Can I grow in the desert?

[Damien102]

I'm in late flower of an indoor grow in New Jersey. I have a buddy that lives just outside Vegas that I'm going to see in August. I sent him pictures of my plants and now he wants to grow and wants me to show him how while I'm there. The problem I see he wants to grow in his yard. Will/can a plant grow in that environment? The only thing I can think of is using a sun screen, but still think the extreme dry and heat would make a bad grow.
Is it possible to grow outdoors in Vegas? If so how?

 

[Phytoplankton]

Yes, you can grow in those conditions, but you have to do some modifying. A sunscreen is a must, a mister could also be helpful while in veg (not sure I'd use it in flower. There are a couple people who grow in Arizona, outdoors, so hopefully they'll chime in. Also, you can choose seeds that are more adapted for hot/dry climates. I grow in a moderate coastal climate, so I'm not sure what strains would be best for Las Vegas.

 

[SmokingWings]

Is it possible to grow outdoors in Vegas? If so how?

What Phyto mentioned.

I seem to remember that some of the US desert area growers tended to go with auto-flower plants. They started them early enough that the plants would be finishing up before the really hot days of summer started.

 

[Phytoplankton]

Besides the heat the two other challenges are the wind, seems like almost every time I've been there it's been very windy, and occasional massive summer thunderstorms, down drafts, almost tornado like conditions, they can flatten a garden real quick! Before I retired, I used to go to Las Vegas (actually NTS) pretty regularly.

 

[TorturedSoul]

Dig DEEP and wide, consider lining the hole with clay to slow drainage, then backfill with your choice of good soil. That way, when you water the plant, it's not sitting there waterlogged like it would be if you did this with a smaller hole - but moist soil is close at hand. Maybe consider not backfilling clear up to the surface. You're probably not going to create a large enough depression for substantial nighttime cool(er) air to sink into, but every little bit helps - plus, it'll give you space to drop a 3" thick piece of white Styrofoam insulation into during the hotter days.

Or, if you have access to lots of water, you could set up a drain-to-waste hydroponic grow (well insulated, of course), and cool the roots via the water. Use a reservoir chiller if necessary.

People have been growing cannabis across much of the planet for centuries, and without access to modern methods. Sometimes it's just more of a challenge.

 

[Buds Buddy]

I live in AZ. & there's No Way I would attempt growing outdoors in June, July & August. Those 3 months are scorchers in the Phoenix area. Now if I was in Sierra Vista, AZ. I could easily grow outdoors as 100F is about as hot as it gets. But in Phoenix it gets in the 120's.

 

[TorturedSoul]

Wow. I start sweating at 65°F. That must be like a suburb of Hell. Or maybe downtown.

 

[Buds Buddy]

Wow. I start sweating at 65°F. That must be like a suburb of Hell. Or maybe downtown.

65F is about the daytime temps in the winter. During June, July & Aug. I try to do as much as possible at night when it's only in the 80's.

 

[Damien102]

Yes, you can grow in those conditions, but you have to do some modifying. A sunscreen is a must, a mister could also be helpful while in veg (not sure I'd use it in flower. There are a couple people who grow in Arizona, outdoors, so hopefully they'll chime in. Also, you can choose seeds that are more adapted for hot/dry climates. I grow in a moderate coastal climate, so I'm not sure what strains would be best for Las Vegas.

I see what your saying and would have not even posted this question if I knew for sure the answer was, yes, but jumping through hoops is necessary. I would tell him screens, misters, fans and a host of other things, but I get the idea he wants to grow outside because he just doesn't want the complications of a tent and the peripherals that go with it. I was thinking maybe there's a magic strain I don't know of that thrives in that environment. Looking at it though I guess there's a reason the only things you see in cowboy movies when the bad guy gang is riding across the desert is cactus and tumble weed.
Think I'm going to advise my buddy, get a tent or plant a seed outside and make a journal of how to kill a cannabis plant.

 

[Damien102]

What Phyto mentioned.

I seem to remember that some of the US desert area growers tended to go with auto-flower plants. They started them early enough that the plants would be finishing up before the really hot days of summer started.

Yeah... If he starts (an auto) in August and gets a seedling going, the climate will start to become more hospitable as it goes into fall and winter (not that Nevada winter is ideal to begin with)

 

[Damien102]

He wants to do outside to ovoid cost and complications. From what I've read in reply's (THANK YOU ALL) it seems an indoor tent is the least complicated cheapest way to go about it where he is.

 

[SmokingWings]

Think I'm going to advise my buddy, get a tent or plant a seed outside and make a journal of how to kill a cannabis plant.

If the house is air-conditioned then having a tent, or even a home-made cabinet, inside makes sense since it will already be cooler in there.

Do not overlook the advantages of growing auto-flower plants. The auto-flowers ability to get to harvest in areas with short and often cooler summers becomes an advantage in areas with hot, dry and long summers. Plant them early enough and your buddy can be pulling a harvest instead of jumping through all the hoops of keeping them alive in the heat.

It might work to plant them late in the summer so they grow while the weather is cooling off since it sounds like the winter there is about the same as an early summer for most of the rest of us.

Yeah... If he starts (an auto) in August and gets a seedling going, the climate will start to become more hospitable as it goes into fall and winter (not that Nevada winter is ideal to begin with)

I see you posted this while I was typing.

 

[grayeyes]

It can be done as long as you consider the timing in regards to weather and deliberately pick a strain that does well in that kind of environment. Of course 120 degrees isn't viable for anything including human beings and cannabis. But out of those months not so hot, a selection of indicas known to be cultivated for hundreds of years in dry hot conditions would probably work.