Guidelines on How to Grow Cannabis Outdoors

Most states in the United States have legalized marijuana either for medical or recreational use. This has facilitated many consumers to consider growing their own cannabis. Cannabis can be grown indoors or outdoors. Indoor growth is where the growing process is inside a room away from direct sunlight while in outdoor growth, the plants receive direct sunlight. Outdoor growing can be in open grounds or people can grow cannabis outdoors in pots. This article prepared by bestpot.ca looks into various factors to be considered while growing cannabis plant outdoors.

Choosing Climate Conditions

How to grow marijuana outside depends on the area’s climatic conditions. These conditions include temperature, moisture, wind and amount of rainfall. The optimal temperatures for the marijuana range between 55⁰F to 86⁰F. Temperatures below this range would inhibit the growth of the plant, destroy it or lead to plant death. Moisture levels beyond the optimum would cause powdery mildew. Heavy rains and winds break the plant’s branches and thus reducing its yields. These conditions should be checked before growing the plant outdoors.

Find the Best Location for Location

The location chosen for the cultivation of marijuana should be in such a way that the plant receives maximum sunlight. For places that receive high temperatures, the planting location should receive more sunlight in the morning hours to around midday and less sunlight in the afternoon. People living in places with low temperatures should plant it near objects such as high walls that retain heat. Farmers at places with strong winds should plant their crop near wind breakers such as large trees. Another aspect to consider in the choice of the location is the farmer’s privacy.  Anyone who is conscious about their privacy would plant the crop in areas with minimal public viewing and secure from thieves such as gardens surrounded with large trees or fenced with tall fences. Such a farmer can also plant their cannabis together with other leafy plants.

Special Soil for Cannabis

Whether planted on the ground or on pot, cannabis plant requires nutrients, oxygen and right amount of moisture. The soil in which this leafy plant is grown should have enough nutrients to support its growth. If these nutrients lack the farmer should improve it by adding organic manure or fertilizers. The soil that supports the growth of this plant should be well aerated. This is to provide enough oxygen for the crop. It should also hold adequate amount of water. Soil that does not hold water for long would deprive the plant enough of it. This can lead to the plant wilting and eventually dying. On the other hand, soil that holds a lot of water for long period of time would saturate the plant which is not healthy either.

Enrichment for Cannabis

Cannabis needs to be enriched with nutrients. Some of the essential nutrients required by cannabis include nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These nutrients can be found in fertilizers available in the local markets. To understand what nutrient(s) a certain soil lacks, a soil test is carried out. A soil expert advises on the best amendment for the soil to produce the expected yield. The farmer should be careful not to put excessive fertilizer as this poisons the plant. Homemade manure also adds these nutrients to the soil.

Cannabis Irrigation

Water is essential especially because cannabis is a leafy plant. Plants planted in open grounds should be watered regularly during dry seasons. This is because a lot of water is lost through vaporization. Excessive vaporization can be avoided through mulching.  Watering is done through sprinkler or drip irrigation where the plant is in large tracks of land or through water cans when planted in pots. Drainage techniques such as digging traces that direct water from plants should be applied in areas that receive high rainfall. This is to prevent waterlogging that facilitates fungal diseases.

Growing in Pots

Farmers without the luxury of open farming grounds would consider planting their weed in pots. Growing pot could also be considered by farmers without good planting spot or those whose soil is not favorable for the growth of cannabis. Pots are placed in convenient places such as in the balcony or on roof top. The advantage of using pots to grow cannabis is that they can be moved from one place to another to take advantage of maximum sunlight. This also protects your plant from hazard weather conditions such as wind and heavy rains. Nevertheless, growing cannabis on pots limits their size. The size of the cannabis depends on the size of the pot used but it is usually smaller than cannabis grown on open grounds.

Cannabis Disease Management

Growing cannabis plants outside makes them susceptible to diseases and pests. The common diseases include bud rot and spider mites. Bud rot is a fungal disease that affects the plants in their flowering stage. This disease can be noted by withering of a small leaf that is attached to the emerging flower bud. Prevention is the best management of bud rot. Affected parts should be removed carefully to avoid affecting other plants. Spider mites feed on plant leaves hence destroying the food manufacturing parts of a plant. It is characterized by small brown or/and yellow holes on the leaf surface. Insecticides sold in local markets can be used to control this disease.

Choosing an Appropriate Genetics

Cannabis seedling can be found in two varieties; sativaor indica.  Sativaseedling has fingered light green leaves. Though it takes longer flowering time its yields are abundant. On the other hand, indicahas fingered dark leaves and takes less flowering periods. A farmer can also choose between crones and seeds. To avoid male marijuana plant the crones are the best option.

Conclusion

Before planting cannabis a farmer should first look into the various factors discussed above. These factors not only answer the question on the amount of the yield a farmer reaps, but also the duration it takes to grow weed. With the right climatic conditions, good soil, best watering practices and a suitable strain of cannabis it is all fun to grow cannabis outside step by step.