Growing cannabis outdoors is fantastic because you don't need to spend a bunch of money and you can rely on the power of the sun to grow beautiful plants. If you have access to a sunny spot in a private yard or even a balcony, terrace, or rooftop, you can grow weed outside.
If you’re growing weed outdoors, it's obviously helpful to gain insight on what strains thrive inn Minnesota and connecting with other growers who are popping seeds, growing and harvesting in Minnesota.
Benefits of growing weed outdoors
Low costs
The sun is free but in order for your grow to reach it's potential you’ll need some soil, fertilizer, seeds or clones to get you started. A small greenhouse might be beneficial for starting your plants earlier and providing a space for your plants to finish if the weather turns crispy in late September and October but it certainly isn't a necessity.
No electricity for lights, AC units, or dehumidifiers, and you can even collect rainwater.
Bigger yields
Outdoor plants can get big - even in Minnesota. One plant can potentially yield between a half-pound and full-pound of dried weed! Outdoor is free and wild with no restrictions on space.
It’s fun and relaxing
Don’t underestimate the therapeutic value of gardening. It’s relaxing to spend some time outside, roll up your sleeves, and get your hands dirty for a while. And sun-grown cannabis is a delight to watch grow over the summer months.
When is the best time to plant cannabis outside?
In Minnesota most gardening doesn't move outdoors until mid-May. Maybe a little bit sooner in the south and a bit later in the north. Before then and it most likely will be too cold for delicate seedlings and a late frost can kill your babies quick. Growers often start germinating seeds and growing seedlings inside in a warm, controlled environment weeks or months before, so that plants have longer to grow and are sturdier when they are transplanted outside in the spring. If you do start seedlings indoors with plans to move them outside, it is important to harden them off before permantely moving them outdoors. Hardening off entails exposing the young plants to the outdoor elements for a few hours at first and gradually increasing the time they are outdoors until they are acclimated to the sun's light and fluctuations in temperature.
How to set up your outdoor marijuana grow
Know the Minnesota Climate
It’s crucial to have a good understanding of the climate in Minnesota if you plan on a successful harvest in the fall. Cannabis is highly adaptable to various conditions, but it is susceptible in extreme weather.
Sustained temperatures above 85°F will cause your plants to stop growing, while continued temperatures below 55°F can cause damage and stunting to plants.
Growing cannabis outdoors in the cold
Weed plants like temperate climates, typically between 60-75°F. Anything under 50°F can slow a weed plant’s growth and negatively impact the plant.
Growing cannabis outdoors in the heat
Temperatures of 75-85°F are at the high end of the hot climate for weed plants. Anything above 85°F can negatively affect plants and cause them to wilt. When it gets hot, plants will need more water than usual.
Choosing the best outdoor cannabis grow site
How much sunlight do weed plants need?
Weed plants will need full, direct sun for at least 6 hours a day. You may have a backyard, but it might not be great to grow there if it doesn’t get full sun every day.
Your cannabis plants should receive as much direct sunlight as possible, ideally during midday, when the quality of light is best. As the season changes and fall approaches, your plants will get less and less sunlight throughout the day, which will trigger the flowering stage.
Wind
Having a constant breeze is good for your plants, and especially in the Minnesota summer climate where it can get humid. Keeping plants spaced apart and in an area with good air flow can help prevent problems such as mold or mildew especially as flowers begin to produce.
Privacy and security
You also want to consider privacy and security. A lot of people want to conceal their gardens from judgmental neighbors and potential thieves. Tall fences and large shrubs or trees are your best bet, unless you live in a secluded area. Also, Minnesota state laws require that you keep cannabis plants concealed from public view and in a secure enclosure.
Growing cannabis is essentially cultivating a life. You need to give it your full attention and not skimp on providing it with the care and nutrients it needs to blossom into a healthy, thriving plant.
Just like any other plant, here are the four essential elements needed to grow quality cannabis:
1. Fresh Air
Let’s get a bit scientific for a moment. Plants need both oxygen and carbon dioxide for respiration and to make food and sugars, respectively.
If you choose to grow outdoors, you have nothing much to worry about since fresh air is abundant. But, if you’re growing your stash indoors, you’ll need proper circulation to allow the plants to breathe naturally.
So some sort of ventilation system will be needed. If you’re on a budget, you can pull it off with strategically placed fans. If you have the monetary resources, it’ll be best to invest in a more elaborate system.
2. Light
Plants depend on light to spur healthy growth through the process of photosynthesis. In the case of cannabis plants, the more light exposure they get, the more buds they develop.
Like how it is with getting fresh air, cannabis plants can get all the light they need when grown outdoors. But, for indoor growing, you’ll want to cover 400–600 watts (or more) per square metre.
Another factor you should look out for when growing indoors are high temperatures. Some types of lights, especially HIDs, tend to run hot, and can compromise your buds if they are too close to the canopy.
3. Water
Water is the lifeblood of every living organism on Earth. Cannabis plants are quite a rare exception because they can survive if you skimp on their water supply. However, there’s a good chance for it to die if you give it too much.
The best way to make sure you’re giving your plants the correct amount of water is to wait until the substrate dries out. If you lift up your plant containers and find them to be comparatively light, it’s probably time for a soak. In any case, don’t water again until the top inch or so of soil is completely dry. Overwatering is a common problem for novice growers - better to underwater a bit than to overwater.
As for the preferred watering method, bottom-feeding is arguably best for cannabis plants. It involves placing the pots into trays of water to allow the roots to absorb the right amount of water/nutrient solution into the soil.
This process also enables the roots to grow further downwards, which will benefit plants in the long-run. With enough fresh air, water, and sunlight, your plants can carry out photosynthesis to speed up their growth.
4. Nutrients
Providing nutrients to your cannabis plants is essentially you feeding them. These base nutrients are usually incorporated into the soil from the get-go, or are mixed into a solution and administered that way.
Having the right balance of nutrients is key to producing a thriving cannabis plant. Choosing soil and other media for outdoor cannabis growing
Soil, at a basic level, is defined as the topmost layer of earth in which plants grow—it’s a mixture of organic remains, clay, and rock particles. Cannabis plants thrive in soil rich with organic matter, and they need good drainage.
Most outdoor cannabis growers will either dig a hole and add fresh soil for the plant, or grow their weed in pots. This will allow you to better control the growing medium and the amount of nutrients your plants receive.
You can plant directly into the ground, using the preexisting soil, but you’ll need to understand your soil’s composition and amend it accordingly. It is beneficial to get your soil tested, which will minimize headaches, and it’s easy and relatively inexpensive. A soil test will tell you the makeup and pH of your soil, any contaminants present, and will recommend materials and fertilizers to amend your soil.
Soil has three basic consistencies, in various ratios:
Clay
Sand
Silt
Soil also varies in:
pH level
Water retention
Texture
Nutrient makeup
Drainage
Buying the right soil for an outdoor cannabis grow
For most first-time gardeners, a quality potting soil that will provide your plants with enough nutrients to get them through most of their growth cycle without having to add many amendments is ideal. This pre-fertilized soil - often referred to as “super-soil”- can grow cannabis plants from start to finish without any added nutrients if used correctly.
You can make this yourself by combining worm castings, bat guano, and other components with a good soil and letting it sit for a few weeks, or it can be purchased pre-made from a local nursery or grow shop.
While shopping for soil, you'll want to look at nutrients, microorganisms, and other amendments that improve the soil. Your choices will be flooded with words like:
Perlite
Worm castings
Bat guano
Biochar
Peat moss
Compost
Fish meal
Bone meal
Glacier rock dust
Plant food
These are just some examples of amendments commonly used in different types of soils. Heavily amended soils will have long lists that break down all organic nutrients they contain. Some companies create soils that offer a great structure with base nutrients, but allow you to fill in the gaps as you desire.
Growing containers
You may need to put all of your plants in containers if you don’t have great soil. Also, if you’re unable to perform the heavy labor needed to dig holes and amend soil, containers may be the only way for you to grow your own cannabis outdoors.
If you don’t have a suitable patch of earth to make a garden, containers can be placed on decks, patios, rooftops, and many other spots. If needed, you can move them around during the day to take advantage of the sun or to shield them from excessive heat or wind.
However, plants grown in pots, buckets, or barrels will likely be smaller than those planted in the ground because their root growth is restricted to the size of the container. In a broad sense, the size of the pot will determine the size of the plant, although it’s possible to grow large plants in small containers if proper techniques are used.
What size pot do I need?
In general, 5-gallon pots are a good size for small-to-medium outdoor plants, and 10-gallon pots or larger are recommended for big plants. Regardless of size, you’ll want to protect the roots of your plants from overheating during warm weather, as pots can quickly get hot in direct sunlight. This will severely limit the growth of your plants, so be sure to shade your containers when the sun is high in the sky.
Choosing fertilizers and nutrients for outdoor soil
Cannabis plants require a large amount of nutrients over their life cycle, mainly in the form of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. How much you need to add to your plants will depend on the composition of your soil.
Typically, outdoor growers will add amendments to soil when they are transplanted outside. Outdoor amendments usually come in powder form that you mix in with soil.
Start off with fertilizers that are inexpensive and readily available. Some release nutrients quickly and are easily used by the plant, while others take weeks or months to release usable nutrients. If done correctly, you can mix in a few of these products with your soil amendments to provide enough nutrients for the entire life of your plants. Most of these items can be purchased cheaply at your local nursery.
Some good organic fertilizers:
Blood meal or fish meal for nitrogen
Bone meal or bat guano for phosphorus
Wood ash or kelp meal for potassium
Dolomite lime for calcium and magnesium
Epsom salts for magnesium and sulfur
There are also commercially available soil blends that already contain the proper mix of these types of ingredients.For first-time growers, we recommend avoiding commercial fertilizers like long-release granular fertilizers. These can be used, but you need to have a good understanding of how they work and what your plants need. It is also smart to avoid using nutrients designed for indoor cannabis growing—they are generally composed of synthetic mineral salts and can damage your organic soil bacteria.
As always, If you are unsure how much fertilizer to use, be conservative, as you can always add nutrients to the top of soil—called “top dressing”—if plants start to show deficiencies.
Get Growing!
Minnesota is a great place to grow cannabis outdoors. Though we have limitations due to our short growing season, we can still produce big, beautiful, productive plants that will reward you with a bountiful harvest as fall swings around.