Extreme weather conditions might cause deformities and growth issues in marijuana plants. Even if you can’t always avoid harsh weather, you should do your best to protect your plants. You can safeguard your plants from the risks of producing marijuana in extreme weather by reading on.
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Growing Marijuana in the Wind
Heavy winds can put a marijuana plant under stress, preventing it from growing. While farmers may purposefully stress marijuana plants to boost bud quality, wind damage can quickly put a developing plant under undue pressure. Instead of relying on the wind to promote development in a marijuana plant, consider your soil’s location, nutrient content, and seed quality. If you’re looking for buying marijuana in online, you can mail order marijuana winnipeg from here.
Protecting marijuana plants from the wind
In windy places, put crops around the perimeter of your cannabis growing space closely together to act as a windbreak and protect the other plants. Plants can be tied to stakes driven into the ground, or a rope and stick fence can be built. The disadvantage, of course, is that those plants will be vying for soil nutrients, sunlight, and water.
You can also try trimming your marijuana plants. This will most likely reduce your harvest marginally, but the plants will adapt and get denser in their branching, which will improve their flowering.
Marijuana Growing in Cold Weather
Marijuana plants might suffer significantly from unexpectedly cold temperatures. The only advantage of frigid temperatures is that they discourage bugs. Plants cultivated outside require daylight temperatures in the mid-60s (18*C); otherwise, their growth will decrease considerably and eventually stop. Temperatures at night must be at least in the ’40s (5*C), or tissue damage may occur. When the temperature falls below 45°F (7°C), there is a risk of frostbite.
Cold weather protection for marijuana plants
According to i49, Your primary responsibility as a gardener is to keep your plants alive until the weather improves. Most plants have a high chance of surviving if a proper temperature is maintained. When the weather improves, the plants will essentially restart their growth cycle.
There are a few options for providing temporary heating till the cold weather passes.
- Use “passive heaters” to bring the plants inside and provide them with a gentle light-on cycle.Â
- Fill some dark-colored containers with water, heat them during the day, and they will radiate heat at night.
- Build a portable greenhouse with a wood frame and plastic coverings to keep the heat in (creating a greenhouse effect).
- To prevent frostbite, utilize propane-powered patio heaters. They will also burn gas, which emits CO2 and water vapor. The additional CO2 will encourage growth.
- These options are simple to set up as long-term solutions to cold weather problems, or they may be swiftly removed when better weather arrives.
Individual plants wrapped in Polyethylene are a smaller-scale option. This will not only shield the plants from wind and rain but will also keep some heat in. Sure, growers use even high-thread-count bed linens. Keep in mind that unless you offer some heat source for the plants, the cold will eventually find its way to them through this easy method. Forced air heaters can also be used, but set the temperature to 70°F (21°C) to avoid overheating and use fans to disperse heat uniformly.
If you know it will be chilly, you should be extra cautious with your plants. Make frequent checks on them to ensure that they are warm.
Is it safe to leave them out?
What if your plants aren’t fully mature yet, and the temperature is cooling down? How long can the plants be left outside if the temperatures drop too low?
The amount of sunshine available determines the answer to this question. As the Earth’s seasons change from autumn to winter, the intensity of sunlight and general longevity drop. Plants in full sun throughout the summer and early autumn are now shaded for most of the day.
Clouds may also reduce the brightness of the sun. Plants are not given enough light energy throughout the winter and should be picked to avoid wasted produce. Even if the buds are not mature enough to smoke, they can be processed into kief, extracts, or used in cooking.
If the weather is chilly, but the plants are still getting enough sunshine, you can use the measures described above to safeguard them.
Growing Marijuana in Humid Conditions
Marijuana plants enjoy humidity, but too much of it might be harmful. It contains both air humidity and damp conditions caused by rain. Mold thrives in wet weather because water penetrates the buds, creating ideal circumstances for molds like Botrytis to develop. The buds tend to hold and hide moisture and humidity in their crevices, making drying them out difficult.
Protecting marijuana plants from humidity problems
The easiest way to protect plants from humidity problems is to dry them. Rain will not harm the plants if you move them or build an enclosure around them, but wetness may. Increasing the temperature in the enclosed area (to the 70s F or 24-26*C) could protect the plants and help dry out the buds, limiting mold formation. Circulating the hot air with a fan is also beneficial.
Suppose rain is expected to be a quick, one-time event followed by a warm, dry weather period. In that case, you can safeguard the plants by treating them with an anti-fungal such as potassium bicarbonate or Serenade before the rain. If there is going to be a lot of rain, you should consider harvesting the plants immediately away rather than letting them rot. If the plants are ripening in humid weather, you might try alternate types with looser, drier buds.
Marijuana Growing in Hot Weather
A hot and dry climate appears to be the ideal condition for growing marijuana outdoors for many growers. You can nurture the crop all year without fear of molds destroying it when there is heat. The plants also benefit from the sun’s powerful light, stimulating optimal bud production. However, a dry climate has issues, such as drought and high heat. This generates arid soil, which poses many problems for water-loving marijuana plants.
Too much heat can kill the crop and leave you nothing to harvest if you do not have the correct information and preparedness. Fortunately, there are workarounds for this issue. The goal is to keep the plants cool and moist, especially their heat-sensitive roots.
Here are some of the problems caused by hot weather:
- Extreme heat is lethal to marijuana roots, particularly young plants. Furthermore, the quicker evaporation rate in dry areas may result in complex, broken soil. If not controlled, hot and dry upper soil can burn the roots and kill the plants.
- Heat stress is one of the most common problems in hot climates. This might cause the marijuana leaves to cup or coil up in favorable circumstances. You might also see drooping or wilting. If the problem is not addressed, it can worsen, and the plants will stop developing.
- Hot and arid areas frequently have long day cycles and as little as five hours of darkness at night. Marijuana plants, on the other hand, require at least 12 hours of complete darkness to blossom. This inappropriate light-dark cycle may put additional strain on the crop.
Burned roots, heat stress, and insufficient light and dark cycles can make growing marijuana in desert-like settings difficult. The good news is that there are other solutions for these issues and regular watering.
Keeping marijuana plants cool in hot weather
It is critical not to let your growing media dry out if you are growing in hot weather. When it’s hot, marijuana plants drink a lot of water. They’ll be dried by the end of the day if they don’t have anything to drink. Water your plants as early as possible and rehydrate them frequently throughout the day. Avoid getting the leaves wet since water droplets can increase the sun’s heat and cause the foliage to burn.
Here are a few other growing aspects that can be altered for hot weather:
Seeds
Beginner cannabis seeds are critical in ensuring the success of your marijuana harvest. These strains evolved resilience to the severe heat of the sun due to their origins. They will, of course, grow even better with frequent watering and some shade from the scorching sun. Here are some heat-resistant seeds that will thrive in hot areas.
Sativa, Haze, African, and Hawaiian strains
These strains originate in extremely hot or dry areas. Thus they are designed to endure harsh circumstances. This includes a scarcity of water as well as searing temperatures. These strains can tolerate temperatures beyond 100°F (38°C) for several days.
Some of these strains can generate high yields despite the minimal water and extreme heat. This is particularly true for sativas, which can adapt to relatively short dark cycles. Some also have significant THC levels.
Auto-Flowering Strains
Autoflowering cultivars are available for farmers that seek a quick and decent yield. They weren’t built for hot areas, but cross-breeding gave them heat-resistant DNA. They usually flower after 8-10 weeks without relying on long periods of darkness.
Soil
Outdoors, you can use soil or coco coir. While both have benefits and drawbacks, coco is better suited for hot climates. Its flexible structure soothes roots and helps plants cope with over or under-watering. So, it’s ideal for reducing heat stress.
It can be used as a potting mix or mixed with soil. Keep in mind that it’s an inert medium with no nutrition. So, starting from day one, give fertilizers to the water. Except for that, it’s pretty identical to the soil.
If you grow in soil, check out for overwatering indicators. So, no matter how much water your plants get, they will start drooping and wilting. Hot water, which has less oxygen, cannot revitalize plants. They will drown in it if you keep providing it throughout the day. So, while regular rehydration is essential, do it correctly.
To avoid suffocating the plants, allow ample drainage in the soil. This includes adding 30% perlite to the potting mix to make it lose, airy, and oxygenated. Ensure your water is chilled and full of oxygen.