Category Archives: Growing

Everything you need to know to start growing your own cannabis.

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Find The Best Spot to Grow Weed Outdoors

If you’re planning to grow weed outdoors, you’ll need to make a few important decisions first. A cannabis plant in your backyard will only thrive if you plant the seeds in the best spot. Once you’ve found the ideal location for outdoor weed cultivation in your unique garden, you’re all set for a grow with a spectacularly bountiful yield!

Your Own Outdoor Weed In The Garden

If you have a little space in your garden, you can easily grow your own cannabis and secure your own supply of top-quality outdoor weed. All you really need to do is order weed seeds from a supplier with a good reputation. You’ll always find a suitable strain for outdoors that matches your taste. A cannabis plant is meant to thrive in the open air, and cannabis is tough enough to fully earn its nickname ‘weed’.

Once your weed seeds are in, it’s time to determine two crucial factors of a successful outdoor grow: perfect timing and an ideal location for your plants.

Depending on where you live, it’s often a good idea to germinate your seeds in April or May. If you plan your outdoor weed season well, you can harvest between August and October, depending on the variety you choose.

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The Best Spot For A Cannabis Plant In The Garden

Once you have your chosen cannabis seeds at home, you need to decide what the best spot for a cannabis plant in your garden is. Every garden is different, with its own advantages and disadvantages, so we can’t just point out that ideal spot for you. What we can do is list the most important factors, so you can find the best spot for a cannabis plant in your garden yourself.

Three Important Factors

If you want to find the best spot to grow weed outdoors, you need to keep an eye on three factors: the number of hours of sunlight, protection against bad weather, and optimal soil conditions. If you balance them, your plants will benefit optimally from what your garden has to offer.

 

1. Sun Hours and Position

Your plants need a lot of sunlight for photosynthesis. This biochemical process provides the energy to become a strong mature plant full of tasty buds. So, you want to give your outdoor weed as many hours of sun as possible each day.

If possible, choose a spot that faces south or southwest, as you’ll get the most sun per day. If that’s not possible in your garden, pay close attention for a day to how the sunlight moves through your garden. Choose a spot that catches at least seven hours of optimal light: more is usually even better.

However, beware of overheating. Stone surfaces reflect heat and absorb it to radiate again later. (Ambien) If this becomes too intense, it can damage the leaves and cause heat stress. If you plant your weed seeds too close to a wall or fence, you can also block the airflow, so give your cannabis garden a bit of air and space.

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2. Shelter

The sun is your best friend, but if you’re not careful, the weather can also become a problem. A severe summer storm or early autumn rain and fog can greatly spoil your growth and harvest chances.

That’s why sufficient shelter is important at the best spot for growing outdoor weed in your garden. Try to make use of the bushes, trees, and fences that are already there, as long as they don’t block all the sunlight. If you know the usual wind direction, you can usually balance the sun and the wind well.

 

3. In The Ground Or In Pots?

Does the best spot to grow weed in your garden offer full soil? Then by all means, plant your weed seeds in the ground. Full soil with good drainage (essential for healthy roots and water/nutrient uptake) usually offers enough natural soil life and valuable nutrients for cannabis plants, although additional nutrition sometimes remains necessary. In addition, the roots get all the space, allowing your plants to grow into meter-high weed trees if you go for that.

If you plant your weed seeds or seedlings in pots, this also has advantages and disadvantages. Pots can be moved for even more sun hours, or a quick evacuation if a storm is coming. However, they do not have the buffer effect of full soil: water evaporates much faster in a pot. Always make holes in the bottom of your pots for drainage and give your plants enough space for a strong, healthy root system.

Now that you know the most important factors, it’s time to spot the best place to grow outdoor weed in your garden!

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Easily Grow Cannabis Outdoors Yourself

There are quite a few people who, despite their green thumbs, hesitate to grow their own cannabis at home in the garden. That’s a real shame, because growing cannabis outdoors yourself is easy. Therefore, at least read through this short blog: before you know it, you’ll be very satisfied harvesting your first yield of home-grown outdoor cannabis!

Growing A Cannabis Plant In The Garden, Is That Difficult?

We can be brief about this: no, growing a cannabis plant in your garden yourself is a piece of cake. The nickname for cannabis is not without reason ‘weed’. Cannabis grows like weed – once they take hold, it’s often more difficult to keep them out of your garden than in…

Everything you need to easily grow cannabis outdoors is contained in a cannabis seed. And because ordering cannabis seeds online is so simple, you only need some space in your garden. The rest comes from nature, including sunlight, water, and nutrients from the soil.

Of course, you can help your cannabis plants by watering them well, fertilizing extra, using growing techniques, and giving lots of love, but all of this is extra. If you’re growing cannabis for the first time, you really just need to plant some seeds in the ground and wait for them to grow and bloom.

As you can see, growing cannabis outdoors is easy, so just order your first-class cannabis seeds and check if you are allowed to have plants in the garden where you live.

Growing Cannabis Outdoors Yourself, Is That Allowed?

The answer to this question largely depends on where you live. In the Netherlands, the home base of Amsterdam Genetics, small-scale home cultivation is tolerated by the police, as long as it doesn’t look like you’re growing for commercial purposes. So, with a few cannabis plants in the house, you should not have any trouble in principle – although things still regularly go wrong, even here.

In the U.S., what you can and cannot grow varies by state. So always check local regulations before getting started there, because every season new states are added where people discover how easy it is to grow cannabis outdoors.

Worldwide, cannabis legislation is constantly changing. Many European countries are flirting with the idea of legalization, with Malta at the forefront when it comes to tolerant rules. Thailand is also a strong example of how quickly regulations can change. But if you are not allowed to grow cannabis outdoors in your country (yet), do not look for problems. Remember, you can simply order cannabis seeds that you can store for years before you germinate them – you can nicely wait until your country legalizes home cultivation!

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You Too Can Grow Cannabis Outdoors

Cannabis grows like a weed, but there are more reasons why growing cannabis at home is easy. Nowadays, you can easily order absolute top-quality cannabis seeds online. Online seed banks with a top reputation like Amsterdam Genetics have been perfecting their seeds for decades, so everyone can get started at home. Your first package of high-quality cannabis seeds is just a few clicks away – especially with our fast, discreet and safe shipping method!

In our webshop, you will find seeds that make growing cannabis at home easy for everyone, so also for you, wherever you live and whatever climate you have. Be sure to check out our growing collection of fast and super easy autoflower cannabis seeds, for the best results with minimal risks and effort.

 

Easily Grow Cannabis Outdoors In Your Garden Or On Your Balcony

We notice that beginner growers often doubt whether they can easily grow cannabis outdoors in their garden or on their balcony. So, you don’t have to be insecure about that, because with a few small adjustments, you can turn any spot into a perfect outdoor grow location. We have a whole bunch of special blogs to help you get started. We show you how to find the best spot for cannabis plants in your garden, how to get the best soil for easily growing cannabis outdoors, and how to protect your plants from mold, diseases and harmful bugs. Not sure whether to work in a pot or in the open ground? Don’t worry, we have all the info you need to set up your own cannabis garden perfectly!

 

Easily Water And Feed When You Grow Cannbis Plants Outdoors

In addition to free sunshine and your own garden soil, you mainly need water and nutrition for easy outdoor cannabis growing. Even though you don’t necessarily have to give your plants extra manure or feed, if you want to do so, you can often get very far with your own compost and food from the garden center. Also, check out our blogs about watering cannabis plants and choosing the right nutrients for a good start. You will notice how easy it is to grow cannabis outdoors once you give it a try.

Smart Tips For Beginners: Keeping A Grow Diary

If you are just starting with your cannabis garden, it is handy to keep a diary to see how your plants are doing. This way, you can quickly identify the cause of any problems and learn from your mistakes in your next round. Moreover, with such a grow diary, you can ask the right questions to experts from the grower community, like the many experienced hobbyists on Growdiaries.com.

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Your Outdoor Cannabis Adventure Begins Here

So? Are you ready to get your green fingers a bit muddy? Are you eager to delve into the world of quick and easy outdoor cannabis cultivation? Head straight to our online catalog and select the flavors, effects, and properties that appeal to you. If you truly don’t know where to start, consider ordering our Exotic Purple Autoflower strain. This multicolored beauty combines a sweet candy taste with rapid growth and flowering, resulting in a smooth, easy harvest full of deeply relaxing purple-green buds.

If you have further questions about growing cannabis outdoors easily, read through our blogs or get in touch with our team. If you think you’ve learned enough, order your cannabis seeds promptly and get started – you could already be sitting outdoors in the sun enjoying your new green hobby!

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How Can You Tell If I Can Harvest Weed Outside?

Determining when the best time is to harvest your cannabis is a very important skill. The correct timing has a great influence on the quality of your weed. Harvesting too early or too late could result in poor quality of your buds. So the question is, how can you tell when your weed is ready for harvest?

Introduction to Weed Harvesting

When your cannabis has been growing and then starts to flower, it’s important to determine when it’s time to start harvesting. The better you time it, the higher the quality and potency of your weed will be.

Before we look at when to harvest your cannabis, it’s good to know about the growth phases that a weed plant goes through. Of course, you start with a seed. Germination lasts from 24 hours to 7 days. At some point, a sprout comes out of the ground.

Then comes the seedling stage, which lasts 2 to 3 weeks, followed by the vegetative stage. This starts when the weed plant develops leaves with fingers. This is the stage of the strongest growth and it lasts an average of 2 to 8 weeks.

Finally, there is the flowering phase (6 to 8 weeks), in which the buds are formed. It’s during this phase that you eventually start to harvest, but the timing is extremely important here.

 

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Trichomes As Important Indicator

To know when to harvest your cannabis, you can look at the trichomes. These are the glands in the buds that produce the cannabinoids. Based on what they look like, you can determine which stage of development your cannabis plants are in.

To properly see the trichomes, you need a magnifying glass or a microscope.

Transparent Trichomes

In the first phase of flowering, the resin glands are transparent. It’s not yet time to harvest, as the trichomes will hardly contain any active substances.

Cloudy Trichomes

After some time, you can see that the color of the trichomes turns milky white. This means they now contain much more THC and it’s time to harvest. Not all trichomes will be cloudy, but the majority should be.

Amber Colored Trichomes

If you leave your weed plants standing longer, you’ll see the trichomes turn amber. Unfortunately, this means you’re too late and the THC in the buds is converted to CBN (cannabinol). This substance will not cause a high.

The Color Of The Pistils

You can also pay attention to the color of the pistils. These are the hairs that grow on the buds of the weed plant. Initially, they’re white and gradually change color to red/orange. Here too, you’ll have to estimate and pay attention to the percentage of pistils that have the right color.

If less than half is colored orange-red, it’s too early. If 60 to 70% of the pistils are red-orange in color, then it’s the ideal moment for the harvest.

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Pay Attention To The Growth Phase

Earlier, you could read about how the growth of cannabis plants progresses. Also based on these growth phases, you can get a good idea of the right time to harvest outdoor weed. However, this can vary depending on the type of weed plants you have.

Indica and indica dominant plants bloom for a shorter period. They’re generally ready for harvest 8 to 10 weeks after the start of flowering. If you’re harvesting outdoor weed, you can count on the end of September, beginning of October.

With sativas, it all takes a bit longer. After 10 to 16 weeks, you can usually start harvesting, for outdoor cultivation this is the end of October, beginning of November.

If you have autoflower plants, then everything goes faster. On average, they’re ready for harvest 8 to 11 weeks after germination. In all cases, you should not rely on numbers, but keep an eye on your plants.

Harvesting Too Early Or Too Late

But now you may be wondering what happens if you harvest too early or too late. If you harvest too early, the cannabinoids in the trichomes will not be fully developed. There will not be much THC in it, so your weed will not be as potent as you’d like.

Harvesting too late is also not a good idea. The THC then turns into CBN. This cannabinoid does have certain effects, but it causes a sluggish, slow high. This is very different from the euphoric, powerful high that THC can deliver.

That’s why it’s also good to carefully work out the time of harvest. Try to regularly check your plants, both the trichomes and the pistils.

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Drying and Curing After Harvest

After harvesting your cannabis plants, it’s important that you store your precious buds properly. After harvesting, your buds contain a lot of moisture. You first want to get rid of that, because they’ll have less flavor and because moisture attracts molds. By drying your buds, you can store them longer and they’ll get a much richer, fuller flavor.

You can dry by placing the buds on a drying rack or hanging branches in a drying room. After drying, it’s time to cure them. This will harden the buds and they’ll lose more moisture. This way, you can keep them even longer.

If you want to enjoy potent, flavorful buds, it’s therefore very important to determine the harvest time correctly. You do this by regularly checking the trichomes and pistils. If you harvest at the right time, you have a greater chance of a rich harvest of weed with an excellent quality.

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How To Get A Big Harvest From Outdoor Weed Growing?

Those planning to grow weed outdoors, naturally hope for a large harvest. To achieve this, attention must be paid to several different factors such as the quality of the soil, the type of weed you’re going for, and whether you use certain pruning and training techniques. In this blog, we’ll give you the tips you need to get that much-desired large weed harvest.

Which type of weed is best for outdoor growing?

When you’re ready to grow weed outdoors, the first thing you need to decide on is the type of weed. You can go for Indica, Sativa, or a hybrid strain. Each has its own unique properties that make it more or less suitable for outdoor cultivation.

Indica plants remain fairly small but can produce large fan leaves. They are robust and can handle cooler and unfavorable weather better. The flowering phase is relatively short. Sativa, on the other hand, is suitable for higher temperatures, they grow tall, and form long, slender leaves. They can’t handle the cold as well.

Then there are the hybrids, the crosses between Indica and Sativa. These were developed to obtain the best qualities from both parents. They grow tall and yield large harvests. A hybrid may, therefore, be a good choice for beginner growers.

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Choose the best growing spot

Once you’ve chosen the best seed, it’s time to decide where to plant your weed. The best spot is sunny, provides your plants with adequate shelter from wind and rain, and there is good air circulation.

Wind

Pay attention to where the wind usually comes from. Place your plants in a sheltered spot. A little wind can’t hurt, in fact, it makes them stronger. But ensure they don’t get the full force of a storm. If necessary, you can put up a fence or hedge.

Sunlight

Place your weed plants in a sunny spot. They should ideally get six hours of sun each day. This gives you the best chance of a large harvest when growing outdoors.

Water

Also, consider watering. If it rains sufficiently, you won’t have much to do. But in dry times, you’ll have to water your weed plants. Make sure you have a water supply nearby or use an irrigation system.

If you plant your plants in the ground, you’ll need to provide permanent solutions for the above points. If you put your plants in pots, you’re more flexible. You can then move them in strong wind or bright sun.

Preparing the soil for outside growing

Essential for getting a large weed harvest is preparing the soil. If your weed plants grow in pots, you can buy ready-made soil. If they are in the ground, you can make adjustments to the soil yourself to ensure it has the right composition.

First, find out what the pH value of the soil is. You can mix lime into the soil if it’s too low (the soil is then acidic). Add sulfur to make the soil more basic.

You can also do something about the density of the soil. If the ground contains too much clay, it can become too moist and sticky. If the proportion of sand is too large, it doesn’t retain enough moisture. Therefore, you can mix other types of soil into the soil to get the ideal composition. Cannabis does well on a mix that contains both clay (20%), sand (40%), and silt (40%).

Large weed harvest by pruning and training

Pruning and training techniques are also ways to ensure a larger weed harvest. By steering how big and in which direction your plants grow, you also determine where light and nutrients can reach. The better you ensure an optimal distribution, the better your plants do, and the more chance of full buds you have.

For example, you can use Low Stress Training (LST), where you can control growth by gently bending the branches. Topping is also an LST. This technique involves cutting the main stem so that the side branches grow harder. This gives you twice as many buds and therefore a bigger harvest.

Supercropping is used to prevent your plants from growing too tall. In this process, you bend stems. Supercropping gives you the opportunity to control the leaf canopy of your plants, allowing them to make optimal use of light. This is also beneficial for outdoor growing, as plants can take light away from their neighbors. By ensuring that the leaf canopy does not become too dense, buds can grow well.

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Preventing Diseases and Pests

Of course, healthy cannabis plants provide the best and most buds. Therefore, it is important to keep your plants healthy and prevent diseases and pests. Pests like bud rot and powdery mildew can ruin your harvest.

There are several natural ways to prevent diseases and pests. For example, you can use predatory insects to combat harmful species. Companion planting is also a good way to support your cannabis plants. Herbs like lavender and basil can repel insects or attract beneficial insects. Other plants, like dandelion, can improve the soil.

The less energy your plants have to spend on surviving and repairing damage, the more they have left for forming rich, delicious buds.

This shows how a bit of preparation and good care for your plants increases the chances of a large harvest. Start at the beginning and first make your choice from our wide range of quality seeds. Want to know more about cannabis cultivation, read our clear step-by-step plan to start quickly and well prepared with outdoor cannabis cultivation.

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Watering Cannabis Plants? The Ideal Amount for Outdoor Growing

Have you ever wondered how much water a cannabis plant actually needs? Watering is one of the most crucial parts of care. While it seems simple, there’s more to it than just occasionally using your watering can.

If you want healthy cannabis plants and full buds, it’s essential to ensure your plants receive exactly as much water as they need. In this blog, you’ll learn everything about watering and what to keep an eye on.

Are you giving your plants enough water?

Do you ever consider watering your cannabis plants in your garden? Maybe it’s something you do thoughtlessly now and then, simply pouring a splash of water at the foot of your plants. However, it’s a good idea to be more conscious of this process.

In outdoor cultivation, how and how much water you give plays a significant role in the growth and development of your precious cannabis plants. If a plant has enough water available, it gets exactly what it needs.

Water is literally vital for your plant and also influences the harvest. Strong and healthy plants naturally yield more buds than sickly, poorly growing ones. Therefore, you surely want to ensure that you give your plants precisely the ideal amount of water.

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What factors influence watering cannabis plants?

Several factors influence the water needs of outdoor cannabis plants. These include the growing medium, the growth stage, and the environmental temperature.

The Growth Stage
Young plants (seedlings) require less water than mature plants. On average, you can water a seedling once every 3 to 7 days. During the growth phase, water your cannabis plant once every 2 to 4 days, and during the flowering phase, you can water every 2 to 3 days. So, it’s fair to say, the larger your cannabis plants are, the more water they need.

The Soil
The type of soil also plays a role in how much water you should give your cannabis plants. Some soil types retain water less effectively than others. Cannabis roots prefer airy soil that drains well. You can usually assess this yourself.

When you water, the top layer should be dried out again within about three to four days. If it takes longer, the soil’s drainage capacity isn’t good. You can improve this by adding perlite, for example, which helps make the soil airier.

Temperature and Humidity
Naturally, when watering your cannabis plant, you consider the weather. In higher temperatures, more water evaporates, and your plants will be thirstier. Logically, you’ll need to water more frequently and in larger amounts.

Humidity is also crucial. If the air is humid, plants transpire less than in a dry environment. Water evaporates less quickly, meaning you need to water less often.

What to look for when watering?

How can you tell when it’s time to water your cannabis plant again? There are a few signs you can watch for in outdoor cultivation.

Check the Soil
Want to know if it’s time to water your cannabis plant again? Take a good look at the soil. It should slightly dry out between waterings. As long as it’s still wet, there’s no need to use your watering can (or garden hose).

You can stick your finger about five centimeters into the soil. If this top layer is dry, you can water your plants again. After doing this a few times, you should get a feel for how often you need to water your cannabis plants.

Monitor the Leaves
The leaves are also a good indication of how your plants are doing. Keep in mind, though, that if you see the leaves drooping or yellowing, there’s already a problem with 犀利士
etics.com/watering-cannabis-plants-how-when-and-how-much/”>water. Try to adjust the amount or frequency of watering immediately.

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Too Much or Too Little Water?

In outdoor cultivation, it’s essential to pay close attention to how much water your plants need. There are some signals that indicate whether you’re giving your cannabis plants too much or too little water.

Cannabis Plant Not Getting Enough Water

If your cannabis plants are not getting enough water, it will become apparent in the leaves. They will discolor, first yellowing and browning at the edges. If the dry conditions persist, the leaves will turn completely yellow, dry, and crisp. The plant becomes weak and falls behind in growth. Eventually, your plants can die.

You can also notice a lack of water in the soil. The top layer is so dry that it begins to crack and fissure, and there is no more moisture deeper in the soil.

Cannabis Plant Getting Too Much Water

Giving too much water is also harmful. When water is excessive, the leaves will start drooping. They appear wilted and sickly. They can also yellow.

Cannabis plants receiving too much water will grow less vigorously or even stop growing altogether. This happens because the soil becomes saturated with water, preventing the roots from absorbing oxygen. Finally, you run the risk of the moisture attracting molds.

The Ideal Amount of Water

Naturally, you’d want to prevent any water-related problems. You can make things easier for yourself by buying a moisture meter. You insert this device into the soil next to your plants. The display will then show whether there’s enough moisture in the soil.

If you keep a good eye on your cannabis plants, the leaves, the soil, and the weather using these tips, you shouldn’t run into problems with watering.

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Should I Plant My Weed in a Pot or in the Ground?

When you decide to grow weed outdoors, an important question arises immediately: do you plant your weed in a pot or in the ground? Both options have their advantages and influence the growth of your plants. In this blog, we tell you all about what growing in pots or in the open ground entails and how you can make the best choice.

Growing Weed Outdoors

If you’re keen on getting hands-on with your cannabis plants outdoors, there are many benefits. You’re outside in the fresh air, and your plants also benefit from fresh oxygen and sunlight.

However, before you start growing outdoors, you first need to consider how you will cultivate your weed: directly in the ground or in a pot? It’s good to know that both methods can yield excellent harvests.

Still, the choice is important as it affects many aspects of the growth and cultivation of your plants. Whether in a pot or in the ground, both have their own advantages. You can read more about this below, so you can make the best choice for your situation.

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Benefits of Growing Weed in a Pot

Flexibility

One of the biggest advantages of growing weed outdoors in a pot is the flexibility it provides. The climate in the Netherlands is versatile, to say the least. If your cannabis plants are in a pot, you can easily adapt to this.

Is there a storm, heavy rain, large hailstones, or sudden snow? This kind of turbulent weather can significantly damage or even kill your beautiful plants.

If your plants are in a pot, you can protect them. You can move them to a sheltered spot or even bring them inside. You obviously don’t have such flexibility if your weed is planted directly in the ground.

Control Over Growth Conditions

Another advantage of growing in a pot is the control you have over your plants’ growth. Some strains of weed can easily reach great heights, sometimes up to two meters or higher.

While it might be fun to have a cannabis forest in your garden, it’s not very practical. And you probably don’t want your neighbors to easily spot your beautiful plants.

Therefore, it can be handy to have more control over the size of your weed plants. This is possible when you grow your plants in a pot. At some point, the plant can’t grow bigger because there’s no more room in the pot.

Additionally, growing in a pot also gives you control over the soil your plants grow in. You decide what type of soil to use and can custom mix it, providing your plants with optimal conditions for growth and flowering.

Protection Against Diseases and Pests

Growing weed in a pot can also help protect against diseases and pests. Since you’re not using garden soil, it’s clean and won’t harbor any unwanted guests.

Even though your plants are growing outdoors, it could still happen that a plant gets sick. But because you can easily isolate this plant, you can better manage any pest issues.

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Benefits of Growing in the Ground

Room for Root Growth

Growing plants in pots certainly has its advantages. But growing in open ground is also a good option. If you have room in your garden for your weed plants, you can plant the seeds or seedlings directly in the ground.

When your plants are directly in the soil, they have free access to all the valuable nutrients in the soil. Also, the roots have unlimited room to grow and can easily reach deep into the soil to absorb water and nutrients. As a result, your plants can become larger and stronger.

In the open ground, weed plants can freely develop. This means they require less maintenance, which can be an advantage if you’re short on time.

Natural Nutrients

A major benefit of growing in the open ground is that your plants have access to the rich soil life. The soil isn’t just dirt or sand. It’s a rich web of life, consisting of microorganisms like fungi and bacteria, insects, and other small creatures. This makes the soil alive.

This living soil not only provides a lot of nutrients, but the microbes even work symbiotically with each other and your weed plants. So your plants can benefit greatly!

Low Maintenance Costs

If you choose to grow in open ground, another advantage is that you have lower startup and maintenance costs. You don’t need to buy pots and have less expense for water, light, and nutrients. So this could also be a good reason to choose this method of cultivation.

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How to Choose Between Growing in a Pot or the Ground

As you have read, both growing in a pot and in the ground each have their advantages. So how can you make a good choice? There are different factors to consider when deciding between the two.

For example, you should consider the available space in your garden. The more space your plants have, the bigger they can grow. If you don’t have much space, choose a few pots. By keeping the pot size small, your plants will also stay smaller, and you’ll need less space.

Also consider the climate. Even before you put your seedlings or seeds in the ground, you should pay attention to where your plants can best be placed in your garden. Once you’ve planted them in the open ground, you can’t move them.

Choose a spot where they get sunlight in the spring and autumn. And see if you can position them so that they’re not too affected by the wind. Do you think your plants in your garden would get too much sun or wind? Then choose pots, which you can move if needed.

Finally, we can say that for beginners, growing weed in a pot is probably the best option. It makes things a bit easier for you, as you have more control over the growing conditions. Have you made your choice yet? Then start right away and purchase the best cannabis seeds in our shop.

tips for growing weed outdoors

Tips For Growing Weed Outdoors: Make It Easier For Yourself

When you are just getting started with growing cannabis outside, it really helps if you keep things simple. Many of the best strains to grow outdoors consist of low-maintenance, easy-going genetics. Just order quality seeds, pick a good garden spot, and enjoy watching how nature takes its course. Read on for some tips for growing weed outdoor, and find the easiest way to get to your first outdoor weed harvest!

Easy Going, Easy Growing

Here’s a green fact for you: growing weed outdoors is easy – but you can make it as complex as you like by applying advanced grow techniques. If you’re new to the cannabis hobby, we recommend keeping things simple. This is actually one of the best tips for growing weed outdoors, especially if you have only limited prior experience. 

Remember that cannabis is called ‘weed’ for a reason: your plants can and will thrive in just about any environment with minimal care and support. Basically, good seeds only need light, water, and good, healthy soil to thrive. 

We have been helping outdoor cannabis gardeners get the hang of the hobby for decades, and we’ve seen plenty of people mess up their plants because they forgot to take – and make – it easy on their first few grows. 

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Start Out Small

Here’s some sound advice to get you started. One of the best beginner tips for growing weed outdoors is to keep it small. Even if you have a huge back yard, it’s best to start by growing just a few plants: three to five will help you keep your project manageable. You could try growing just one plant, but if you mess it up, you’ll be left with no backup plan(t)s.

The Best Strains To Grow Outdoors

Don’t be tempted by fancy strain names or spectacular harvest yield prospects when picking your first outdoor cannabis seeds. Some of the best strains to grow outdoors are fast-growing, hardy, low-maintenance autoflower cannabis seeds. 

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Our newest Autoflower Strain: a great option for outdoors!

Especially when growing weed in cooler Northern European climes, we recommend starting with autoflower seeds. These special strains start flowering earlier than non-autoflower photoperiod strains that depend on seasonal changes to flower. The speed of autoflowers allows you to harvest before the risky weather conditions of late August, September, and October set in.

If you’re lucky enough to live in a sunnier southern region, your options for growing weed outdoors are less restricted. Still, if you’re looking for useful beginner tips for growing weed outdoors, stick to easy strains: indica-heavy hybrid seeds are generally faster and easier to manage than sativa dominant strains.      

Watering Outdoor Cannabis

Watering your weed correctly is arguably the most important of all tips for growing weed outdoors. The main mistake to avoid here is giving too much water. If that happens, especially in pots but even in open soil, you risk choking off the roots and hurting growth potential.

So how much water does a cannabis plant need, and how often? Many beginners are surprised to learn that weed doesn’t necessarily need water every day. Just check if your plants need water every day , and you’ll be fine.

Outdoors, precipitation, evaporation, and soil type affect how much water your plants need to stay healthy. As a rule of thumb (literally), you can stick your finger into the soil to check soil humidity. Always wait for the first few centimetres of soil to dry out before watering your plants. If it’s dry, soak the soil around the stem in water and let it sink in. 

Be careful to water your plants early in the morning or after sunset to avoid the harsh summer sun from ‘burning’ the wet leaves. Check our full blog on watering cannabis to learn more about this crucial topic.

watering cannabis planys
Learn more about watering cannabis!

How Much Sunlight Do Weed Plants Need?

The second vital ingredient for outdoor weed growing is sunlight to fuel photosynthesis needed f犀利士
or growth. Don’t worry too much about how much light your plants receive: a few hours of direct sunlight a day is enough for most strains.

We have a dedicated blog to help you pick the best outdoor spots for your plants. For now, remember that planting weed in pots allows you to move your crops around if they need more sunshine or shelter from rain and storms. Remember to drill a few holes in the bottom of your pot pots for proper drainage.

The Best Nutrients For Your Outdoor Grow

If you think you have to add nutrients to help your cannabis plants grow, think again. If you have rich soil and possibly some good compost, you should be fine. If you do want to add nutes, go easy on your plants: adding too much can cause ‘nute burn’ that interferes with natural growth. If you want to know more about the best nutrients for all the stages of your outdoor grow, check our dedicated nutrition blog.

Our 100% organic Biotabs are a convenient way to gradually release additional nutrients into the soil without going too far.   

stikstof kalium fosfor
Learn more about the key nutrients for cannabis!

Training Outdoor Weed Plants

As with all other tips for growing weed outdoors, we suggest keeping it simple when it comes to training techniques. All training comes with risks, and autoflower strains can be hard to train because they grow and flower too fast to recover from the stress you cause. Low Stress Training can be useful, but be careful not to snap the branches. Beyond that, steer clear of any advanced techniques until you complete your first few successful grows.

Ask For Advice

We have more great tips for growing weed outdoors in our expanding blog section. If you need quick advice, however, don’t hesitate to ask experienced growers for advice. Our customer service is always happy to help; but beyond that, there’s a large and friendly online grower community full of experts willing to help you finish your first outdoor cannabis grow. 

questions about your outdoor grow

Ask Questions About Your Outdoor Cannabis Grow

When you are starting your first cannabis grow project, you are likely to have a million questions about your outdoor cannabis grow. Any grower just getting into the cannabis gardening hobby will recognise the feeling. Even though a humble cannabis seed contains everything it needs to germinate, grow, and flower into a full harvest of home-grown weed, you’ll still want to avoid making mistakes that could ruin your project. That’s why most new growers search for information online, but that’s where things can get complicated fast.

An Information Jungle

It is easy to be overwhelmed by all the information available on how to grow weed at home. There’s just so much out there; and to further complicate matters, every experienced grower seems to have their own individual tips, tricks, and best practices to share.

So how do you find out which tips, techniques, and hacks will work for you? You could of course use a trial-and-error approach and see where it takes you, but that would risk wasting your precious cannabis seeds. If you’re an outdoor grower, making mistakes could force you to wait for next year’s outdoor season. 

Fortunately, there is no need to take that risk. The best alternative to simply roughing it is asking questions about your cannabis grow and inviting the worldwide community to provide answers. If you know where to direct your questions, you are bound to receive useful answers that help you become a veteran home grower yourself.

buiten wiet kweken

Where To Look For Great Grow Solutions

Online information sharing has become one of the mainstays of the global cannabis grower community. And what a friendly community we’ve become! The (fading) atmosphere of taboo, criminalization, and even outright hostility ganja gardeners still face today has driven us into each other’s arms online. Turn to familiar platforms like Reddit or Instagram and you will soon discover a wealth of information provided willingly by growers from all over the world. Blogs, vlogs, and YouTube instruction videos are all over the web. Many growers will be happy to provide you with answers to the questions about your outdoor cannabis grow.

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Follow us & ask us questions on Instagram @amsterdam.genetics

On top of that, we have our own Amsterdam Genetics customer service waiting to help you solve any grower issues. You can ask us all of your questions about growing weed, and we will do what we can to give you fitting answers. And that’s just for the rare occasions on which our extensive blog section doesn’t answer your queries straight away. Many novice growers struggle with their first germination process, for instance. Rest assured that we have expert info on popping those seeds waiting for you among dozens of useful Grow Blogs. Not sure on how and when to water your precious plants? No worries – we’ve got you covered. No matter what cannabis conundrum is on your mind, please feel free to ask us any questions about growing weed you may have!

Why You Should Ask Questions About Your Outdoor Cannabis Grow

When you start growing weed, you wil l soon realise that you are working with natural materials. That’s actually great news, because there is so much to learn as you watch the result of millions of years of evolution unfold before your eyes. On the other hand, nature can be fickle: there are many things that can go wrong before harvest time if you don’t recognise the first signs of trouble.

The best way to deal with these natural challenges is by asking your fellow gardeners for advice. Don’t be shy: ask the community to help you rule out possible causes of emerging problems. Solving problems through a process of elimination is usually the best way to proceed, and there are always growers who are happy to help you tackle your green issues.

Magic OG Kush
Don’t hesitate to ask question and create buds like this Magic OG Kush

Tips For Asking Helpful Questions About Your Outdoor Cannabis Grow

If you are new to growing cannabis, it can be hard to ask the right kind of questions that will get you adequate solutions fast. To help you get the right answers to your cannabis growing questions, provide the community with the following information to help them identify your problems:

  • What seeds are you using (feminized/ autoflower/ regular), and what is the strain name?
  • What is your grow location (tent/ grow room/ garden /greenhouse/ balcony)?
  • What is your grow medium (soil/ coco/ hydro)?
  • How often do you water your plants, and how much water do you use?
  • Are you using additional nutrients? Which kind (brand) and how much?
  • What kind of grow lights do you use (LED/ HPS/ other) and what is their intensity?
  • What is your current lighting cycle (12-12/ 16-8/ other)?
  • What is your grow environment (temperature/ humidity)?
  • Nutrient water supply: what is your pH, EC, and TDS?

GrowDiaries Is Perfect For Asking Cannabis Growing Questions

One community platform that deserves special mention here is GrowDiaries.com. Here, marijuana growers of all nationalities and experience levels keep and share their online diaries featuring detailed information about their past and current grows. You are welcome to create an account and log your own personal grow projects here, including your photos, strain names, pH values, lighting cycles, grow behaviour, and so on. 

The best part about GrowDiaries.com is its option to ask fellow growers for personal advice. It is probably the most accurate way to get tips that work for your unique situation, because anyone can access all the detailed grow info you choose to share. That enables expert growers to analyse your methods and visually inspect your plants from a distance. In a sense, this makes GrowDiaries the biggest online peer-to-peer weed helpdesk in the world.   

As you can see, there is no reason to wait any longer before you start to grow your own weed at home. You have the power of nature on your side; and if things do seem to south somehow, you can always ask your cannabis growing questions to the vast and awesome online gardening community that is always glad to lend a hand! 

growing new strains

Growing New Strains For The First Time

If you are considering growing new strains for the first time, you’re facing enough choices to make you lose sight of the forest for the ganja trees. That’s why we’re handing you a few simple guidelines to help you find the best cannabis seeds for beginner and veteran growers alike, no matter what your personal taste or grow purposes.

Growing New Strains For The First Time

No matter how many grows you’ve completed, and regardless of the superb strains you may have harvested, every one of us knows that familiar nagging sensation… It’s the small voice in the back of your head whispering: “but what if that next harvest would be even tastier, even more potent and even bigger than this last one?” It is the same familiar voice you can hear whenever a spectacular new strain catches your eye, and you can just smell those fresh buds simply by looking at them.

This voice is the curious, playful grower you carry deep down inside; even if you always pick the same cannabis seeds that happen to tick all you personal boxes. It’s whispering in your ear, encouraging you to try growing new strains and tasting them for the first time. Let’s face it: there’s still so much out there to sow, grow, and savour; and besides, the grass will always be greener on the other side…

But how do you go about choosing new strains and growing them for the first time?  How do you pick the best genetics to match your personal situation, grow setup, and taste? Which cannabis seeds are best for a beginner, and which are more suited for advanced growers? We’re handing you some quick guidelines to help you decide, letting you expand your palate and experience to make you an even more proficient ganja grower.

exotic purple autoflower
Our newest tropical Autoflower strain, a must-try!

Will You Plant Indica Or Sativa Seeds?

Choosing between growing new indica or sativa strains for the first time is a complicated affair even for experienced gardeners. Firstly, the respective sativa and indica labels don’t necessarily tell you much about a plant, its behaviour, or its effects. Moreover, the distinction between these two ‘subspecies’ is not as clear as you may think.

These days, you won’t find any ‘pure’ indica or sativa strains out there: all the current strains are hybrid crossbreeds. Strain descriptions often list percentages of both genetic lines to give you an impression of their origins.

Nonetheless, it can be helpful to know roughly what you’re getting when you order indica or sativa-dominant cannabis seeds. The following basic properties are important to consider when you’re considering growing new strains for the first time: 

Indica Cannabis Strains

  • Grow with great speed and vigour in the vegetative stage;
  • Usually have shorter flowering times than sativas;
  • Often have shorter stature (convenient for indoor growing);
  • Leaves are broader;
  • Effects: more physically oriented, body buzz, stoned, relaxing, sleep-inducing;
  • Medical: often used for pain, stress, aching muscles

Sativa Cannabis Strains

  • Tend to grow and flower more slowly; stretch may continue in flowering phase;
  • Can grow to huge sizes, especially outdoors;
  • Narrow leaf structure;
  • Effects: more mentally oriented, brain buzz, high, uplifting, creativity, activating;
  • Medical: often used for low moods, fatigue and inspiration

Try Autoflower Strains?

These days, many growers select feminized autoflower strains by default when growing new strains for the first time. These special plants are nearly always female and start flowering by themselves within about 3-5 weeks. That saves a lot of complications regarding lighting adjustments, and it prevents accidental pollination of females by undiscovered male specimens (making feminized autoflower seeds some of the best cannabis seeds for beginner growers). In addition, they usually grow and flower at record speed.

Such rapid growth is great for anyone interested in harvesting more often, but especially when growing new strains indoors for the first time, you’ll appreciate plants that stop growing taller early by switching to flowering mode. This trait makes them perfect for growing in small tents or cramped grow rooms. 

If you want to learn more about the benefits of growing fast feminized autoflower seeds indoors, check out this blog with inside information and the finest autoflower strains to try out for yourself.

Milkshake Kush Autoflower

Growing Strains With New Flavours For The First Time

You could also opt for growing new cannabis strains for the first time based on their flavour and scent. If you do, focus your attention on terpene profiles: the subtle interplay of aromatic compounds that determines the taste of weed. 

cannabis terpenen meer smaak
Find the perfect strain for you: use the smell of terpenes!

Over one hundred different cannabis terpenes have been identified so far. Depending on their complex profiles, terpenes make buds taste like anything from citrus fruit (limonene) to earthy tones (humulene), or add a spicy twist to your flower (caryophyllene).

There’s plenty of wonderful flavours to try out there. How about growing a cannabis strain for the first time that tastes like chocolate, sweet and creamy pastry, dazzling diesel fumes, or the wild aroma of berries, banana, pineapple, or other exotic fruits?  

Interestingly, each of these terpenes adds its own delicate touch to the high caused by its strain’s flower buds. You can learn more about this in our blogs on cannabinoid and terpene profiles, or in the specific background blogs on all the main cannabis terpenes.

Choosing Strains By Grow Properties

A final option is picking new strains to grow for the first time by considering specific grow properties. That means working from a true gardener’s perspective. If you do, these are your most important factors and characteristics to take into account:

  • Harvest yield: this is a rough indication of the amount of harvested weed to expect per plant or per square metre. Keep in mind, however, that a slow-flowering high-yield sativa plant may get you the same amount of bud you would harvest by growing two fast indica autoflowers consecutively over the same number of months. You’ll have fewer buds per plant, but that doesn’t matter if you can harvest after just half the flowering time;
  • Flowering time: this indicates how long plants take to produce mature buds from the first signs of flowering. Sativas tend to flower more slowly than indica dominant strains. This will impact your planning when growing new strains for the first time;
  • Stretch and size: ‘stretch’ indicates the extent to which (young) plants race up towards the light before they start to flower. Cannabis strains with high stretch properties tend to be impractical for growing in small grow tents, since they’ll soon reach your overhead grow lights, risking heat stress and failing to reach their full growth potential. Generally speaking, indica strains tend to have shorter, more compact stature than most sativa plants; 
  • Sensitivity: sativa strains, especially the non-autoflower photoperiod kind, tend to be more sensitive to temperature, humidity, and lighting fluctuations than indica plants. That is why we would recommend tougher indica cannabis strains when growing new variants for the first time without much prior experience;
  • Resistance to mould and disease: when growing new strains for the first time, it is wise to consider their resistance to mould, disease, and pests. High-resilience strains are often the best cannabis seeds for a beginner, even though many of the most interesting exotic strains tend to be more sensitive. If you prefer one of the latter kind, it helps to know what to look out for to prevent getting into trouble.

As you can see, there’s plenty of choice out there when growing new strains for the first time. Fortunately, you have already made the most important decision: only use top notch cannabis seeds – but you’re going to be fine on that account as long as you stick with Amsterdam genetics seeds!  

Insulate your grow tent

Insulate Your Grow Tent Or Room: Save Money, Reduce Noise and Smell

If you know how to insulate your cannabis grow tent or room, you can save some serious bucks while growing weed indoors. This blog helps you on your way to installing your very own DIY grow space insulation with minimum hassle.

Why Insulate Your Grow Tent?

Most indoor cannabis growers these days prefer the convenience of a grow tent to use as their foldable cannabis garden. Others convert an interior space into a full grow room. Regardless, knowing how to insulate a grow tent, or how to tackle grow room insulation, can make a big difference when it comes to harvest yields, grow efficiency, and electricity bills. 

Insulation can also help keep your hobby a private affair, as insulting helps mask heat signatures, smell, and equipment noise while making your green efforts that much greener. If you mask the smell of growing weed, you can avoid detection while reducing your chances of annoying family members, flatmates, or neighbours.

amnesia haze amsterdam genetics seeds
Amnesia Haze is known for her intense and pungent smell

Cutting Back On Those Bills

These days, power usage and electricity bills are an important part of growing cannabis indoors. Skyrocketing energy costs can really spoil the taste of your harvest, and so, cutting back on your electricity expenses helps keep your hobby fun and worthwhile. 

Applying proper grow room insulation can go a long way towards keeping growing weed affordable. Moreover, it helps reduce your carbon footprint. Trust us when we tell you your bud will taste even better knowing you have kept your environmental impact down to the bare minimum – and that’s before those electricity bills come rolling in!

energy efficient cannabis grow hacks
Learn more about saving energy on your grow!

Grow Room Temperature And Humidity Control

Managing your grow room or tent temperature and humidity control is crucial for healthy cannabis plants. Stable, consistent grow climate conditions give your crops the best shot at maximum harvest results. If you add insulation, it will become easier and more cost-effective to keep both relative air humidity and temperature levels constant: your premium cannabis seeds deserve it!

cannabis zaden 420
Find your favourite Premium AG strains!

Protection By Insulation

Make no mistake: indoor grow conditions can be almost as unstable as outdoor garden environments. Winter outdoor temperatures affect your room temperature as well, and insulation helps counter these fluctuations. Perhaps more importantly, heat waves can crank up indoor temperatures fast, which can be fatal for anyone growing in exposed areas such as attics or extensions.

The same applies to air humidity. No matter how good your exhaust fans and air circulation are, you will be doing your plants a favour by improving the stability of moisture levels in your indoor garden. You’ll be doing yourself a favour too, because better insulation equals less worrying over sudden drops or rises in all the climate variables you need to manage when growing weed.  

cannabis trend 2023
Learn more about protecting your plants against heat!

Differences Between Tent And Full Grow Room Insulation

Tents and grow rooms can be insulated using the same kinds of materials. You can get these materials at any DIY store at reasonable prices, so consider your grow room insulation an investment that will pay off in terms of lower power consumption and added growing efficiency.

The main difference between a tent and a full room is usually a matter of floor and wall surface: spare bedrooms, attics, and garages tend to be much bigger than a regular grow tent. This difference is offset by the number of plants your grow room can accommodate: you’ll get bigger harvest yields in return for the extra insulation you apply.

At this point, it is worth considering that you may want to insulate the room where you place your grow tent or tents. Any heat and moisture kept in the surrounding room will contribute to a stable climate inside the tent. All in all, overall insulation quality of your designated grow area is worth considering before deciding where to put up your tent. Perhaps you could even insulate your grow tent as well as the room it is in for optimal effectiveness.

Cannabis Insulation Materials

Before you get started, take a minute to determine which insulation materials best suit your needs. We will discuss the three most commonly used types of insulation to help you decide.

Fibreglass

Fibreglass is a handy material for insulating entire homes, so it should work well in most grow rooms, depending on shape, size, and any obstacles that are part of the construction. Fibreglass is relatively affordable and pretty easy to install by yourself. 

The big drawback of fibreglass insulation for grow rooms (or even tents) is the mess it produces when processed: these fibres can cause skin irritation and even harm your respiratory system. Always make sure to wear proper protection and clean up thoroughly when you’re done.

isoleren kweektent

Reflective Foil 

Reflective insulation foil is the usual means of insulating ready-made grow tents. This lightweight material is highly affordable and extremely easy to apply in problematic spaces. Reflective foil keeps heat inside while making optimal use of the light by reflecting it back into the room at different angles. Just make sure you don’t leave any light leaks open, because a tiny crack in your insulation can seriously ruin your growth and flowering prospects.

best place to grow weed indoors
Grow tents often come with inbuilt reflective foil!

Foam Board

Foam board is probably the cheapest grow room insulation material, making it a great choice for beginners with tight budgets. It is lightweight and easy to cut into any shape you need. In addition to great temperature control, foam board gives you additional moisture resistance, although it lacks the reflective capacity of foil to boost your lighting efficiency.

How To Insulate Your Grow Tent Or Grow Room

Insulating a grow tent is usually a pretty straightforward affair. The general idea is to improve its original insulation capacity by building a containment box around your tent for extra protection. Not only will this help stabilise your grow climate; it will also keep smells and noise inside to prevent annoying buzzing sounds and other nuisances. This can be done using any of the materials described above. A simple wooden frame is a good start here.

Another option is applying insulation inside the tent. Reflective foil is best suited for this purpose, but do make sure you keep the original walls of the tent intact. Leave enough space for any extraction fans, lighting rigs, and other equipment you want to use inside your tent.

When insulating an entire grow room, you can either choose to divide the room into insulated compartments for greater efficiency, or insulate the entire outer walls of the room in one go. Much depends on the amount of space you have available – and on the tolerance limits of any other people living in the same house, of course.

Always remember to put safety first, whichever materials you choose. Wear protective equipment such as face masks and gloves when working with fibreglass. Watch out while cutting up foam board and make sure to clean up the mess. Always try to leave power lines and other important utility features intact: you don’t want to risk electrocution, or interfering with the effective power grid you had running before you decided to insulate your grow room. 

Getting Your Grow Room Or Tent Up And Running

If you need further information on maintaining ideal temperatures, air humidity, lighting schedules, or water and nutrient regimes, be sure to explore our Grow Blogs for more insider’s tips and tricks. If you’re not sure which room in your house is the best pace to grow weed indoors, this blog will help you decide. 

If you have these basics covered, it’s time to order the best cannabis seeds Amsterdam can offer and start growing your own, well–protected, energy-efficient home-grown weed!