The Best Outdoor Cannabis Cultivators Start In February. Here Are 7 Things You Can Do Now To Get A Head Start.
I know, it was a long 2024 growing season… and the harvest push that lasted, realistically, through mid-December was a marathon. The market is picking up, your crop is starting to move, and you are finally reaping the rewards! But, as winter starts to wind down, for the astute outdoor cannabis cultivator, it’s time to get back to work. If you’re planting in 2025, February is the perfect time to start preparing. Here's are 7 things that the best outdoor cannabis cultivators are doing right now to prepare for this years crop.
1. Review and Assess the Previous Year’s Grow
If you grew cannabis last season, take time to reflect on last season’s successes and challenges. Whether it was pests, soil issues, or inconsistent weather, understanding what worked and what didn’t will help you plan better this time around. Here are a couple hot spots.
a) Pest Management: Did you have issues with pests or diseases? Take note of any recurring problems and begin researching organic pest management strategies or consider natural predators to introduce into your growing space. Often times, outdoor cultivation comes with a different set of pest pressures than indoor. Products like NoLo Bait and other organic insect controls are often unknown to cannabis cultivators making the switch to outdoors. If you had issues with grasshoppers and other insects in year one, don’t let it happen in year two! Plan now.
b) Soil Health and Heavy Metals: Was your soil rich, loamy and productive, or did you struggle with it throughout the season? Soil testing is a must, regardless. February is a great time to collect soil samples and send them to a lab for analysis. Knowing the pH and nutrient content will help you amend your soil accordingly. If you are looking for a great resource, Colorado State University will analyze your soil and give you a prescription with the amount of NPK and minors needed to reamend the soil or to amend with fertigation specific for your particular crop. FYI… you may need to tell them the crop you are growing is a hops. If you didn’t have the luxury of growing on your current farm last year and this is your first endeavor, and if you plan on planting into native soil, make sure you test for heavy metals. Cannabis uniquely has the ability to pull toxins and heavy metals out of soil, which will ultimately come back to haunt you when your entire crop fails for a heavy metal presence that you didn’t even know was there! In communities like Pueblo, Colorado, that host a steel plant, you may be hard pressed to find a farm without the presence of heavy metals in the soil. The other way around this is to haul in your own soil and pot the plants, but this can be significant cost and will need to be planned for.
c) Weather Hiccups: In states like Colorado, where we have the possibility for winter to set in at any time come late September/ early October; it isn’t uncommon to encounter weather issues throughout the ending stages of your grow. Maybe your issue was an early freeze, or maybe you got hit by hail in late September. The time is now to figure out how you overcome last year’s hurdles. Consider things like hail curtains (if budget allows) or look into fast flowering strains that will finish far before the earliest freeze. We have strains in Colorado that finish by mid-August, bred for cultivators who don’t like to take chances. More on that…
2. Choose the Right Strains
Selecting the right strains is key to a successful outdoor grow. Not every cannabis strain thrives in every environment, so research your options well. Focus on the following…
a) Climate Compatibility: Some strains are more resistant to weather extremes or mold, which can be a big issue outdoors. If you live in a humid area, look for mildew-resistant strains, or if your region has a shorter growing season, like Colorado and New Mexico, you might want to opt for an early-flowering variety.
b) Desired Effects & Yield: What are you hoping to achieve with your crop? Higher yields, specific effects, or a mix of both? February is the perfect time to research and make decisions based on what suits your needs best. Depending on your facilities, growing shorter bushy plants may be the better option as opposed to tall lanky Sativa hybrids. Consider your trellis methods and how early you will plant. The earlier the plant, the larger the plant will ultimately become. Every variable matters.
3. Plan Your Garden Layout
Before the ground even thaws, take time to plan the layout of your cannabis garden. The size and location of your garden will greatly influence the outcome of your crop, so consider these three variables…
a) Sunlight Exposure: Cannabis prefers a lot of sunlight to thrive, so it’s essential to assess your outdoor space for full sun capability. Ensure your plants will get a minimum of 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. Identify any potential shading issues—like trees, windbreaker fences or buildings that might block the sun later in the season. The more light the marrier! Check out my personal review of the FOHSE A3i 1500W LED fixture if you want to see the value of light intensity on cannabis! (read more here)
b) Wind Protection: Outdoor plants are vulnerable to high winds, especially as they grow taller. If your garden is in an open area, consider placing fences with windbreaks at strategic areas around and in the garden. But place them strategically, to avoid shading throughout the day.
c) Spacing: Think about how far apart your plants will need to be for optimal growth and plot the layout. Give your plants enough room to spread out, preventing overcrowding, which can lead to issues like mold and mildew. I typically space plants at least 6’ apart, and prefer 8-10’ if planting early.
4. Prepare Your Soil and Amendments
While it might be too cold to do much actual planting in February, this is the time to prepare your soil for the upcoming season. Healthy soil is the foundation of any successful grow, so use the winter months to prepare your plot properly. Here are two basic techniques that are commonly used…
a) Soil Testing & Amendments: As mentioned earlier, soil testing is crucial. Once you know what your soil needs, you can begin adding organic compost, nitrogen, and other nutrients to build up the soil’s fertility. Depending on the size of your grow, you might want to consider making your own compost over the winter to add rich, homemade organic matter. As the weather warms, rent a tractor and “disc” the amendments into the existing soil. If you are using organic amendments in-lue of fertilizers, be sure to allow elements like earth worm castings time to break down, as they can initially be “hot” and can kill clones that are transplanted too early.
b) Cover Crops: Consider planting cover crops like clover or vetch to improve the soil’s structure and prevent erosion. These crops will enrich your soil by adding nitrogen and other essential nutrients when they decompose. Again, to fully utilize these cover crops, rent a tractor in March, and “disc-in” the cover crop. When I say “disc” ,this essentially means churning it up and let it break down in the soil. You will want to send off for a soil test once this has broken down and been mixed in with any amendments to see what deficiencies you still have, if any.
5. Get Your Equipment Ready
You’ll want to make sure you’re prepared with the proper tools and equipment well before planting time. February is a good time to check in on everything you'll be using, from gardening tools to irrigation systems.
a) Irrigation Systems: If you’re planning to install an irrigation system, now is the time to design and set it up. Drip irrigation is a popular choice for outdoor cannabis grows since it’s efficient and conserves water. Given the length of piping, in-line injectors work just fine as the length gives the solution time to homogenize before reaching plants. Also, the sheer volume of water being used allows fertilizers to balance out in solution. Be sure to inspect your hoses, timers, and filters, it is also normal to have to replace some of the whips and emitters after a long season.
b) Grow Gear: Ensure you have all the necessary equipment, including stakes, trellises, and netting for supporting your plants as they grow. These may be simple additions to your setup, but they’ll be crucial when your plants start to stretch and flower. Order them early and have them on hand. The closer you get to July, the more that some of these items can become scarce, and you don’t want a supply chain issue to be what prevents you from adequately supporting your plants.
c) Security: Outdoor crops can be vulnerable to theft or other security threats, especially as they mature and produce valuable buds. Start thinking about how you can secure your grow space. Fencing, surveillance cameras, or motion-sensing lights can be useful deterrents. This is a great time to do a safety check and make sure each and every camera is working. If you need to replace one or two, it is best to get it done now and never get out of compliance.
6. Start Indoor Seeds or Clones
While it's still too early to plant outdoors, February is a great time to start seeds indoors (or acquire clones) if you're looking to get a head start. Many growers begin germinating their seeds under grow-lights and transfer the seedlings to their outdoor plots once the weather gets warmer. If you get clones, now is a great time to start mother plants. If you acquire 1000 mother plants now, (which will cost you about $10K) you can turn that into 50,000 plants by planting time (worth ~$100K). If you start now, you even have enough time to flower out a round of phenos under indoor lights to identify quality (and sex).
7. Budget and Prepare for the Costs
Growing a yearly outdoor cannabis crop can be an expensive endeavor, so planning your budget early will prevent any surprises down the road. Unless you are using light deprivation techniques, it is “one and done”,/ “all or nothing” type of endeavor and you don’t get paid until the very end!
Account for the cost of soil amendments, seeds/ clones, tools, irrigation systems, and any other supplies you’ll need. Don’t forget about labor too, most outdoor farmers don’t do a lot of plant work, but the harvest itself is quite the laborious task. These costs needs to be accounted for from a budgetary standpoint. Don’t be the guy who runs out of gas before reaching the finish line!
As you can see, I clearly feel that starting early is a major key to success when it comes to cultivating a successful outdoor cannabis crop. Preparing for your grow in February gives you a head start on what can be a long but rewarding growing season. By assessing your past grow, having proper soil testing done, choosing the right strains, planning your garden layout early, and getting your soil and tools in order, you’ll set yourself up for a productive harvest in 2025!
-Mike Thompson, Senior Cannabis Consultant for Kindling Cannabis Advisors