring that the plant has good air circulation so that the flowers are not damaged by the appearance of any fungus or insects. For their part, gardeners who grow Grape Killer 99 indoors get between 1.31 – 1.64 oz/ft2 of buds that have THC levels between 15%-20% and very low percentages of CBD. They produce effects that are euphoric and very powerful for users. But that’s not all, because the flavors are fruity with notes of hashish and spicy touches.
Skunk x Blueberry Fast Version
As you already know, with the Fast Version strain, it takes 2 weeks less in the flowering period. For this reason, we recommend Sunk x Blueberry Fast Version because in addition to being a super fast growing genetic, it is very fast when it flowers because it only needs 8 to 10 weeks from the appearance of the first pistils to harvest.
Skunk x Blueberry Fast Version is a perfect strain to grow in the northern part of the USA, especially in Minnesota or Wisconsin, where summers tend to be shorter and the climate is much colder than in the southern part of the country. With this Fast Version strain, you get harvests of 28-31 oz/plant when growing outdoors. If you do it indoors, you get between 1.47 – 182 oz/ft2 of buds that are usually sticky and give off an intense Skunk aroma with soft touches of berries.
Sour Diesel Auto
Sour Diesel Auto is a strain we must recommend if you are going to grow outdoors in the north west part of the USA such as Oregon or Nevada because it is very easy to grow. In addition to being fast from planting to harvest, you will only need between 56-63 days for the entire growing cycle. This makes it one of the most recommended autoflowering weed seeds for outdoor growers in North West USA.
In addition, each gardener can harvest between 1-2 oz/plant outdoors and indoor growers get between 1.15-1.32 oz/ft2 of compact buds that have THC levels of 16%-23%. Do not forget that the flavors that Sour Diesel Auto gives off in each puff have an authentic diesel flavor and are accompanied by citrus and herbal notes with effects that are usually euphoric at the beginning and relaxing at the end of the flight.
Jamaican
Jamaican is a mostly sativa strain that comes from a landrace native to the mythical Caribbean island. This variety is ideal for warm places with long sunny days where you don’t have to worry about rain like Texas in the southern part of the USA where the sun hits hard every day.
Jamaican plants can be grown using techniques such as LST or SCROG where you will get maximum yields both outdoors where you can get 28-42oz/plant or indoors, harvesting 1.31-1.64oz/ft2. These feminized cannabis seeds generate plants of up to 6.56 ft. For this reason, apical or fine pruning is highly recommended to control the size and enhance the production of buds.
Also, flowering is very fast in Jamaican marijuana plants as it only takes 6-8 weeks. This strain produces sensations of extra energy with a lot of creativity and high feelings of happiness that end with a good relaxation. To finish, we highlight the sweet flavors with notes of pine and coffee that stand out in each puff you release of this Jamaican strain.
