Outdoor grow: growing cannabis outside

Cannabis under the open sky: the sun is the strongest and cheapest light source there is. Outdoors, plants grow large, you save on electricity and equipment, and with the right spot the effort is manageable. This guide shows you what matters when growing outside.

Why outdoor?

• Free and strong: full sun spectrum, no electricity costs.
• Large plants: outdoors the root space is practically unlimited.
• Little equipment: no tent, no lamp, no exhaust air needed.

Choosing the right spot

• Sun: facing south if possible, at least 6 hours of direct sun per day.
• Privacy: protected from prying eyes and theft (hedge, fence, balcony screen).
• Wind protection: strong wind breaks branches and dries plants out.
• Water nearby: large plants need a lot on hot days.

Timeline in Germany

• from mid-May
  plant out (after the last frost)
• from August
  flowering begins (days get shorter)
• Sep to Oct
  harvest
• full sun
  location

Classic (photoperiod) strains follow the natural daylight: they grow over the summer and start flowering when the days get shorter in late summer. Autoflowering strains flower on a timer by themselves, are faster and, with early sowing, even allow several harvests per season.

Pot or open ground?

In a pot (fabric or container pot) you keep control of the soil and can move the plant during bad weather or protect it in the evening. In open ground (directly in the soil), plants grow largest but need good, loose soil and can no longer be moved.

Care outdoors

• Watering: preferably in the morning, thoroughly, and let the top layer dry out a little in between.
• Feeding: the BudXXL line works outdoors too. You will find the plan in the BudXXL feeding schedule.
• Rain and mould: dense buds can rot when wet (botrytis). During continuous rain in flowering, cover them or move plants under shelter.
• Pests: outdoors there is more variety. Check regularly, see pests and diseases.

Harvest

You harvest when the plant is ripe, not by the calendar. How to recognise that and how to dry correctly afterwards is in the guide harvesting and drying done right.

What comes next

• Cannabis growing for beginners (basics for indoors and outdoors)
• The BudXXL feeding schedule explained (feeding week by week)
• Pests and diseases (especially important outdoors)
• Harvesting and drying done right (the final step)

Sources

• Ahrens, A., Llewellyn, D. & Zheng, Y. (2023): Is Twelve Hours Really the Optimum Photoperiod for Promoting Flowering in Cannabis sativa? Plants 12(14):2605. doi.org/10.3390/plants12142605
• Mahmoud, M. et al. (2023): Understanding bud rot development, caused by Botrytis cinerea, on cannabis. Botany. doi.org/10.1139/cjb-2022-0139
• Consumer Cannabis Act (KCanG): gesetze-im-internet.de/kcang

Legal note: The private cultivation of cannabis has been permitted in Germany for adults within the legally regulated framework since the Consumer Cannabis Act (CanG, 2024), exclusively for personal use, in a limited number of plants and protected from access by minors. Outdoor cultivation is only permitted on your own private and secured property. This article is for information and does not replace legal advice.