The eco-friendly harvest

Northern European home-grown cannabis is often dominated by the indoor self-sufficient home grower. The variable climate, especially in Northern Europe, has resulted in a rapidly growing army of indoor growers.

Northern European home-grown cannabis is often dominated by the indoor self-sufficient home grower.  The variable climate, especially in Northern Europe, has resulted in a rapidly growing army of indoor growers. 

Frisian Dew produces strong plants with thick stems!

A quick glimpse of the sponsor advertisements in this edition of Soft Secrets will show you just how large the market has become for the indoor cultivator.  Every major European city now has thousands of home growers and many of these cities have numerous grow shops  to choose from.  Whats more, the number of indoor home-growers rises each and every year, a trend that has been in place since the 1980’s.  But there are alternative ways, and more eco-friendly ways, to grow your own stash.  After all, indoor growing consumes lots of electricity and the initial costs to buy your tent, light, carbon filter, fans etc comes at a price.  

Greenhouse full of Frisian Dew, nearly ready for harvest!

Greenhouse growing is becoming more and more popular across Europe.  Every year we see lots of new growers achieve harvests beyond their wildest dreams thanks to a small number of plants grown in greenhouses and polytunnels.  There are no ongoing electricity costs to worry about, nor any electrical/fire safety concerns due to an unattended indoor grow-room while you are at work or on holiday.  A single, well grown cannabis plant cultivated in a greenhouse can easily deliver over a kilo of top quality dried bud, even in northern Europe.  

Of course, not everyone is lucky enough to own a garden in which they can put a greenhouse.  But many growers that do own a greenhouse are discovering the joy of growing a plant or two in it.  And those growers that have enjoyed success with greenhouses will tell you that pot grown under the sun, in soil,  often has an extra ‘kick’ of potency and flavour.  Some cannabis varieties are selectively bred to be able to grow outdoors, without greenhouses, even in Northern European countries such as the UK, Holland etc.  And extremely good results can be achieved with pure guerilla-grown cannabis.  But anyone who has been inside a warm greenhouse when the sun is shining in early spring or late autumn will tell you what a tremendous difference it makes to have a thin sheet of glass, polycarbonate or polytunnel over the plants.  It effectively extends the growing season and enables the growers to amplify the harvest quantity they can achieve by protecting the plants from the worst of the weather.

Frisian Dew, blooming in the sunshine!

Perhaps the biggest concern for greenhouse growers is the security of their crop, but even that is starting to change.  Greenhouses are now available in a massive range of sizes from small single-plant units that can be discreetly placed in the corner of a garden or patio, all the way up to the fantasy greenhouses which could grow dozens of 4 metre tall monster plants.  Greenhouses can also be made from a variety of materials, from fully transparent glass to the stoner-favourite opaque polycarbonate which ensures privacy for your crop.  Polytunnels have long been a favourite continental way of providing ideal growing conditions whilst preventing anyone seeing what is growing inside.  These days greenhouses can be supplied, if preferred, with lockable doors to provide an extra sense of security and stopping the kids accidentally discovering your favourite hobby.

Plenty of buds on every bloom!

Many greenhouse growers often tend to grow smaller numbers of plants than the indoor grower. The reason for that is simple enough, a well grown greenhouse cannabis plant can often yield more than several smaller indoor tent-grown plants.  This is an important legal consideration for the greenhouse grower especially for those growing in countries where cannabis remains illegal - the penalties for getting caught with 1 or 2 plants in a greenhouse are likely to be less severe than an indoor grower with 10+ plants in a tent.  Cannabis plants grown in greenhouses/polytunnels  have unrestricted root growth which can promote epic plant growth.  The photographs shown in this article come from a legal Belgian cannabis social club called TUP who grew 16 Dutch Passion Frisian Dew plants in a greenhouse.  The Frisian Dew plants were 4m tall and 3.5m wide, the average yield was 2Kg of dried cannabis per plant, with the heaviest one yielding over 3Kg and the worst plant still delivering a respectable 765g.  Many indoor hobby growers are happy to get 50-100g per plant.  So the attractions of greenhouse/polytunnel growing are obvious enough.

The best greenhouse growers will give several important tips to get the heaviest crops.

Greenhouse full of Frisian Dew, beautifully grown plants!

Soil quality.  A little bit of effort to improve the soil quality will pay serious dividends to the end result.  This will often mean hard work. The soil should be dug to aerate it.  Manure, nutrients and other additives such as bat guano, worm-castings etc can be added to ensure that the roots have a plentiful supply of minerals to absorb.

Air flow.  This is often the most under-rated aspect of greenhouse growing.  You can have some top quality cannabis seeds, great soil and lots of sun. But if you don’t have enough fresh air flowing through the plant you will see final yields reduced.  In the case of our legal TUP greenhouse, the air-flow was difficult to maintain evenly throughout the 30metre length of the greenhouse.  The difference in yield was 1.5Kg between the side of the greenhouse with good airflow and the side with poorer airflow.

Harvest time, Frisian Dew drying!

Sunlight.  The more sunlight the better, cannabis plants can soak up more-or-less all the light thrown at them.  If you are planning to use a greenhouse or polytunnel then try to get the best location which gives all-day exposure to light.

Heat.  Even in Northern Europe greenhouse temperatures can exceed 40ºC+ during mid summer.  This puts a lot of stress on the plant and will increase water requirements.  Ensuring plenty of fresh air (eg through roof windows/vents) is one way to help the plants through the extreme heat.

The start of the grow, 16 small Frisian Dew plants getting started!

The results can be spectacular, even if conditions are not optimised.  Take a look at the photographs from the TUP grow.  The Frisian Dew plants grew to incredible proportions and provided kilo’s of top quality, totally organic cannabis.  For the self-sufficient home grower just one good greenhouse plant could easily provide a years worth of recreational/medical cannabis.  In a greenhouse the plants will often start to bloom around August time in Northern Europe and finish in September or October. The extra protection which the greenhouse gives the plants at the end of the season helps the plants cope with the onset of cool and damp conditions.   If the plants look like they will out-grow the greenhouse then several options are available.  Plants can be repeatedly topped during the early stages to produce shorter and bushier plants.  Or they can be tied down to prevent the main growing tip crashing into the greenhouse roof.  

Frisian Dew, rich covering of resin and beautiful colours!

Greenhouse/polytunnel growers fall into two categories - those that root the plants directly into the ground and those that grow plants in containers.  Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages.  Plants rooted directly into the  ground can’t be moved if an emergency arises, but on the other hand they will not require daily watering in summer and can be left unattended for days/weeks if necessary.  Greenhouse plants grown in containers can be moved if circumstances require it, but just like monster tomato plants they will need regular feeding and watering to survive.

 The rapid increase in the number of home growers really has seen a surge in the number of indoor growers.  But for those growers with access to a greenhouse or polytunnel there are great opportunities to grow all the pot you need from a small number of plants and hardly any cost.

Healthy looking plants soaking up the sunshine!

Long and heavy blooms, typical of Frisian Dew