SpartanGrower said:

Hi. I'm interested in growing my own cannabis plants outdoors in central Michigan. I have about three acres of land, and full sun availability.

I have a four-year degree in agronomy. I know the fundamentals of soil science/fertility, plant growth, and pest management. I could tell almost anyone anything they'd want to know about growing corn, soybeans, wheat, or alfalfa.

What I don't know is much about growing cannabis. How many plants should I grow for personal use (I know that depends on how much I smoke, let's just say "quite a bit"? How do I choose an appropriate variety for my needs? Should I start with seeds or clones?

I'd prefer a variety that doesn't require a great deal of attention, if possible. Something that I can more or less plant, check on a couple times a week, and pull weeds (the bad noxious kind of weeds, lol). If I have a choice, I'd choose a variety that requires less water, and maybe plant more plants, because I have lots of land, and not a lot of interest in watering unless conditions are quite dry.

I'd probably plant in mid-May when soil temps are +50 degrees. Harvest in mid-to-late-September? I don't know how many days to figure, but I can get a killing frost usually any time after Oct 1.

Thanks in advance.

Spartan Grower

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Cannagar said:

It feels odd giving you advice given your credentials haha.

By far the easiest to grow strain I’ve grown so far has been my current one which is Liberty Haze by Barney’s farm.

And as far as how many plants. I usually only grow 1 or maybe 2 a year. If it’s just for personal use then I doubt you’d smoke through more than a pound yourself.

From one plant I tend to yield in the ballpark of 10-13 oz of dried cannabis


That said; when it comes to watering cannabis is a thirsty tropical plant.

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SpartanGrower said:

OK, I get what you're saying about it being a "thirsty tropical plant". Would about an inch of water per week be about right?

Do I start with seeds or clones?

If I establish the plants in mid-May, when can I figure to harvest?

I'd prefer to not start anything indoors, just plant outside in mid-May.

Thanks.

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Cannagar said:

No problem.

I always prefer seeds as they tend to be healthier and have a more robust root system.

As for advice for growing outdoors. That’s out of my realm of knowledge. You’ll have to wait for someone who knows more about that to comment.

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Shaded_One said:

A collection of the best threads at The Farm

This is an attempt to put all the best threads for new growers in one place. I invite everyone to nominate their favorite thread but I will be keeping this thread very tidy as it is a lot of information to sift thru. Forgive me in advance if I delete or edit your post. I love all ya growers...

www.thcfarmer.com

I'm not even sure how you quantify "1 inch of water per week" but you have lots of reading to do

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BigBlonde said:

Welcome.

I have grown a few outdoor crops. One was stolen, so have you considered theft prevention?

What is the soil like where you will be growing? Does it have ample organic content? You may not need to water if the soil has at least some moisture content throughout the growing season. Cannabis likes somewhat dry soil. I would probably start the plants from seed and raise them in pots and then transplant when they've reached the vegetative stage and are growing vigorously. My understanding is that clones don't have tap roots, I haven't grown them, but plants started from seeds do, so I am thinking the tap root would be better for a soil grow when there is little or no watering involved.

Another thought I have is how to deal with pests and critters. I recall losing one of my outside crops to slugs. The plants I lost were barely more than seedlings, though.

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TSD said:

Firstly, welcome to the farm. Secondly, @Shaded_One laugh reacted because you kinda have unrealistic expectations about growing (quality) outdoor. It's not really a set it and forget it kind of crop and you get out what you put in. I'm not super familiar with your climate, but you're at a similar longitude to me up here in Northern NY, I imagine it's similar. I assume you're growing photoperiod plants and not autos? I know nothing of autos (yet.) So, you sort of have to start indoors. Seeds put out as seeds in dirt have a low chance of thriving or even surviving. I start mine in a closet in early March. I have a hillbilly setup, nothing fancy. I start hardening them off to the outdoors as soon as weather permits. Putting them outdoors before there is enough light to keep them from flipping to flower is important, if they get confused by too little light, the can flip, then flip back when days get longer and reveg, which is bad and won't lead to a successful crop. They can also turn herm and pollinate themselves and you'll have seeds which you don't want. They also won't have time to get large enough to get a decent yield or they will flower too late to finish. Usually I have around 15 hours of daylight around the first of June or so, so that's when they go out.
September is early and unless you do autos, you won't have mature plants by then. You must be proactive and care for them or you will fail. They need regular watering, pest prevention, and maybe protection from early frosts at the finish. I did a scrog this year and it made my life easier. As far as yield, that's up to you and the genetics. Last year I grew a 2.5 pound White Widow, this year I scrogged and kept them in check and my big yielder was 30 ounces. Last year I did 12, it was too much for me to properly manage and I struggled with out of control pests, rot, pm, and too big of plants to care for, but I ended up with 10 pounds of decent weed.
This year I was more proactive, only did 6, preventative spraying all throughout veg, plenty of companion plants for pests, scrogging and using buried fabric pots to keep them in check size wise and to be able to see everything and have more even sized buds (giant colas are not your friends outside, they hold moisture more and invite botrytis) leaf blowing every morning in flower to prevent rot and pm, defoliation for airflow. It's honestly a lot of work in my climate if you want top shelf buds. I yeilded 5 pounds this past year. They either need to be planted in super soil or be fed nutrients. I usually do both honestly because even with a rich soil, they're hungry after a month or so. You can do autos, they stay smaller and don't rely on a light cycle for growth, but I'm not your gal there. I'll link my last diary if you want to give it a look, I'm no expert and make mistakes and learn every year, and you will too. As far as strain, that's hard, there's so many. Sativa dominant strains take longer and can struggle to finish in these parts. I've had success with White Widow, it's 50/50 Sativa/indica. I grew a black cherry punch this year which is bangin, gave me 30 ounces and the bugs preferred my Amnesia Lemon and Super Silver Haze, which are both Sativa dominant, Amnesia lemon was out till almost Halloween, I busted ass to keep her from freezing. I personally prefer seeds to clones, I find them more vigorous because they have a better root system. The benefit of clones is you know what you're getting, it won't be male and you can biy yhem and plant them. Some phenos of even the best strains can be sub par, seeds can be a gamble, but I still prefer them. I feel like I'm rambling, so if you have a specific question feel free to ask, I'll link my diary below. There's a few other outdoor growers here that probably know more than me and fuck less shit up lol.

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SpartanGrower said:

Lots to think about. Soil is loamy, about 4.5-5.5% organic matter, so, fairly dark/quite a bit of water holding capacity. I imagine that if the summer is typically dry, I'd have to water at least mid-July through mid-August.

I'll have to do some learning about seeds vs clones, but will probably do seeds.

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MIGrampaUSA said:

Welcome to the farm. Mid-Michigan farmer here. I can tell you that you want a very fast finishing plant. Once you hit late September and into October, the rain/humidity and lack of sunshine can be a very real problem. From what you've posted, I am assuming that your grow will be out in the open and not in a greenhouse. Bud rot and WPM tend to be problems the deeper into October I try to run.

If you want a photo-period plant, try Shiskaberry by Barney's Farm. It usually matures in under 55 days.

If you don't mind fast-flowering plants, there's a bunch out there that will finish around the end of September. Something like Tropicanna Poison - Fast Version or Delicious Candy - Fast Version. There are many others.

If you want to run auto-flowering plants, start them inside in April/May and put them outside towards the end of May/early June.

Unless you prefer a variety of strains, you'll only need a plant or 2 for a yrs worth of smoke. Outdoors, large plants can produce pounds.

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SpartanGrower said:

Lots to think about. Soil is loamy, about 4.5-5.5% organic matter, so, fairly dark/quite a bit of water holding capacity. I imagine that if the summer is typically dry, I'd have to water at least mid-July through mid-August.

I'll have to do some learning about seeds vs clones, but will probably do seeds.

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MIGrampaUSA said:

You would be surprised about watering.

I grow in a greenhouse during the summer. I use fabric pots and bury them in the ground. Eventually, the roots make it through the fabric and by mid July through mid August, I'm watering maybe once a week. By September? I'm not watering at all! there's plenty of moisture in the water table and the extra water seems to aggravate powdery mildew and bud rot issues.

Clones are nice if you have them available. I run clones inside. I've considered running them outdoors but have yet to do so.

Edit: @SpartanGrower if you live in the Lansing area, you can get seeds from Seed Hub. It's on the edge of Frandor's off of Clippard St. I have purchased seeds there. There's also several places selling clones. I have a business card for Hazydaisies.com. I've also heard that Pure Options Dispensary will sell clones, but I don't know this for sure. I have never bought any clones since I usually make my own.

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BigBlonde said:

I spent a few years in Michigan in my younger days. I was in the Oscoda area. My recollection is that it probably would be a good place to grow outdoors. I mentioned starting the plants indoors, which would add some growing time. I also recall that there is a fairly high water table there. That makes me think that watering healthy, well-rooted plants may not be a major issue. A mulch during the hotter months might be helpful.

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