Sometimes it’s best to let Mother Nature take care of things, after all, she’s a professional. I’m talking about outdoor growing; natural sun rays provide your crop with the most excellent source of energy. There are many green thumb growers and smokers, that say the best cannabis they ever got their hands on was grown outdoors.
Two key things that you need to grow outdoors, are enough space and privacy. If you’re lacking space, you can always go guerrilla grow in the mountains somewhere, but that’s a whole nother blog post.
Mother Nature can nurture your green babies
Sure, but there’s only so much she can provide. Don’t expect to scatter some seeds on the ground, come back 12 weeks later, and have a cannabis garden of Eden. Your green babies also need some TLC tender loving care. You will need to prepare your plot before putting seeds in the ground. You don’t see crop farmers just throwing their seeds on the ground; they till the soil and make sure it’s got the right nutrients for their crop. You will need to do the same. Seeds that get planted in soil that’s been untreated normally have a low germination rate.
Growing outdoors also takes planning. Most often, March and April will be the best time to start germinating. This is because when your plants are flowering it should be around August to September; that’s when the hours of daylight begin decreasing.
Once you have found the perfect spot, begin pulling weeds out of the ground. You don’t want your grade-A weed, competing with other weeds for space or nutrients. Till the ground a bit (like with a shovel or tiller so that it’s not so packed down. Take notice not to leave all the piles of dirt and weeds lying around to attract attention to nosey neighbors.
You can sow your seeds straight into the ground
At this point, if you have a lot of seeds to spare, you can sow your seeds straight into the ground. It’s a good idea to add some purchased soil to the ground that has nutrients for seedlings in it. Put the seeds about 1/2 an inch into the ground. If you simply just throw them down then a lucky little squirrel or bird might come across it and enjoy eating your precious cannabis seeds.
It’s important that you, weed your garden about every week before your plant gets very big. This will help it reach its full potential. After sowing your seeds you have to water them every day. For this reason, it’s a good idea to start your crop close to a water source. When they’re starting to be more mature then you can let Mother Nature take care of the watering. Only when it’s really hot outside or there hasn’t been much rain in the area you will then need to give them extra water.
If you don’t have a lot of seeds to spare
You need a high germination rate, then I would suggest you germinate your seedlings indoors and later replant them into the ground. You would go about doing this by planting the cannabis seeds indoors in something like plastic cups or whatever you want, just as long as you can get them out later. Choose light soil, one that doesn’t have very many nutrients otherwise you risk burning your seedlings.
Remember to plant them about 1/2 an inch into the soil. Don’t overwater the seedlings. A good idea is to put some clear plastic wrap over the tops of the cups; this keeps in the humidity. Keep your seedlings in an area with plenty of light. In just a few short days you will notice the tiny seedlings popping out of the soil. When the first couple of leaves of the seedlings have formed you can replant your seedlings outdoors.
Another thing you will face growing outdoors is security. Not only do you have to consider that your cannabis plant can be seen, but it can also be smelled. You can protect your crop by putting up a tall fence around your grow area and making sure the tops of your plant don’t peep out. Not only does this keep your plants from being seen by people, but also from animals that want to munch on your plants as well. Game cameras, like the kind hunters use, can come in handy to see who or what comes across your garden.
Growing tall plants around your crop like bamboo, or thorny ones like blackberries also deter unwanted guests. Very flavorful flowers like jasmine can help hide the smell of cannabis, but only when it’s in bloom.
Harvesting at night can be good
When it’s time to harvest you should be very careful with security. If you stand there at your grow site with a black trash bag harvesting your crop then you are not being very secure. Harvesting at night can be good just because there’s a low risk of running into someone. However, standing at your crop with a flashlight does draw attention if someone does come into the area. One of the best ways to harvest is to simply throw a bag over each of your cannabis plants and pull them out. That way you can do the rest of the work in the privacy of your home.
Growing cannabis outdoors can be a great way to let Mother Nature lend you a hand with your plants. It’s also usually much cheaper than growing indoors. Don’t slack with the security of your crop. It’s one of the vital proponents of growing outdoors.
