Easy High-Yielding Strains for New Outdoor Growers

Short answer

Pick photoperiod strains with 7-9 week flowering times. Northern Lights, Critical Mass, and Blue Dream yield 200-500 g per plant outdoors. Autoflowers like Auto Northern Lights finish in 10-12 weeks from seed and yield 50-150 g per plant. Both groups resist mold and pests better than long-flowering sativas.

Flowering time under 9 weeks. Short window reduces mold risk.
Mold resistance. Botrytis destroys dense buds in humid climates.
Stable genetics. Regular or feminized seeds from known breeders.
Height under 2 m. Easier to hide, prune, and harvest.
Yield per plant 200 g or more for photoperiods.

Photoperiod strains for new growers

Northern Lights

Indica. Flowering 7-9 weeks. Yield 300-500 g per plant outdoors. Resists mold, pests, and temperature swings. THC 16-21%. Grows 1-1.5 m. Harvest late September in US latitude 40°N.

Critical Mass

Indica. Flowering 7-8 weeks. Yield 400-600 g per plant. THC 18-22%. Needs dry fall. Buds dense, so check for rot every 2 days in rain. Grows 1-1.5 m.

Low Maintenance Cannabis Plants for First Time Growers

Blue Dream

Sativa-hybrid. Flowering 9-10 weeks. Yield 400-600 g per plant. THC 17-24%. Resists mold better than most sativas. Grows 1.5-2 m. Harvest early October.

White Widow

Hybrid. Flowering 8-9 weeks. Yield 300-400 g per plant. THC 18-25%. Resists mildew. Grows 1-1.5 m.

Big Bud

Indica. Flowering 8-9 weeks. Yield 500-700 g per plant. THC 16-20%. Buds heavy. Stake branches in week 6. Grows 1.2-1.8 m.

Autoflower strains for new growers

Autoflowers flower based on age, not light cycle. Plant from May to July. Harvest 10-12 weeks later. Yield 50-150 g per plant. No light deprivation needed.

Auto Northern Lights: 10-11 weeks seed to harvest. 80-150 g per plant. Mold resistant.
Auto Critical Mass: 10-12 weeks. 100-150 g per plant. Compact 0.6-1 m.
Auto White Widow: 10-11 weeks. 70-120 g per plant. Resists mildew.

Planting and care notes

Germinate seeds indoors in April or May. Move outside after last frost.
Use 20-30 L pots or native soil with compost. Pots dry faster, so water every 2-3 days.
Full sun for 6+ hours per day. Shade reduces yield by 30-50%.
Top plants once at node 5. This doubles main colas on photoperiods.
Feed nitrogen in veg, phosphorus and potassium in flower. Stop feeding 2 weeks before harvest.
Check buds for mold every 2 days from week 6 of flower. Remove brown or slimy spots.
Harvest when 70-90% of pistils turn brown. Dry at 60-70°F and 45-55% humidity for 7-10 days.

Yield expectations

New growers harvest 100-200 g per photoperiod plant in first season. Autoflowers give 50-100 g per plant. Yields depend on sun hours, pot size, and pest control. A 400 W HPS or equivalent LED adds 20-30% yield if started indoors in April.