Growing cannabis in harsh climate conditions

Tim Alchimia 2022-10-19
Hi B, thanks for your comment and question. If some pants are ready now, then I'd definitely start the harvesting process. That way, you can be trimming/preparing them for drying while the rest of the plants finish off maturing. Some growers (myself included) like to harvest the mature tops of the plants and leave the lower parts to ripen for another week or so - it's a great way to manage the workload and to increase yields and the quality of those lower popcorn buds. I hope that helps. Best wishes and happy harvesting!

Tim Alchimia 2020-12-02
Hi, thanks for your comment. It's great that you're enjoying your harvest, and I'm sure there's nothing you've done wrong, but there's always room for improvement! A hot and dry climate can be stressful for plants but, as long as there's enough water for irrigation, it's far preferable to cold and wet climates and, if you choose a suitable variety for the conditions, you should be able to get some really nice results. For example, much of the cannabis originating from Afghanistan is genetically adapted to a harsh, hot, arid climate not too dissimilar to yours, and it stands to reason that plants from similar climates would perform better. The buds are skinny most likely because of the variety, Sativas will tend to have more slender buds than Indicas and are generally more suited to the hot and humid conditions around the tropics/equator. As far as the drying goes, you might want to consider adding a humidifier for next time, because drying completely in two days could trap excess chlorophyll in the buds, leading to a harsh flavour. Ideally, the flowers should dry fairly slowly, over the course of 10-14 days, at around 50% relative humidity and keeping the temperature below 20ºC. You can find more information in our blog post about drying and curing cannabis. I hope that helps, best wishes and happy growing!

Tim Alchimia 2020-11-02
Hi and thanks for your comment and question. If it's down in the 20s then that's pretty cold, although having them covered will mitigate that to some extent. With temperatures that low, I'd say that some damage is inevitable, but if it's only one night and then back to 60 then the plant might just survive it. However, if there's any way to add a little more heat or extra insulation to the covering then I would recommend you do so. Using a propane heater is one possibility to avoid frost damage. In the past, I've used piles of fresh manure to help raise temperatures in my greenhouse over winter, it may be all the help you need. Of course, if you think the cold snap will be worse than predicted, or last longer than expected, you might just be better off cutting the plant early rather than risking the loss. Good luck!

Tim Alchimia 2020-10-05
Hi and thanks for your comment. It's definitely a complicated time of year, and many growers are having the same problems you're having. If you're due for dry weather over the next 10 days then there shouldn't be any worries about having to protect the plants from rain, and you'll just have to worry about frosts. Keep them covered with the bedsheet if you expect frost overnight, there shouldn't be any real issue with the sheet touching the buds as the fabric is breathable to a certain extent. Plastic sheeting to protect the plants from rain would, however, cause problems with condensation and consequently mould. I hope that helps, it sounds to me that you'll make it to harvest without any problems. Best wishes and happy cropping!

Tim Alchimia 2020-09-21
Hello and thanks for your comment. I would attempt to protect the plants that are more sensitive to the low temperatures with some horticultural fleece over the plants during the night, which ought to be enough to keep temperatures at a survivable level while being lightweight enough that you can simply drape it over the plants without having to rely on any kind of structure to support it, then remove it in the morning once the sun's out t warm things up again. It lets light pass through fine, and it's also breathable to a certain extent so it shouldn't encourage mould on the plants either. With a bit of luck, doing this ought to protect the plants until you decide to harvest them. I hope that helps. Best wishes and happy growing!

Tim Alchimia 2020-09-10
Hi, thanks for your question. It's a hard one to answer without knowing a bit more about the climate where you'll be growing. India is a big country with quite different climate zones. The answer would also depend on what kind of flavours or effects you're looking for. Realistically, almost any kind of auto plant would do fine, but some may flourish more than others, depending on the weather and growing conditions. As a general rule, Indica-dominant hybrids will deal with hot, dry and arid conditions well while Sativa-dominant hybrids will be more suited for humid areas. I hope that helps, and if you can provide some more information the I'm sure we could help you even further. All the best and happy growing!

Tim Alchimia 2019-10-31
Hi Ben, thanks for your comment. Wow, that must have been quite a surprise! If it's 5,000 acres then the chances are that what you were looking at was good ol' hemp! From what I can see there are a number of large hemp operations in Arizona since they've been allowed to grow legally this year after the passing of the Federal Farm Bill in 2018. The plants they'll be growing will have come from registered hemp seed, approved by the state and tested to have less than 0.3% THC content (although these levels will depend on many factors). I've been reading about the Arizona marijuana growers who have great concerns that the large scale hemp operations will end up pollinating their sinsemilla crops, making them worthless, so in some areas "buffer zones" have been set up to separate hemp fields from any THC-rich farms, but with the pollen being capable of travelling huge distances by air, it's hard to say whether that will be enough to protect the marijuana producers. However, if you're thinking of planting something that's not hemp there are plenty of options for your climate. Have a look at our article on Growing cannabis in harsh conditions, it has a section dedicated to plants for hot, dry climates. I'd also add that most anything with predominantly Afghan genetics will do well, I mean just think of how hot and dry the conditions can be in the high mountains of the Hindu Kush! Just be careful not to plant too near these big hemp fields unless you want a seeded crop! As for planting times, well that depends on a couple of factors, firstly the date of the last frost, although as you say you can start plants indoors earlier, however that's only good if you want to end up with huge, monster plants, which might not be the best approach in a hot climate. Personally I'd plant outdoors once the risk of frost has passed, and rather than aiming for a few large plants, I'd go for a greater number of smaller plants, which will stand a better chance of surviving any severe drought that could seriously affect larger plants. Again, check out photos of outdoor plants in places like Morocco, Pakistan and Afghanistan, you'll see that due to the limiting factor of irrigation capacity they're quite small when compared to the Californian giant plants that we often see. All the best and happy growing!

Tim Alchimia 2019-08-12
Hi Shawn, thanks for your comment. If you could tell us more about the kind of mould problem you're having maybe we can help a bit more. However, there are certain preventative measures we can take to prevent fungal attacks in general. Firstly we have a wide range of organic and chemical fungicides, although I would only recommend using organic products at this stage of the season, as the flowers will be starting to develop. We can use Potassium Silicate or Horsetail to provide more silicon to the plants' cells, which physically strengthens and reinforces them against mould. A good IPM (Integrated Pest Management) program will help to keep fungus at bay, eg. regular spraying with neem oil & aloe throughout vegetative growth. We can also improve the plant's air circulation to reduce the chance of mould problems, by pruning away the lower branches and leaves that won't get as much light, which directs the energy to the top parts of the plant and allows better air movement around the plant. I hope that helps, if you provide us with a bit more information we can probably give some better advice. All the best and happy growing!

Dani Alchimia 2017-12-21
Hi Fredy, Glad you found it useful! Thanks for your comment! Best!