How do I achieve the best flavour / aroma when outdoorgrowing?

Posted by Juan Cervantes

15 July 2018

On 10. Mai 2015

Many outdoor growers are looking for ways to get even the most aromatic and flavourful weed as well as the highest quality professionally grown. Most growers want to produce buds that not only have a high potency but also a great smell and taste.

First of all, it is important to understand that the basic prerequisite for good and intense flavours is always the correct cultivation of the cannabis plants. This means:

Master the basics of growing canabis (light, climate, correct watering and fertilising, suitable planting medium & containers, water quality, correct location, etc.), taking into account all the important factors for healthy growth and development of the cannabis plants. You can read all the necessary information in various other articles on our site.
Always harvest cannabis plants at the right time, when they are really ripe.
The buds are further professionally processed and dried

Besides these basic requirements, there are a lot of other things you can consider to enhance and maximise the taste and smell of the buds. You can read all about it in the following.

3 important steps to enhance taste & smell

Increase the terpene content in the buds: Ter penes are what give cannabis its unique taste and smell. Therefore, increasing the terpene level is especially crucial in this context.
Avoid common mistakes that are detrimental to the taste/smell: it is possible to ruin the taste and smell of the buds through ignorance.
Choose the appropriate cannabis strain: some strains are known for their intense aromas

I. Increase the terpene content

1. grow in high quality, organic compost soil

Cannabis plants develop particularly well and with an increased terpene content if a high-quality organic soil mixture with a compost content is used for cultivation. You can mix this mixture yourself from purely organic and biological ingredients. You can find a recipe for this here. It is advisable to make your own compost from valuable organic materials (grass cuttings, nettle cuttings, coffee grounds...) for the soil mixture. Do not use diseased or pest-infested plant waste as a basis, to avoid bringing in anything. Home-made worm compost is an extremely good thing and can be produced cheaply, easily and cleanly with a vermicomposter. On the subject How do I make my own good compost for cannabis plants?you can find out more here.

If you do not have the possibility to make your own compost, you can simply buy it ready-made and mix it into your own mixture (e.g. worm compost).

2. do not harvest the buds too early

The terpene content increases steadily during the flowering phase. As the buds mature, new terpenes are constantly produced, so that harvesting too early significantly reduces the terpene content of the flowers.

With most cannabis strains, the terpene content increases dramatically after 6-7 weeks of flowering, so even very short flowering strains should be allowed at least an 8 week flowering period. There are very few strains that can be harvested sooner, most need at least 8 weeks to reach their full terpene profile.

3. grow under the sun

The type of light with which the cannabis plants are illuminated has a great effect on the terpene content of the flowers. Cannabis grown under sunlight receives all the light spectra found in nature during the vegetation and especially the flowering phase. This allows the full terpene spectrum to be formed, resulting in much more aromatic weed than that of plants grown under artificial light.

There is a theory among growers that you should put the plants under artificial light for the last few weeks. However, this is just a misconception, the most aromatic buds are obtained when the plant is grown under sunlight until the end.

4. be careful with the buds

Avoid touching the buds too often and too roughly during growing and after harvest. If you are too careless with the buds, this can destroy the terpenes and worsen the overall flavour of the weed.

Of course, the buds need to be touched carefully for checking and harvesting, but you should only do this when it is really necessary. I know it's often not easy not to touch the juicy and fat buds, but the end result will thank you.

You should not expose the harvested buds to sunlight. This destroys the terpenes and takes away a lot of the flavour.

5. dry the flowers as slowly as possible

The slower the harvested buds are dried, the better this is for the terpene content and thus the aroma. The buds should be dried for at least 2 weeks to get a good terpene profile.

If the buds would dry too fast because of too low humidity or too high temperatures, the medium and small leaves can be left on the buds (and the buds on the branches) during the drying process. This way the buds dry more slowly because there is still plenty of water in the leaves and twigs.

The cannabis flowers are best dried at a room temperature of 21°C and a relative humidity of 70%.

Avoid drying the buds too quickly
Do not overdry buds before fermentation
Better cooler than too warm temperatures when drying
When drying, always ensure good ventilation so that mould does not develop.

Learn more about the correct drying and processing of cannabis here.

6. Correct storage of the buds

In order for the grass to retain its aroma, it must be stored properly. The dry buds should be stored in a dark, closed and cool place and aired at least once a day for a few minutes so that no mould can develop. This way, the buds will retain their unique aroma for a long time.

II. Avoiding common grow mistakes

1. never use odour neutralisers near the plants.

Never use odour sprays or odour neutralisers such as ONA or similar near the plants. This is especially important during the flowering phase. Any kind of scent spray or neutraliser leaves a perfume smell in the air and this should be avoided at all costs near plants. The plants do not even have to be sprayed directly to take on this smell, it is sufficient if the air is enriched with it.

In order for the weed to retain its actual aroma, you should therefore refrain from using scent sprays or similar near the bus or in the same room as the plants.

2. avoid mould and fungi

If the buds are infected with fungi such as mildew or even botrytis, the weed tastes very scratchy and often leads to coughing fits. It is therefore absolutely necessary to check the buds regularly for fungal infestation, especially before harvesting. Fungal buds should never be smoked. Not only do they not taste good, mushrooms are very harmful to the human organism and should therefore never be consumed.

3. rinse sufficiently before harvesting

To preserve the pure aroma of the flowers, the cannabis plants should not be fertilised for the last 2 weeks before harvesting, but only rinsed with pH-neutral water. This way, the residues in the substrate and in the plant are completely used up and none remain in the weed. Otherwise, these fertiliser residues make the weed bitter and mask the actual aroma. Apart from that, residues of mineral salt fertilisers are not exactly healthy and irritate the bronchial tubes.

III. growing aromatic strains

Cannabis strains differ extremely in their terpene profile and thus in their taste and smell. The preferences are of course quite different and everyone has to find the strain(s) they like. Therefore, the varieties presented here are only a small selection. They all have a particularly intense aroma, a broad terpene profile, are very potent and easy to grow.

Indicas

Pineapple Chunk from Barneys Farm

It has a very sweet aroma with slight undertones of fresh nuts. Many plants also have a very strong pineapple note, which also gave this strain its name. Pineapple Chunk can be harvested outdoors at the end of September and has a very high THC content of up to 25%.

Harvest end of September
550g per plant
Pineapple flavour

Sensi Star by Paradise Seeds

She has a very intense lemon aroma with a peanut butter aftertaste. Sensi Star is idicadominant and can be harvested at the Outdoorgrow in early October. She won the Hightimes Cannabis Cup 2 times, among others.

Harvest beginning of October
400-500g per plant
Lemon aroma with peanut undertones

LA Confidential by DNA Genetics

It has a sweet yet pungent, peppery smell and a taste reminiscent of cake batter. LA Confidential can be harvested outdoors at the end of September and produces rock-hard buds. Because of its effects, it is also used as medicinal cannabis for chronic pain, spasms and sleep disorders.

Harvest end of September
450g per plant
Sweet and spicy at the same time

Banana Kush by Anesia Seeds

As the name suggests, it has a very fruity banana aroma and a very relaxing effect. Banana Kush can be harvested in early October and yields over 500g per plant. It is used as medical marijuana for pain, depression and relaxation.

Harvest beginning of October
550-700g per plant
Banana flavour

Hybrid

Somango by Soma Seeds

It is one of the fruitiest cannabis strains and is named after its tropical aroma. Somango can be harvested outdoors or in a greenhouse in mid to late October and can tolerate cooler temperatures.

Harvest mid to end October
600g per plant
Mango flavour

Wonder Woman by Nirvana

She is a hybrid with 60% indica content and can be harvested in outdoor growing in early to mid-October. The aroma of Wonder Woman is very skunky and citrusy, the typical smell of Dutch coffee shops.

Harvest beginning to middle of October
450-550g per plant
lemony, skunky aroma

Cherry Kiss by Anesia Seeds

It has a very fruity aroma, reminiscent of ripe cherries. Cherry Kiss can be harvested in mid-October when grown outdoors and yields up to 700g per plant. Some phenotypes also flower in very beautiful shades of red.

50% Indica / 50% Sativa
Harvest mid-October
650-700g per plant
Cherry flavour

Cream Mandarin FV by Sweet Seeds

Cream Mandarine Fast Version by Sweet Seeds is an extremely short flowering strain that nevertheless develops a very intense aroma. It can already be harvested in mid to late September and has an insanely fruity aroma reminiscent of tangerines.

60% Indica / 40% Sativa
Harvest mid to end September
400-600g per plant
Mandarin flavour

Sativas

S.A.G.E. by TH Seeds

It is a sativa with 20% indica genes and is characterised by a very peppery aroma. Some phenotypes have a strong sandalwood note and a very smooth yet spicy taste. S.A.G.E. can be harvested in mid to late October and is very disease resistant.

Harvest mid to end October
550-600g per plant
peppery aroma, sandalwood

Chocolope from DNA Genetics

It is an almost pure sativa with a rather short flowering time, so that it can be harvested already in mid-October. Chocolope is famous for its fruity-sweet aroma that reminds of dark chocolate when consumed. She grows tall and produces large yields

Harvest mid-October
up to 900g per plant
sweet, chocolate flavour

C99 from female Seeds

It is one of the most popular sativas of our time and can already be harvested at the beginning of October. C99 has a very fruity aroma, characterised by pineapple and grapefruit. Because of its enormous resistance to parasites and diseases, it is a very good choice for outdoor growing.

Harvest beginning of October
700g per plant
Pineapple grapefruit flavour

One Love Haze by Positronics

It is a sativa with an aroma composition consisting of thyme, incense, cedar and mahogany. One Love Haze can be harvested very early for an almost pure sativa, already in mid-October, and still yields almost 1kg.