Cultivating cannabis outdoors is much the same as cultivating a vegetable garden. The same tools and techniques used to grow prize winning tomatoes will grow mind blowing buds.
There are a few things that are necessary to the success of any gardening endeavor, and there are some optional accessories that can help tremendously. The first thing you'll need are the right tools. A good shovel, spade or pickax, and a rake are needed to turn the soil, break it up, and prepare it for planting. A pH tester is necessary to gauge the soils acidity or alkalinity. This can be in the form of a two pronged device with a needle that shows the acidity or alkalinity of a soil by moving either left or right, the middle being neutral, or a chemical soil test. This test usually comes in a complete soil test kit that also has chemical tests for Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium content in the soil. Though it usually isn't necessary, some like to check the NPK of the soil they are using as well as the pH. Another optional piece of equipment is a moisture meter. This is a single pronged device that also uses a needle to show the moisture level of the soil it is testing. This device is very helpful to those growing outdoors in containers, since soil in containers will dry up quicker than ground soil.
In addition to the materials listed above, you may need conditioners and fertilizers to build and supplement the soil. The primary function of soil conditioners is to help with its texture. They break up and aerate hard, compacted soil. Perilite and vermiculite are both excellent soil conditioners and can be found at any garden supply store. Sand also works well, especially with soils high in clay content. In particularly dry areas, it's helpful to add soil conditioners that retain water. Some garden supply stores sell a product developed specifically for this purpose. Soil mixed with it holds water much longer than does untreated soil. For those on a budget, saw dust is a good, inexpensive water retaining soil conditioner.
Fertilizer comes in two forms, organic and chemical. When used properly, both can produce excellent results, so the choice is a matter of personal preference. Organic fertilizers primarily consist of decomposed plant and animal matter. Things like dried blood, high in nitrogen content, bone meal and fish scraps, high in phosphorous content, and manure, which has a fairly even NPK content, are all popular organic fertilizers, as are wood ash and Greensand, a product mined from ocean deposits, which are both high in potassium content. Chemical fertilizers are more concentrated and readily available than organics. They come with a listing of the percentages of each of the main components, along with percentages of the secondary nutrients such as magnesium, calcium, and sulfur. Choose a formula with a high nitrogen content and near equal parts phosphorous and potassium. Micro nutrients are also important to plant growth but are almost certainly found in sufficient quantities in any soil mixture, so are not to be worried about. The last concern of growing outdoors in soil is pH. Cannabis grows best in slightly acidic soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Soils that are too acidic can be adjusted with limestone, and those too alkaline can be adjusted with gypsum and sulfur. Depending on your soil type you may need one of these materials as well.
When you've gathered all the proper tools and materials, your next concern is choosing a spot. Due to the risk of detection and the penalties involved for growing on ones own property, most people choose to practice what has been called "gorilla farming." "Gorilla farming" involves choosing hard to reach places like canyons, ravines, or heavily wooded areas, usually on public lands. When your looking for spots, it's a good idea to stay away from heavily hunted woods, public trails, or heavily fished river banks, anywhere people are likely to be around a lot. Thieves and good Samaritans calling in the police are two of the biggest contributing factors to the loss of ones crop.
When you're looking for your spot(s), you need to consider two things; topography and soil condition. Cannabis grows best in flat, open areas with plenty of uninterrupted sunlight. If you need a place a little less open and visible however, the southern slope of a hillside (the northern slope south of the equator) is next best. Eastern and western facing slopes lose the sun quicker. You should also consider natural cover. Edges of woods and fence lines provide good cover, as do spots cleared in areas with a lot of vegetation like brush and procures. The harder it is for you to get to the spot, the harder it will be for anyone else to find it. The condition of the soil is also important. Stay away from swampy areas with bad drainage. Look for places lush with vegetation and decaying matter. They will usually be fertile. Check the condition of the soil by digging down, grabbing a handful, and crumbling it. It should be moist but easy to break apart. Smell it. Fertile soil will have the heavy, earthy smell of decayed matter and will be full of worms, bugs, and other life which all help to break down the soil and feed the surrounding plant life.
Even the most fertile soils need to be prepared. Ideally you should start preparing your spot in the fall by clearing the area and turning the soil. This would be the time to add organic fertilizers like manure and mulch. This will give the natural bacteria and such time to break these things down before spring. When spring comes you'll have to turn the soil again and prepare it to receive plants. You may want to test it at this time and add additional fertilizers and soil conditioners. You will also need to check and possibly adjust the soils pH. Do this last as some fertilizers will affect the soils pH. Use the limestone to raise a low pH, or the gypsum and sulfur to lower a high one. The soil should be stabilized with a pH between 6 and 7.
When you will plant depends on several factors including the length of the season where you live and the variety of cannabis you are growing. You should wait until at least two weeks after the last threat of frost before putting anything in the ground. You can start seeds at almost anytime. Some growers like to get a good head start on the season and begin germinating seeds as early as the beginning of March. This is especially helpful to growers who live in areas with extremely short growing seasons. Starting early also gives the plants a chance to establish themselves and develop a strong root system which will make the transplanting less traumatic. There are a couple ways to start seedlings. You can simply drop seeds into small peat cups filled with soil, keep them moist, and wait, or you can germinate the seeds first and then plant them in the peat cups. Most growers like to pre-germinate their seeds so they don't have to waste time and resources with seeds that wont grow. To do this, put the seeds in a wash clothe and keep it moist. Check them every day or two, and plant those that have broken and started. Plant 1/4 inch deep, cover them gently, and water as needed. Whether you start seeds directly or pre-germinate them, be careful not to pack the soil down too hard or the plants will have to fight to get through the surface.
If you use peat cups, transplanting will be easy since the whole thing can be placed in the ground. Make sure the roots have fully developed and are breaking through the cups before planting however. If you use plastic or paper cups, or anything else that requires removing the plant from its container, do so carefully. Wait until the roots are well developed. Dig a whole in the prepared soil just big enough to hold the contents of the containers, slide the stem of the plant between your middle and ring finger so your hand is covering the top of the container and supporting the plant, and tip it upside down. Gently squeeze the sides of the container to break the rooted soil free and bury it no deeper than it was in the starter soil. If you bury the stem to deep, you run the risk of stem rot which is caused by moisture. They should be watered well at the time of transplanting to give them the best chance of survival, especially if you wont be able to come back for a while.
If you prepared your soil well and the season isn't too dry, you shouldn't have to come back to water them. If you do however, be careful. Don't use the same path every time you go out as this will become visible from the air. A well worn path is one of the things police look for when spotting for marijuana from the sky. If it has been dry and you do go out to water them, this would be a good time to check the soil if you have the test kit and add fertilizer if needed. Since carrying enough water to each site would be a lot of trouble, and look very suspicious if you were seen, you should try to plant near a natural source of water like a stream or pond. You can hide a container near your plants and use it when you check them so you don't have to keep bringing something with you. It would be very difficult to over water outdoors so don't be stingy when you do. In fact, if the soil is extremely dry, under watering can cause more problems than waiting for a good rain.
Once established, cannabis is a hardy plant that can stand up to many pests. The danger is in the first few weeks. Prevention is the best way to combat the problem. Most growers use some kind of barrier to keep plant eating pests and animals away from their plants. Chicken wire fencing is often used, but anything that will keep small animals away from the plant will do. Snails and slugs can cause serious damage, especially during the rainy season when they are most prolific. They can be kept away by surrounding the plant with sand or wood ash. Flying insects can be controlled with sticky traps or pesticide. Some growers place plastic domes over their plants for the first few weeks. This keeps out flying insects and provides shelter. Homemade pesticides are often used as well. A mixture of 1/4 pound Ivory soap to one gallon water sprayed on the plant is an affective deterrent to most pests. Adding crushed red pepper, garlic, or tobacco to the mix is also common.
As the plants grow, they can be pruned and trained. Pruning and training is done to shape the plant. In most cases, it's done to keep the plants short and bushy to avoid detection. In others, it's done to provide maximum light to all parts of the plant. Pruning usually involves nipping off the tips of growing shoots. When this is done, the single shoot branches off into two new ones. This will slow its growth temporarily so use this technique sparingly. Training involves bending and tying the plant down. Some growers bend and train their plants to force the main stem to grow horizontally. The side branches can get more light this way and will then begin to grow vertically creating many main stems. To do this, carefully begin bending the plant over and tying it down after it has established itself and is large enough to handle the stress. Do this slowly, bending it a little at a time until it lays down. Again you must be careful not to hurt the plant, especially the roots. Neither technique will necessarily cause the plant to produce more than it would left alone, so you must decide if and when to do it, and have good reason to. Remember, the more you visit your plants, the more you increase the chances of making trails to them that will be visible from the air.
Though seeded marijuana is no less potent than sinsemilia, most growers chose to grow seedless weed for its commercial value or for personal convenience. Cannabis grows both male and female plants. It's the females that produce the buds sought after by smokers. When pollinated by males, they produce seeds. To avoid this you must remove all male plants before they produce and release pollen. Even one male plant left unpulled can produce enough to pollinate several females. Cannabis begins to flower when the length of the day starts to shorten in the fall. As they receive more and more hours of uninterrupted darkness, they begin to flower. During this time, you must begin checking them for signs of sexual expression. Females will start to produce small hair-like structures at the nodes of the stems and branches. Males will produce pollen sacks that resemble tiny grape clusters. In some cases, they will also go through a growth spurt just before they flower, becoming taller than their female counterparts. When you have identified them as males, they must be pulled up and removed immediately. Try to avoid breaking open any of the pollen sacks as you do this, and completely remove them from the garden.
Different varieties of cannabis flower at different rates. Equatorial sativa varieties take longer to finish than indicas that come from harsher climates with shorter growing seasons. Knowing exactly when to harvest is difficult. As the flowers mature, some of the THC begins to degrade while more is being produced. The idea is to harvest before the degradation becomes greater than the production. THC is colorless. As the resin glands fill with it they swell in size, and eventually turn a brownish, amber color. This is a sign of degradation. Also, as the plant ages the hairs will begin to brown and die as well. These are the signs to watch for. Generally, when a significant amount of the hairs begin to die and the resin glands begin to turn color, you have reached what has been called the point of diminishing returns. This is the point at which the THC is degrading faster than it is being produced. This is the time to harvest. The easiest way to harvest is to cut individual branches off the plant and bundle them up in newspaper or put them in bags. The less you handle them outdoors, the more hairs and glands will be preserved until you do the final manicure at home.
Growing outdoors can be a bit more difficult than growing indoors as you don't have as much control over environmental factors and you generally can't keep as close an eye on developing situations, but with a little planning and forethought, you can stack the odds in your favor. If your careful and vigilant, you can produce copious amounts of excellent marijuana. Give your crop the best growing conditions possible and let mother nature do the rest. Good luck and happy gardening.
