Best Time to Grow Cannabis

Why Do Growers Plant and Harvest Cannabis at Specific Times of the Year? 

Outdoor cannabis growing requires warm weather, moderate humidity, and 12 hours of daily sunlight. Crops need these weather conditions for at least 16 consecutive weeks to flower, plus it’s easier for cultivators to dry harvested buds properly. Sativa strains, for instance,  have a longer growing period than indicas, and cultivating them outdoors can happen only at specific times of the year. This guide will help you to identify the best time to grow cannabis indoors and outdoors.

What is Weed Season?  

Outdoor breeders use the term “weed season” when referring to the best time of the year to grow weed, usually between early spring and late fall. However, it’s important to consult with your strain provider before purchasing clones or seeds because climates vary in different states.  It’s easier to grow sativa strains in California due to the warm climate than in Maine, where temperatures are significantly lower.

Here are five tips to help you prepare for the weed season:

1. Germinate Your Cannabis Plants Indoors 

The best time to prepare cannabis seeds for germination is between March 20th and May. Cannabis producers use rock wool cubes to nurture sturdy seedlings that can withstand outdoor conditions. It’s advisable to have a grow tent to ensure that the seedlings receive optimum conditions for growth. 

Transplanting the seedlings outdoors occurs when they grow to a foot tall. At this point, your plants will have better chances of adapting and thriving in their new environment.

2. Use Growing Pots When Cultivating in Extreme Climates 

Cannabis crops require daytime temperatures between 70-85 degrees Fahrenheit to sustain photosynthesis. Your plants will be okay if nighttime temperatures fall between 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Weather patterns, however, can sometimes get unpredictable, especially in states where fall occurs during mid to late April. Summer heat waves accompanied by low humidity cause severe dehydration that’s fatal to the young crops.  Portable growing pots enable the farmer to transfer plants temporarily indoors when outdoor conditions become unfavorable.

The best solution is to grow your plants inside fabric pots to make them portable during unfavorable cold nights. Such adverse weather impedes the roots from absorbing nutrients and causes malnourishment. Grow pots are the best solution to facilitate easy transportation to indoor storage.

3. Feed Your Plants to Help Them Vegetate and Flower

As the plants transition from seedlings into vegetative, the nutrient demand rises consistently. New branches and leaves that grow spontaneously increase nutrient uptake, necessitating farmers to add manure to the soil on a weekly basis. This leads to the formation of thick and healthy stems that can bear the weight of maximum yields. 

Feeding the plants correctly also leads to the formation of healthy branches that adapt well to stress training. 

4. Inspect Your Plants for Undesired Traits and Parasites  

Growing cannabis helps producers achieve various goals, for instance, creating new crosses or strains to serve medicinal or recreational needs. It’s necessary to inspect your field to spot any undesired traits such as hermaphrodite or male plants that directly affect yields. Daily inspection is crucial to creating accurate grow journals to help growers track their progress.

Parasites come in different sizes and shapes. While watering your plants, take time to quickly inspect from top to bottom to spot mites or worms that threaten your crops’ health.  

5. Create a Grow Journal  

A grow journal helps farmers master their production skills because it provides a database of holistic information that serves as a future reference. Recording how each strain responds to nutrients, for instance, during vegetative or flowering stages, guides the grower in choosing the best nutrient mix for the plantation. 

Grow journals also help farmers identify suitable pesticides for various diseases. Fortunately, plenty of grow journal apps enable farmers to record and store data online. 

Can I Still Get a Good Yield If I Start Growing Cannabis Late in the Season? 

It depends on whether you’re growing an autoflowering or photoperiod strain. A farmer can germinate an autoflower plant in early July and enjoy a decent harvest in the first or second week of October. For this to occur, the weather must be conducive regarding humidity and temperature.  Otherwise, the summer heat can severely dehydrate crops.

Photoperiod plants, on the other hand, require a lot of light to help them mature into adults that can flower as per the grower’s expectations.  Starting these strains during summer can lead to unimpressive yields because the changes in natural light cycles lead to poorly developed cannabinoids.  Indoor growers, however, can cultivate autoflowering or photoperiod cannabis late in the season because they have total control over humidity, light cycles, and temperatures inside grow tents or rooms.

Best Time to Start Growing Cannabis

Owning a grow kit or room allows a producer to cultivate cannabis any time of the year, as well as expedite the process by controlling light cycles. Outdoor cannabis plants can sometimes lack enough sunlight, and this stresses them to the point of massively producing seeds instead of dense colas.  

Indoor cannabis growing is a better option compared to outdoor cultivation because…

1. Plants are Less Likely to Encounter Parasites 

Cannabis plants growing in a field share the same environment with insects, worms, and sometimes herbivorous animals. It can get hectic inspecting and treating the plants in areas where parasitic insects or worms are widespread. 

Indoor growing enables farmers to have controlled environments that lack harmful organisms residing in the soil and hinder access to herbivorous animals that feed on cannabis. Nowadays, grow kits provide cultivators with packaged soil mixes and manure to enable plants to grow in a disease and pest-free environment. 

2. Best Option for Outdoor Growers Lacking Sufficient Sunlight 

Access to sufficient sunlight for growing cannabis in urban areas is a major challenge due to the high presence of tall buildings. Plants growing in such situations don’t reach their full potential because insufficient sunlight affects photosynthesis. 

Farmers residing in such places are better off cultivating their cannabis crops indoors so that they can achieve maximum yields. This is the better option compared to outdoor growing because stress as a result of insufficient light makes cannabis plants become hermaphrodites.

3. Outdoor Farmers Rely on One Harvest Season 

Outdoor cannabis flowers are in late September, and farmers prepare for harvest in October. This is the reason why farmers germinate their seeds between March and May to enable plants to reach maturity and maximize yields. This limits outdoor growers to just one harvest season per year. 

Indoor growing enables producers to speed up the vegetative cycle for photoperiod varieties using LED and High-Pressure Sodium lights. This advantage allows the farmer to harvest large cannabis yields after 16-18 weeks.

4. Indoor Farming is the Best Option for Growing Cannabis in Winter 

Freezing winter temperatures can cause nutrient deficiency in outdoor cannabis because it becomes difficult for the roots to absorb Phosphorus.  The crops are vulnerable to white powdery mold infestation due to the high humidity and melting snow covering leaves and branches.

Indoor cannabis farmers don’t struggle with such issues because grow kits and rooms provide a warm and dry environment that enables crops to flourish any time of the year. 

Summary 

Outdoor cannabis produces higher yields than indoor growing because the farmer allows the crops to attain maximum height and develop into large bushes through stress training. It’s also more affordable because plants rely on sunlight for photosynthesis rather than ultraviolet light generated by full-spectrum LED panels. Farmers, however, are limited to one harvest season per year.

Indoor growing enables cultivators to produce cannabis all year round, making it possible to harvest yields after four months. Growers also spend less time and resources eradicating pests when compared to cultivating cannabis outdoors.  

Now that you know the best time to grow weed, consult with verified breeders when purchasing strains for indoor or outdoor growing.