Top 5 cannabis strains for colder climates

Top 5 cannabis strains for colder climates

Growing cannabis outdoors can have its challenges, especially if you live in a cool climate. But even growers in northern Europe around, or above, latitude 50 can expect to get good results if they choose their feminised outdoor seeds carefully. Growers at more extreme latitudes may struggle to guarantee that their photoperiod feminised strains will fully ripen before bad weather arrives. But even these growers can find success when growing autoflower seeds outdoors.

Growing cannabis outdoors is one of the most cost-effective ways to be self-sufficient in cannabis. You won't need the cost, complexity and equipment associated with an indoor grow room. All you will need is a selection of proven, tough outdoor cannabis seeds that you can rely on. Read on for Dutch Passion’s top 5 recommended cannabis seeds for colder climates.

Best cold-resistant feminised seeds and autoflower seeds

The following feminised seeds and autoflower seeds are popular, fully proven outdoor strains. These are the most reliable, most trusted outdoor cannabis seeds. Many of those that grow these outdoor seeds have been repeat buyers/growers for several years. The genetics are fully proven. In many cases these outdoor seeds have been carefully and selectively bred over many years in order to ensure their reliability in cold climates with short summers.

Related:
Complete Dutch Passion outdoor cannabis seed collection

Frisian Dew: Tough, robust cold climate cannabis seeds

Frisian Dew, one of Dutch Passion's most succesfiul outdoor cannabis seeds

Frisian Dew is one of Dutch Passion’s most successful outdoor cannabis seeds. She was developed over several years of selective outdoor breeding in The Netherlands. Each year, the best performing outdoor plants were selected and crossed. The seeds from these crosses were saved and planted the following years.

After several years Frisian Dew had become one of the toughest and most dependable outdoor strains ever seen by the Dutch Passion breeding team. In Northern Europe, Frisian Dew is ready to harvest around early October (early April in southern hemisphere). Some of the plants exhibit beautiful purple hues. Yields are heavy. In optimised outdoor (or greenhouse/polytunnel) conditions, yields in excess of 1-2 Kg per plant are quite possible. Frisian Dew can reach 3-4 metres tall, and almost as wide. Frisian Dew seeds are part of the Dutch Outdoor seed collection.

The genetics found in Frisian Dew seeds come from Super Skunk x Purple Star. Frisian Dew is grown successfully as far north as Denmark/Northern UK. She is the perfect choice for outdoor growers looking for a robust and easy-to-grow cold climate outdoor strain. Select a sunny, sheltered sun-facing spot for best results. Other than supplying water in times of drought, Frisian Dew needs no special attention. Just make sure you have plenty of large jars for the harvest!

Related:
Frisian Dew grown outdoors in northern Europe

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Frisian Dew®

Super Skunk X Purple Star

Flowering

Feminised

Environment

Outdoor

Family

Dutch Outdoor

Flowering time

8 weeks

Indica/Sativa

Hybrid

Yield

XXL

THC

High

Cup Winner

Cup winner

Order Now

Frisian Dew®

Super Skunk X Purple Star

Flowering

Feminised

Environment

Outdoor

Family

Dutch Outdoor

Flowering time

8 weeks

Indica/Sativa

Hybrid

Yield

XXL

THC

High

Cup Winner

Cup winner

Order Now

Frisian Dew®

Super Skunk X Purple Star

Flowering

Feminised

Environment

Outdoor

Family

Dutch Outdoor

Flowering time

8 weeks

Indica/Sativa

Hybrid

Yield

XXL

THC

High

Cup Winner

Cup winner

Order Now

Auto Mazar: Robust and reliable autoflower outdoor seeds

Auto Mazar, popular with outdoor growers

Auto Mazar seeds have been almost as popular with outdoor cannabis growers as they are with indoor growers. She is part of the Dutch Passion High THC seed collection meaning you can expect some powerful and potent buds. She has a deeply satisfying and rich taste/aroma too, thanks to her heritage in the Afghani Kush seed family.

Outdoors, Auto Mazar takes around 100-110 days to grow from seed to harvest. This is much faster than the typical 5 months or so taken by many feminised photoperiod strains. This makes Auto Mazar a great choice for any grower who fears that their outdoor growing season is simply too cold and short to grow photoperiod feminised seeds. All you need is a warm and sunny 3 month spot to grow Auto Mazar seeds. The plants usually reach around a metre tall with plenty of side branching. Yields of over 100g per plant are quite possible in good outdoor conditions.
Auto Mazar has lots of repeat outdoor growers. These hardy genetics need no maintenance once they are established in a good location. If you have a cold climate, autoflowering seeds are a great option for the short summer growing season.

Auto Mazar is definitely one of Dutch Passion’s most trusted outdoor cold weather autoflower seeds. But don't let that put you off trying any of Dutch Passion’s other autoflower seeds. All of them will grow easily outdoors with a life cycle of around 100 days. If you are looking for cold climate autoflower seeds, they don't come much more dependable than Auto Mazar.

Related:
Complete Dutch Passion autoflowering seed collection
Auto Mazar seeds grown outdoors in Scandinavia
Outdoor cannabis cultivation and weather conditions

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Auto Mazar®

Mazar X Indica autoflower

Flowering

Autoflower

Environment

Outdoor

Family

Afghani Kush

Seed to harvest

10 weeks

Indica/Sativa

Indica

Yield

XL

THC

High

Order Now

Auto Mazar®

Mazar X Indica autoflower

Flowering

Autoflower

Environment

Outdoor

Family

Afghani Kush

Seed to harvest

10 weeks

Indica/Sativa

Indica

Yield

XL

THC

High

Order Now

Auto Mazar®

Mazar X Indica autoflower

Flowering

Autoflower

Environment

Outdoor

Family

Afghani Kush

Seed to harvest

10 weeks

Indica/Sativa

Indica

Yield

XL

THC

High

Order Now

Pamir Gold: High altitude cannabis seeds

Pamir Gold for higher altitudes

Pamir Gold (along with Snow Bud) seeds are part of the Dutch Passion high altitude cannabis seed collection. Pamir Gold was created for growers that want to grow plants at higher altitudes. These are genuine cold climate cannabis seeds that will cope in environments where other seeds would fail.

Pamir Gold originated in the western Himalayas of Tadzjikistan. The plant was gradually adapted to the demands of high altitude growing in the Swiss Alps during several years of selective breeding. Only the plants with the best resistance to cold and altitude were selected for the next generation of breeding. Once selected, the Pamir Gold seeds were produced in the Netherlands. Pamir Gold is a mostly Indica variety (60% indica) with a sweet earthy taste and notes of lemon and sweet pear. Healthy plants can reach 1.5 to 1.8 meters in height outdoors. These cold climate cannabis seeds are also mold and mildew resistant with above average yields.

If you’re planning to grow some outdoor cannabis seeds at high altitude in cool conditions then Pamir Gold (or Snow Bud, the other high altitude Dutch Passion outdoor strain) are highly recommended.

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Pamir Gold®

Western Himalayas Hybrid

Flowering

Feminised

Environment

Outdoor

Family

High Altitude

Flowering time

7 weeks

Indica/Sativa

Hybrid

Yield

L

THC

High

Order Now

Pamir Gold®

Western Himalayas Hybrid

Flowering

Feminised

Environment

Outdoor

Family

High Altitude

Flowering time

7 weeks

Indica/Sativa

Hybrid

Yield

L

THC

High

Order Now

Pamir Gold®

Western Himalayas Hybrid

Flowering

Feminised

Environment

Outdoor

Family

High Altitude

Flowering time

7 weeks

Indica/Sativa

Hybrid

Yield

L

THC

High

Order Now

Frisian Duck: With stealthy naturally camouflaged leaves, you have never seen cannabis like this before

Frisian Duck does very well outdoors

Frisian Duck is a stealth outdoor cannabis strain. Not only does she do very well in difficult outdoor conditions, but the leaves have a stabilised natural deformity. This makes Frisian Duck difficult to identify as cannabis, especially during early vegetative growth. Without the iconic marijuana leaf shape you could walk straight past Frisian Duck and not realise that it’s cannabis. This, along with the light aroma, makes Frisian Duck seeds a great option for outdoor growers that want an outdoor strain with added natural camouflage.

Frisian Duck created quite an impact when she was first released. This was the first outdoor strain with natural stealth leaf camouflage that grows easily in cold climates. Such was the impact of these unique outdoor genetics that Frisian Duck was awarded the prestigious ‘Plant Of The Year’ award by Soft Secrets magazine. She has medium THC levels and is part of the Dutch Outdoor cannabis seed collection.

Related:
Frisian Duck, Soft Secrets Plant Of The Year 2016

Frisian Duck combines a funky new leaf shape with the same outdoor performance characteristics of the outdoor champion Frisian Dew. With Frisian Dew genetics, you can be assured that Frisian Duck delivers a tough, robust and dependable outdoor performance. In the northern hemisphere she is usually ready to harvest around early October. Yields are heavy, if you’re looking for marijuana seeds that grow well in a cold climate Frisian Duck is a solid choice.

For cold climate autoflower seeds, Auto Duck is highly recommended. With the same stealthy leaf structure and a height of around a metre Auto Duck plants are convenient to grow and easy to hide in your garden or the countryside.

Related:
Auto Duck grow review from Denmark

Whether you choose to grow autoflower seeds or feminised seeds may be determined by the length of the growing season at your specific location. These days, many outdoor growers plant a mix of fem and auto seeds. The autoflowering seeds offer the security of an early harvest, just in case there is an end-of-season problem with the outdoor feminised seeds.

Related:
Dutch Passion feminised seed collection
Frisian Duck grow review, Netherlands outdoor grow
Frisian Duck customer grow pictures and info

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Frisian Duck®

Frisian Dew X DucksFoot

Flowering

Feminised

Environment

Outdoor

Family

Dutch Outdoor

Flowering time

8 weeks

Indica/Sativa

Hybrid

Yield

XXL

THC

Medium

Cup Winner

Cup winner

Order Now

Frisian Duck®

Frisian Dew X DucksFoot

Flowering

Feminised

Environment

Outdoor

Family

Dutch Outdoor

Flowering time

8 weeks

Indica/Sativa

Hybrid

Yield

XXL

THC

Medium

Cup Winner

Cup winner

Order Now

Frisian Duck®

Frisian Dew X DucksFoot

Flowering

Feminised

Environment

Outdoor

Family

Dutch Outdoor

Flowering time

8 weeks

Indica/Sativa

Hybrid

Yield

XXL

THC

Medium

Cup Winner

Cup winner

Order Now

Passion #1: Powerful outdoor feminised cannabis seeds with exceptional results

Passion #1, one of the bestselling outdoor seeds

Passion #1 is one of Dutch Passion’s best selling outdoor cannabis seeds of all time. Along with Frisian Dew, this is one of Dutch Passion's ‘go to’ feminised outdoor seeds. She can reach 3-4m tall with numerous branches and heavy harvests. She grows well outdoors as far north as the UK/Southern Scandinavia. In central/southern European latitudes, Passion #1 is one of the best performing outdoor strains we have ever seen with vigorous growth and heavy yields of high THC cannabis.

Passion #1 is uncomplicated to grow. She uses proven outdoor indica genetics from 1970’s California and has been grown outdoors in The Netherlands since the 1980’s. With a gentle citrus aroma and high THC levels (around and perhaps even above 15% in good conditions), Passion #1 feminised seeds are some of the best outdoor cannabis seeds you can buy. She is easy to grow. Once she is established in a good grow location she grows herself with no support or maintenance. Harvests can be well over a Kg per plant in good conditions. Passion #1 feminised seeds are part of the Dutch Outdoor seed collection.

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Passion #1®

Californian Indica

Flowering

Feminised

Environment

Outdoor

Family

Dutch Outdoor

Flowering time

6 weeks

Indica/Sativa

Hybrid

Yield

XL

THC

Very high

Cup Winner

Cup winner

Order Now

Passion #1®

Californian Indica

Flowering

Feminised

Environment

Outdoor

Family

Dutch Outdoor

Flowering time

6 weeks

Indica/Sativa

Hybrid

Yield

XL

THC

Very high

Cup Winner

Cup winner

Order Now

Passion #1®

Californian Indica

Flowering

Feminised

Environment

Outdoor

Family

Dutch Outdoor

Flowering time

6 weeks

Indica/Sativa

Hybrid

Yield

XL

THC

Very high

Cup Winner

Cup winner

Order Now

How cold is too cold for cannabis to grow?

Even in Scandinavia growers find it easy to get outdoor cannabis harvests, especially with autoflower seeds. Many growers find out the last frost date for their area/latitude online and aim to plant their seedlings outdoors after that point. Putting your plants outdoors when frost is present is a serious risk to their survival.

Those growing cannabis seeds outdoors in cold climates often geminate their cannabis seeds indoors and keep the plants under artificial lights for a couple of weeks. This allows the plants chance to grow and become stronger/more resilient to outdoor life. Once the last frost has passed, you can gradually acclimatise your plants to outdoor conditions.

Will cannabis seeds germinate in a cold climate? The answer is usually a clear ‘no’. Try to germinate your cannabis seeds indoors under carefully controlled conditions for maximum seed germination rates.

Related:
Cotton pad germination method, the best way to germinate your cannabis seeds

Early season cold weather can be avoided if growers keep their seedlings indoors until the frost/cold weather has passed. Late season cold weather can be a different kind of problem to deal with. If you live at a latitude with cold weather around harvest time it can make harvesting a nervous, uncertain undertaking. If the plants are suffering with cold temperatures you may have to harvest early rather than risk losing the full crop.

If your local climate doesn't allow sufficient latitude to safely harvest your photoperiod plants, you may be better off considering the use of autoflowering cannabis seeds for outdoors. These are usually quick enough to grow even in the shortest of summers.

Expert advice and tips for growing cannabis seeds outdoors

Growing cannabis seeds outdoors, or in a greenhouse/polytunnel, is easy with the right seeds. Your two main options are outdoor feminised seeds or autoflower seeds. Autoflower seeds have the advantage of speed. You can grow them easily in the shortest of summers. If your climate is cold and the growing season is short, autoflower seeds are a great option for the outdoor grower.

Many of the most successful outdoor growers will germinate their cannabis seeds indoors and keep their seedlings inside under artificial lights for a couple of weeks. This protects the seedlings from the worst of the weather (and predators) while they are youngest and at their most vulnerable. It also allows your seedlings a good, strong head start.

Selecting your outdoor grow location is one of the most important decisions for the outdoor grower. Ideally you need a few different grow locations just in case one is compromised. Look for sunny sheltered locations with good quality moist soil. If local soil is poor quality you can bring supermarket soil, manure/fertilisers. If you are lucky enough to be able to grow outdoors safely on your own land then you have an advantage that could allow you to spend more time checking your plants and caring for them e.g. in times of drought.

The following articles are useful reading for any outdoor grower.

Related:
How to grow cannabis in a greenhouse
How to grow cannabis outdoors
The complete Dutch Passion cannabis seed collection
Top 5 best yielding outdoor cannabis seeds

Remember that outdoor growing has several benefits over indoor cannabis cultivation. You won't have an expensive electricity bill, nor will you need to consider the expense of an indoor grow room. Many outdoor growers feel that their outdoor grown weed has an extra kick thanks to the natural sunlight.

If you hope to grow some cannabis seeds outdoors this coming season, some careful upfront planning can go a long way towards making it a successful grow. Choice of grow location and choice of outdoor cannabis seeds are the two most important decisions that you will need to make. Choose your cannabis seeds wisely and enjoy the grow!

Related:
Choosing the best cannabis seeds for you
Top 5 cannabis strains for colder climates
November 20th 2020
Categories : Cannabis Strains