Cannabis Grow Calendar for growing legally in South Africa. Learn when to plant your seeds and clones outdoors for best results. Get ready to grow some dank buds with this easy to use ganja gardening calendar.
It’s no big secret that South Africa produces some of the finest smoking herbs in the world. And we sure do grow a lot of it. The decriminalization ruling was made by the Constitutional Court nearly 2 years ago, while more robust laws are also being anticipated. This has created a local licensed green rush by big business yet the majority of locally consumed weed is still grown in homes, rural communities, private collectives and old school black market grow ops. All of these outdoor grows tick to the same calendar. The cool folk over at Greensmoke Room Seeds have created this very useful Cannabis Grow Calendar to take the guess work out of it.
Cannabis Grow Calendar High Resolution
Start with good seeds
It’s easy to go nuts for seeds. But all that you are a few good ones to grow a surprising amount of dank. Here’s our cannabis seed buying guide and grow guide all about where to buy and grow like a pro. For now though let’s keep it simple. A rule of thumb is… Indica’s grow thick and quick, Sativa’s grow tall for long, Auto’s are small but strong.
Indica Hybrids and Autoflowers are favoured by many for their simplicity to grow and potent results. Speak to your seedbank some advice though, they will know what genetics are popular in what regions.
Spring is when to plant
The simplest and most successful time to plant cannabis outdoors is in Spring. Don’t plant to early though. Planting on the very first day of spring may cause tall plants that could struggle with re-vegging. Mid spring is an excellent time to start seeds and ensure that plants get as big as possible for maximum harvest. Don’t be shy, weed seedlings love direct light from the beginning. So make sure that they are in a sunny spot for strong plants and dense buds. Longer warm daytime conditions in the mid twenty degrees Celsius with lots of light will give best results. Clones or seedlings that were prepped indoors may need a few days of gentle acclimatization to outdoor conditions. Many spring plants can easily get over wall height.
Summer is the sweet spot
Planting seeds in summer makes for explosive growth and some size control. The later that you plant the the shorter the final plant will be. This allows for peak bud production in limited size or discreet garden. Don’t wait until too late in summer though. Plants that are already at least a metre tall can be gently pruned, defoliated and topped during Summer. The warm weather is when cannabis thrives, then it flowers throughout late summer and autumn. The shorter days are what trigger this annual cycle and stimulate flowering.
Special attention should be paid to removing any male and hermaphrodite plants. Eliminating pollen and seeds is key to a successful bud grow. You want dense seedless flowers for best effect.
Autumn is harvest Time
Growing fat terpy seedless buds is what it’s all about. The fruits of your labour should now be showing. Outdoor plants will be well into flowering and smelling good. Sativa’s may flower well into winter. Autumn is the perennial time of year that often requires giving plants a little more support and training. Heavy branches may snap under their own weight. While heavy rain and wind can cause grief in the garden.
Autumn also marks harvest season. This is when to think about the clippers, drying space and storage that you will need. Correctly growing, harvesting and curing is what separates a dank bud from a stank nug. So it’s worth doing right. Trichomes are the sugary frosting on buds that pack pack all the punch. Buds are ripe for harvest when these chrystal like trichomes are milky.
Winter Grows can be worth it
Frost and snow are not friends of growing ganja, although greenhouses help a lot. The best winter outdoor grows that I’ve come across were those where seeds or clones were started in late summer and then double tapped just after the regular harvest. Plants don’t get big but can still be frosty and tightly grown. Cold temperatures will cause many plants to express purple flowers. This off peak growing can be tough but rewarding. Many rural growers pull a second harvest in Winter and early Spring.
What are your Cannabis Calendar tips and preferences? Leave a comment and stand a chance to score a voucher for our online store.
Hi can someone please provide me with a picture example of a perfect bud ready to be harvested.
High Renier. You can judge a bud’s ripeness by the trichomes.
Here’s a helpful article with pictures.
https://thehighco.co.za/when-to-harvest-cannabis-plants/
When flowering you must use a phosphate potassium heavy nutrient (bloom) but not alone. It is essential that the plant has nitrogen as well. It’s internet rumour that says nitrogen disturbs bud development. As a ‘hobby’ grower It’s worth investing in ready made formulas I.e biobizz bloom + grow and follow the feeding chart.
Agreed. I maintain a bit of nitrogen through out. Biobizz has excellent products, although the 2021 shortage did suck.
Tried the Terra Aquatica organic and have been very happy with it.
Pls can u help me by sending me a pick of a ready for harvest buds
Good day
I need help starting cannabis farm in the western cape
Please contact me I need a permit and information
Hi, here’s our article about licenses and who to contact.
https://thehighco.co.za/how-to-get-a-cannabis-grow-license-in-south-africa/
Here’s our video about licenses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3azP1yyWeM&t=3s
Hi there i am a experienced grower
My number is —————
All the info here is 100% spot on iv grown my own for decades now and if your looking for serious grow tips look no furthur so out of six summer plants 3 indica and 3 sativa three live two indicas where male and one drowned when i made a rookie mistake and did not put stones in the bottom of my pot for drainage bummer but three sativas looking very colerfull green yellow white orange purple thanks for the website iv just decided to do an indoor grow never done before so after 25 years of growing all year round outside iv decided to take it insinde for an experiment lol
I’m starting outdoor next month I’ve already got about 40 seedlings waiting for them to show their sex then I’ll only put females on the ground
And I’ll keep 12 in pots so I can flower in groups of 4 plants in my 4x3m grow room I will never run out of weed
I will do this for one calendar grow cycle to save up for the following year
I use nitrosol for all my grows for years but ill try some of the new stuff any suggestions my Fiend grows all year round and i get sativa and indica seeds from him every year he dont care about loosing som potency for seeds and man alive youl walk sidways after some of his seedy purple haze lol so good for me im an old school grower when i can buy the tech ill try an indoor rig but for growing Sa is great for outdoor grows
I also use nitrosol during flowering and keep my soil dark and moist check that you dont get soggy muddy patches deeper in your soils the plants rot very fast and with the rain it got flooded my mistake such a rookie growing for so many years and i pack one pot wrong and presro dead plant winter is going to be indicas from my friends summer grow he likes seeds and they are allways good and healthy he grows in garden on his plot and man alive i dont care about the seeds in his buds it still packs a good punch like chill and eat popcorn and movies punch awesome enjoy your grows ill also be around for any questions
I don’t understand how Nitrosol can be advised for flowering with its high N content? Aren’t your buds very leafy? Thought it would discourage flower development as a result. I found phostrogen which is lower in N and higher in K, but still weary to use that during flowering. So currently use only Biobloom during flowering but think it’s probably mainly molasses anyway.
Great my sativa girls are blooming harvest late april early may maybee i let them ripen until end may and harvest june i have a winter grow as well watch out for over watering and drainage in your pots i lost an indica to that and the other two where males bummer so out of 6 planted for summer two males one lost to poor drainage in the pot but got three beautifull sativas starting to get thick with buds
Hi
Will I be able to get big buds if I feed my flowering ladies with NPK 6-8-24?
Any complete nutrient that is aimed for flowering or fruiting plants will help bud growth.
Make sure that the nutrient is water soluble and start with a low strength dose. Then increase from there.
Nutrients that are specifically formulated for cannabis may offer better results though, as their NPK is really dialed in and they may contain other beneficial micro nutrients.
Hey guys.
I’m trying to find out what results I’m going to get after starting my second grow for the season now. I’ve planted 3 plants now 15 March, they are going to grow outdoor.
Will they go straight into flower from germination or will there be a short veg cycle first?
Autoflowers will go through their usual growth pattern.
Photoperiod plants will go through a minimum amount of veg growth before flowering. The cooler it gets the smaller the overall growth will be though.
Am trying a full out winter grow and popped some seeds a couple of weeks ago. Am expecting small plants and will be covering them at night against frost when winter strikes.
My seeds have just germinated. Is it too late for me?
Depends. If they are autoflowering, Indica or hybrid you can still go for it. Sativa plants could take too long to flower and not do well in winter. Watch for frost in late autumn and winter. Warmer winter areas will be more forgiving.
Hi.. I need help, I need more information n permit, I need to farm weed.. Please help me
I have my 3 ladies which are 3 months old when can I expect them to start flowering
The ladies are Sativas
Sativas grow large and for a long time. My sativas confirmed that female about a month ago and have only just started to flower. I expect that they will flower for about 3 months and get harvested in March/April.
Thanks for the response so I can expect them to start flowering anytime since they have confirmed their gender or they will keep on growing until winter aproaches because they are outdoor
Hi is it too late to start germinating my Indica seeds?
It is a bit late. You could go for it, but plants may be small.
Make sure they get lots of light and no frost.
I popped 50 seeds 2 weeks ago just to find out where the limit is. Am using a covered greenhouse though.
So it’s okay to start now in December?
Definitely. Plants just won’t be as big.
What do i give the plants to start flowering
Hi. Plants will start to flower when they received 12 hours or less of light during the day. You can start using flowering nutrients then. Here’s a good grow guide.
https://thehighco.co.za/how-to-grow-high-quality-cannabis/
Will growing it in June help
Lekker. Hope it goes well. If planting seeds outdoors now, watch out for cold and that they don’t reveg in Spring.
You’re a GENT!🙏🏻 TBH I’ve got a winter grow running now and I’m not expecting ANYTHING in terms of yield, I just want to see how they go💚
Planted the ganja mid February hoping they will be able to push through winter
You can indeed just watch that frost and keep the sun on them babies also if it gets cold at night water them early morning so the soil wont frost but its SA and if you look after them they will smoke you sideways not so big a plant but potent all the same