"The weather in the UK does not entirely suit the requirements of what is, essentially, a tropical plant. This guide attempts to show how a carefully controlled environment coupled with a suitable choice of plant variety can produce herb of the highest quality. In the author's opinion, herb
grown organically tastes and smells better than hydroponically grown; therefore a compost-based method is fully described but fans of hydroponic methods will find that the principles outlined still hold good.
Where to grow Outdoors The growing season in the UK is rather short. Cannabis is induced to flower when the daylight has reduced to about 13 hours per day. This happens sometime during September, therefore the plant has only 6 to 10 weeks flowering time before the first frost kills the plant.
September and October can also be cold and wet, increasing the chances of fungus and disease ruining the crop. There are varieties bred especially for outdoor growing in Northern Europe, but these tend to give poorer results than the best indoor or greenhouse types.
Outdoors
During the vegetative stage, the plants need to get as much light as possible for as long as possible. This precludes starting your outdoor crop in September. Mid, to late May is usually a good time to plant out your seedlings.
Choose a growing site which faces south (for maximum sunlight) and is not overlooked by nosy neighbours. Plants can be disguised by growing between other tall plants such as runner beans or tomatoes.
Prepare the soil in your growing patch by digging in a bucket full of garden compost or well-rotted farm manure per planting position a few weeks before planting out. If the soil is sticky clay then dig in some horticultural grit to prevent the soil becoming waterlogged.
Seedlings that have been sprouted indoors require a period of 'hardening off' before planting outside. This involves gradually acclimatising them to outdoor conditions over a period of several weeks. Start by leaving them outside in a sheltered, sunny spot during the day and bringing them in again at night. Gradually increase the time they are outdoors until they are outside 24 hours a day. Without hardening off, the plants will suffer shock and their growth will be temporarily retarded.
Plant out with a space of at least a metre between each plant and water in well. There should be no need for extra fertiliser until the plant reaches at least a metre in height. In some areas, rabbits and deer can be a nuisance; the only answer is to build a fence to keep them out.
Some varieties of cannabis can grow to 4 metres in height; if this is a problem they may need to be pruned or trained. Pinch out the growing tip when the plant has produced 4 sets of true leaves; this will make the plant branch into two main stems. Pinching the growing tips again will further increase branching. Be careful not to overdo this process as the plants are stressed by pruning and their development may slow down unacceptably or they may even exhibit hermaphrodism. Upper branches can be bent horizontal (carefully!) and tied to canes with garden twine. This encourages budding at the leaf nodes and reduces the overall height of the plant."
"Most seed companys have bred specific Outdoor varieties and these are the ones that i would recommend.To name a few that i would choose Durga Mata(Paradise),Belladonna(Parardise),Himalaya Gold(Greenhouse),The Church(Greenhouse),Hayley`s Comet(FD),Rox(Paradise),Biddy Early(Magus Genetics).There are alot more.If you go to Strain Reports and go down to Himalaya Gold then you will see why i chose it,as well as watching the Greenhouse DVD with the Himalaya Gold grow on.Hope this helps"
... just some copy and paste for ya....
