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Summer is the perfect time for vacations, long, enjoyable evenings with family or friends, or simply relaxing after what is often a long winter. However, it is also a crucial time for the healthy development of our beloved cannabis plants, which will spend many weeks growing outdoors, as a lot can happen from germination through growth—followed by the flowering period—before the long-awaited harvest finally arrives.
\n\n\n\nAlthough each step mentioned here is currently geared toward outdoor cultivation, it also applies to achieving a good indoor harvest. It is important to approach each phase with careful preparation and consideration, especially since, during this time of year, the stress caused by high temperatures in certain parts of the world can become a real problem for some. Many growers will opt either for photoperiod feminized cannabis seeds or for an autoflowering option better suited to their needs.
\n\n\n\nNo matter which option you choose, the main goal is to grow healthy cannabis plants at every stage of the growing cycle. This means providing them with proper care and sufficient water, nutrients, and light to produce delicious cannabis flowers packed with resinous trichomes. Depending on the location, you’ll also need to monitor humidity levels to prevent fungal issues from developing.
\n\n\n\nBelow, we outline the five key areas on which you should focus your efforts as the flowering period begins: watering, mulching, providing structural support for the plants, defoliation or leaf thinning, and the importance of high-quality lighting throughout the entire cycle.
\n\n\n\nFrom the very beginning—that is, as early as the germination stage or seedling development, and then during growth (the vegetative phase)—it is very important to provide water in amounts that meet each plant’s needs, in order to avoid potential water shortages that could harm your cannabis crop. I would even say that you need to anticipate these issues when growing, because prevention is often far better than cure. There is a dual benefit during this phase, because while hydration is essential, nutrient supply is just as important.
\n\n\n\nIt is also important to note that global warming has disastrous consequences in this regard, as rising temperatures across the board do nothing to help us. For this very reason, it is crucial to provide your cannabis plants with all the necessary nutrients during every phase of the growing cycle, week after week, to strengthen their immune systems.
\n\n\n\nThat is why you should use a high-quality fertilizer tailored to the plants’ varying needs during both the growth and flowering stages. But that’s not all: using a root stimulator (applied once a week) will promote root health and development, resulting in robust growth and optimal nutrient uptake.
\n\n\n\nUsing Trichoderma (harzianum) will also benefit the health, protection, and balance of your soil. We recommend that you always water your plants in the morning or evening, when temperatures are still fairly cool or moderate, to avoid stressing the plants or causing root burn. Therefore, avoid watering your cannabis plants between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., as it is generally very hot in most countries around the world during this time of day in the summer.
\n\n\n\nBe sure to use water at a temperature that matches the ambient air temperature to avoid any potential thermal shock to the soil. It is also important to avoid watering at night (especially during and at the end of flowering), as humidity levels naturally rise significantly in the air. This depends on the climate, but it is a fairly common trend around the world. This can be a critical issue if you are growing cannabis strains that are not very resistant to fungal diseases.
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Another important detail is that we focus our efforts on watering each plant at ground level, but there is also a major benefit to hydrating, cooling, and rinsing all the leaves, as we must keep in mind that their stomata actively participate in various gas exchanges during photosynthesis week after week.
\n\n\n\nImportant: It is especially important to rinse the leaves during the vegetative growth stage, because if you repeatedly spray water on the pistils of cannabis flowers, you risk damaging them; they could also suffer some sunburn when grown outdoors. The same applies to indoor cultivation, as artificial lighting will produce the same effect.
\n\n\n\nWhether indoors or outdoors—and this applies to CBD plants as well—you must also be very careful when rinsing the leaves to avoid leaving large drops of water on them, as this creates a magnifying glass effect that can cause significant surface burns, which may slightly hinder each plant’s photosynthesis.
\n\n\n\nWe recommend using a high-quality growth fertilizer until you see a sufficiently dense cluster of pistils, as this is a sign that your photoperiod cannabis plants have entered the flowering phase. Afterward, it is advisable to transition between the different fertilizers by gradually shifting, over approximately 7 to 12 days, from the nutritional requirements of the growth phase to those needed during the flowering stage.
\n\n\n\nOne factor that may be particularly important for growers in hot regions where water supply is a challenge is that autoflowering strains generally tolerate water shortages better than photoperiod strains. This is due to the Ruderalis genetics, which are resistant to many harsh weather conditions—a trait explained by the nature of their native habitat (Eastern Europe, Siberia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Central Asia).
\n\n\n\nIt’s worth noting that Indica cannabis strains are more sensitive to water shortages than Sativa plants, for example. This is easy to understand, since the vast majority of these strains originate from warm countries, which also explains why the buds they produce are more airy and elongated, allowing them to better withstand high humidity levels and, above all, various pathogens that might emerge and gradually ruin the entire crop. Starting with high-quality seeds is essential.
\n\n\n\nIt’s true that if you’re just starting out, it might be a good idea to grow autoflowering plants from high-quality seeds such as Critical+2.0 Auto, Moby Dick Auto, Critical Jack Auto L.A. Vanilla Cake Auto. They require less special care, are less sensitive to high temperatures, and have a shorter growing time, all while delivering a harvest of high-quality buds covered in resinous trichomes.
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When we talk about mulching, we’re referring to the use of natural or synthetic materials, such as agricultural straw, bark, wood chips, perlite, or simply the grass clippings from mowing your lawn, to limit water evaporation and potential temperature shocks to the substrate of your cannabis plants during the vegetative growth stage or flowering phase, allowing you to harvest the highly sought-after, high-quality cannabis flowers.
\n\n\n\nMulching is an excellent preventive method for protecting the top layer of your growing medium and ensuring the overall well-being of your cannabis plants. As mentioned earlier, this protective layer on the soil is most often made up of plant matter, woody debris, or mineral rock, and should be between 2 and 5 cm thick, depending on the heat intensity of the region where you are growing.
\n\n\n\nExcessively high temperatures within the growing medium could disrupt the soil’s microbial life, especially when using organic methods. When many growers first start out, they don’t think about these kinds of structural details, even though they are essential week after week for ultimately achieving the long-awaited harvest.
\n\n\n\nThis method of soil protection is widely used in California, for example, simply because summers there are very hot—as evidenced by the numerous wildfires (megafires) in recent years—but also because organic farming is well established there, and soil health plays a major role in ensuring that this farming method works optimally.
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When we say that soil is alive, it is a fact; this is also why geotextile pots are commonly used, as they directly improve the substrate’s ability to breathe and promote oxygenation of the soil’s microbial life. This ultimately results in boosting various aerobic metabolic processes, such as the interactions between the different biological agents present in the soil. Carefully selecting high-quality cannabis seeds helps overcome many challenges.
\n\n\n\nSpecial care must be taken when transplanting seedlings outdoors after germination, as they are particularly fragile during the first 3 to 4 weeks. All of these tips also apply to CBD plants. That is why, during this vegetative growth phase, it is best to prepare them properly—possibly under artificial lighting indoors—to strengthen them before they are moved to their final growing location.
\n\n\n\nUsing a good support system for the vegetative structure of the cannabis plant has become an important step in recent years, especially with the emergence of modern American photoperiod strains on the global cannabis scene. Previously, cannabis plants had a more uniform vegetative structure, typically taking the shape of a well-defined Christmas tree.
\n\n\n\nIt must be said that these days, the cannabis plant is evolving in many ways; Varieties that have become very popular, such asOG Kush example, require a structural support system to guide and support their vegetative growth—but that’s not all, because the true role of such a system is primarily to support or reinforce the plant’s structure so that it can bear the weight of the large, thick, compact buds that will need to be harvested at the end of the growing cycle. The same applies to certain CBD-rich hybrids.
\n\n\n\nThe structural support for a cannabis plant is made either from perforated nylon mesh or from a cylindrical metal cage, which is often constructed from the wire mesh used to build fences for private homes. Alternatively, traditional stakes can be used; the only issue with these is that the support for the cannabis plants will not be uniform and may sometimes be insufficient.
\n\n\n\nIn most cases, this type of support system is used for a single cannabis plant; it should be set up either around the plant or horizontally across it, so as to guide the plant’s growth to the desired height. Some growers sometimes install a first support net at the base of the cannabis plants, then a second one at the level of the buds, to relieve the pressure exerted by the weight of the flowers.
\n\n\n\nIf this stage isn’t completed, or is completed too late, you can expect some branches to snap under the weight of the heavy buds packed with resinous trichomes. It would be a shame to have invested so much effort, money, and time overall, only to end up with significant losses at the end of the cycle, right when it’s time to harvest. Especially when it can be avoided…
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Defoliation is a simple method that involves removing all the leaves that block light from reaching the parts where what we’re all after—those precious cannabis buds packed with resinous trichomes—develop. It makes sense that this principle applies more to Indica plants than to Sativa plants.
\n\n\n\nHowever, even though this general trend holds true, given the wide availability of photoperiod polyhybrids on the market today, this method can be used on virtually any variety grown from feminized cannabis seeds.
\n\n\n\nThis method works wonders at the start of the flowering phase for a strain like L.A. Vanilla Cake, for example, but it also works perfectly well on Grape Juice, Cookielato, Watermelon Runtz, Gorilla Frost, Starfire OG Zkittlez 2.0. Reducing humidity within the canopy is crucial to prevent the emergence of harmful pathogens. This also applies to any variety with a high CBD content.
\n\n\n\nAll of these varieties produce either a large quantity of leaves or leaves that grow too large in relation to the overall size of the cannabis plant in question. The result is the same: these leaves generally prevent the buds from swelling and developing optimally, as the production of resin trichomes, terpenes, and flavonoids is also affected.
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It is essential to pay close attention to how much light penetrates the plant canopy, as this will have a significant impact on the production of harvestable cannabis flowers—and thus on the overall yield of the crop.
\n\n\n\nIn addition, this dense foliage can cause moisture to accumulate on certain parts of the plant, which may lead to the growth of harmful fungi. Density varies from plant to plant; generally speaking, a Sativa plant is naturally denser than an Indica.
\n\n\n\nSome cannabis hybrids have varying node spacing, meaning that the amount of foliage differs from one variety to another. This is usually an inherent trait of the hybrid you are growing, but it can also be caused by excessive nutrient input during the growth phase.
\n\n\n\nBe aware of the opposite effect: if you prune too much, the plants may become overly stressed, which can hinder essential photosynthesis, thereby stunting the plant’s growth and reducing the production of beautiful, delicious buds covered in resinous trichomes.
\n\n\n\nThe quality of lighting plays a key role in ensuring optimal growth for your cannabis plants, and not just during the flowering stage. It is crucial to give careful consideration to the quality and intensity of lighting, whether you’re growing indoors or outdoors.
\n\n\n\nThis is much more important than you might imagine, because once your seeds come to life after germination and reach the seedling stage, that’s when the need for lighting with the right intensity and quality really becomes clear.
\n\n\n\nFor all growers who use pots, whether indoors or outdoors, it may be a good idea to move them around within your growing area, since light levels vary depending on where each plant is placed. The amount of light each plant receives is therefore inconsistent.
\n\n\n\nBy repositioning them, you’ll optimize this, which will maximize bud production as well as the amount of resin trichomes, while also reducing moisture buildup and improving airflow.
\n\n\n\nIf you’re growing outdoors in open ground, it may be a good idea to prune or clear away surrounding vegetation as much as the site allows, while taking care to maintain some privacy, in order to maximize the even distribution of light.
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