Can cannabis plants survive your summer holidays?

You bought the best cannabis seeds and are growing them to perfection, in full accordance with local laws. Then an unexpected trip or summer vacation comes along. Is it safe to leave your plants unattended for a week? How about two weeks?

Outdoor cannabis plants can survive your summer holidays. But you may need to consider a few important changes to your outdoor garden to maximise your plants chances during your absence.

Can your cannabis plants survive without constant supervision?

Your chosen grow method is a crucial factor. Most outdoor growers cultivate their plants in good quality soil. Either in containers or with the plants rooted directly into the ground. Growing your plants directly in the ground does allow the grower to leave their plants unattended for a summer vacation. Even then, it may be beneficial to use an auto-watering system to keep the ground moist - especially with big plants & heatwave conditions. Growing plants in containers carries inherent risks that the container will dry out, especially with large plants in hot, dry conditions.

If you’re going away for a couple of weeks, the larger your grow container of soil the greater the reservoir of nutrients/moisture.

Some outdoor growers like to use grow containers of 50-100 litres+ / 10-20gal. But anyone with a more complicated outdoor grow style, e.g. outdoor hydroponics (yes, it is a thing) will find it very difficult to consider anything more than a long weekend away without serious challenges. 

Rooting your plants directly into moist, nutritious earth ensures minimum concerns.

Leaving your plants unattended in the veg growth phase is relatively risk-free so long as the cannabis root network is sufficiently well developed to cope with hot weather. Some outdoor growers in dry regions will arrange a simple slow-drip water system to ensure the developing root network is able to access water.

Growth from smaller plants should be slow & steady during your absence. Nutritional demand from smaller plants isn’t too high. So long as the weather remains good and there are no pests/diseases your plants should be able to cope with a week or two of your absence.

Leaving larger plants unattended in late bloom is possible. Many growers prefer to be with their plants during this satisfying phase of growth. If that isn’t possible the main challenges will be to ensure that the high nutritional demands can be met. You may want to give your plants a good feed of general-purpose bloom nutrients before you leave. Some growers will use outdoor dripper systems in dry weather to ensure sufficient water.

Short-term absence (a weekend or a few days)

Cannabis plants can generally survive for a few days without intervention. Especially if they are healthy and grown from good quality marijuana seeds.

• In your absence the plants will need moist earth, sunlight and possible protection from pests. Slug pellets around the base of your plants is a common precaution.
  
  
• Grow in a large container of soil (say 50litres+ /11gal) of moist soil and a small/medium plant will cope for several days without maintenance.
  
  
• A strip of copper-based garden tape around your grow container will deter slugs & snails from climbing up the container and damaging your plant.

Longer absence (a week or more)

For longer periods away from your plants more planning is needed. Watering and nutrition being two key points especially in hot/dry regions. If your outdoor plants are lucky enough to grow in a location with sun, rain and mild conditions they may grow well with few concerns during your absence. 

• Your plants can grow a fair bit vertically in 2-3 weeks, in particular during early bloom. This is something to consider in your outdoor garden as you prepare for a longer absence. Especially if excess height is a potential security concern.
  
  
• If growing in large containers of soil in hot weather, you might need an automated water pump to deliver a regular dose/drip of water to allow your plants to survive 2 weeks alone. Various options are available from garden centres and online suppliers.
  
  
• Make a mental note of how much water/feed your plants use daily day before you go away. Then set the automated pump to deliver that amount (or more) each day.
  
  
• Remember that many guerrilla growers routinely leave their plants for a week or two at a time between visits. Plants grown outdoors rooted directly into quality, moist earth will grow well naturally, without human intervention. Especially when grown from established, proven outdoor weed seeds. 

Pro-tip. If scorching heatwave weather is possible during your absence you may also want to consider use of agricultural shade netting. Available in different optical densities, they prevent your plants wilting under extreme summer heat/sun. Admittedly this will decrease the amount of light/photosynthesis. But this compromise needs to be weighed against the risks of severely stressed plants under extreme heat while you are not there to care for them.

The risks of leaving cannabis plants unattended

Watering issues: Large grow containers of moist grow medium will only remain moist for so long. After that you will need to consider some kind of automated watering system in hot, dry climates.  

Pests and diseases: No-one should be leaving cannabis plants for a vacation with an ongoing pest/disease issue. Far better to keep an eye on your plants and manage their recovery. That said, sometimes growers release some beneficial predator insects in their greenhouse or outdoor garden before they leave for summer holidays.

Heat or cold stress: If you leave your outdoor plants and a heatwave strikes there is little you can do. Some outdoor growers in sunny, hot regions increasingly use nylon shade netting to allow their plants to survive heatwave conditions during their absence.

If growing outdoors in cold conditions you need to ensure you are growing suitably tough outdoor cannabis seeds. Dutch Passion’s specialist High Altitude Cannabis seed collection has been selectively bred over several years in the Swiss Alps to provide cold-adaptation. 

Snow Bud & Pamir Gold are two of the best cold-adapted cannabis seed varieties Dutch Passion have ever seen. Both are recommended to those growing at altitude or those needing extra cold-weather resilience.

When growing in a greenhouse, you should be able to mitigate the effects of cold weather and allow your plants some degree of optimised grow environment. Greenhouse heaters are recommended for cold periods especially at the start/end of the grow season.

Pro-tip: Techie outdoor growers with access to electrical/solar power sometimes install an outdoor video-feed from their garden to allow remote online observation. This can give great peace-of-mind that everything is going to plan.

Preparing cannabis plants for a holiday break

Care tips and recommendations for a short break: 

So long as your plants don’t dry out, going away for a while shouldn’t harm them. Remember cannabis evolved naturally without human intervention. Use of BioTabs slow release organic nutrients is especially recommended to those looking for the easiest grow experience with minimal nutritional hassles. 

• If growing in soil, ensure it is well watered. This will prevent the soil drying out too fast during your absence
  
  
• If growing in small containers, now is a good time to ‘pot up’ to a larger container size. A larger container contains a greater reserve of moisture & minerals during your absence.

Care tips and recommendations for a long break:

• If leaving your outdoor plants for a couple of weeks, consider putting them in larger containers or rooting them directly into the ground. If placing your plants directly in the ground do your best to improve the soil with additives (bat guano, supermarket soil etc). Ensure plenty of direct sun and protection (if necessary) from grazing animals such as deer, goats etc.
  
  
• Larger containers of 50-100 litres/10-20 gal (or more) are better suited to long periods of unattended growth. Use of BioTabs slow-release organics will ensure sufficient minerals/feed. But you may also need to consider some auto-watering device especially in hot climates with large plants.
  
  
• Check your plant for any signs of pests/disease before you leave. Now is the time to act if required.
  
  
• Consider some defoliation (removal of leaf material, especially that blocking light to bloom sites). Also cut back any plants/trees blocking light to your cannabis plants. Ensure your weed plants have optimised conditions during your absence.
  
  
• Confirm your plants will have sufficient feed/water. Automated water/feed delivery systems can be bought from grow shops as well as online.
  

What to expect when you return

After 2-3 weeks without you, the plants may not be in quite the perfect state that you may want. But there is a huge sense of relief and satisfaction when you return after a holiday to see your plants have managed well enough. It’s always worth paying particular attention to the following on your return:

Quick health check: Do the plants look generally well? No serious disease or pests in your absence? No signs of hermaphrodism during your vacation/trip?

Rehydrating: Many prefer to revive a slightly wilting plant with water rather than a strong feed solution. Give your plants time to recover if they were wilting. Offer them some shade if they need it while they recover.

Nutrient boost: Once your plants are rehydrated, checked and thriving it may be worth giving them a slightly stronger feed.

Final thoughts and key takeaways

For those legally permitted to grow, planning ahead allows you to avoid headaches later on. Growing in large containers or rooting your plants directly in the ground will give them extra independence.

If forced to leave their cannabis plants for a vacation, many prefer to do so early on while the plants are relatively small & undemanding. Smaller plants often have fewer complicating factors. Some growers make full use of a 2–3-week vacation by giving their feminised seed varieties some extra veg growth time.

If leaving your outdoor plants alone really isn’t to your liking, then one option is to consider autoflower seeds. Just select a 3-month warm period when you are not travelling and you will have enough time for an outdoor autoflower grow cycle.

Several outdoor feminised seed varieties are currently for sale at bargain prices in the ongoing Dutch Passion Cannabis Seed Sale. So are many autoflower seed varieties, get yours while stocks last.

Enjoy your summer grow and don’t worry too much about leaving your outdoor plants for a few days!