How to Grow Weed Outdoors| 8 MUST DO’S For Growing 16-24 oz Plants
Growing Outdoors
Growing outdoors may be a lost art in many regions due to legalization and commercial growing using indoor facilities. However growing outdoors will never go away. It is too therapeutic, rewarding and practical. There is no replacement for experience when it comes to growing outdoor weed but if you want a head start you can use these 8 tips to make sure you get the most per plant this year.
1. MAKE YOUR BASE BIG ENOUGH FOR THE PLANT YOU WANT
If your digging holes make them 3x3x3 at least, giving the hungry root system plenty of amended soil. If you are using a grow pot or grow bag, make sure it will hold the plant you dream of growing. You want big results? You have to do big work.
2. USE NATURAL FERTILIZER
Amend your soil with a mixture of bone meal, blood meal, triple phosphate, perlite, vermiculite and soil moist. This blend has proven to be be exceptional for drainage, holding moisture and feeding plants. Upon first sign of flowering bone meal should be replaced with Bat Guano. Re-fertilize plants every two weeks (or so) by adding nutrients to the top soil before watering.
3. START WITH STRONG CLONES
You can’t waste time with seeds. You need strong established clones to grow a 1 pound plant, especially in shorter grow climates. Start with clones that have at least 3 branches, 4 or 5 branches are good. I prefer clones from the lowest level of the mother plant. These have the youngest hormones and seem to root easier, allowing it to begin vegging faster.
4. PROTECT YOUR PLANTS
From pests, animals and disease. Your first line of defense should be some kind of chicken wire fence around each plant. Deer, rabbits and many other critters love to eat young marijuana plants. Not to mention other animals like skunks and dogs love the blood meal in your soil, if you don’t have fencing be prepared to see your plants dug up for the nutritious soil they live in. Use a good slugg repellent like Slugg-o, especially if your growing in a wet area. Use mice and rat deterrent on the stalks of your plants, they love to chew on them.
5. WATER ON SCHEDULE
Your outdoor marijuana plants will be very thirsty in the summer time. Keeping them watered is essential to growing your best yield. It is most optimal watering your plants when 50% of the soil is dry. This sends the roots stretching and growing in search of moisture. It is important not to “leave them out to dry” so the line of too little and too much is very thin. You must balance watering with the risk of returning to your plants too often as well which could lead others to your grow.
6. GET 18 HOURS OF SUNLIGHT
Exposing your plants to the sun means exposing your plants to the world. It is a give and take gamble, whether your neighbor, friend or a stereo-typical raider, it’s not fun losing plants. However if you are confident enough with the security of your location, set up your garden where it will receive a full days worth of sun. Cut trees if you have to, if your going for over a pound a plant, you need all you can get (again, especially in shorter season climates).
7. PINCH THE TOPS OF THE PLANTS WHILE VEGGING
I hear a lot of people confusing this with the term “topping” which is something you do to mature lower level buds during harvest and will be covered next. Pinching is the act of removing the top of each branch so 2 tops regrow there. In full vegetation a marijuana plant can take hours to pinch, the more you do the better the reward. Stop pinching tops as soon as you see signs of flowering. This is a good time to mention that having support for your tops during flowering will be essential. With all the tops pinched and multiplied, buds will be coming from everywhere and they’ll be heavy.
8. TOP YOUR PLANTS AT HARVEST TIME
The highest most exposed colas will mature before the buds on the underbrush will. To maximize yield, remove the tops of the finished flowers and allow the lower levels to get sunlight and finish their flowering cycle. Leave the lower level buds out for another 2-4 weeks, you will need to check up on them, be patient. This is how you squeeze out all of the potential of a marijuana plant cycle.
