A Beginner’s Guide on How to Grow Cannabis Outdoors in 2021
Growing cannabis outdoors can be an intimidating job if you aren’t well-experienced. But the reality is; anyone can grow cannabis outdoors. As long as you are putting effort and time, you are good to go.
But first, it would be better if you understand how you should grow cannabis outdoors. Growing cannabis outdoors might be tricky at some times, and it’s opposite to indoor cultivation.
In this article, we’ll look into the things which are relatively significant in outdoor cannabis cultivation.
Also, you’ll get to know the benefits of growing outdoors. And most importantly, we’ll discuss the reasons why you should grow cannabis outdoors. So, follow our lead!
Why You Should Grow Cannabis Outdoors?
Growing cannabis outdoors is terrific because you don’t have to rely on artificial equipment to grow. The supremacy of sunlight is the most significant factor in growing cannabis outdoors.
The popularity of indoor growing comes with a lot of consumption of electricity. Equipment like ventilation system and indoor growing lights eats up a lot of electricity.
As opposed to, outdoors don’t need any kind of artificial equipment at all. All it needs is sun, air, and water to thrive. And most importantly, it does not produce any carbon footprint.
In short, growing outdoors is environmental-friendly. That’s why the outdoor option is a better choice.
Well, here are some other reasons why you should grow cannabis outdoors:
● Cheap
Growing cannabis outdoors is relatively cheap compared to indoor cultivation because it does not require any special equipment or pots. All you have to do is place the plant directly into the outside soil.
You won’t require humidifiers, temperature control devices, and expensive tents because mother nature has everything. But still, you’ll need to get some basics, like seeds and fertilizers.
● No Limitation of Growth
Due to less occupation in indoor gardening, you force yourself to restrict the growth of plants, but there aren’t any restrictions to grow cannabis outdoors!
Your plants can grow to their full potential. If your climate does support your cultivation, you will obviously achieve more and better crops than indoor growing.
Remember, you’ll have to be very careful with the growth of the plants as the cannabis plants can grow and spread faster than your imagination. There are certain states where restrictions have been applied on excessive cannabis cultivation.
● Long-Lasting
Growing cannabis indoors may affect the inside environment. Also, you’ll be needing a sufficient amount of space along with the necessary equipment that runs on electricity.
And don’t forget the ventilation part. The area that you’ve specified for your plants also needs to have air and temperature control. No living organism can survive without oxygen and habitable temperature.
Whereas, growing outdoors doesn’t have a significant effect on your environment.
Growing Cannabis Indoors Vs. Growing Cannabis Outdoors
There’s no question that growing cannabis outdoors can save tons of money compared to indoor growing.
We’re not claiming or forcing you to grow weed outdoors. Every person has their own perceptions and thoughts. Both ways have benefits in terms of needs and specific conditions.
Some people use both ways and grow cannabis indoors during the flowering stage when they require more light, then shift them outdoors.
Still, growers must know what benefits they are going to make with a particular process. For this purpose, we’ve created a list — the entire list is made under close cross-examining the indoor and outdoor growing process.
So, let’s get started with indoor growing first.
Benefits of Growing Cannabis Indoor
● Apart from weather conditions, indoor growing is much more cautious than growing outside.
Though many communities accept cannabis these days, some people are still pretty much against it. If you don’t want anyone to know that you’re growing cannabis at home, indoor growing would be the best option.
● You can control the entire growing environment, which means you can trigger anything you want with your plants. But for that, you’ve to set up the growing like growing medium, led grow lights, nutrients, growing tents, etc.
● Grow lights are the primary concern in growing cannabis indoors. Without the grow lights, it would be impossible to continue the indoor growing journey.
If the climatic conditions are not suitable for outdoor growing, you can use LED grow lights for growing cannabis indoors. LED grow lights are cheaper and energy-efficient compared to HPS lights. A single 600W HPS light consumes more electricity than a regular refrigerator.
● Indoor cannabis growing takes a shorter time as growers are in control of everything.
● You can easily manage and take care of your plants.
● Since you’re in control, you can have many crops in a single year.
Benefits of Growing Cannabis Outdoors
● Since everything goes organically, it gives more fruitful results.
● Since mother nature controls the environment, you don’t have to worry about light, electricity, and oxygen. All you need is a few necessary nutrients and water for healthier growth.
● Stress-free method as cannabis plants needs less care in the natural environment. If you’re in an area where the climate suits the growing, you must go with outdoor growing and let nature do its things.
● No need for expensive indoor setups, the cheapest way to start your journey in cannabis cultivation.
● Many growers feel that growing cannabis outdoors produces more flavorful buds due to the natural light from the sun.
How to Set up Your Outdoor Cannabis Grow
Growing cannabis outdoors can be complicated for some growers. Perhaps, indoor growers can also face problems while switching to outdoors. Outdoor growing needs a different style of experience compared to indoor gardening.
That’s why we’ve prepared some considerations before jumping into outdoor cultivation:
1. Climatic Conditions
As we mentioned above, weather conditions play a vital role in outdoor growth. Without weather consent, you can never accomplish your goals.
So, it’s better to understand the nature of the climate in the area where you planned to grow cannabis outdoors.
Cannabis can be habitable in various conditions except for the extreme ones. The temperature above 31 ℃ (85 ℉) will lead your plant to stop growing. In contrast, a temperature below 15 ℃ (59 ℉) will damage your plants.
Heavy rains and wind can also damage your plant physically.
2. Choosing the Best Grow Site
Like climatic conditions, choosing the best grow site is always crucial. Here are the things you should look for while selecting the location for cannabis:
● Sunlight: Keep one thing in mind, cannabis plants can’t survive without light. Therefore, it’s very important to avoid shaded areas that stop the sunlight from reaching the ground. More importantly, you must know that the cannabis plant needs 6 hours of direct light in a day.
● Wind: The area having constant breeze is a good sign for your plant’s especially in hot weather. But if you live in an area where winds are higher than usual, consider placing a fence to stop the wind.
● Protection: Tall fences would be the best option that may keep away the potential thieves and animals from your garden.
● Grow Space: Cannabis plants can grow up to 10 or even more, depending on the strains you’re using. Whatever and wherever you decide to grow cannabis outdoors, think of the size of the final plant.
3. Planning Your Garden
This is the phase where you decide whether you should follow your cannabis growing with seeds or clones.
The plants that have grown from the seeds are typically more heather and robust compared to clones. They develop a stronger taproot which leads your plant to protect from environmental conditions and pest pressure.
The only disadvantage of growing cannabis seeds is the attention required at the germination phase.
The inexperienced growers can take the benefits of using clones to grow cannabis outdoors. Cannabis clones can be found in the local dispensary.
The root system of clones is opposite to the deep taproot generated by seeds. Clones produce fibrous roots, can reduce the potential to withstand environmental stress.
It’s up to you which type of growing you want to grow in your area.
Many experienced growers usually start growing the plants indoors to make sure they are well protected from the weather conditions and insects. Once they feel the plants have grown enough to withstand the winds.
4. Soil for Outdoor Growing
Quality soil has been a significant concern for most growers. They always ask questions on the quality and type of the soil to use outdoor.
Cannabis plants love rich soil filled with organic matter, and they provide good drainage.
Most cannabis growers use the strategy to dig the ground and add fresh soil for plants. Some would prefer to go with the containers or pots.
If you’re planning to grow directly into the ground, you’ll need to understand your soil composition. If you are going this way, it’s better to test the pH of your soil. It will determine the toxicity of your soil to tell whether it is suitable for cultivation or not.
5. Nutrients and Water
Growing weed outdoors takes more nutrients and water compared to indoor growing. Organic waste and soil contain enough nutrients for a startup, but it requires more nutrients once the plant grows bigger.
The three main nutrients required for cannabis are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
Each nutrient is specified for the growth cycle. Like the vegetative phase, it requires more nitrogen to develop healthier roots and leaves.
In comparison, the flowering stage requires potassium and phosphorus rather than nitrogen. Avoid all-in-one fertilizers as they contain high nitrogen and can be harmful to the flowering cycle.
We recommend you use organic nutrients as they are the best source of microbes. The origins of organic nutrients can be found in alfalfa meals, bone meals, fish emulsion, and earthworm casting.
Same as nutrients, growing cannabis outdoors requires plenty of water. The amount of water generally depends on the size of the plants or container.
Water your plant properly during the vegetative stage, not until the 1 inch of topsoil dried out. In contrast, containers or pots tend to dry faster than soil, and they’ll need water frequently.
6. Pest Control
It’s an obvious thing when you grow anything outside; you would expect unwanted intruders. Wait for your plants to see if they defend themselves naturally.
If not, then go with the pesticides plan. Plenty of pests are available in different forms, from large deer and gopher to small slugs and spider mites.
Most growers don’t spend on many synthetic insecticides, and they only prefer to use organic pesticides and insecticides to prevent the attacks. Beneficial insects, fungi, and bacteria can also be used to protect cannabis plants from insects.
Tips for Bigger Buds Outdoors
So, you want more prominent and fruitful buds for outdoor cultivation, right? Well, with less environmental control and sources, bigger buds don’t come easily unless you’ve prepared a plan for it.
Follow these quick tips to achieve bigger cannabis buds:
● Pruning: Without sufficient light at the bottom of your plant, your plant can never develop buds. Follow the pruning technique known as selective defoliation, trim everything at the bottom that does not receive light.
● Training Techniques: There are quite a few training techniques for cannabis growing to ensure the quality and health of the cannabis plant. Low-Stress training is one of them to ensure the proper light reaches the bottom of the plant.
● Benefits of Soil: Organic soil is always enriched with nutrients, leading plants to achieve denser buds and increase potency.
● Nutrients: Nutrients and fertilizer are always helpful to your plants in maximizing the potency and buds’ size of the plants during their life cycle.
