How much does the ph value really matter when growing cannabis outdoors?

Bonjour CannaConnection,

I always read that the pH value of the water you give to cannabis plants needs to be correct, otherwise you'll probably end up with some very unhappy plants.

I grow outdoors in my garden in France. I'm often away from home and when I'm gone, my neighbor waters my plants in case of any dry days. I'm very happy she wants to do this, but I don't want to bother her with adjusting the pH value of the water every time.

Does the correct pH value matter a lot when growing outdoors?

Greetings,

Pierre

Bonjour Pierre,

Good question!

As long as the overall plant health is robust and your water is not extremely alkaline/acidic, watering without pH regulation should not be your biggest problem outdoors, especially if done for short periods of time in order to keep soil hydrated.

In theory and practice, using very incorrect values throughout the growing cycle can negatively impact conditions and overall performance of your plants.

Outdoor soils, however, can have large populations of microorganisms present, which are responsible for pH buffering in nature and nutrition management, so they will do the jobs for your neighbor!

Strictly regulating the pH values is mainly necessary in indoor conditions, where there are many variables, and conditions are created artificially. Plants growing outdoors belong to a functioning ecological system, so they require less handling and are self-adjusting to some extent. "Nature knows best" is what my grandfather used to say.

Good luck with your grow and let us know how it went by uploading your grow reports!

Cheers,

Team CannaConnection