Trouble reading today's article? Click
here: Issue #264 - Sunday, May 7, 2017 Dear Fellow Grower,
In today's issue we focus on plant training techniques! - Learn about the "Light Dep" technique to produce an extra harvest outdoors each year, as well as increase bud quality and overall
yields!
- Get examples of photoperiod and auto-flowering strains that are suitable for multiple outdoor harvests a year!
- Check out the Trophy Pics of the Week featuring outdoor plants from the newly
legal state of Massachusetts!
Nebula Haze & Sirius Fourside (founders of GrowWeedEasy.com) "Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion."
~Martha Graham
"Light Dep" for an Extra Outdoor Harvest by Nebula Haze |
Thanks for contributions by Adam Jacques and Elton Prince!
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I'm always amazed at how mainstream cannabis cultivation has become in the USA! The other day I was in my local electronics store and I saw a classy-looking magazine for sale called Grow Magazine - The
Quintessential Cannabis Horticulture Magazine (pictured to the right - here's their website). I was ecstatic to see an upscale marijuana grow magazine in a big-box store and even more excited to learn they'd been around for a while!
The Mar/Apr issue (labeled "The Sun Grown Issue") was all about outdoor cannabis growing,
and I was pretty impressed by the amount of quality content. There was an interesting article on page 44 about cannabis light deprivation by commercial marijuana farmers Adam Jacques and Elton Prince. They share their experience operating an outdoor pot farm in Eugene, Oregon using the "Light Dep" technique, in order to produce a second outdoor harvest each year while also improving overall bud quality and sometimes even yields.
Since that issue of the magazine is now sold out online and we are right around the time when growers are putting their
marijuana plants outdoors, I wanted to share the main points for outdoor growers who may have missed it!
I've included the most actionable information from the article, as well as many extra tips and tactics I've learned from other outdoor pot farmers over the years! If you're intrigued, make sure you check out future
issues of this awesome publication!
Light Deprivation ("Light Dep") for 2+ Outdoor Harvests a Year
There are several benefits to "Light Dep" or the "Light
Deprivation" technique for outdoor cannabis growers!
In essence, a blackout tent is used to artificially alter the plant's light schedules (similar to how indoor growers put their lights on a timer), giving the grower the ability to force the plant to start making buds as soon as they are put
outside!
2+ Outdoors Harvests a Year (instead of just one in the fall)
- Harvest #1 May - Late July (or your local Spring to Mid-Summer)
- Harvest #2: Late July - Natural Harvest (or your local Mid-Summer to Autumn)
- it's warm year-round at your location, you can also have additional harvests during the winter months
Better Overall Bud Quality
The outdoor commercial growers in Oregon who helped hone the Light Dep technique explain they've found that relatively smaller outdoor plants tend to produce higher quality bud than huge multiple-pound outdoor plants. The smaller plants are also less likely to suffer from bud rot or other types of mold. By splitting one harvest into two a year, they've found you end up with overall better bud quality on average.
Can Improve Yields
Although each harvest is smaller than it would be with one standard outdoor harvest, the overall yields for the year end up being the same or even larger with two harvests. This may be partly due to the fact that a second set
of plants is being prepared vegetatively indoors while the first one is maturing under the sun. That means you have plants using sunlight to make buds continuously during the entire summer and fall, instead of only during late summer and fall. You get to use more of the overall light in a grow season for bud growth. Take Advantage of Budding Under July Sunlight
The Light Dep technique lets one set of plants finish flowering under the high-quality sunlight in July. Some of the highest grade outdoor sinsemilla comes from July-fattened bud, due to the strong direct sunlight, high levels of UV rays and overall lack of mold or wetness in the middle of summer for most locales.
Less Chance of a Catastrophic Failure
Since you have two harvests, if you lose one set of plants it doesn't mean that you've lost everything. So for example, an unexpected extreme heat wave or bug infestation won't kill all
your plants for the year. You are also less likely to lose some of the plants to thieves, especially since few thieves are on the lookout for plants mid-summer. By spreading out your eggs into more than one basket, you prevent any one thing from ruining your whole outdoor harvest for the year.
You Don't Have to Wait as Long for Buds
If you're out of cannabis, being able to harvest a lot of bud a few months early can make a world of difference!
There's something so natural about an idyllic outdoor marijuana garden, but if plants get too big it can start getting
difficult to care for them!
There's also some evidence that small-to-midsize outdoor cannabis plants produce better quality bud on average than huge outdoor plants! This is an example of a mid-size
plant. Huge outdoor plants produce a lot of bud and are amazing to see, but are generally harder to care for and the huge colas are more likely to suffer from problems like pests and
mold
Suitable Strains for Multiple Outdoor Harvests a Year?
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When it comes to growing multiple outdoor harvest a year, some strains are better than others. What strains work well for the Light Dep and other Multiple strain techniques?
- Bred for outdoor
growing
- Flowering period of ~2 months (avoid long-flowering strains like pure Sativas as they will mess up your schedule)
- Mold-resistant (since plants may be covered for hours at a time in a humid environment)
- Make sure to choose a strain that interests you! Even if it's not optimal, almost any strain can be modified to use this technique!
Example Photoperiod Strains for Light Dep
- Holland's Hope - Plants get 3-7 feet tall on average and produce a "knock-down" and "euphoric stone" effect that's difficult to find with indoor strains. The buds tend to get fat and are very mold-resistant Buds often take on purple hues as they approach harvest.
- Frisian Dew - A popular strain because about half of the plants grow incredibly vibrant purple buds (the other half of plants grow green buds but still beautiful and the effects are just as good). This strain is very well suited to outdoor growing, even in northern
climates.
- Power Africa FAST - A faster-flowering version of the famous African-based strain, which is well-suited to outdoor growing and is ready to harvest with unique bud effects
(described as uplifting, energizing and "happy") and great yields by September.
- Any photoperiod strain that really catches your eye can be used if you're smart about making sure it harvests in time! ;)
Example Auto-Flowering Strains for Multiple Outdoor Harvests
These strains ("Super" Autos) are bred to grow bigger and produce more buds than a standard auto-flowering plant. Although not well suited to indoor growing, these make amazing outdoor plants that are ready in about 3 months from seed. Since you don't have to worry about light deprivation, you can easily pull multiple outdoor harvests a year by putting plants out in batches from Spring to Mid-Summer. |
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You are my go to for all things cannabis. I can't say how many times I have used and directed others to your pages for truth in cannabis growing. Your web design is tops for clear and understandable topics that affect all growers and users of our beloved plant.
We will be free to grow 4 plants here in Canada next year so I hope that
others will find and use your knowledge to grow top shelf bud.
Thank you, Dave
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Trophy Pictures of the Week! |
Hi there Nebula, Sirius, First of all let me say your website is awesome! :>
We're finally safe here in Mass to have fun w/our gardening!
Here are results of my first legal grow! Having a ball here on The Cape!
PistilPete |
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Who Runs This
Newsletter? |
Nebula Haze:
I'll be honest with you, when I first started growing, I struggled. Now, it is my mission to
make it easier for new growers to get started as well as help advanced growers get bigger, better yields with less time and money. We are updating and adding articles every single week and our goal is to eventually build a comprehensive growing resource so anyone and everyone can grow if they want to! If we all share the knowledge there's more buds in the world for everyone :) |
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Learn which seed sources are personally recommended by Nebula Haze |
Sirius Fourside:
Sirius Fourside is a hobbyist grower who has gained the bulk of his experience growing in water as a medium (deep water culture, bubbleponics).
"Growing cannabis can be a relaxing hobby in and of itself, but it also saves you money and keeps you from having to deal with shady characters. Cannabis is much easier to grow than people give it credit for, and growing in water
doesn't increase the difficulty much, if any. But whether you want to grow in water, coco, or a different medium, we'll show you how easy it can be!"
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