There are many doubts when it comes to growing cannabis outdoors. That’s why before buying cannabis seeds (either feminized seeds or outdoor seeds), it is extremely important to have all the information about the different stages of the life cycle of these plants. So, in case you are wondering when does cannabis flower outdoors, in this article you’ll find everything about this subject.
When does cannabis flower outdoors?
Knowing when your plants are going to begin their flowering period is incredibly important. Depending on how you prepare your growing area and how you prepare your plants for such a delicate phase, you’ll obtain better or worse results. However, keep in mind that many different factors are involved when growing cannabis, so we’re going to give you a few tips on how to deal with your plants, answering the age-old question: when does cannabis flower outdoors?
On the other hand, in order to know exactly when your plants are going to flower outdoors, you’ll need to understand how photoperiodism works and when the light begins to change outdoors during the day and nighttime. In cannabis plants, flowering is generally caused by an increase in the hours of darkness that your plants receive. Likewise, to know when flowering begins outdoors, you’ll also have to take into account the hemisphere where you are growing.
These are factors affecting flowering:
Photoperiodism
Photoperiodism is the word used to describe a process that naturally occurs in certain types of plants – they use light in order to know when they have to grow and when they have to flower, furthering their species and eventual evolution.
This process occurs when there’s a variation between the hours of darkness at night and sun during the day time, which change depending on how the earth is spinning in relation to the sun.
This causes seasons to change which therefore influences the amount of daylight hours and hours of darkness at any given time of the year. Thus, to grow cannabis, we must take into consideration:
Spring Equinox (Growing Stage)
The start of spring is introduced by the spring equinox, which happens around March 21-22 in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere, this happens around September 21-22.
Summer Solstice (Pre-flowering & Flowering)
The start of the flowering period in your plants is marked by daylight hours decreasing, which happens right after the summer solstice, and this in turn depends on the hemisphere you are in.
The summer solstice marks the longest day of the year, and after that daylight hours begin to decrease until fall begins. In the northern hemisphere, this usually occurs around June 20-22, and in the southern hemisphere it’s around December 20-23.
How to know when cannabis flowers outdoors
Outdoors, growers must pay attention to the different stages of their cannabis plants. Some signs that plants are about to start blooming are:
Pre-flowering Cannabis
When it comes to cannabis plants, the pre-flowering period is a sign that your plants are going to start flowering soon – they’ll begin to slowly show signs of flowering, growing thicker and thicker flowers as summer goes on.
The first thing you’ll notice is the plants’ sex (male, female or hermaphrodite) which is why it’s called pre-flowering. You’ll soon start to notice your plant growing much taller than before, as it’s probably preparing to hold up massive flowers.
You will also need to prepare your plants’ structure for an intense flowering period, so that it can easily hold up hefty buds in the future and also spend more energy on making larger flowers.
You’ll need to reinforce your plants’ natural strengths using organic products in order to ensure that no insects or fungi can get near your beautiful specimens. If your plants start flowering on the right foot, they’ll have a much easier time reaching the harvest date fully intact. Once they begin to flower, you’ll need to start feeding your plants using a more complete and intense nutrient schedule.
Flowering Cannabis
The start of the flowering period outdoors and how long your plants are going to flower depends highly on the strain that you chose to grow. Some indicas are ready to harvest at the beginning of September, whereas other sativa strains are ready from December onwards. This is why you should always make sure you choose a strain that suits your needs.
What about autoflowering plants?
Autoflowering seeds are another widely available option when it comes to growing cannabis; these strains do not need any sort of change in photoperiod in order to start flowering; they’ve developed their own automatic flowering system.
They’ve adapted and survived in colder areas this way, allowing them to flower when they reach a certain size rather than depend on the light or dark to produce potent, hefty flowers. Nowadays, you can get plants that flower in just 60 days after germination, without needing to change the day/night cycles and obtaining excellent results.
The start of the flowering period in your plants is marked by daylight hours decreasing, as well as for the chosen strain. That’s why it’s really important to learn about this process and when does cannabis flower outdoors, so that you can better prepare your plants to reach a complete and lush flowering.
