Summarize this article in one sentence.
Growing your crop outdoors allows you to save on the cost of setting up your grow room and electricity for lighting. Your plants can also get much larger due to more sun and CO2, yielding a big harvest. And it's also relatively easy. The downsides are security worries and the potential for bad weather to ruin your crop. Still, if you have a secure place to grow your crop, this is a good option. When selecting a spot for your crop, you'll want to consider space, protection, sun exposure, water, and soil. Space Remember, you don't need a lot of square feet to grow a big crop, since outdoor plants will get much taller than indoor ones. Protection You must protect your crop from three things: people (angry neighbors or thieves); wind; and animals like rabbits and deer. Take advantage of natural features like hills, or screen off your crop. Sun exposure The more sun your plants get, the better. Look for a southern exposure. Watch out for buildings, bushes, or trees that might cast shade over your garden. Water Marijuana plants need lots of water. If it doesn't rain a lot where you live, make sure your garden is within easy reach of a stream or a hose. Soil Good soil is compact when squeeze but breaks apart again with little pressure. It should drain well, so avoid places with standing water. pH should be between 5.8 and 6.5. If grasses or weeds are already flourishing there, then it's a good site. If you live in a warm, sunny place that doesn't experience frosts, then you can use outdoor or indoor strains. If you live further north, you'll want to use hardier strains that grow well outdoors. Check howtogrowmarijuna.com or grow-marijuana.com for a complete guide to outdoor strains. Warm climates with no frosts (like southern California) Choose any seed you want. Sunny climates with occasional frosts (like the Mediterranean or southern US) Most indicas and some hybridized sativas, like Silver Haze #9. Colder, damper climates (like northern Europe or the northern US) You'll have best luck with strains specifically designed for such climates, like Sensi Star or Holland's Hope. Also consider autoflowering strains like Auto Frisian Dew or Snow Ryder, which do well in colder climates. You'll need to improve the soil, clear the site, and dig holes for your plants. Soil - If you are not blessed with soil that has the correct pH and drains well, you'll want to improve it for higher yields. For clay soil, add compost and manure or perlite to improve drainage. For sandy soil, add compost and mulch or vermiculite to increase water retention. You can also plant your crop in a container if the soil is very bad. Clearing Pull up all grasses and weeds. You don't want them competing with your crop. Holes You can simply plant your seeds a half inch deep in the soil, but for better results, you'll want to prepare holes with good drainage. Dig a hole about 2 feet deep and 2 feet in diameter. Line the base with gravel and fill it in with prepared soil. In warmer climates, you can plant in April. In colder climates, it's best to start your plants indoors, then transfer them outdoors in May after the last frost. Starting them indoors will give them extra growing time to ensure they flower before the first frost of fall. Germinating simply means sprouting. If you want to plant your seeds directly at your site, put them a half inch under the soil. Be warned though that young cannabis plants are delicate and frequently fall prey to snails and insects. Accordingly, most people germinate their seeds, plant them indoors and don't move them out until they are 3-4 weeks old. There are several ways to germinate: Starter cubes The easiest method. Stick your seed in a cube of growing medium like a Jiffy Pellet or Rapid Rooter. Once the seedling appears, you can plant it directly in potting soil. Damp paper towel Fold a damp paper towel over the seeds and put them in a dark place for 1 to 3 days. When the root pops out, plant the seed 1 inch deep with the root downward. Warm water For older or dried out seeds, try dropping them in a glass of slightly warm water and placing it in a dark place. They should sprout in 24-32 hours. If they haven't after this time, move them to a moist place to finish sprouting. If starting your seedlings off indoors, you'll need to make sure they have plenty of light. You can put them on the windowsill or in a room with lots of light, or use artificial lights (see Setting up a Growing Room above). If you have decided to start your seedlings off indoors, you'll want to transfer them to the growing site after 3-4 weeks. Carry the potted plants to the site and turn them upside down to remove them from the pots. Plant them soil, roots, and all in the holes you have dug. Water after planting. During the vegetative and flowering stage, your plants will need water and nutrients. Water If it rains 1 inch a week, you don't need to add water. Otherwise, you'll want to water your plants every other day. Try to use pH 7 water. Weeding Remove any weeds growing around your crop. Vegetative nutrients Give your plants nitrogen rich nutrients during the vegetative stage. You'll want a nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium ratio of around 10-5-7. Flowering nutrients Switch to a phosphorus-rich formula with a ratio between of 5-50-17 and 5-10-7. For the last two weeks of flowering, stop giving nutrients to avoid a chemical taste. Water with plain water to flush out chemicals from your plants. As soon as your plants start to flower, you'll want to sex them (i.e. determine which ones are male and female), so that you can remove the male plants. Otherwise, you'll end up with seeds in your buds, which reduces their potency. Male flowers Male pre-flowers have small bumps where the main stem connects to the flower. In developed flowers, these bumps become little balls (pollen sacs). Female flowers Pre-flowers have white hairs protruding. Developed flowers will have a thicker concentration of hairs.
Grow outdoors for less expensive, larger crops. Choose where your planting location. Choose strains that flourish outdoors. Prepare your site for planting. Plant in April or May, after the last frost. Germinate your plants. Give your seedlings plenty of light. Transfer seedlings to your growing site. Care for your plants as they grow. Sex your flowering plants.