What’s up fellow enthusiasts, anybody in Coastal Virginia and grown outdoors? I’ve done 2 indoor grows now with great success (Borat voice) and want to take it outdoors this spring/summer/fall 2025. I have read mixed things such as starting indoors then moving outdoors, and when during the middle/end of spring to move from indoors to outdoors. I have also read to sprout and then plant directly outside. Should I plant directly in the ground? Use a 5 gallon bucket painted white and drill holes so the soil doesn’t get too hot, or use 7-10 gallon fabric pots? There’s so much out there I don’t know where to begin. Some people have said that the heat and humidity in Coastal VA makes it real difficult and it’s not worth my time and others have said its a great climate and have had lots of success.
Anybody in Coastal VA or VA in general can help me out so I can be successful with my first outdoor grow it is very much appreciated, the more information you can give me the better, no matter how irrelevant you think it may be! Thanks!!!
I’ve done outdoors directly in the ground and in various sized containers and my preference is ol’’mother earth. The roots get larger and they require less frequent watering than pots. But some drawbacks are the insects, BR and theft. But they get so much bigger outside left to spread their toes lol. Hunt for strains specific for your environment.
Good to know! Kind of thinking of doing straight into the ground as well! Was thinking of tilling up the ground and mixing the tilled up soil with some fox farm soil, perlite, and vermiculite to get a good balance. This way like you said the plant has the ability to spread its toes. I live in a rural area of coastal VA so theft won’t be a problem. Have you used diatomaceous earth or something like that for insects? I read up that that works well and so does lime and ground up eggshells. Still don’t know everything about that so I definitely need to do some more research. Thank you for the advice!!
I mixed in an inground (as opposed to the raised bed soils) organic gardening compost with my native soil as well. Made it easier for the young plants to spread out. Compacted soil can be a pain for multiple reasons.
I think the 2 biggest pests I had were caterpillars and leaf hoppers. Caterpillars are a major problem. Not only do they eat your fan leaves but they hide in the flowers and their waste cause bud rot. When you see leaf damage they’re close by but camouflaged. Root them out and then pluck the damaged leaves so you don’t get confused later. Those eaten leaves are the ‘tell’ to help you locate them.
One rule is always go from inside to outside, never outside to inside. You’ll drag every pest you can think of into your inside grow. I learned the hard way there, now outside ones just have to deal with weather. I’m south a state from you, weather this year caused a lot of bud rot, other places too.
I’m in Central VA and have grown outdoors successfully for 2 years. The heat and humidity haven’t been a problem. I’ve direct planted autos into pots (15 gallon fabric) as well as transplanted seedlings (photos) directly into the ground. If you’re using pots I would go as big as you can, my 15 gallon ones still need watering every day in July/August. I used Cannacontrol to prevent mold and bugs and applied it per the directions on the bottle. I haven’t had any problems with bugs or bud rot. I found that in general my plants have benefited from some benign neglect. Don’t overthink it and you’ll be just fine.
Thank you for the reply! When are you planting or moving outdoors? I have two plants that are about 10 days from sprout and about 3 inches tall. When in your experience is a solid time to move them outdoors? Thanks!
cause bud rot. When you see leaf damage they’re close by but camouflaged. Root them out and then pluck the damaged leaves so you don’t get confused later. Those eaten leaves are the ‘tell’ to help you locate them.