It’s a good old fashioned South African metro head-to-head competition. But cannabis growing has its own special challenges across the county. In this blog we’re going to be discussing issues for Joburgers, Capetonians, and Durbanites.

And please note, this is for outdoor grows. Also, we deliver seeds to all these cities, and all the towns in between!

But let’s start with the Mother City.

Cape Town’s Wind

When a city has a name for a strong wind, the Cape Doctor, you know that wind is going to be an issue.

If you are growing your cannabis outdoors in Cap Town you need to be aware of how to protect your crop from the wind.

Your plant could suffer from root rock if the buds are heavy. Plants that are top heavy catch the wind and rock the entire plant to its roots. Loosening the roots anchoring in the soil.

There is also the issue of wind scorch, where the movement and high rate of evaporation will wick water away from the leaves, drying them out. This wind can also dry out the soil faster.

What you can do to prevent this damage happening is:

Give the plant a good pruning on the lower branches and thin out the top area of the cannabis flower. This will help prevent serious root rocking.

Use more mulch around the base of the marijuana plant to prevent excessive evaporation.

If your plant is in a pot, move it to a more sheltered position against a wall. But, be careful not to place it into a wind tunnel.

If your plant is potted during the drier months, make sure to water more regularly.

Finally, you can support your plant by inserting a support splint. Our friends at Zootly sell amazing soft plant ties in their Kloof Street store.

For those planning an entire garden, vines and small bushes can also act as wonderful wind buffers.

Now, to the next city!

Durban’s Humidity

Humidity in this tropical city is a well known problem. With high humidity levels all year around, the main issue those growing cannabis are going to face is mould.

To prevent mould from taking over the entire plant, you will need to make sure you use healthy and sterile soil for all your President Seeds.

A second tip is to ensure you don’t overwater your plants. as mould thrives in moist conditions.

Always remove dead debris from the base of the plant. This organic matter is perfect for mould to incubate in, so by removing it you’re taking away the problem.

And finally, loads of ventilation. So, make sure your plant isn’t too close to walls.

If you are already battling mould, you will have to remove it/scrap it off with a spoon. Remember to use a mask when doing this.

Once the mould is removed you should spray the plant down with an anti-fungal spray, making sure to distribute the spray evenly. For more sensitive parts, use a towel to brush off the mould.

Now to the city of gold!

Johannesburg Rainfall Patterns

Egoli is the commercial hub of the African continent. And it’s the world’s largest human made forest.

But what the giant metro has an issue with is rainfall. While in the old days there were regular evening rainstorms now this rain pattern isn’t as consistent.

Thus, outdoor growers in Johannesburg need to ensure their garden beds and pots retain water.

This being said, when it does rain on the highveld it buckets down! So, making sure these water retention methods don’t hold onto too much water is also key.

By sticking to natural solutions this shouldn’t be an issue. Or, for that fact, using fabric pots.

Things you can add to your soil to ensure it retains water are:

• worming castings;
• leaf mould;
• straw;
• shredded bark;
• mushroom compost;
• and perlite.

If you’re feeling like splashing out a bit you can bury unglazed terracotta pots in the soil, which act like a wicking system. Or you can poke holes into a plastic bottle, bury that in the soil and fill it with water.

But the terracotta method is better.

And like that, we’ve covered the three big metros in South Africa.