Spring is just around the corner, so the time for outdoor growing can slowly begin. It is simply an overwhelming experience to experience the power of Cannbis plants in the wild. The strong growth behaviour, the emergence of real trees outdoors and the immense harvests that Mother Nature gives you are a real joy. And the best thing about it - no electricity costs at all. No lighting or ventilation is necessary, nature does it for you. Everything would be so perfect if the weather didn't often throw a spanner in the works. Unfortunately, very few growers live in regions with a very long, sunny summer and a mild autumn with little rain. The opposite is often the case and many a gardener can tell you a thing or two about how nasty Peter can be when he sends long rain showers in the middle of the flowering phase.
So the question is, which cannabis strains are suitable for outdoor cultivation in countries with a relatively short summer and a rather rainy autumn, such as Central Europe, North America or Canada? There are a few things you should pay attention to so that you can really enjoy bountiful harvests.
Mould resistant varieties
As in Central and Northern Europe there are often long rains in late summer and autumn and cannabis cannot tolerate too much moisture, especially in the flowering phase, and mould often occurs which can even destroy the whole harvest, it is advisable to grow mould-resistant varieties. These have a much higher resistance to fungal diseases and can withstand a lot of rain. Mould resistant varieties include Hollands Hope (Dutch Passion), Swiss Cheese (Nirvana) or Critical Kali Mist (Delicious Seeds)
Short flowering varieties
Take varieties that are already ready for harvest in September or early October. This way you can make sure that you can let them ripen properly. What good is the best variety if it takes until the end of November to finish and has to be harvested in the middle of the flowering phase. This is why Indicas or hybrids with a short flowering period are particularly suitable, e.g. Karibeña (Kannabia), Early Queen (Mr Nice) or Green Poison (Sweet Seeds)
Blue and Purple varieties
Many blue strains shine in their magnificent hues in regions with cooler temperatures. The colder climate is often responsible for the appearance of the colouring (see also The colours of cannabis). Suitable colourful outdoor strains are for example Pakistan Chitral Kush (Cannabiogen), Durban Poison (Dutch Passion) or Blue Rhino (Positronics)
Automatic varieties are an alternative
To avoid having to wait for the days to get shorter and the cannabis plants to start flowering, you should consider using autoflowering varieties (see also What are autoflowering varieties) should be considered. These start to flower about 3-4 weeks after germination and can already be harvested before the rainy autumn days set in. Especially varieties of the newer generations yield considerable amounts and are hardly inferior to normal plants. Suitable autoflowering varieties are e.g. Autofrisian Dew (Dutch Passion), Pandora (Paradise Seeds) or Baby Boom (Kannabia)
Of course, these are only a few examples of good outdoor varieties for Central Europe. Ultimately, it depends on the preferences of each grower. A rich selection of Outdoor Strains you can find in our shop.
Here Juan has compiledthe best outdoor strains for the 2015 season.
