The Straight Toke - THE Marijuana Blog

Dear Julius:
I am interested in growing marijuana outdoors this summer. Do you have any tips or suggestions for what strain to grow?

First, I'll start by saying that unless it is legal to grow marijuana where you are, you shouldn't do it. I do not advise people to break local, state, national drug laws, no matter how unjust/unfair you may think them to be.

Now, assuming that it's legal to grow Cannabis where you are, here are some simple tips for growing pot outdoors:

• If this is your first time growing outdoors, pick a strong strain. Some strains of marijuana require a lot of care and conditioning -- so if you're new to outdoor cultivation, it's probably a good idea to pick one of the strains that is easy to grow and that will thrive in a variety of conditions. Personally, I'd recommend Leda Uno for first-time outdoor growers. It's a big, beautiful plant, and will produce fat, juicy buds in about 65 days. It doesn't require pruning, but if you take the time to prune once or twice, it will fill out perfectly, and you'll end up with a much nicer plant. It's harvestable in mid-late September, so take that into account when planning your summer grow. It will grow pretty much anywhere with a temperate climate, and is fairly resistant to diseases (but you still might want to make sure that it's not exposed to anything non-native to Brazil, since a sick cannabis plant is not a good smoke.) There are other outdoor strains, but Leda Uno is Julius' pick for outdoor growing.
• Pick an area that's sunny for about 8 hours a day. Cannabis does well with plenty of sunlight a day, but it can grow in a relatively shady area, provided that it gets about 8-11 hours of sun a day (erring more on the side of eight.) Most importantly, make sure that your plants will not receive ANY light during the night. This includes flashlights, headlights etc. If it's exposed to light at night, its biological clock will be reset, and it will fail to grow correctly. Unless you're growing Marijuana for decoration, don't do this...
• Take care of your plants. Even though outdoor growing is much simpler than indoor or hydroponic, it still takes effort on your part. Pruning each plant once or twice is a very good idea, since it will encourage them to grow thicker, more bud-laden foliage. Watering isn't necessary if you live in a wet area, but if you don't get very much rainfall you might want to make sure that your plants aren't thirsty. Fertilization usually isn't necessary unless your soil is particularly poor -- but as usual, the more care you give your plants, the better the smoke will be.
• Watch out for animals. Cannabis is particularly tasty to a variety of animals, and deer have been known to gobble all the leaves from young marijuana plants. If you live in an area with a lot of animals, consider putting a fence around the growing area. If a fence is not an option, human urine (disgusting as it sounds) can help keep animals away from an area. Other solutions, obtainable at your local agricultural supply store, can also help keep pests away from your plants.

As always, remember the golden rule of growing: the more care your give your plants, the more they will reward you.

Take care, and and have a fun mellow summer grow.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 9th, 2007 at 9:32 pm and is filed under Q/A. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.