End Of Outdoor Cannabis Grow Tips

With only a few weeks remaining until the end of the outdoor growing season, it’s almost time for harvest. But wait – there are still some things you can do to get the most from your plants.

Whether you’re looking to maximise yields or improve your weed’s flavour or smokeability (is that even a word?), Seedsman has some handy end-of-outdoor grow tips.

It’s been a long journey to this point. All the steps you’ve followed, from germination of your cannabis seeds, through the vegetative stage until late flowering, the care you’ve taken and the patience you’ve shown are about to pay off. It’s an exciting time for outdoor cannabis cultivators: the end of the season is nigh. Hopefully, that brings a bumper yield of wonderful weed.

As you cast your eye across your crop of outdoor cannabis plants, you should now be looking at a sea of healthy, burgeoning, resin-soaked plants. But before you dig out the trimming shears, mason jars and baggies, there’s still some time to take a few extra steps. These steps can make all the difference to the end product, so they’re well worth your time and effort. Read on to learn our end-of-outdoor grow tips.

Consider Using Bloom Boosters

Flowering cannabis needs potassium and phosphorus, which are included in any nutrient mix you’ve been feeding your girls. But by adding a little extra P and K, you’ll give your plants a nice boost.

Add PK 13/14, giving your plants a chance to produce denser buds. Bloom boosters/stimulators and enzymes can help already-healthy cannabis plants over the line. Although these products can be expensive, they can also be worth the expense when it comes to giving your plants a boost late in the flowering stage. Not only can they help bud development, but they can also help maximise yield and improve cannabinoid potency and taste. Sounds good!

Note: If your grow is, unfortunately, ailing somewhat at this stage, it’s unlikely that these additional nutrients will save the day. They can help healthy plants, but they won’t magically rescue a struggling crop, sadly.

Bloom boosters are also unnecessary if you’ve been using high-quality nutrients throughout your grow.

If you’re a relative beginner or first-time cannabis grower or have encountered any problems with your grow, save your money and don’t waste it on PK 13/14 – it’s only likely to help if your grow has been flawless.

Keep Checking for Mold and Mildew

This one will be elementary to the seasoned growers, but it bears repeating. Even if all is going splendid with your plants, there’s still time for things to go hideously awry. As the season nears its end, you face an increased risk of the dreaded mold and mildew in your plants. Ensure there’s adequate airflow to minimise the risk.

Fully flowering cannabis plants can be extremely bushy in the more central areas of the plant, so keep on top of your defoliation here. Doing this will ensure sufficient airflow to keep plenty of breathing space, arrest the accumulation of mold and mildew, and help your plants across the finish line in rude health.

Cut out the Nutrients and get Flushing

Toward the end of cannabis flowering, there will likely be a lot of nutrients hanging around in the root system and the leaves of your plants. This can translate to harsh chemical tastes in the end product, which easily overpowers the succulent flavours from those wonderful terpenes. There’s no sense in choosing a strain for its flavour only to find that it tastes salty, chemical and acrid.

To combat this, and ensure you get to savour the delicious taste profile of your weed, stop the nutrients with a week and a half to two weeks left in your grow. Hydroponic growers should cut the nutrients out with a week to go.

When you stop the nutrient supply to your plants, they will suck up the last nutrients they can find in the substrate and in the leaves (this causes the yellowing in late flowering and is nothing to panic over!). The plant will then absorb and use all nutrients, limiting the chances of hindering your flavours.

Flushing your flowering plants periodically during this late stage will also help. Use water that is as pure as you can find and Ph-balanced. Drenching the soil will flush out any mineral deposits. Do this, then re-soak and allow it to drain out for a few minutes. Take care not to do this too often in the late stages, or you could cause as many problems as you solve. Keep watering to occasional flushing.

Trimming Towards the End of Outdoor Grow Season

As we’ve indicated, you’re probably going to see some yellowing in the leaves of your plants at this stage. Rather than panic, be assured this is merely an indicator that your plants are using up the last of the excess nutrients. The good news is a lot of these yellowing leaves will drop off naturally in the latter stages, and if they don’t, you can trim them yourself. These yellowing leaves have no purpose at this stage, and trimming them off will make harvesting your plants much easier.

Remove any other excess foliage and larger fan leaves, and remember that there’s THC in those leaves useful for making hash, hash oil and kief. If that’s something you want to try, remove the excess leaves and hang on to them.

Guarding against the Elements

Outdoor growers have to deal with problems indoor growers simply do not. Depending on your location – i.e. where in the world you’re growing your weed – you’ll possibly find a significant change in the climate at this time of year. Many northern hemispheres (hemp-isphere?) growers will see fewer daylight hours, less direct sunlight, an increased risk of frost, and a higher amount of rainfall. Since both can spell catastrophe for your plants, you’ll need to take steps. Southern hemisphere growers will have it slightly different.

Weather is your biggest foe when growing cannabis outdoors. You don’t want your plants soaked during the last stage of cannabis cultivation. Dryer buds will be less susceptible to fungal attacks, and harvesting dryer buds is much easier.

For this reason, many outdoor growers will naturally cover their plants with clear plastic (ensure it’s above the plants rather than draped over the plants) to keep the rain off the ladies. Use stakes to keep your cover propped up and off the plants. Make sure your grow space is prepared for seasonal change.

Stakes and support nets are equally advantageous at this stage of the game; if you live in an area where strong winds are likely, give extra attention to the propping up and support of your plants. Also, your plants will naturally be bigger, fuller, and more apt to keel over from the extra weight. Take precautions.

Be prepared to harvest a little early if you’re faced with a cold snap in the weather.

Have Everything you need for Harvesting

When discussing end-of-outdoor grow tips, an oft-overlooked facet is preparation for the last stage. You have a short window for harvesting cannabis, so make sure you’re prepared.

Do you have everything you need to carry out harvesting? Make sure you have enough trimming shears and that they’re sharp enough for the job. Stock up on nitrile gloves, storage containers or bags, and, most importantly, rubbing alcohol to disinfect your tools. Use clean, dry buckets to transport your buds.

Do you have adequate space for drying and curing your weed? Is it clean, sanitary, and ready to accommodate your crop? If not, get cleaning before the end of flowering, so there’s less chance of bacterial growth that could cause problems for your new nugs.
Have everything ready to go, and remember – amber trichomes are your green light that it’s harvest time!

Do you have any end-of-outdoor grow tips? Share them in the comments!