What Successful Outdoor Growers Did Differently

by Nebula Haze

Last summer, 40 growers germinated cannabis seeds as part of a global outdoor grow study. That fall, only 16 growers submitted harvest reports. Learn what made the difference between those who struggled, and those who succeeded.

What did successful outdoor growers do differently?

Reported by Alexandria Doner-Irons, owner and founder of Queen of the Sun Grown. GrowWeedEasy.com is not affiliated with Queen of the Sun Grown, but we thought this was awesome research that outdoor growers need to hear about.

See the full results of the study on Seedsman.

Quick Summary of BLAZE 2025 Outdoor Cannabis Grow Study

Written by Nebula Haze based on this report.

• 95 growers registered and bought seeds to participate
• 40 growers reported they germinated seeds
• 16 growers completed the challenge and submitted harvest reports

Doner-Irons stated, “While the completion rate came in below 30%, this highlights an important truth about outdoor cultivation: it’s unpredictable, challenging, and requires consistency. And that’s exactly why this data matters.”

• 40% completion rate (based on germination survey → harvest reports)
• 16.8% completion rate (based on total registered → completed)

3 Core Themes in The Study

Outdoor results were heavily affected by environment, grower decisions, and the chosen soil

• Your Climate is Key – The environment is ultimately the boss when it comes to outdoor growing. You can’t control the environment, and the most successful growers found ways to work with their climate instead of fighting against it.
• Grower Choices Matter –  Including, but not limited to, strain choice. Growers working with the same genetics in different regions had wildly different results from each other. The most experienced growers got great results even when the strains weren’t well suited to their climate. Preventative pest tactics (like IPM) and good watering habits avoided many of the stress and bug-related issues experienced by the less successful growers.
• Healthy Soil = Healthy Plants – One of the most notable results from the 2025 study was the connection between plant performance and soil.

Key Finding: Living soil growers had the best results.

“Growers who utilized living soil systems consistently reported stronger, more vigorous plants with increased resistance to both pests and environmental stress. These plants not only grew better but also recovered faster when challenges arose. Practices like microbial inoculation, compost teas, and regular top dressing with organic inputs proved to be highly effective.”

• Living soil – stronger, more vigorous plants

This is just the tip of the iceberg, don’t miss the full report!

Purple Oreoz F1 bud from the study basking in the sun.

Their outdoor grow calendar for cannabis growers helps you stay on track.

2026 Study Still Open to Outdoor Growers

For outdoor growers who want to participate for the 2026 grow season, there’s still time.

Sign up for the 2026 outdoor BLAZE study here (it’s free and helps other outdoor growers)

After completing a full cycle and sending your results, you get free seeds the following season if you want to participate again. Outdoor strains for this year’s study (if you didn’t participate last year, you can still use code BLAZE to get 10% off on these strains to participate in the study)

• Sour Diesel CURRENTLY SOLD OUT (Sativa dominant) – This new stabilized version of Sour Diesel was recently released by Seedsman. It’s particularly well suited to outdoor growing, with a faster finish than most Sativa strains. Especially likes warm, dry climates with room to stretch out and get big. Buds are dense and sticky growing in traditional “colas” (big baseball bat buds) like its Haze ancestors.
• Guava Root GMO (Indica dominant) – Compact grow pattern, high yielding, “rootbeer” hints, beginner friendly. Purple-tinted 22%+ THC buds are strong but not overwhelming, great for a mellow afternoon. Great for extracts (4.7% hash by weight using the ice water extraction method, for lovely bubble hash). Give it lots of sun and love.

She also offers a cannabis Botanical Latitude Wall Calendar. Even if you don’t grow outdoors, it’s fun to have a calendar about it.

This outdoor grow calendar for cannabis growers helps you stay on track.

See the full results of the study on Seedsman.

Wesley’s Acapulco Gold, Amnesia Haze and Lemon Skunk plants took over the yard.