Outdoor GROWING

Mother nature will provide the system for you to succeed...Sunlight, CO2, soil, water, everything!  You just have to manage the extremes.  You can build a greenhouse to get some control over the environment.  By doing this you can pick whatever strain you want and make sure your greenhouse environment will suit that strain and get you optimal results. If you go all natural (without the greenhouse) then you will want to check your environment and pick the strain that will work best in your climate so you aren't swimming up stream and working extra hard for results that might not even happen.  

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Outside, the costs are low and the yields can be HUGE!  The quality and potency of a well managed outdoor grow can be as good or better than any indoor - in Grow Nerd's opinion and experience. Mother Nature can throw some curve balls at you, but you can be ready for it by doing a little research on your areas historic weather patterns and the pests that are present.

An example: In our area we typically have a quick one day of rain right around Halloween. By knowing this information I'm ready to cover or move any plants I have flowering outside before they get saturated by rain and start to mold. Obviously we can't plan for everything, the seasons aren't as predictable as the used to be, but we can be educated on what to typically except and have the items on hand we need to protect our crops. Knowledge of your environment is your best tool to grow HIGH GRADE cannabis outside. With our guidance you will get tired of answering this question about your outdoor grow results....."Is that indoor cannabis?" 

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Here is what you can expect based on a full-term spring to fall grow season: (This is not a full tutorial, just a general guide on a outdoor grow season. Please contact us to schedule with a coach)

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Step 1:  Know your environment

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To grow great outdoor you will need to know your seasons, temperature highs and lows, and the available light(photo periods).  You also will want to pay attention to any extremes (like wind, extreme temp changes -hot and cold, rainy periods, insects, and neighbors (it's going to smell).

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Typically, you can find all the information you need about your environment by Googling it or by asking a friend that has lived the area for awhile.  A great idea is to keep a journal of some of the basic changes you experience as you grow.  For example: In my area I was able to determine that certain pests come in with different weather patterns and aren't necessarily dictated by the time of year it is.

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Things about your environment to figure out using Google:

• weather patterns

• length of day

• moisture content / humidity

• typical growing season in your area (ie. plant in the spring and grow through the summer to harvest in the fall)

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Step 2:  Pick between soil or hydro.   Hydro uses a lot of water and takes more equipment to manage.  Soil is easy and forgiving.  

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What to take into account for hydro: 

• Budget - hydro can be costly to get started, but can save money by removing the recurring cost of new soil.

• Hydro can be unforgiving (if your pH is wrong, you could lose your entire grow.)Problems show their effects quickly.

• Where is your water drainage going to go - you don't want to be working out of a mud pit?

• You typically need electricity for your hydro setup to work.

• More freestanding water will lead to higher humidity which means you need to control more aspects of your environment.  

• You will be using a lot of water; so your water source to fill your bucket should be easily reachable.  

• It can be difficult to move your pots around based on the available sunlight so you will need to pick a place on your property that gets sun most of the day.

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What to take into account for soil:

• Budget - soil is typically budget friendly, but will have to be replaced or amended from time to time.

• Soil is forgiving in the aspect that most problems take longer to be seriously devastating. This gives you more time to make corrections.

• Problems in the root zone can be harder to figure out due to everything be encased in soil.

• You'll need to water, so keep your water source close and depending on the types of pots you are using, you may need to water more frequently (cloth pots dry out faster than plastic pots.) 

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Step 3:  Selecting your space to grow in.  The more space and sunlight you have, the more choices you have available to you with selecting strains.  If you are unlimited in terms of space, chose your space based on the strain you want to grow.  If you are limited by available light, then choose your strain based on the light you have available. Indicas work great in spaces with limited light and space, while Sativas tend to grow much taller, needing more vertical space and love the light.  So for example, if your grow space is shady like in a canyon or between large buildings, an indica. might naturally grow better than a sativa. 

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​Step 4:  Choose your method (open air or greenhouse/ hoop house).

​Are you going to cover it or not?  

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If you cover using a greenhouse or hoop house, you are basically creating a micro-climate (close to the ground will be cool in temperature, near the top of your greenhouse will be considerably hotter).  If you are growing open air you are at the mercy of nature, it can get rained on, etc. (get climate educated).  

  

​The choice is yours based on what you learned about your environment in step 1.  

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Step 5:  Adjust your environment.

In this step, you are trying to manage the extremes and level out the negative side effects of growing at the mercy of mother nature. 

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• First, you will need to purchase a hydrometer with thermometer with a maximum and minimum display.   From there, you will know if you need to throw a shade cloth over the plants to cool them, etc.  

• As a general guideline, you will need to have fresh air and air movement.  So if you built a greenhouse, you will need to build it in the direction that will provide you optimal air flow and allow heat and humidity to escape.  Otherwise, you will need fans and the equipment to manage it (very similar to an indoor grow).  

• With open air outdoor grows, you will just work with the heat and humidity you have by choosing strains that work with what you have and managing the extremes as best you are able.  ​ ​

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Step 5:  Chose your genetics

• This is your foundation.  If you start with junk genetics, you'll end up with junk.  The majority of your budget should be put towards picking verified, good genetics both in seeds or clones.  This means it has good reviews, it has been grown consistently over and over again and has shown to produce great flowers.  

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The Execution

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We just explained the basics of how to set up your plan, here is the step by step execution of that plan:

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Step 1:  Germinate - your seeds following the soak and paper towel method.  *If cloning, skip this step.

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Step 2:  Transplant - Wait for the plant to grow to about 4 sets of leaves (two near the bottom and then another two at the top) then transplant your plant into your medium of choice (soil or hydro) then place them into the environment you created for them to grow in (see step 2).   

 

Step 3:  Monitor your environment and manage the extremes.  Do the best you can by following the suggestions mentioned previously or contact us for possible solutions.  

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Step 4:  Vegetative / Growing and watching for signs of transition to flower (usually near fall). Following a nutrient feeding schedule can help you track the plants phases of growth, transition, and flower. (Typically there will be 2 feeding schedules...one for growth and another for flowering. Usually the first 4 weeks of a nutrients feed schedule is dedicated to the plants vegetative/growing phase.

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Step 5:  Transition to flowering - In this step you will need to look for signs that the plant is showing sex.  The female plant produces pistils that have two hairs sticking out of it and this is what you want for producing flowers.  The male plant will produce balls in the same location that the females sex is located. You will want to remove any male plants you find immediately.  

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Step 6: Flowering / Fruiting - In this step you will follow the flowering phase of your plant. A lot of strains have 8-9 week flowering phase and threw those weeks the plant will have different nutritional needs. Using a feed schedule will help you to determine what to feed your plants and when. At this time you also need to make sure your plant is supported with bamboo, trellis, twine, ect.  

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Step 7:  Harvest - Time to cut down your favorite green friends.  This is it...you are about to be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor.  Cut down your plant and hang it upside down in a dark cool place. Adjust the temperature in this space to 60 - 70 degrees, and keep the area at about 40% to 60% humidity.  In about 10 to 14 days you will be able to start trimming your flowers.   

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Step8:  Curing - When your flowers are dry (after the 10 - 14 day harvest period) they still have a small amount of moisture in them and this is what the curing process will get rid of so you get optimal potency!  Curing is removing this small amount of moisture in a really slow process.  The moisture inside will affect the way your flowers taste, smell and the potency. Put your flowers in a jar or any air tight container and open that container for 20 minutes at a time daily for about 14 to 30 days.  

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Step 9: Enjoy!

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