It doesn’t matter whether one is growing cannabis for personal use or a living. It is crucial to provide your plants with the greatest possible start. Healthy beginnings will foster rapid, vigorous growth, just as they do in animals and infants.
- Grow the proper strain of marijuana: When growing cannabis outdoors, it is critical to select the appropriate strain. Your chosen variety should match your location and climate constraints.
For example, if you live in a place with cool year-round temperatures and short summer growing seasons. You will need to select strains that are suited to such conditions. Choosing the proper one entails tailoring your strain selection to the climate in which you will be cultivating.
Those living in colder temperate zones must select strains accordingly. Summers are brief, and winter frosts are powerful enough to wipe off any cannabis crop. As a result, time and variety selection are critical. Early Skunk Feminized and Jamaican Pearl are two strains that work well in this climate. They are hardy strains with short flowering cycles.
Those who reside in more temperate climates have a little more leeway when it comes to growing cannabis. The bulk of commercial strains have been designed expressly for growing in warmer regions. Cannabis grows best in climates with mild winters and long summers. Those who live in warm areas can cultivate nearly any strain. It is possible to have both Sativa and Indica dominant cultivars.
Sativa and C. Indica are the two most common varieties of cannabis crossed for growing cannabis with hybrid qualities. Sativa plants, which can grow to be 20 feet tall, are best planted outside. Indoors, Indica plants grow better since they are shorter and bushier.
- Start from Indoors: It is best to germinate your seeds indoors and let them grow in pots. Growing cannabis at least a week or two under artificial lighting or on a windowsill is apt. It protects the seedlings from being eaten by birds or insects while they are still young and sensitive. As well, it gives them a head start if the weather is still a little cool outside.
It is the time to expose your young plants to the outside world. And, it’s best to put them outside gradually, for they can adjust to the change in environment. At first, only let your plants in outdoors for a few hours at a period, and make sure they are protected. They will be hardy enough after a week or so of increasing exposure to outside conditions. Then they can be kept outside full-time, either in pots, bags, or holes dug into the soil.
- Cultivate in full sun: Marijuana plants want direct sunshine. You are growing cannabis outdoors; a garden bed that receives several hours of direct sunlight is excellent. Use a grow light if you’re growing marijuana indoors.
The golden guideline for growing cannabis outdoors is that the more sunlight, the better. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to a terrace, balcony, patio, or garden that receives light all day. Weeds have an intense love affair with the sunlight; it is why they love outdoor gardens. And, it is critical to understand how much sunshine your growing cannabis plants require to create a good crop.
According to latitude, the angle at which the sun’s rays impact the planet’s surface differs from perpendicular. A south-facing garden receives more sunshine in the northern hemisphere, whereas a north-facing garden is ideal in the southern.
- Choose a rich soil base: Make sure your soil is apt for growing cannabis, as it is possibly one of the most vital components. Test your soil to see if the pH of it is not too low or high. Then, add chemicals such as lime to raise the pH or sulfur to lower the pH.
Soil consistency is also vital; too much clay and the soil can get sticky and drains poorly. While adding too much sand can make the drainage too rapid. Cannabis prefers loamy soil, which is composed primarily of sand and silt with a low clay ratio. Around 40% slit, 40% sand, & 20% clay is a good combination for growing cannabis.
In addition, soil fertility is also critical. If there is a lot of and a variety of vegetation in the soil, Adding mulch or manure is an excellent method to revitalize it. And, it also improves the levels of accessible nutrients for your plants.
If your soil is poor for growing cannabis, you can prefer a quick & easy solution. You can buy commercial soil and grow your plants in pots. You can dig them into the ground but keep them in bags; so they don’t get exposed to the neighboring ones.
- Choose the right growing location: The best location for growing cannabisoutdoors is bright, sheltered, well-irrigated, and with a good drainage. Look for a plot that receives direct sunshine in the morning and indirect sunlight in the afternoon. It is also good if you can find a location with a consistent breeze. Keep in mind, however, that this increases water usage.
It may also be worthwhile to purchase wire cages to keep animals at bay. As previously stated, certain plants can grow to be over six feet tall. Some plants can grow to be so tall that they resemble mini-skyscrapers when planted outside. Make sure to account for this while growing cannabis, as these plants, can grow to be over twelve feet tall at times.
If you’re unsure about your location, it’s best to keep your plants in pots. In this manner, you can move your plants around as needed until you discover the best one. If you place them on the ground too soon, you won’t be able to transport them in poor conditions.
- Keep the surroundings warm: Marijuana is a warm-weather plant, so move it outside after the last frost date. Marijuana plants thrive in climates with temperatures ranging from 64 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit.
If the temperature is low, you can utilize a range of standard heating alternatives. Like, electric, gas, and other types of heaters commonly seen in homes or commercial buildings.
Heat lights and insulation are alternative options, and heat mats placed beneath containers help warm the soil. A fan can help circulate warm air in bigger spaces, allowing all growing cannabis plants to benefit equally.
- Growing cannabis plants need support: Every grower hopes for huge cannabis blooms. When flowers become too large, they might begin to weigh down branches and even harm the stems. But don’t let this deter you from producing massive buds. Use indoor and outdoor techniques to keep your canopies robust, supported, and load-bearing.
Marijuana is a thick plant. It will benefit from being caged or trained against a trellis, just like a tomato plant. Provide internal support to the main stem and branches through a heavy-duty cage or stand.
- Get rid of male plants: The process of culling male plants is critical for the overall operation of growing cannabis. It is very crucial to separate male plants from precious females. If males do not get removed quickly enough, the plants will be ineffective in producing high-quality flowers. A small amount of pollen can go a long way toward seeding all females in the room.
Before releasing any pollen, the grower must ensure that all growing cannabis male plants are removed from the female grow chamber. Failure to do so is catastrophic for the success & the creation of high-quality, seedless flowers.
If female and male plants coexist, female plants will dedicate more energy to seed production, diluting THC potency. Female plants create flower clusters that grow into buds, while male plants produce green clusters at leaf joints.
- Harvest and process on time:
Harvest time is a moment of glory for growers; it is the time when they finally enjoy the rewards of growing cannabis. However, many inexperienced growers jeopardize the quality of their ultimate crop by harvesting too early or too late. Therefore, growers should never underestimate the significance of the harvest stage.
It is best to harvest when the bulk of the hair-like pistils on a marijuana bud have darkened and curled. Remove the branches, trim the leaves, and hang the stems upside down to dry. When they have dried totally, clip off the buds to cure in jars.