Coneal49
Well-Known Member
I'm planning to grow Northern Lights outdoors this summer. Any advice on start to finish any advice is appreciated.
Thanks
Christopher O'Neal
Coneal49
Thanks
Christopher O'Neal
Coneal49
How to grow cannabis outdoors
- Thread starter Coneal49
- Start date
How are you growing it, in the ground, in bags, are you using bagged soil or amended natural soil? What kind of nutes, organic or synthetic? Clones or seeds, autos or photos, feminized or regular? How many plants? When do you get enough day length. Need more info to really offer much advice/help.
- Thread starter
- #3
Coneal49
Well-Known Member
Ohhh you want to get specific, well fox farm happy frog + ocean floor soil fox farm nutrients I'm only going to try 2 at first femanized northern lights photo period seeds were free so if something happens no worries be different if I paid for the seeds and I've got an idea using a 5 gallon bucket digging the whole deeper for the roots then more fox farm then the bucket with large holes in the bottom with more fox farm happy frog + ocean floor soil and still using fox farm nutrients. Any advice will help and appreciated.
Thanks
Christopher O'Neal
Coneal49
I am not sure why you would want to use a 5 gallon bucket placed in a hole in the ground. If the area you are thinking of growing in can grow vegetables or flowers or already has field grasses, wild flowers, shrubs or trees then it can grow a Cannabis plant without having to add special soils.
A popular method of preparing for planting an outdoor Cannabis plant is to dig a large hole. Mix the soil that came out with peat moss, some compost and natural fertilizers or nutrients and then refill the hole. Let it sit for about 3 to 4 weeks and then put the seed or plant in though some outdoor growers do not even wait. The soil should come out just as good, if not better, than it would if the Fox Farm soils had been mixed in and end up costing a lot less.
- Thread starter
- #5
Coneal49
Well-Known Member
Well I really would like to use a larger container but I will be starting the northern lights indoors that's the reason for the bucket I live in southern Ohio and this time of year our weather is unpredictable I suppose you are right maybe I should put them in a number 3 pot instead. Yes I can grow a garden out back ( that's where I'm putting them anyway and I haven't read up on compost soils yet but I will. Thanks for your time and advice I appreciate it.
Thanks again
Christopher O'Neal
Coneal49
When it is time to put them outside for the rest of the season transplant from the #3 pot directly into the garden spot.
The thing with leaving the plant in the bucket or pot is that it will slow down the roots growing through the holes. Take advantage of all the room the roots will have available to them by planting into the ground and putting the pot away until the next growing season.
And since you are thinking of having two plants outside plant them about 10 to 12 feet apart so they do not compete with each other.
- Thread starter
- #7
Coneal49
Well-Known Member
They won't be close I'll take a picture of the spots tomorrow and post them probably just send them to you and hopefully it will be OK to plant them there in the summer the spots get a lot of sun until around 6 or 7 pm. I usually sit and drink coffee
in the morning and smoke 
wake and bake is the best. And I was thinking about the holes and how would go about making them bigger then usual it would not work so you're right thank you for your time and advice much appreciated. Thanks
Christopher O'Neal
Coneal49
Just post the photos here. That way anyone else following the thread can also see what you have in mind for your outdoor growing. They might have tips or suggestions. Maybe someone else is outdoor growing in your area will stop by and mention their experiences with weather, etc.
- Thread starter
- #9
Coneal49
Well-Known Member
Just one 2 northern lights one to the left of the stares and one on the right.Center steps is my morning coffee and a smoke spot 
and a smoke spot 
Thehalobluntm
Well-Known Member
Also I would dig 5ft hole and 5ft diameter and fix the soil up like add gravel and pertil or whatever and for the pot if it's plastic just cut the bottom out before planting
- Thread starter
- #11
Coneal49
Well-Known Member
Judging by the color and height of the blades of grass the lawn is typical and your area is already in spring growth. About two weeks ahead of us up here in the Detroit metro area.Just one 2 northern lights one to the left of the stares and one on the right.Center steps is my morning coffee
Outdoor plants grown right in the ground can get huge unless they are trimmed and trained. Put them too close to the stairs and they will grow through the pickets on the railing. And keep in mind that the area between the plant and the stairs or porch will have to be be kept clear for the mower or line trimmer. I have cut lawns for a living my entire adult life and more than once have come close to accidentally cutting someone's plants because they did not prep the area.
- Thread starter
- #13
Coneal49
Well-Known Member
I know what you mean I started lawn and landscaping at a young age as well think I was around 18yo or 19yo give or take a few years maybe. Ran a crew up in Cleveland, Ohio and had my own lawncare business down here in southeast Ohio. But couldn't get edge trimming or blow grass in flower beds, gardens etcetera never came across any sweetleaf. Yes the deck gets extremely hot in the summer and I do the mowing and trimming so shouldn't be an issue. I will be putting something around them so hopefully nothing happens 
What about weed barrier and maybe some white small stones with the deck and stones heating up I know white is a good reflector but am concerned with the heat issue. Let me know what you think about weed barrier and white stones. Thanks for the reminder about the deck heating up completely forgot about that. Ohhh should I start them inside now or about two weeks before May
Outdoors can't wait
Thanks
Coneal49
What about weed barrier and maybe some white small stones with the deck and stones heating up I know white is a good reflector but am concerned with the heat issue. Let me know what you think about weed barrier and white stones. Thanks for the reminder about the deck heating up completely forgot about that. Ohhh should I start them inside now or about two weeks before MayOutdoors can't wait
Thanks
Coneal49
Stonecrusher
Well-Known Member
Hi Coneal,
I grew Northern Lights outdoors last summer and the plants were great. Super hardy and put buds on very early. Lots of thick colas and the finished product was very good, but may have been better if I was on my drying game.
I am not the most experienced grower, but so far I have had best results in the biggest possible pots. I have a variety pots sized 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 gals. that I have scavenged with the exception of the 30 gal which I actually bought new and it was totally worth it.
After 3 outdoor seasons my best results were starting seed in a Solo cup. Transplant to 1 gal container until after last frost date, keeping them indoors under a little 100W LED light, then into the largest pot possible with good soil. Top dress monthly with worm castings and dry amendment. I used Build A Soil Craft Blend. Water only, thats it!
I found that as the size of the pot increases the ease of growing also improves. A 30 gal container takes a lot of soil to fill but it contains more nutrients and holds water better than anything smaller.
I also shared a couple of starters with a friend who put them directly in the ground and the plants got HUGE! There is no comparison.
I grew Northern Lights outdoors last summer and the plants were great. Super hardy and put buds on very early. Lots of thick colas and the finished product was very good, but may have been better if I was on my drying game.
I am not the most experienced grower, but so far I have had best results in the biggest possible pots. I have a variety pots sized 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 gals. that I have scavenged with the exception of the 30 gal which I actually bought new and it was totally worth it.
After 3 outdoor seasons my best results were starting seed in a Solo cup. Transplant to 1 gal container until after last frost date, keeping them indoors under a little 100W LED light, then into the largest pot possible with good soil. Top dress monthly with worm castings and dry amendment. I used Build A Soil Craft Blend. Water only, thats it!
I found that as the size of the pot increases the ease of growing also improves. A 30 gal container takes a lot of soil to fill but it contains more nutrients and holds water better than anything smaller.
I also shared a couple of starters with a friend who put them directly in the ground and the plants got HUGE! There is no comparison.
- Thread starter
- #15
Coneal49
Well-Known Member
WOW my bottom jaw dropped to the floor, totally awesome and very beautiful ladies man congrats now I really can't wait it's gradually getting warmer here this week anyway supposed to that is. I salvage what I have around the house heck the table that my 4 afghan kush x super skunk and 2 more Black Widow plus clones from OGK and more black widow the table was in the trash outside a buddy of mine apartment. Unbelievable man seriously congrats on your fantastic grow. I bet your drying area smelled wonderful. How tall did the Northern Lights get??? I read that anywhere between 8 foot and even 13 foot tall according to Seed Supreme that's where all my ladies came from. They kick but fast germination best yet for me tried other places with bad results but nothing in life is 100%. I've only seen pictures like yours and on TV people using even 40 gallon containers above ground. I've got this big container that I got from my mom's neighbor they have a cattle ranch outside of town here I guess it's a grain feeder they have a few they use for planting flowers vegetables now I know I'm using it for one of them NL. My buddy thinks I shouldn't use nutrients just water I'm not going to mention that you said the same thing I'll never hear the end of it lmao. Here's my ladies OGK,Black Widow, Afghan kush x super skunk from seed and clones I mention as well everything salvaged except 3 5 gallon buckets were bought. Thanks for the sharing Stonecrusher.
Completely speechless
Coneal49
Completely speechless
Coneal49
They will grow best in 8 or more hours of sunlight. If it was my grow I would not worry about using stones or anything else to reflect light or heat. I would make a nice garden bed on each side of the stairs and dig a small hole about two or three times the size of the pot the plant is growing in. Mix some peat moss or coco coir and some compost with the soil that was removed. Just transplant the young plant from the pot into the hole. Refill with the amended soil.
I do not care for using a weed barrier. It is made from plastic. It will start to fall apart within a year and then there are bits and pieces that will be mixed into the soil there for years and years. The first year is OK but after that weeds will start to poke up through it or will sprout in a small layer of soil and send roots down through the barrier. From what I have been reading fewer and fewer gardening and landscaping consultants are recommending using the plastic weed barriers.
If you want to do something to help keep the soil moist and a bit cooler in mid-summer use a bale of straw and spread it out around the plant. Or use grass clippings. Rake up or collect some and place a thin layer every time you cut the lawn and that will work just as well as the straw. Eventually the straw or grass clippings will decompose unlike the plastic which is forever.
That is up to you. Keep in mind that we are already 3 weeks away from the beginning of May. Use a hard sided plastic pot and start now if you want. Hard sided pots will make it easier to pop the root ball out. The cloth bags often end up having to be cut up the side to get the root ball out which is a waste of money in my opinion.Ohhh should I start them inside now or about two weeks before May
Looking at your photo I am thinking that you could even use two of the plants on the table. Around here we figure the last day of frost is between May 15th and 22nd. Your area is probably a week or two earlier. Frost will not kill a plant that has become acclimated to growing outside but it might damage a recently transplanted one.
Several years ago we had put a few clones that were just under a foot tall directly into the ground. We didn't bother doing anything special to the soil. By about a week into August they were already 7 foot tall. Kinda hard to do that with a potted plant without doing a lot of fertilizing and extra work.
- Thread starter
- #17
Coneal49
Well-Known Member
Hi Coneal,
I grew Northern Lights outdoors last summer and the plants were great. Super hardy and put buds on very early. Lots of thick colas and the finished product was very good, but may have been better if I was on my drying game.
I am not the most experienced grower, but so far I have had best results in the biggest possible pots. I have a variety pots sized 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 gals. that I have scavenged with the exception of the 30 gal which I actually bought new and it was totally worth it.
After 3 outdoor seasons my best results were starting seed in a Solo cup. Transplant to 1 gal container until after last frost date, keeping them indoors under a little 100W LED light, then into the largest pot possible with good soil. Top dress monthly with worm castings and dry amendment. I used Build A Soil Craft Blend. Water only, thats it!
I found that as the size of the pot increases the ease of growing also improves. A 30 gal container takes a lot of soil to fill but it contains more nutrients and holds water better than anything smaller.
I also shared a couple of starters with a friend who put them directly in the ground and the plants got HUGE! There is no comparison.
Here is the container I mentioned came from a neighbor. Don't know how many gallon it is but I think only going to put one NL in it hopefully I can get another one from them if not I'll think of something. Above ground painted black of course.
Summer time
Coneal49
Just so happens the way to figure it out came up this morning. If you are interested in know the approximate size/volume of the pot :
https://www.420magazine.com/community/threads/how-many-of-your-us-gallons-of-soil-a-european-liter.540456/post-5955817
Canachris
Well-Known Member
hi Chris, I grew outside back in the 80's in a yard about the same size. I would rent a rototiller and chomp up about a 6' x 10 section and grow tomatoes and mix in a few cannabis plants with em. I fed them the same as the tomatoes. after rototilling I'd mix in a few bags of cow sh.. crap. and compost fron lawn mowing and leaves from the fall. always had good luck. oh and some really tall sunflowers as a distraction, back then the government could seize your property and give jail time. good luck, and hope you have good weather over the summer
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