Growing Marijuana Outdoors

Before you can sow your ganja seeds you must find a suitable location to grow your plants. The garden should be located in an area where people are unlikely to stumble across it. Try to grow away from roads, trails, railroad tracks, power lines and any man made structures. Pricker bushes, mud, water and steep hills are all people deterents. Growing near small pine trees also helps hide your plants in the fall when other plants are turning brown and marijuana remains green. Also, find out when and where hunters start to roam the woods in your area.

Marijuana likes alot of sunlight. Your grow site should have at least three hours of direct sun every day. Marijuana will grow the fastest with around five hours of light every day. The less light the plant receives the slower the growth and smaller the yeild. If there is less than three hours of direct light at the grow site then tin foil can be put around the plants to reflect more light on the leaves. If you are in a low light area this will make a big difference. Marijuana also seems to respond better to morning sunlight than afternoon sunlight. Keep this in mind when selecting a site.

Soil is obviously an improtant factor when determining a grow site. Marijuana likes a soil that drains well and has a pH of about 6.5. Marijuana soil should compact when you squeeze it and break apart easily when you poke it. Sand, perlite or vermiculite can be added to soils that drain poorly. The pH of the soil must also be kept around 6.5. If the pH is too extreme then the plant will not be able to absorb nutrients properly. Low pH also causes more males to develope. The pH can be raised by adding hydrated lime. The lime is slow acting so add it during the fall or at least one month before planting. pH can be lowered by adding sodium bicarbonate to the soil.

The level of the water table at the grow site is also important. If the water table is too high and the soil is too wet the roots will not receive enough oxygen and die. If the water table is too low then the soil will dry out quickly and you will have to water often. If the ground is too wet then the plants must be grown in pots. The larger the better. The pot should have a one inch layer of gravel for good drainage. The rest of the pot should be filled with potting soil.

A nearby source of fresh clean water is also helpful. If no water is available in the area for watering then large buckets or barrels should be partially buried. These will collect enough rainwater for watering. If you have to bring water to the grow site then do it at night and water the following morning. Watering at night or late evening will increase the chance of developing a mold problem. Any equipment needed for watering or garden maitenance should be left hidden at the site.

Wild animals love to eat young marijuana plants and if you don't want your plants to be food then you must keep them away. Human hair and blood works well. Hair from predator animals such as bears, foxes, lions and wolves also works well. If you would rather put up a fence then fishing line hung at eight inches and 3 feet off the ground will stop deer. When the plants are small a drinking glass can be placed over them to act as a humidity tent and to keep rodents and deer out.

Selecting the proper genetics for a marijuana plant

Humans have been cultivating marijuana for thousands of years and, as a result, hundreds of varieties are available to the grower. There are many commercial "ganja seedbanks" that sell many award winning strains. Be sure to select a plant that will survive in the climate it is to be grown in. For example, a plant native to Jamaica, where the growing season is longer, will not be able to complete flowering in Canada. Know the date of the first expected frost and choose a variety that will be ready for harvest before then. If you are growing commercially then the yeild per plant is also important. Different varieties have different yeilds. The biggest yeilding plants are grown near the equator where the sun is much more intense and the growing season is longer. If these plants are chosen they may have to be finished in a greenhouse in the northern US and Canada.

Identifying viable ganja seeds and sprouting

Once you have your ganja seeds and the grow site is ready you may begin sprouting the ganja seeds. There are two methods to do this: planting the ganja seeds in their permanent homes, or, sprouting the ganja seeds in paper towels and transplanting them to Jiffy-pots.

If you choose to plant the ganja seeds straight into their permanent homes then you only want to plant viable ganja seeds. A good ganja seed will not be cracked or deformed. The ganja seed should not be green. A green ganja seed is not fully mature. Each ganja seed should be pressed by your thumb to make sure it is not cracked or weak. To plant the ganja seeds take a pencil and stick the point 1/2 inch into the soil. Drop one ganja seed into one hole. The ganja seed should be covered loosely with dirt and watered with a 1/4 strength mix of high phosphorus fertilizer. Mark where the ganja seed was placed so you don't forget. Give each ganja seed three square feet of space. If they are given less when they turn into large plants they will crowd eachother and growth will be stunted. It is very important not to let the soil dry out at this stage. When the surface feels dry water with distilled water. The first stems and cotyledon will appear in about one week. Continue to water when the soil feels dry and after another week the first node of spiked leaves should appear.

If you choose to sprout in paper towels then get a flat pan and cover it with three paper towels. Wet them thoroughly and spread the ganja seeds out on the paper towel. Cover with another three paper towels and cover the whole deal with plastic wrap. Place the pan it a dark, warm place. Check daily for new sprouts and never let the towels dry out. Once the white root on a sprout is 1/4 inch in length then it can be placed in the Jiffy-pot. The Jiffy-pot should be filled with the same soil as the plant is to be grown in permanently. Stick a pencil point 3/4 inch into the soil. Plant the ganja seedling with the white root facing down and cover loosely with dirt. Water with a high phosphorus fertilizer at 1/4 and never let the soil dry out. Within a week the cotyledon will appear followed by the spiked leaves about one week after that.

Early growth and sexing for a marijuana plant

Now the plants should be on their first or second node of spiked leaves. Fertilizer is not yet needed at this stage. Continue to water whenever the soil feels dry. Make sure your plants are protected from animals. Also, watch for and molds. Any plants with mold on them should be removed immediatley. Be careful not to shake the plants because the mold spores will break off and effect other plants. If your are using Jiffy-pots transplant when the fourth set of spiked leaves appears. Simply place the plant Jiffy-pot and all into the soil. The pot will break down and allow passage of the roots. Once the plants have developed six or seven nodes they should be fertilized with a complete 20-20-20 fertilizer. Other combinations can be used, just make sure it contains all three macro-nutrients N,P,K.

The plants can also be sexed at this stage. To do this a piece of a black plastic garbage bag can be secured to the end of a branch using twist ties. Apply the bag so that the branch receives 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. Ex. On at 6PM off at 6AM. Within three weeks the male plants will have what look like little balls forming on the branch. The females will have two tiny white hairs emerging from a immature calyx. The males can now be removed and you are gaurenteed a crop of all females. Remove the plastic from the branch of the female and she will begin growing again.

Vegative growth for an herb plant

By now the plants should be well established. Water when the soil feels dry around three inches deep. Spray light with insecticide and re-apply after it rains. The plants should be fertilized about every three to four weeks. If the plants receive enough light and gets all the nutrients and water it needs then it is not uncommon for them to grow up to two inches a day. Should symptoms of a deficiency arise, check the Nutrient Table for identification and a cure. Be careful not to over fertilize. (See Fig. 1.1) The soil pH should be tested again at this time. It should be a little lower than it was before you planted. This is because most fertilizers lower the pH as they break down. It probably won't be a problem but if the pH is below 6.2 then water with wood ashes until the pH is back up to 6.5.

As the plant ages it's roots become less and less effective at bringing nutrients to the plant. You may decide to start foliar feeding at this time, that is spraying a nutrient solution directly onto the leaves. The leaves can absorb nutrients just as well as the roots can. If you do desire to foliar feed than back off the fertilizer to half strength. Get a good spray bottle and set it to the finest spray. Foliar feeding should be done between 5 AM and 9 AM when the leaves stomata are open. If it is done later than this than the stomata may not be open at all. The leaves should be misted with the nutrient solution. Do not drench the leaves. It is better to feed twice a week than drench the plants once every two weeks. The day after foliar feeding the leaves should be sprayed with water to wash off any unabsorbed nutrients from the leaves.