Greetings, friends. If you have watched “Game of Thrones”, you will be quite familiar with the dialogue “winter is coming.” This blog is not about Arya Stark killing Night King; this is about cannabis. Interesting, isn’t it? When it comes to growing cannabis, we don’t wait for the winter to come; instead, we want spring to hail. When the first sign of spring emerges, it is a great time for cannabis growers to cultivate their favorite strains and enjoy the pure high.
There are plenty of high-tech grow tents and rooms, but most cannabis growers know that raising weed on the pure and raw power of nature is unbeatable. You need to hold your patience for the spring equinox to approach, and you can pick your perfect strain and start preparing to grow some unique cannabis.
How about getting tanned and soaking the much-needed vitamin D while cultivating cannabis outdoors in this lockdown scenario? In this blog, I will highlight some of the important details so that it gets easier for you to understand the best time to grow outdoor cannabis.
What are the Advantages of Growing Cannabis Outdoors?
Before directly jumping onto the cannabis growing calendar, let us take baby steps. You might wonder why is it beneficial to grow cannabis outdoors? Take a look at the reasons mentioned below:
- No increased electricity bill
- Reduced equipment costs
- Lower carbon footprint
- Larger harvest
- Cheaper nutrient/input costs
- It is easier to incorporate organic cultivation methods
You can choose to grow cannabis indoors if you want to because growing indoors has its benefits. If you want a lower maintenance garden, voila, this blog is for you!
An Obvious Question- When is the Perfect Season for Outdoor Cannabis to Grow?
There are several factors that determine the perfect timing to start the growing process. The area’s geographic location matters the most since spring does not bring enough sunlight and warmth equally in all the regions.
As a new marijuana grower, mark spring equinox as the starting point.
Spring equinox pinpoints the very first day of spring. Every year, when the sun crosses the equator in a parallel motion, you will receive promising hours of warmer weather and daylight.
I know it’s too much geography, but you want to grow the best marijuana out there, don’t you? Now let us directly come to the point.
What are the Different Types of Stages of Timing a Growth for the Outdoor Growers?
A plant has different phases of growth and development. While growing a marijuana plant, you need to be careful from top to bottom of the procedure.
Think about you when you were a child. You have become an eligible marijuana consumer after several phases of your growth. The same goes for plants; you need to handle everything with top-notch care.
Timing is one of the most important elements while growing your favorite strain. Take a look at the guide and map out the best time for developing your plant.
- Germination Phase: Arrival of Spring
If you are growing the plants from the initial stage, the seeds germination is the first step in the life of the cannabis plant. The moment the seeds get sprouted, they will grow two beautiful, round-shaped little leaves known as cotyledon leaves. These little round leaves will strive to deliver potential energy to the seeding until the fan leaves start to grow on them.
We all know how the weed leaves look, and we love them.
As far as the timing to sprout the seeds is concerned, it would be best if you take the initiative around the Spring Equinox. If you are buying clones instead of growing the plants from seeds, you can stay stress-free since you do not need to worry about germination in such cases.
- Seedling Stage: Spring to Early Stage of Summer
Seedlings are babies, sensitive and delicate. If you have germinated your seed or purchased a clone, the seedling stage should be handled with utmost care. Some of the folks choose to keep their baby plants indoors so that they can stay warm and safe, especially in cooler climates.
They wait for a while and allow the plants to grow between 6 inches and a foot tall, making them strong enough to deal with the outside hustle. Some growers keep their plants inside even in warm climates since the seedlings get easily exposed to mold, pests and diseases.
There is no such difference between the plants and us. All of us struggle to grow into beautiful creatures, and with appropriate nourishment, we can do miracles.
In cooler weather, consider putting your plants back in the ground after ensuring there is no scope of overnight frost and plenty of sunshine. According to an old gardener’s rule, you should move your plants outside on the ground by Summer Solstice.
You can always grow cannabis in plant containers or pots. Many outdoor growers use pots because it is easier to place the pots indoor or outdoor at any given point in time.
- Vegetative Stage: Summer to Early Stage of Fall
This is the stage when your plant’s growth will take off, and it will grow into a beautiful plant for a few weeks and try to hit the height of the summer sun. The vegetative phase is the right stage where the marijuana growers should consider training and topping their plants and encourage them to grow outward. Your plant leaves will get exposed to even distribution of light while taking care of the overall height of the cannabis plant.
Don’t forget to provide the plants with extra water, as they will be developing large roots. Add additional nutrients such as Nitrogen as the plant matures.
If you are not working with female strains exclusively, remember to eliminate the males before pollinating the females. Some feminized seeds carry a certain percentage of males in the mix. It is your core responsibility to inspect the plants when they start to reveal their sex.
Remember, a stressed female cannabis plant can give birth to ‘hermaphrodites’ or male branches. Even if you know your plant is a beautiful girl, keep checking daily.
A photoperiod plant will live its best vegetative phase unless the light-to-dark ratio takes a random turn towards darkness. The moment a photoperiod plant gets revealed to 12 hours of constant darkness, they will shift to the final and probably the most exciting stage for the cannabis growers- the flowering phase.
- Flowering Stage: Fall
The flowering stage is the ultimate moment of a cannabis plant’s life, and all the energy will be used to produce flowers. This stage is divided into three parts, such as:
Flower initiation: You will observe the development of hairy pistils, which means the buds are coming out. This will not affect the plant’s growth; however, the process will take a slow turn.
Mid-flowering: In this stage, you will find that the buds are taking interesting shapes. The plants will stop growing in the mid-flowering stage.
Late-flowering/ripening: The final stage is when the flowers will fatten up, get covered in trichomes, and become sticky. If you notice that the pistils are changing their colors from white to brown, take a moment and consider harvesting.
When the flowers flatten up, they become quite heavy and tough for the branches to handle. Growers often help their plants with bamboo canes, trellis, or other supportive options. You can provide some extra nutrients like phosphorus in the flowering stage.
- Harvest Season: From Mid To Late Fall
You can consider harvesting on or around the Fall Equinox. Besides the brown pistils, you can closely inspect the trichomes.
The moment you notice the leaves are turning yellow, dried out and curled, be sure that the plants are ready to harvest.
The Bottom Line
Growing cannabis is an art, and you can nail the art with proper knowledge about it. It is quite an experience for first-time growers and gives immense pleasure once your hard work touches success.
While growing the cannabis, track the details and note them in a journal. Write down your observations from the germination to the flowering stage. You can improve yourself as a plant parent by learning from your mistakes.
While choosing any strain, remember to consider the climate and your region. You need to do whatever is best for your plant. Marijuana is legalized in many places, as they provide medical benefits. Homegrown Cannabis Co is a reliable supplier providing the best quality marijuana clones and seeds at your doorsteps.
Marijuana will relieve you from stress, and you should never say a no to the right amount of high. I hope this article will help you understand the perfect timings of growing cannabis. Say hello to an exciting learning process, grow cannabis and feel good. Signing off!