One of the benefits of growing marijuana outdoors is that you get to rely on the sun’s power. This way, there will be no need to spend vast tons of money trying to create the right marijuana environment. Growing weed outside will be pretty easy in this case. All that you will need to have access to a right sunny spot either in the balcony, private yard, rooftop, or terrace. Even if the local weather and the sun tie you, you will eliminate the costs of buying the equipment required when growing cannabis indoors.
Before making up your mind to grow weed outdoors, it is right for you to seek information from your local community of cannabis growers. This will give you insights into how to grow cannabis in your regional climate. The reason why this is important is that climates vary from one place to the other. Knowing what strain of cannabis works well on your local climate, therefore, will attribute you’re your success. There are different strains, including the OG Kush Strain. You will get knowledge on the appropriate time to pop seeds and prune marijuana plants. Joining social media groups or other online forums can be a good idea. Still, the basic one is beginning at your local growing shop.
Growing Cannabis Indoors vs. Outdoors: The Difference
Growing marijuana outdoors basically implies that you will have so much space to work in that it has plenty of rainwater, sunshine, and proper ventilation. All the same, this does not come without its challenges. For instance, the plants will be susceptible to pet insects, large predators, too much cold, and too much heat.
On the other hand, growing cannabis indoors basically offers the plants proper shelter. At the same time, the cultivator will be in complete control of the plant’s growing environment. In this case, the growers will be free to adjust the humidity and temperature while keeping the plants concealed.
To sum things up, indoor cannabis growers will have limited space and less potential for good yields. Even worse, indoor growers will have to splash too much money on the electricity bills required to run these setups.
Growing Marijuana Outdoors: The Benefits You Should Know
Big yields- in layman’s language, the sky will be the limit in terms of yields when growing marijuana outdoors. When you grow cannabis outdoors, you can leave them to grow as tall and big as you would wish. This will, of course, be at a level that can be easily managed. A single plant is going to potentially produce close to one pound of cannabis. As opposed to the limitation of indoor growing of cannabis, outdoor growing will have a better yield.
Fun and relaxing- you should never neglect the therapeutic values that gardening comes along with. It proves to be so relaxing spending time outdoors. You will have to roll up your sleeves and get the hands dirty for some time. Generally, no feeling beats that of smoking something that you cultivated yourself.
Cost-effective- You will spend less money when growing marijuana outdoors because you will depend on Sunpower. All that you will need is soil, fertilizer, clones or seeds, and probably a small greenhouse. As opposed to growing cannabis indoors, there will be no electricity bills for lights, dehumidifiers, or rainwater collection.
Friendly to the environment-indoor growing of cannabis can be, to a large extent, very wasteful. Think about using electricity to power the lights, fans among other equipment. In terms of cost-effectiveness and environmental conservation, the wind and the sun and naturally free.
Some Steps to Grow Marijuana Outdoors
As we have discussed above, growing marijuana outdoors poses so many benefits. All the same, you will need to take several steps to make sure that the growth process remains at its best. Below are the steps that will make the growth process a success;
Step 1: Consider the Climate
Before proceeding to grow marijuana, you need to understand your local climate clearly. Even though cannabis is adaptable to different conditions, it is highly susceptible to extreme weather. Temperatures above 86 degrees Fahrenheit, for instance, will stop the growth of your plants. When the temperatures get below 55 degrees Fahrenheit still, your plants are likely to die.
High winds and heavy rains cause physical damages to plants, which in turn reduces yields. On the other hand, excess moisture leads to powdery mildew, particularly amid the flowering stage.
An excellent idea to understanding the climate will be using local resources and expert gardeners in your region. Additionally, if you are an experienced grower of veggies, growing marijuana outdoors will not be hard for you.
Step 2: Find a Location for Your Outdoor Grow
When growing marijuana outdoors, your cannabis plants are required to receive direct sunlight, particularly during midday. This is the period when light quality is at its best. When fall approaches, the plants get less sunlight that triggers the flowering stage. In hot climates, a constant breeze will be ideal for your plants.
Additionally, you will want a place that has adequate security and privacy for your plants. Most people prefer concealing their gardens from potential thieves and sneaky neighbors. Tall trees, shrubs, and fences should serve you well. State laws might also require to grow marijuana in a concealed location.
Step 3: Decide on Cannabis Genetics
Choosing the right also influences your success depending on your location. Plants that are grown from seed become heartier in the early stages compared to clones. The only drawback is that it is not guaranteed what to get at the end. In case the seeds were not feminized, you can get both male and female plants. Based on cannabis legality in your region, you should source seeds or clones from local dispensaries.
Step 4: Soil and Other Media for Outdoor Cannabis Growing
Soil comes in different ratios of clay, sand, and silt. You can decide to plant directly to the ground or purchase some soil. In general cases, cannabis survives well in soils with rich organic matter. When you decide to plant directly to the ground, make sure that you understand the soil composition.
Heavy clay soil won’t hold oxygen properly and drains slowly. It, therefore, means that it should be heavily amended. Sandy soil has good drainage and warms fast. However, it won’t hold up nutrients properly, particularly in rainy environments. Lastly, silt soil is an ideal growth medium, given that it is easy to work with. Other than having so many nutrients, it holds up moisture well and has good drainage.
To avoid so much headache, get your soil tested. This will help you understand your soil composition very clearly.
Step 5: Get Some Fertilizers and Nutrients
Throughout their lifecycle, cannabis plants need many nutrients. The feeding method you choose depends on the soil composition. Commercial fertilizers can be useful if you clearly understand your plants’ needs. All the same, first-time growers should avoid them.
Organic fertilizers, on the other hand, minimize the harmful runoff. There are many variants of these fertilizers, including blood meal, fish meal, kelp meal, and others. It is good to start with fertilizers that are affordable and readily available.
As we said, getting the soil tested will help you to understand what your plants need. Topdressing will also prove to be useful when you are not sure what to use.
Step 6: Choose Your Containers
When your soil is not that good, you can decide to put your plants. This can also be when you do not want to get involved in the heavy labor of digging holes. The advantage of containers is that you will be able to move them around during the day to give them the best growth conditions.
One drawback of growing plants in a container is that they tend to be smaller than those planted on the ground. The container size will restrict root growth. It is therefore wise to keep this factor into consideration when making your choice of containers.
Step 7: Give Your Cannabis Plants Water
Even though your outdoor plants will benefit from groundwater as well as rainwater, frequent watering will still be needed. This will be the case, particularly amid the summer months. Some giant plants can use up to 10 gallons of water daily.
Watering the plants will depend on the climate condition of the area that you reside in. you need to remember that over-watering your plants is a huge mistake. The general rule is to water the plants deeply as you wait for them to dry before watering again. For a beginner, the soil moisture monitoring meter will be a useful tool.
Step 8: Protect Your Cannabis Plants
This is where outdoor growers of cannabis find their cultivation challenging. Temperature is one thing they will be required to control. In case you reside in some climate where early fall frosts or late springs tend to occur, using a protective enclosure like a greenhouse can help.
High winds will potentially break your plants’ branches. In case your garden is situated in a windy spot, you can consider setting up a windbreak. Apart from wind, rain is also seen as a great nuisance for cannabis growers. Excess rain can lead to mildew, especially amid flowering. Constructing DIY greenhouses, in this case, will help.
Keeping your cannabis plants safe from pests is daunting. The real challenge comes with the flying and crawling pests. Large pets such as deer will only need a physical barrier like a fence. For the small pests, you need to keep the plants healthy. With that, they will build up resistance to these pests. All the same, there are organic pesticides designed for that.
Conclusion
The problem that most cannabis growers face is inadequate information on how to go about cultivating this plant. Part of the reason for that is that the plant is not yet legal in most parts of the world. By now, however, you must have had adequate knowledge on how to grow marijuana outdoors successfully. Growing and cultivation of plants is enjoyable and rewarding with the above tips.
As we mentioned earlier, growing marijuana outdoors comes with a heap of benefits. You will save so much money and have huge yields, which is not the case for indoor growth. When opting to do so, it is vital to make sure that cannabis is legalized in your area. This way, you will be able to offer the best growth environment to these plants.
