👋Watch out for these 3 common mistakes beginners make when growing cannabis outdoors:

1.) Genetics

Passing around seeds and clones. While getting some OG Kush seeds from your bro may be a cheap way to get started, there’s no way to really know how stable those genetics are unless you get them from a breeder.

Are you counting on buds being ready-to-harvest by a certain date?

If you are growing from seed, using poorly bred, over-hybridized and unstable cannabis genetics can lead to varied and weak plants producing mixed growth structure – often times with undesirable characteristics such as:

Mutations

Hermaphrodites

Wide-ranging harvest dates

Weakling plants

Susceptibility to disease and mold

Airy and leafy bud formations

Undesirable smell and flavor

Disappointing yields

Hermie Warning! More-likely than not, finding the rare seed in a bag of top-shelf chronic is the result of a late-flower hermaphrodite ‘banana’ sowing its seed. These seeds are no-good for growing, as they will still hold in their genes the hermaphrodite trait. Growing hermaphroditic cannabis genetics will result in harvests full of unwanted seedy pot.

Clones on the other hand, can easily transmit nematodes and other soil predators packed with an assortment of fungal diseases right into your garden. Why risk an outbreak in your already healthy grow spot?

The best bet is get seeds and clones from breeders directly. This can be a seed company or cannabis collective that has grown their genetics time-and-time again, selectively choosing their best plants with desired characteristics for breeding.

Good breeders optimize strains for things like:

High yield

Vigorous growth

High germination rates

Full bud structure

Resistance to molds/diseases

Plant uniformity

Stable genetics

Fine-tuned flowering times

Flavor & aroma

and more..

High quality genetics are a cheap investment every grower should have.

2.) Soil

The difference between slow-growing, yellowing plants and vigorous lush-green beauties may lie beneath the surface.

Soil regulates the availability of nutrients that a plant can feed from. Unproperly maintained soil will make it hard for a cannabis plant to get the nutrition it needs.

Testing the soil should not be taken for granted. A soil analysis will provide the framework for a hot rod growing medium.

The pH levels of your plant’s rootzone will control what nutrients are available at different ratios. Keeping a balanced, comfortable pH in the soil along with a flourishing microbiology can create a buffer, providing readily-available nutrients to plants as they need them.

Lockout Warning! Excessive build up of nutrients in the soil, notoriously phosphorus, leads to a lock-up: Cannabis will be unable to absorb nutrients needed to grow.

A universe of microlife exists in soil, and reacts with marijuana plants in real-time as they grow together. Mycorrhizal fungi plays a big part in the nutrient uptake of a plant – Read more about mycorrizal fungi here :: True Living Organics

Big budded cannabis consumes a hefty diet rich in water and nutrients. Professional growers organic and non-organic always ensure the availability of nutrients to hungry plants, using a wide-range of amendments and additives. Eat big grow big.

Soil aeration is the key to giving roots a comfortable, easy place to grow. Without proper aeration, plants may experience weak, scrawny root structure – setting the stage for lackluster buds to arrive.

Integrating perlite to the growing medium increases aeration, working wonders for heavy, clay earth. Perlite is buoyant and full of air, in the ground acting as a virtual air bubble.

Remember, non-composted leaves and plant matter require nitrogen in order to decompose. Don’t mix brush directly into your growing medium or else it will steal the nitrogen from soil that your plant could be absorbing.

Common Soil Related Problems

Nitrogen deficiency

Heavy soil

Lack of calcium

Nematodes

Root aphids

Fungus gnats

Stem borers

Cutworms

Off-balance pH

Nutrient lockout

Salt-buildup

Letting soil get bone-dry will starve off the beneficial fungi and organisms that help a cannabis plant. Eventually the soil’s microbe population will come back with water, but our goal here is to endlessly grow pedal to the metal: Maximizing beneficial microbes, rapidly processing available nutrients for roots’ absorbtion

Dialing in the perfect soil is a constant action-reaction process requiring experiment and observation. Become an at-home soil scientist and pump up scrawny weed plants!

3.) Location

Sunlight

If you are riding on a harvest to bring in the buds, cannabis plants really must be exposed to at least 5 hours of direct sunlight per day.

Side-effects due to lack of sunlight:

Stunted growth

Lack of vigor

Feeble structure

Sparse bud-sites

Fungal susceptibility

Skimpy harvests

Undesirable herb

Cannabis grows by a process called photosynthesis – taking what’s absorbed from light and turning it into usable energy for growth. More sunlight = more growth.

Stealth Tip! Guerrilla growers and stealth cultivators: Thin a plant’s surrounding foliage, leaving bits-and-pieces to form a light ‘cloak’ that maintains camouflage, providing increased sun penetration and airflow while keeping security.

Airflow

Of prime importance but never seen, healthy airflow helps to assure lively plants with clean harvests.

Too much wind can be devastating, but just the right amount acts strength training – improving the resilience of outdoor marijuana plants.

Forest cultivators should cut back any invasive species in an area as a first-step to securing good airflow.

Greenhouse cultivators may consider uncovering until the final few days of harvest. Shedding the greenhouse cover also increases the light intensity for plants inside.

Growing cannabis in open areas such as fields and mellow hillsides is an optimal choice, the sunlight and light-wind helps weed plants stack up ‘buds-down-to-the-soil’: potentially yielding large, plump marijuana buds on-level with top-shelf indoor chronic.

Mold Warning! If you are growing in a greenhouse: For many climates, sealing off the walls of an outdoor greenhouse too much will raise the humidity while simultaneously cutting off the airflow – creating an ideal environment for botrytis and powdery mildew!

Disclaimer: We do not promote or undertake in illegal activity.