If you are making a plan on growing cannabis on your balcony or terrace, given below are some of the crucial considerations for pondering for the achievement of best results.
There are numerous reasons that why would you have the desire of making use of your terrace or balcony for growing some fine cannabis. First & foremost, at the end of the month, the sun doesn’t send you bills. If it would rain, you would get the best quality of water just for free also. There is no requirement of investing in ventilation systems either, as the moving air will do the continuous replenishment of levels of CO2.
It is a great way for novice growers to grow cannabis on the terrace for dipping their feet into this highly rewarding hobby. You are even facilitated to make use of your balcony for enhancing grow-up-real-estate. It is completely dependent on the time of the year, a balcony or terrace might be used as a veg room while your indoor room is in the flowering mode. Advanced growers of cannabis also might have fun with the longer seed for harvesting cycle of a terrace for favoring a more outdoorish growing of cannabis.
It doesn’t matter what the case is, there are some golden rules that you must be aware of before you start growing cannabis on the balcony. Some might seem evident to a more extent to a knowledgeable grower of cannabis. Meanwhile, others might even make experienced green-thumbed guerrilla warriors surprised.
The Basics of Balcony
Is your balcony receiving sufficient direct sunlight? Terraces are generally big enough that they would have more than sufficient sunlight throughout the day. But some balconies might be on the opposite side of a building which in turn receives only morning light.
There is a perfect solution for that. Autoflowers are making use of photoperiod varieties in this situation of low light and these will facilitate you with puny little plants that will not do the production of any significant smokable bud.
Autoflowers will perform even better in this situation. The reason is that their flowering phase is not random on a change in photoperiod. It is also highly recommended that the new growers of cannabis make use of auto-flowers as their level of complexity is much lower. Still, they do the achievement of some comparable yields to some photoperiod cultivars.
Safety first part 1: Hide your plants
Nevertheless of whether you are living in an unfriendly zone or cannabis-friendly zone, you must always do the treatment of your crop like the most valuable treasure of the world. Do you really have the desire of prying eyes that are overlooking your plantation?
You are required to give your best for concealing your plants from a direct line of sight. In lieu of letting your weed for growing up to the full glory of it, it might probably be wise for you to do the employment of some training techniques for your growth.
There are numerous options before you, but any of them has done correctly will tame the growth of the plant, will do the promotion of their side growth. And when it is done efficiently, it potentially enhances your yields considerably. So the question that arises here, is why not you should make your plant trained?
Given below are some potential options:
- Super cropping: Supercropping pinching is inclusive of pinching the stem & bending it 90 degrees. This in turn causes a lesion to occur. If it is done early on before flowering, this stressful lesion will get turned into a strong & big knuckle, which facilitates with extra support.
- ScrOG (Screen of Green): It does the employment of the use of a horizontal net for bending & weaving shoots through, which in turn forces the plant for growing sideways. This does the maximization of light penetration & controlling the growth.
- SOG (Sea of Green): It is a more advanced technique that is not extremely suitable for terrace cultivation or balcony cultivation. It is inclusive of growing numerous small plants together in close proximity.
- Mainlining: It is a similar approach to ScrOG, but it is without any net. As the latter grows asymmetrically it is only possible for doing with seeds & not with clones. You can pinch the apically dominant shoot for multiplying the main cola into 2. Then, those 2 into 4, & so on, until you completely get satisfied. It will do the creation of a manifold of stems & you can tie it to the sides of the container for the promotion of an even canopy.
- Topping: It is absolutely similar to fimming. But rather than pinching the top growth, it is inclusive of cutting it off entirely. This does the stimulation the production of two new dominant colas.
- LST (Low-Stress Training): It is where you gently get band & tie the branches for the promotion of lateral growth & support of optimal light exposure.
Safety First Part 2: Covering the smell of cannabis weeds
Cannabis is extremely popular for the pungent smell that can travel a considerable distance. While it might only be a significant concern once the flowering is the incomplete throttle, it is nonetheless a factor that is at high risk. While you can’t make use of ozone generators or carbon filters for covering the smell, you are facilitated to do just the exact opposite- you can enhance the smell that is coming out of your garden.
Are you still confused?
You are required to fill your balcony or terrace with high-fragrance plants, herbs, & flowers that are known as companion plants. Jasmine, freesia, roses, stargazer lilies, gardenias, honeysuckle are but a few of the pungent options of flowers at your disposal.
You are required to fill your balcony or terrace with high-fragrance plants, herbs, & flowers that are known as companion plants. Jasmine, freesia, roses, stargazer lilies, gardenias, honeysuckle are but a few of the pungent options of flowers at your disposal.
Make use of the right genetics
Now it is geared more towards the inexperienced growers. Some of the genetics you can say that is Sativa dominant are prone to massive vertical growth. Meanwhile, others that are Indica dominant become small, fat bushes. And after that, there is everything in between.
You can neglect Sativa landraces at all costs. Most likely you would not be able in taming them. Royal Moby, Royal AK, Mother Gorilla, & another super-performing plant will be too much. Some of the Haze strains usually grow massively also. They will also be taking much longer to maturing.
You can do the selection of Indica-dominant varieties, particularly with Kush genetics in them. OG Kush, BubbleGum XL, Pineapple Kush, and Bubble Kush are great starting points.
What Types of Pots Are The Best?
You will find numerous types of pots that are different in sizes & in the materials with which they are made. While your cannabis might be growing nicely in simple plastic containers, but we recommend you make use of fabric pots for getting the best results. These are containers that are made from a geotextile fabric that facilitates the roots for breathing for optimal results.
If you are having the desired size of your plant in your mind, which is likely growing in a prohibited space, you can do the controlling of how tall your plants get by doing the selection of the appropriate pot size.
So, you can make the selection of a small pot for ensuring that your cannabis will not grow taller than what you really desire. Of course, if you are having space, you can go with larger pots. So, you can grow bigger plants.
Given below is a rough guide for assisting you in finding the correct size of pot for your cannabis:
- 1/2 liter: Vegetative & Seedlings phase plants up to ~15cm
- 2-3 litres: Plant size up to ~ 25cm
- 5 liters: Plant size up to 60cm
- 11 liters & more: Average height of plant
