We have all seen the photos of the big cannabis plants and big outdoor cannabis yields that growers in Humboldt get to experience every year. It is possible to grow enormous plants outdoors where you live, allowing you to hit a record outdoor cannabis harvest. In this article, we cover how to grow big cannabis plants outdoors, preparing you for a colossal harvest.
Naturally Big Cannabis Plants Seeds
Everything starts with a seed and no matter if indoor or outdoor, the genetics you are working with play an essential role. Nowadays, there is such a wide spectrum of Cannabis genetics available expressing indica, sativa, hybrids, and polybrids breeding lines. Understanding which types of plants have a tendency to grow short and squat, or aggressively tall and lanky, will give you the upper hand when the goal is to grow big plants.
- Indica Cannabis plants will stay short, produce little internodal spacing, and won’t stretch much when flowering begins. Fan leaves can actually inhibit light entering the canopy, so the structure and shape of the plants during their vegetative stage can be quite challenging and removing thick and fat fan leaves is often required. It is possible to train and indica dominant strain over time to become a massive plant, however a hybrid is much easier for a beginner.
- Hybrid Cannabis plants basically mean that two parental lines were used that are both indica and sativa. The result is known as hybrid vigor, meaning the seeds will express the most desirable traits from both parents. Hybrid Cannabis plants will typically grow large and have the ability of producing big outdoor cannabis yields. An excellent choice for a beginner grower who wants to get hands on with their outdoor Cannabis plants.
- Sativa dominant or fully blooded sativa cultivars are best suited for hot and tropical climates, where the seasons are long. Sativa Cannabis can frequently grow over 10-15 feet tall once flowering has started, and become enormous plants if left untrained and to grow as tall as possible. These are best suited for growers with experience, as they can be very demanding and oftentimes overwhelm the beginner grower.
Training Outdoor Cannabis Plants
To get the big outdoor Cannabis yields that we all desire, there are steps that can be taken. These involve different types of training methods that range from low to high-stress techniques.
1.Low Stress Techniques for Big Cannabis Plants
This refers to a type of training (LST) that does not inflict trauma or large amounts of stress, such as super cropping or heavy pruning. Low stress techniques can range from topping or pinching, tying plants down and using a screen to feed shoots through. These training techniques don’t cause the plants much stress and only need a short recovery period.
2. High-Stress Techniques for Big Cannabis Plants
For the more experienced grower who enjoys hands-on and heavy maintenance style of growing, super cropping and heavy pruning can be used. Both of these techniques can be very traumatic for plants, and should be done with lots of care and attention. It is best to apply these techniques on mature and hardwood Cannabis plants that have a better chance of recovery.
3. Use Big Pots Facing South
At some point in our careers as home growers, we have all heard the expression ‘ big roots mean big fruits ‘. This old school statement is very much true and is a case of two variables. How big the pot size is, and what condition is the root zone actually in? We recommend when the end goal is to produce a big outdoor Cannabis yield, to plant directly into a large-sized felt pot and make sure your plants are South-facing, and they receive the most amount of direct sunlight.
These are excellent at allowing air to pass through, and encourage roots to grow outwards, instead of spiraling downwards to eventually become root bound. Some growers will choose to work outdoors with pots that range from 50-100 liters / 13-26 gallons. Others prefer to plant into the same organic compost bed, or directly into the ground, where the earth is rich and has great drainage and air holding capability.
Add Support for Big Cannabis Plants
If you are growing big plants, then you must anticipate enormous buds growing on side branches. The more weight the plants pack on during the flowering season, then the more urgency there should be to create a support frame.
The support required to ensure a big outdoor Cannabis harvest can be as simple as thick bamboo or wooden canes around the edge of the pots. Each side branch is tied to the wooden support, allowing the plants to focus on flower and resin production.
Other solutions for adding support may be using a net trellis and sitting the top 30-60 cm through each square. This easy to do, and effective method allows plenty of air flow around the plants and does not block any direct light.
Paradise Seeds Biggest Plants For Outdoors
- Sativa cultivars: Chocolate Wafflez and Rainbow Road can yield 1000 grams per plant.
- Hybrid cultivars: Tangerine Sorbet and Mendocino skunk can yield 1000 grams per plant.
- Indica cultivars: Space Cookies and Dutch Kush can yield 1000 grams per plant.
- Auto Flowering cultivars - Stromboli can produce 150 grams per plant.
Conclusion
If you can apply the different methods above, then achieving a record-breaking, big outdoor Cannabis yield you can be proud of is effortless to do. Big Cannabis plants will require much more maintenance than smaller, but are well worth their weight in gold!