I am curious if Thai landraces have more heat tolerance.
Could not get hands on with cannabis seeds which do better in hot and humid outdoor season.
One main issue is pests outdoors when we are at lower altitudes with high humidity and Heat.
So, I am here looking for suggestions and tips.
I have no success growing outdoors full season starting from march, my plants die mid-August most of the time, due to heat, I think. The seeds which i have used so far are High altitude Cannabis, so may be that is why?
I have successfully grown cannabis off-season due to mild winters but the plants flower quick.
So I might not have great line recommendations, but I think we can get to some characteristics that would help you choose. What is the weather like in July and August? If it is dry and hot, then drought tolerance is your trait. If it is hot and humid, then resistance to disease and fungus is probably your top pick.
You mention pests, so finding a cultivar that resists pests would be good. But you might also be stuck with what you can get. If thats the case, it may be worth looking at planting a clump or even whole perimeter of native bushes or flowers. This allows you to redirect the pest pressure to your native plants and away from the cannabis.
This is a fairly common tactic in organic agriculture that is ripe for export to cannabis. People are using this idea already with success! You can also plant things that repel pests, marigold is pretty common recommendation in the US. The concept in agroecology if you are interested in learning more is trap cropping or push/pull pest dynamics.
Might help if we have a general idea of your location. We are everywhere . Gives a better idea of the conditions.
Container or ground. Temperature range and humidity levels. Smoke preferences
weather is Hot and humid mostly, we have plenty of Irrigation.
Commonly things which bother the most are aphids, caterpillars and fungal diseases in pre flowering.
one mistake I am doing which I realized after your suggestion is monocropping.
Auto flower would finish mid July if started in march.
I have problems with containers. With the heat and sun I find the roots cook. Maybe wrap something around the containers to minimize the temperature the soil in the containers reach
That’s right @Emeraldgreen …all my plants in the ground performed better than the ones in the pots.
I’m pretty sure that’s because of the root zone temps. They even had less sun than the ones in the pots.
Next season I will put more in the ground. But I have to get a small roof foe them. The dew and late rains fucked me up a bit. Besides that I’m very happy with outdoor this year
TGA genetics are hardy to heat and are great outdoor strains… def go for non feminized and non auto seeds … also try popping in beginning of April instead of March
If I can think of anything else I’ll add to this thread!
I have not heard any numbers for the temperature range yet. At certain temperatures any plant in a container will be cooked
The ground has a cooling, more consistent temperature
I do see coastal India. Another grower on here was having the same issue with plants, same country.
Cooked rootballs was the problem.
Cover your containers with a sheet or hay to keep them cooler
If you cant go directly in ground maybe dig a hole to place the container down into and mulch using straw/hay. Temps get up around 118F consistently where i am and the struggle to keep root temps down is real. I have to water daily in summer. I also look for direct light in the morning up until about 1-2pm then filtered light during the hottest part of the day under the partial shade of trees.
Heat isnt a big problem for all cannabis strains but they need a good rh between 60-75 to handle the heat. If you have too much heat and the rh is too low the stomata will close and they are not happy.
Believe it or not some cultivars can even hit triple digits and sub 20% humidity and still thrive. In particular genetics from Southern Afghanistan region. In the states southern New Mexico is near identical in climate and elevation to Southern Afghanistan. Last Summer southern New Mexico had a stretch of over 42 days triple digits sub 20% rh and still plenty of farms did great.
In my opinion It’s pretty hard to retain terpenes, potency and overall quality in high heat… Dry in the upper 90s for a couple months should be fine as long as you keep it watered each day or keep an eye on it, but using a very thin shade screen , keeping the plants closer together so they provide eachother some shade would help… under some taller trees, near a ridge with a breeze. Just depends your location!
Against popular belief I love spraying my plants down with cool water in veg when it’s hot and dry. They drink it up quick!
I’m not saying you’re wrong but heat and drought stress has been shown in studies to increased terpenes and thiols in hops. I don’t know if there’s ever been a study with cannabis but they’re in the same family…
I definitely want to get some shade cloth because last summer my few plans just got fried.
You may be able to use a shade cloth outside if the temps are burning them, 20% or window screen can give a little shade an still provide enough light.
You may have to pick stuff that tolerate to moisturizer though.
