RolandtheHead
Member
The strains listed below were grown outdoors at 61 degrees North latitude in North America. We have a very short growing season, but lots of daylight in summer while it lasts.
My first attempts to grow cannabis outdoors used sativa dominant strains, which grew well, but never flowered. (Frost usually comes before the photoperiod drops to 12/12.) I next tried using indica dominant strains that I had brought three weeks into flowering, hoping they might continue to flower. The plants failed to thrive, and expended their energies in reverting back to vegetative phase.
I gave up on the idea of growing outdoors for at least ten years. Then I began reading reports of auto-flowering strains, and decided to give them a try. I started with 3-5 seeds of each strain. Some of the seeds failed to germinate or did not make it past seedlings. My conclusions, based on only one experience in one season, are:
1. Sativa-dom autos do better here than indicas. Seems counter-intuitive, but that was my experience.
2. Sativas autos are more susceptible to insect damage. They are also very leafy and time-consuming to trim.
3. Indicas are more susceptible to mold. Harvest them as soon as the rains come in August.
4. Auto-flowering cannabis can be grown outdoors here, but it has yet to be seen whether that cannabis is any good to smoke or vape. The harvest is currently drying.
The strains (all females):
Malana Bomb (Barney's) - Two plants, grown in nearly full-sun, did very well, reaching 30 inches in height with numerous side-branches. The one planted in partial shade reached half the height and yielded maybe a quarter as much. No mold or insect damage. Fluffy buds, probably the reason there was no mold.
Lowryder #2 (Joint Doctor) - I'm highly disappointed in this strain. All five seeds germinated and thrived as seedlings, but did not do well once planted outdoors. Maybe our nights are too cool for this one. They finished at about ten inches high, and were riddled with mold after a few days of rain. Nothing useable was harvested.
NYC Diesel (Barney's) - Good, vigorous growth from three plants. Leafy. Has a large main cola, about a yard high. Mold free when taken (September 4), and should be a good yielder. Quite susceptible to insect damage. I had to spray this one.
Royal Jack Auto (Royal Queen) - Two plants grew very well, to a height of about 30-36 inches. Large, fairly dense central cola with short side branches. No insect or mold damage. I'm looking forward to trying this one.
Pineapple Express (Barney's) - Another short indica-dom, that followed the fate of Lowryder. This one plant had the classic indica cola, but it was attacked by mold before I realized what was happening. I may have salvaged twenty percent of the main cola of this one.
Fruit Auto (Dina Fem) - One plant survived. Small, loose buds, low yielding. Not much positive to say about this one, except it was mold and insect free.
Mini Gun Auto (Seedsman) - Tall (36") and vigorous, but not as good yielding as some of the other strains. Insect and mold free.
Royal Quick One (Royal Queen) - Medium yielding. Insect and mold free.
Sin Tra Bajo (Barney's) - Three plants, small, short, low yielding. Not as bad as Lowryder, but close.
My first attempts to grow cannabis outdoors used sativa dominant strains, which grew well, but never flowered. (Frost usually comes before the photoperiod drops to 12/12.) I next tried using indica dominant strains that I had brought three weeks into flowering, hoping they might continue to flower. The plants failed to thrive, and expended their energies in reverting back to vegetative phase.
I gave up on the idea of growing outdoors for at least ten years. Then I began reading reports of auto-flowering strains, and decided to give them a try. I started with 3-5 seeds of each strain. Some of the seeds failed to germinate or did not make it past seedlings. My conclusions, based on only one experience in one season, are:
1. Sativa-dom autos do better here than indicas. Seems counter-intuitive, but that was my experience.
2. Sativas autos are more susceptible to insect damage. They are also very leafy and time-consuming to trim.
3. Indicas are more susceptible to mold. Harvest them as soon as the rains come in August.
4. Auto-flowering cannabis can be grown outdoors here, but it has yet to be seen whether that cannabis is any good to smoke or vape. The harvest is currently drying.
The strains (all females):
Malana Bomb (Barney's) - Two plants, grown in nearly full-sun, did very well, reaching 30 inches in height with numerous side-branches. The one planted in partial shade reached half the height and yielded maybe a quarter as much. No mold or insect damage. Fluffy buds, probably the reason there was no mold.
Lowryder #2 (Joint Doctor) - I'm highly disappointed in this strain. All five seeds germinated and thrived as seedlings, but did not do well once planted outdoors. Maybe our nights are too cool for this one. They finished at about ten inches high, and were riddled with mold after a few days of rain. Nothing useable was harvested.
NYC Diesel (Barney's) - Good, vigorous growth from three plants. Leafy. Has a large main cola, about a yard high. Mold free when taken (September 4), and should be a good yielder. Quite susceptible to insect damage. I had to spray this one.
Royal Jack Auto (Royal Queen) - Two plants grew very well, to a height of about 30-36 inches. Large, fairly dense central cola with short side branches. No insect or mold damage. I'm looking forward to trying this one.
Pineapple Express (Barney's) - Another short indica-dom, that followed the fate of Lowryder. This one plant had the classic indica cola, but it was attacked by mold before I realized what was happening. I may have salvaged twenty percent of the main cola of this one.
Fruit Auto (Dina Fem) - One plant survived. Small, loose buds, low yielding. Not much positive to say about this one, except it was mold and insect free.
Mini Gun Auto (Seedsman) - Tall (36") and vigorous, but not as good yielding as some of the other strains. Insect and mold free.
Royal Quick One (Royal Queen) - Medium yielding. Insect and mold free.
Sin Tra Bajo (Barney's) - Three plants, small, short, low yielding. Not as bad as Lowryder, but close.
