How to Grow Marijuana Outdoors

If you love marijuana and want to try something new and interesting, try growing marijuana yourself. Canada cannabis laws allow any adult to grow up to four active plants at a time, which can give you some impressive yields. There are many ways to grow, but while growing and since indoor growing requires some expensive equipment and setup, learning how to grow marijuana outdoors is often the best option.

Growing marijuana outdoors is usually much easier than growing indoors. Once you have everything set up, you usually let the weather take care of most of it, although you’ll still need to keep your plants watered and fed. There are some important things that you need to know before you start an outdoor grow. Here are some tips on how to grow marijuana outdoors.

Know The Marijuana Growing Laws

Before you start growing marijuana, it’s important to know the growing laws of your area. While Canada cannabis laws state that any adult can grow up to four active plants at a time indoors or outdoors, each province sets its own rules. 

Growing marijuana yourself is illegal in Quebec and Manitoba. Nunavut allows each area to set its own rules. In Alberta, you can start growing from 18 years old. In every other province, you need to be 19 years old to grow marijuana indoors or outdoors.

There are also a few rules you need to be aware of. You’ll need to keep your grow out of public sight (which means no growing on your front lawn) and should also keep it out of reach of children and animals. New Brunswick states that an outdoor grow must have a fenced enclosure at least 1.52m high. Landlords are also able to ban growing on their properties.

You can check the cannabis laws of each province on the Government of Canada website for anything else you need to know. 

Pick The Best Marijuana Seeds

The first step to growing marijuana is to buy outdoor marijuana seeds. These can usually be found at seed banks, although you can also buy marijuana seeds at some marijuana stores. You can buy seeds for any kind of marijuana strain, although there are a few different types of seeds you can find.

Regular Seeds can be either male or female plants. Male plants don’t produce THC and, as such, are useless for most marijuana growers. It’s much better to buy Feminized Seeds- these are enhanced to produce female marijuana plants which yield high levels of THC and other cannabinoids.

You can also buy Autoflowering Seeds. These are seeds which are bred for faster growth. They can grow in as little as 60-90 days, whereas other seeds generally take a month or two longer. Many beginner users grow plants from Autoflowering Feminized Seeds for quick results. However, you may want to stick to normal feminized seeds if you want consistent high yields.

Prepare To Grow

Once you know your local laws and you have your seeds, it’s time to start growing your marijuana outdoors. Growing outdoors usually takes around 3 to 6 months, although it can depend on the kind of seeds you use, the strain you’re growing, and conditions such as weather and climate.

It’s best to germinate your seeds before transferring them to the soil. You can do this by placing them on a dish or container between a few sheets of wet tissue and keeping the tissue moist each day. Keep the seeds somewhere warm but away from direct light. After around 72 hours, the seeds should sprout a root. They’re now ready to plant and grow.

Choose a secluded growing spot outdoors. You can either plant your seeds directly in the ground, but most growers find it’s better to use plant pots full of soil to keep the plants protected from excessive moisture and pests. Create a hole in the soil around twice the length of each seed, plant them, and close the holes up. Ideally, you want your plants to get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day, although they’ll need less in the later growth stages.

Provide Your Plants With Water And Nutrients

With your seeds planted, you’ll now have to go through a few months of steady maintenance. Outdoor growing is great for beginner growers as it’s much easier and more efficient than indoor growing. However, there are a few things your plants will need- specifically water, light, and nutrients.

Keeping your plants in direct sunlight during the day will help them to grow faster. Around 6-12 hours of sunlight is enough, and usually, nightfall will give them the shade they need. You’ll also need to water your plants regularly. Check about an inch deep into the soil to see whether it’s still moist or has dried up. Dried up soil will need more water. Those in hot, dry climates may need to water their plants multiple times per day.

Your plants will also benefit from getting certain nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium, phosphorous, and calcium. There are two good ways to do this- either plant them in nutrient-enriched soil (also known as super soil) or use nutrient-enriched water. You can often find nutrient mixes and super soil in growing stores or online.

Prepare For Harvest

After a few months of giving your plants the sunlight, water, and nutrients they need, they’ll be ready to dry and cure. A good sign that your plants are ready to harvest is when around 60-70% of the pistils (hairs) on the bud have darkened and the buds are rich in trichomes. You can use a magnifying glass to check on the state of your buds.

When your marijuana plants are ready to harvest, use a trimming tool to remove as much of the plant as possible till you’re left with the buds. You’ll then need to dry these- using a dry rack in a cool, dry room with a dehumidifier is the best way to do this.

After around 3-10 days, your weed should be dry. It’s now ready to use, but for the best results, store it in glass containers without any moisture for a while. This will add to the potency and the flavor.

Conclusion

It’s fairly simple to learn how to grow marijuana outdoors and it’s a rewarding project for anyone who enjoys marijuana. Although you’ll need to set aside a few months, you can end up with high yields of marijuana and store as much as you want at home. Growing marijuana can be great, but if you want to skip the process, you can always just buy marijuana online.