Are you interested in growing marijuana and want to know what the best outdoor grow setup is? While marijuana can be grown both indoors and outdoors, there are a few things you need to know before investing in a grow setup. Thankfully, we’re here to help.
In this article, we will address everything you need to know in order to have the best outdoor grow setup possible. We will also answer any of your questions regarding what sorts of conditions may affect your marijuana plants, as well as how you can best set yourself up for success. Let’s get started!
Can You Grow Marijuana Outside?
Yes, you can grow marijuana outside. Marijuana is commonly grown either indoors or outdoors, depending on your location and overall climate. However, most of the time marijuana needs fewer tools and accessories when grown outdoors rather than indoors, as these plants tend to thrive in a natural environment.
However, the most important thing for you to consider is whether or not you can legally grow marijuana outside. This will depend on where you live as well as how many plants you plan on growing, but we will talk more about this in detail later on in the article.
What Temperatures Can You Grow Marijuana In?
Marijuana grows best in temperatures that range from 60 degrees Fahrenheit to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. However, it is important to give your plants a temperature difference from daytime into night time. If you live in a location that tends to be the same temperature both day and night, your plants will produce fewer buds overall.
Additionally, if your outdoor plants grow in temperatures above 80 degrees, you may end up with a less potent product come harvest time. The same can be said for temperatures below 60 degrees, so you should take special precautions to keep your plants warm if the temperatures are cold.
Will Rain Affect Your Plants?
Yes, rain can greatly affect your plants in a variety of ways. Depending on the stage of growth that your marijuana plant is in, you face many risks should heavy rain occur and your plants aren’t covered. Rain can lead to rotten buds as well as potentially damaging the delicate trichomes found on your marijuana plants. If you have the option to move your plants under cover, I highly recommend doing so if a heavy storm is expected.
Pros of Growing Marijuana Outside
There are many perks to growing marijuana outside, especially considering the natural growing process of these particular plants. By choosing outdoor grown cannabis, you are making a decision to grow your buds and terpene profiles in a natural way, rather than assisting them and potentially altering them in indoor growing environments.
The overall cost of outdoor grown marijuana is also lower than indoor grown. All you need to grow marijuana outside is some reliable clones or seeds, high-quality soil, and access to water. This is incredibly easy when compared to an indoor grow setup that requires heat lamps, structures, and much more intricate irrigation systems.
Marijuana is also a wonderful plant to grow outdoors for soil regeneration and overall garden care. By choosing to grow cannabis in a natural way, you are creating a more environmentally friendly product, rather than one that requires so much money and hand-holding in order to produce weed.
Cons of Growing Marijuana Outside
There are some cons of growing marijuana outside, particularly the level of control you have over your plants. While you may be able to set up a greenhouse or simple structure over your plants, your cannabis will be exposed to the elements day after day while it grows. This includes unexpected weather changes as well as temperatures that you can’t regulate for control.
Given that you can’t control the overall weather scenarios that may happen to your plants, your expected yield and bud quality may differ, season after season. Speaking of seasons, another kind of growing marijuana outside could be the fact that you simply live in an area that can support their growth. Marijuana requires specific temperature and moisture environments, which may not be something you can adequately provide.
Outdoor Grow Setup Answers
Still have questions regarding the best outdoor grow setup? Here are some of the most frequently asked questions, along with our expert answers so that you can create a setup that works best for both you and your marijuana plants.
Do You Need a Greenhouse to Grow Marijuana Outside?
No, you don’t need a greenhouse to grow marijuana outside. However, a greenhouse may help you if you live in a particular climate that faces a lot of extreme weather conditions or temperature fluctuations. Having a simple cover over your marijuana plants may help them survive a rainstorm or an unexpected frost, but you do not need a greenhouse if you live in an area with mild weather.
What Do You Need to Grow Marijuana Outside?
While you can grow marijuana outdoors in a wide variety of ways, you may be wondering what all you need to grow it effectively. Here are some of the things for you to consider as you shop for your outdoor grow setup.
Grow House or Greenhouse
While you don’t necessarily need a grow house or greenhouse in order to grow marijuana outside, it can be extremely beneficial. Sometimes these can be as simple as a plastic cover over your plants to protect them from the rain, or you can get something with a door that you can walk into. Having a greenhouse or grow house for your marijuana may be necessary if you live in an environment that has poor weather conditions, or even an extreme amount of theft. Marijuana plants are highly prized and are often stolen or tampered with.
Grow Lights
If you live in a location that doesn’t get enough sunlight or adequate warmth, you may consider purchasing some grow lights for your marijuana plants. This is especially true for the germination process, as you will want to keep your plant under a grow light during the initial stages of its life. This ensures that you start off with a strong and healthy plant from the beginning, even if you don’t end up using the grow lights in an outdoor environment.
PH Reader
While some marijuana plants are hardier than others, you may consider purchasing a pH reader to test the pH levels of your water. Cannabis prefers a balanced pH level in terms of when it comes time to water your plants, and these readers are not usually very expensive. It may be worth it to purchase one.
Soil Tester
Not only should you plant your cannabis plants in high-quality soil to begin with, but you may consider purchasing an additional soil-tester to ensure that you are growing your plants in an optimum environment. You may be able to purchase a soil tester and pH reader all in one, though these devices are often more expensive.
Irrigation System
One of the most important considerations for your outdoor grow setup is your irrigation system. Your marijuana plants will need watering regularly, and you should ensure that everything gets watered evenly. You can create a variety of irrigation systems on a budget, or you can choose to create a high-tech and fully automated option.
Reliable Shears
Shears are very important when it comes time to cut and harvest your plants. Choosing sharp and reliable ones specifically made for marijuana plants are ideal, as you run the risk of damaging your buds should you harvest the plants with dirty or dull shears.
Trichome Magnifier
Before you can harvest your marijuana plants, you need to know when the best time for harvest is. There is no set date or time in which to harvest your cannabis, but purchasing a trichome magnifier may help you find this opportune time. This is because the trichomes on cannabis buds change color as well as amounts based on their potency and when the most opportune time for harvest is. However, you can’t see trichomes very well without assistance from a magnifier, so purchasing one is a must.
Drying Accessories
After you have harvested your marijuana plants and buds, you will need to take the time to fully dry your plant before you can do anything else with them. This is why it is important to purchase drying accessories such as screens and fans in order to assist with this process. Marijuana buds should be fully dried over a long period of time before they are sold or otherwise distributed.
Growing Soil Answers
Your soil is key to creating high yield and strong plants, but what soil is best? Here are some answers to some of the most common questions regarding growing soil for your cannabis.
What’s the Best Soil for Growing Marijuana Plants?
Loamy soil is best for growing marijuana plants. This essentially means that you should look for aerated soil with a mixture of dirt, clay, and other compounds, as this blend creates a soil with a well-balanced pH. Prioritizing your soil can make a huge difference in the overall quality of your marijuana plants, so take your time before choosing a final soil option.
Where Does Your Soil Go?
Your high quality soil can either go directly into a variety of containers or buckets, or you can spread it out on the ground or in planter beds. Marijuana plants are fairly easy to grow overall, so long as you purchase a well-balanced soil. However, you may prefer containers over direct ground plantings so that you can move and arrange them with ease.
Can You Grow Directly into the Ground?
Yes, you can grow marijuana directly into the ground. However, you should make sure that you are setting up your plants for success before doing this. Make sure that you have laid down your quality soil in an optimum location in terms of sunlight and wind damage. Marijuana grows well when directly planted in the ground, and this may be your most cost-effective option as well.
How Do You Germinate Marijuana Seeds?
One of the easiest ways to germinate marijuana seeds is using a paper towel based method. All you need to do is place your marijuana seeds inside of multiple layers of damp paper towels, and leave them in a warm, dark location to germinate. You should take care to make sure that the paper towels remain damp throughout this entire process, and you can check on the seed from time to time. It will sprout a root, and once this root reaches an inch or more in length, the seed is ready to be planted in soil.
Does Your Soil Need Nutrients for Growth?
Yes, your soil likely needs updated nutrients throughout the growing process of your cannabis. Marijuana plants prefer a large amount of the following vitamins and minerals present in their soil:
- manganese
- copper
- zinc
- iron
- chlorine
- silicon
- cobalt
Using fertilizer and other nutrients to help your marijuana plant grow can be extremely beneficial, as you may experience higher yields and better crops through this process.
Growing Marijuana Outside FAQs
Still have questions regarding the best outdoor grow setup and growing marijuana outside? Here are some answers to help you get started.
Is it Legal to Grow Marijuana Outside?
It absolutely depends on where you live. It may be legal to grow marijuana outside where you currently live, but you may be limited to the amount of plants that you can own at one time. Every state and city has its own rules, so it is very important to determine whether or not you can grow marijuana outside based on your specific address and location.
Can You Start Inside and Move the Marijuana Plants Outside?
Yes, you can start your marijuana plants inside and then move them outside. Many people germinate their plants inside and ensure that they are strong enough and tall enough before moving them outside and planting them in the soil. However, your plants may experience some level of shock depending on the temperature differences between the interior of your house and outside.
Does the Type of Marijuana Matter?
The type of marijuana that you choose to grow outdoors may matter to you. While all cannabis plants grow well in an outdoor environment so long as their temperature and moisture requirements are met, some strains grow much larger or smaller than others and produce more buds depending on their type.
This is something to consider as you shop for clones or seeds, as you may be seeking a marijuana plant of a certain size or height limit. The size of your cannabis plant also matters in some locations in terms of the legality of your crops. While we all want high-yield marijuana plants, your particular outdoor grow setup may not be able to handle extremely large crops.
Are there Ways to Speed Up Outside Growth?
Yes, there are ways to speed up outdoor gross if that is something you’re interested in. However, I recommend purchasing a marijuana strain that is known for growing and producing quickly if you want your bud to be ready fast. As a rule, indoor growing marijuana tends to grow much faster than outdoor growing marijuana because of one simple fact: you can control the lighting.
Given this fact in mind, you can speed up the outside growth of your marijuana plants if you purchase grow lights and use them in an outdoor setting. However, this can be costly and less environmentally conscious rather than if you simply let your plants grow along with the sunshine.
Is it Cheaper to Grow Weed Inside or Outside?
It is usually far cheaper to grow weed outside rather than inside. If you choose to grow weed inside, you will need to purchase complicated irrigation systems as well as lighting, and you may also need to purchase heating equipment to make sure that your plants are kept at an optimum temperature at all times.
However, if you do not take precautions to protect your outdoor grown weed in the first place, you may end up losing your entire crop. This may make outdoor grown cannabis more expensive overall, as you can totally control what happens to your indoor grown cannabis. However, the initial setup of outdoor grown marijuana is cheaper than indoor grown marijuana.
Final Thoughts
Creating the best outdoor grow setup for your marijuana plants may be easier than you think. You can create an environment that is as complicated or as simplistic as you need it to be, based on your climate and budget. Take your time and do your research when choosing an ideal strain or marijuana clone to plant in your backyard or outdoor grow setup today!
Jamie is the founder of The Backyard Pros. When he was 15 years old he started working at a garden centre helping people buy plants, gardening products, and lawn care products. He has real estate experience and he is a home owner. Jamie loves backyard projects, refinishing furniture, and enjoys sharing his knowledge online.