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Planning Your Cannabis Cultivation Around External Factors
Growing cannabis outdoors exposes your plant to several external factors that impact the success of your cultivation. From unfavourable weather to unexpected animals feeding on your cannabis leaves, growing outdoors comes with its fair share of surprises.
Outdoor cannabis cultivation can be an excellent option for your small grow. Cannabis plants can grow larger and produce larger yields. The natural sunlight is beneficial to your plant’s growth. It’s also more cost-efficient since you’re relying on natural resources.
While you’re planning your cannabis cultivation around unexpected external factors, we have a few solutions, so you’re ready for whatever nature throws at you.
Planning around weather
News flash! The weather is out of our control. As much as we can hope for more sun or the rain to hold off just five more minutes till we get to cover, you have little say in what happens. If you find yourself somewhere with a lot of grey weather, like The Netherlands, or any unfavourable weather conditions for growing weed outdoors, you have a few options.
It’s essential to understand your local weather patterns. When does it get cold? When are days the shortest? Understanding these details will help you time when you plant your seeds.
You can also implement temporary solutions to your outdoor grow for unexpected weather changes. For example, use a covering for shade during heat waves and adjust how much you water your plant if there’s rain in the forecast.
How to Maximise Sunlight
One of the challenges of growing weed indoors is providing adequate lighting for your cannabis plants. The good news is that plants thrive in natural sunlight. Growing weed outdoors gives it precisely what it needs.
Do you live somewhere that doesn’t get a lot of sunlight? Or maybe in a city centre with tall buildings blocking the sun? Before you plant your cannabis seeds, track how much direct sunlight hits the spot you selected to grow.
Be mindful of the flowering time for the cannabis seed you’re planting. Time your grow to coincide with the flowering stage during the sunniest time of year.
Solution for bad soil conditions
Your grow spot is where your plant will call home for its growth cycle. If the soil isn’t suitable for healthy growing, your plant won’t produce a good harvest—if anything at all!
A few things to avoid in the soil are:
• Contaminated with heavy metals
• Contain pesticides
• Poor drainage
If your area has unsuitable natural soil, you can plant in your own pot with proper soil and keep it outdoors.
Keeping Away Pests
Animals and pests love cannabis plants as much as we do. Some common pests that could harm your cultivation include caterpillars, deer, rabbits, and even microorganisms unnoticeable to the naked eye. So, how do you keep pests away when growing weed outdoors?
Consider some of these ideas that can eradicate your pest problem:
• Keep a clean garden environment
• Use companion plants like onion or basil to repel larger animals
• Use a fence or netting to protect your plants
• Use animals that eat pesticides, like ladybugs, that won’t harm your cannabis plant in the process
Pesticides are common, but be careful because chemicals can harm your plant more than the pests. Organic pesticides are always better than chemical-heavy solutions.
Privacy concerns
With their distinct appearance and undeniable aroma, it’s not hard to spot a cannabis plant growing outdoors. Privacy is one of the main concerns when growing outdoors because it can lead to theft, harm, and even legal penalties.
Growing in a discreet location is one of the most important things to consider for outdoor cannabis cultivation. It limits where you can plant, so eliminate the ideas of public access gardens or high foot traffic areas. If you can’t find a suitable location to grow outdoors, you can find a place to grow weed indoors.
Finding Suitable Cannabis Seeds
Did you know some cannabis seeds are better for growing outdoors than others? The kind of seeds you plant can make a big difference in the yield and quality of your harvest.
Using premium cannabis seeds always gives the dankest results! Genetics in certain strains makes the plant more climate resilient and have a shorter flowering time. Growers have a lot of success with the Super Silver Haze and White Choco cannabis seeds, even when growing in our short Dutch summers.
Autoflower cannabis seeds are popular for growing outdoors. The shorter flowering time makes them ideal for short seasons or getting more harvests per year in tropical climates.
Amsterdam Genetics produces premium cannabis seeds for outdoor cannabis cultivation. Browse our collection here and get ready for the next grow season!
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