Hidden Outdoor Grow: Stealth Growing Ideas and Camouflage Your Outdoor Grow

Growing cannabis plants outdoors is a lot of fun. 

And cost-effective too. 

You don’t have to spend money on equipment such as lights, fans, carbon filters, etc, to grow marijuana plants. Plus, the buds taste fantastic as they grow under the strongest light source available. 

However, outdoor cannabis growing comes with challenges. If you’re residing in an area where cannabis is illegal, you’ll have to live in fear constantly. But, even if it's legal, you gotta worry about people that may steal your plants. 

Thus, it’s best to hide your cannabis plants. 

Hiding cannabis outdoor grows is a great idea, whether you’re a rookie or a veteran. Even commercial growers would love to hide their plants as much as possible. 

Whether you’re growing your plants in a greenhouse, balcony, terrace, or backyard, camouflaging your outdoor cannabis plants should be extremely important to you. 

In this article dedicated to outdoor growers, we will talk about how to hide your outdoor grow. From stealth outdoor grow ideas to camouflaging them with other plants, you’ll know a lot more about outdoor cannabis growing at the end. 

Hidden Outdoor Grow Ideas

Over the past decade, outdoor cannabis projects have increased exponentially. What was unique at the beginning is now very common. For example, an outdoor grow would have grabbed significant attention perhaps ten years ago, but it’s not such a big deal now, especially in regions where cannabis is legalized. 

However, thievery has also increased, leaving outdoor growers extremely frustrated. Imagine nurturing your favorite strain for months, only for a thief to steal it at the last moment! Ugh, it’s an inconceivable thought, especially if your plant produced loads of buds. 

For this very reason, regardless of the legal situation, it’s best to reduce exposure when growing outdoors. There are several things you could do to achieve this goal. For instance, growing an autoflower strain automatically decreases the likelihood of someone discovering your plants, thanks to their small stature. In the next section, we will discuss how to hide or camouflage your outdoor grow. 

What Are The Benefits Of Camouflaging Outdoor Grows?

First off, there are many benefits of growing your cannabis plant outdoors since you don't have to spend money on lighting equipment. Moreover, no light can beat the sun so you can rest assured that your plants will grow well and provide a lot of yields. Here are a few benefits of camouflaging your outdoor grows.

1. Prevents stealing

There are way too many people who don't want to put in the effort of growing plants but don't think twice to steal someone else's plants. Then, they can sell it or use it for their own purposes. Whatever the case, don't ignore camouflaging your plants unless you're okay to share them with someone else.

2. No trouble from cops

Even if you reside in a location that has legalized weed, there are some limitations. You'll need a medical card plus you can't grow more than the fixed limit. Erring here will likely bring cops to your doorstep. Thus, if you want to grow your plants in peace without any interference from anyone, camouflaging them is the way to go.

3. Keeps pesky neighbors at bay

We all have some neighbors that have the habit of poking their noses into your business. Whether you live in a region where weed is legalized or still illegal, neighbors can complain against you behind your back and make things worse for you. So, if you don't people meddling with your plants, camouflage your plants so they never get to know.

Stealth Outdoor Grow Ideas

Before you plant the seeds, try and make plans as to how you can hide your cannabis plants successfully. 

Here are a few ideas to help you camouflage your cannabis plants. 

1. Choose a private spot

If you don’t want prying eyes on your garden, you have to choose a private spot. You’ll have no problems if you have a lot of space, but if you have a small backyard, your options will be limited. 

In such situations, you can look for other locations, but it comes with several risks. For instance, it’s not uncommon for some growers to choose spots that are hidden from public view. People even choose small areas in the woods and grow marijuana. 

Try using Google maps to search for locations, but you can also do it yourself — take a walk in the woods and choose a spot that’s hidden from view. However, growing cannabis in such spots is risky as not only could your plants be stolen, but it’s also difficult to ensure nobody finds your spot. 

If you choose to take this route, though, try and plant other plants like nettles to discourage others from investigating your location. 

Last but not the least, do not leave tracks back to your plants as people will usually follow tracks out of curiosity. Make sure you visit the spot several times just to observe if it has any visitors. 

2. Be discreet

Many growers have the habit of discussing their growing projects with others. However, it's best to avoid telling anyone about your cannabis interest no matter how close they are, especially if you live in a region that hasn't legalized cannabis yet.

Also, if you have successfully selected a nice outdoor growing spot and somebody still finds it, you're going to automatically suspect your friends if they know the location, so it's best to avoid such situations. It's better to lose your harvest to thieves rather than suspect your friends so don't tell anyone and save yourself the heartache.

3. Green fencing mesh

Many gardeners use green fencing meshes to protect their plants outdoors. You could do the same as everyone uses it and nobody's going to raise their eyebrows. It's one of the best ways to prevent anyone from suspecting you or investigating your plants.

In addition, these meshes help the plants against extreme weather so your plants can survive if the weather is super hot as well.

4. ScrOG

If you've grown a few cannabis plants, you perhaps already know about ScrOG. ScrOG is a training technique used to reduce the height of the plants and keep the tops even. It also helps the plants get even light.

But, apart from its usefulness to train your plants and get good yields, ScrOG also helps you hide your plants. Plus, ScrOG can be used anywhere, whether you have a small balcony or a backyard. As long as you have enough sunlight, you can ScrOG anywhere outdoors. If your balcony has a small wall, it will cover your plants as scrogging won't let them grow too much vertically.

You only need some trellis mesh to ScrOG your plants. However, you'll need to keep an eye on the plants as it's important to tuck the buds back inside the ScrOG mesh for it to work. Typically, cannabis plants grow fast during both the vegetative and flowering stages, so make sure you keep them well-trained to prevent issues.

5. LST

LST or low-stress training is another training technique used by many cannabis growers. It is very similar to ScrOG but you don't need a mesh or trellis to LST your plants. All you need are some soft wires to bring the tops of the plant to the sides of the container as they grow.

Like ScrOG, LST also helps you to keep the plants from growing too tall and attracting attention. If you don't have a lot of room to ScrOG your plants LST is the next best technique to camouflage your outdoor plants.

In addition, LST also helps the canopy get equal light, thereby resulting in better yields. What's more, LST reduces popcorn buds to a great extent, leaving you with fat buds that taste and smell wonderful.

6. Defoliation

Defoliation is another training technique used by many cannabis growers to improve their yields. Defoliation is nothing but removing the fan leaves of the plant so it gets stressed and grows faster.

However, defoliation used to increase yields is a bit different from using it to camouflage your plants. Many outdoor growers employ creative ideas to prevent undue attention and defoliation is one of them. 

Rather than removing the leaves completely, you can cut them in such a way that they don't look like cannabis leaves at all. For instance, you can cut off some of the serrated edges of the leaves, which is one big sign that it's a cannabis plant. Be careful not to cut too many leaves, though.

7. Fabric pots

Many cannabis growers use fabric parts to grow their plants as it helps the roots get oxygen and grow huge buds. One advantage of using fabric parts is that it reduces the height of the plant. Once you find a good outdoor spot, you can dig a hole and place your fabric pot along with the plant inside and the plant will grow without any inhibition as the fabric material allows the roots to branch out.

8. Grow autoflowers

Growing auto flowers outdoors is your best bet if you want to harvest buds successfully. Many growers prefer autoflowers because of their short stature and compact size. Most autoflowering plants grow up to 1 meter so you can grow several along with companion plants to reduce suspicion.

Moreover, autoflowering plants nearly don't need as much time as photoperiod plants. Photoperiod plants take anywhere from 4 to 6 months to complete their life cycle outdoors. Typically most autoflowers have a short growing and flowering season and the entire life cycle is usually done in 3 months. 

Another advantage is that you can grow them throughout the year as they don't depend on sunlight to start flowering. However, they might struggle to grow if the temperatures are extreme which means that you'll have problems if the temperatures dip below 60.8°F (16°C) or go above 90°F (33°C).

You can start your autoflowering plants in small pots and then take them outdoors when the time is right. If you plan to grow several autoflowering plants, make sure you plant some shrubs, bushes, and other wild plants around them, and also cover some of the plants with bushes and twigs to distract anyone that walks by.

Many seed banks offer seeds that do very well when grown outdoors. In addition, you can also check out journals from your fellow growers to find out if it works for you.

9. Grow companion plants

Growing companion plants around your cannabis plants growing outdoors is one of the oldest tricks in the book if you want to hide your plants from others. We have another article on it if you want to understand what plants you need to plant next to cannabis. Growing companion plants alongside cannabis is a good idea because a casual observer won't notice your precious marijuana plants if they don't look closely.

Also, companion plants help mask the smell of cannabis plants, which is an important step if you want to camouflage your outdoor grows. In addition, some companion plants such as chamomile, lavender, basil, sunflower, coriander, etc., can protect your plants from pests such as white flies, aphids, mites, and other bugs. 

Here's a list of some of the best companion plants you can plant next to your cannabis plants to prevent suspicion.

• Castor plant

Castor, also known as Ricinus, is a common weed that grows almost anywhere. The plant is so similar to cannabis, thanks to its serrated leaves and flowers looking like cannabis buds that it's unlikely for anyone to suspect you.

However, if you've watched Breaking Bad, you must know that the plant contains a deadly toxin known as Ricin. But, that said, you're going to be okay if you don't try to extract the toxin from the seeds. It's just another plant like any other weed, but just make sure you don't mess with the seeds.

• Cotton

Cotton also displays leaves that look very similar to cannabis. Since cotton is a fairly easy plant to grow, sow a few seeds along the perimeter of your cannabis plant. An onlooker will assume that it's just a patch of a few unruly cotton plants and go on his way without bothering to inspect your plants closely.

• Staghorn Sumac

Native to the eastern regions of North America, the Staghorn Sumac is an herb that grows pretty wild. It can grow from just a few inches to a few meters high, effectively camouflaging your cannabis plants. 

So, first, you plant your cannabis and a few staghorn next to them and nobody is going to inspect your plants as the staghorn shields them. In addition, as the staghorn grows, it develops long leaves that look like ferns, which are very similar to your precious marijuana plant. The ferns make them look like any other wild plant. You can also trim it according to your preference.

• Ragweed

Ragweed is one of the most common plants that grow all over the world. Although the leaves of this plant don't resemble cannabis, the flowers somewhat look like cannabis buds, thereby offering some protection to your flowering marijuana plants. 

Young ragweed plants resemble cannabis to a great extent, so you may want to plant some young seedlings whenever possible. In addition, ragweed is such a common plant that people usually don't pay attention to bunches of them growing in vacant spots.

• Pride of Madeira

The Pride of Madeira is a beautiful flowering plant native to Madeira island, located in Portugal. The plant displays fantastic long flowers that resemble the buds of cannabis. In short, they look like blue colas. 

One thing about this plant that works both as an advantage, as well as a disadvantage, is its stunning appearance. Typically, people will be drawn to it and they may find out about your plants. Thus, you may want to choose other plants that don't look so gorgeous. 

But, that said, it's found in many nurseries and online stores, making it a common plant, so people may just admire the plant and walk away.

• Cleome

Also known as spider flowers, cleome resembles cannabis and also adds a great deal of beauty to your weed. Not that you'd care about beauty, especially when trying to disguise your plants, but it looks so much like marijuana that you'll be amazed. 

With 7 leaflets, slender branches resembling sativas, and flowers that are stunning, cleomes can help you grow cannabis outdoors and get away with it. In fact, the plant looks exactly like cannabis during its vegetative stage so plant a bunch of cleomes to make it hard for people to distinguish between them and your cannabis plants. 

One difference between cannabis and cleome is that while cannabis displays serrated edges, cleomes have round and smooth ones but one would have to closely inspect the plant to identify them.

• Scarlet Rosemallow

Scarlet Rosemallow belongs to the hibiscus family, and this excellent plant will prove to be one of your best friends if you want to grow cannabis outdoors. As it thrives in marshes, swamps, and any watery regions, you can easily grow it if your chosen location has access to water. 

In addition, these plants grow pretty tall reaching up to 2-2.5 feet, so it's easy to hide your cannabis plants behind them. For a passerby, scarlets will look like a regular weed that is just growing outdoors. However, some plants in this species don't bear a strong resemblance to cannabis, so make sure you purchase Scarlet Rosemallows only.

Best Stealth Cannabis Strains to Grow Outdoors

Today, there are a variety of cannabis seeds available to grow both indoors and outdoors. The good news is that you will find a wide selection of seeds meant specifically for stealth purposes. One advantage of growing these plants is that they don't resemble cannabis.

1. Freakshow

As the name implies, Freakshow is a cannabis plant with very strange leaf patterns. Many growers refer to it as the cannabis monster.

An American breeder called Shapeshifter selected and bred some of the best specimens in his garden. Some of the offspring had strange alien-like leaves and he bred them out of curiosity. The result was so good that he began crossing them. Ultimately, he named the plant Freakshow as it had long leaves resembling outstretched arms. The plant's leaves look like fingers with various small leaflets along the veins.

Thanks to mutation, this freak of nature produces wrinkled leaves that resemble ferns. You simply can't go wrong with Freakshow if you're a guerrilla grower as it looks like a regular fern plant but is actually cannabis!

2. In-fern-ho

Image credit - Seedfinder

Freakshow has been bred with many other plants resulting in mutated cannabis strains. Another such strain is the In-fern-Ho which is an offspring of Sensi Durban and Freakshow. At this point, you're probably wondering if these seeds are stable to grow; however, you don't have to worry as these strains have been stabilized for many generations to make them strong and more vigorous.

A seed bank known as Nomad Seeds has worked with In-fern-Ho for years and has also bred it with South African strains for added vigor. The plant leans towards sativa heritage with 80:20 sativa:indica ratios. Although the plant doesn't resemble other common cannabis strains, it boasts over 20% THC.

3. Dr. Grinspoon

Talking of weird-looking cannabis plants, Dr. Grinspoon takes the cake. It’s one of the most unusual strains you’ll probably ever come across. Dedicated to a professor from Harvard, Dr. Lester, Dr. Grinspoon looks strange, but performs like a cannabis plant. 

Dr. Lester Grinspoon, an American psychiatrist, was known for his groundbreaking research on substances like psychedelics, including cannabis. He worked hard to reform drug policies. 

Dr. Grinspoon is an ode to the psychiatrist who changed the way people perceived cannabis way back in the 70s. Cultivated by none other than Barneys Farm located in Amsterdam, Dr. Grinspoon is a cannabis strain that takes on purple hues, further disguising its appearance. 

Unlike other strains, the calyxes of this plant appear to be separated, and the plant produces clusters of buds, making it look like a bunch of berries. 

People may mistake this plant for just another berry plant. In addition, it appears like a long vine plant, making it a great selection for anyone looking to camouflage their outdoor grows. 

4. Ducksfoot

Image Credit - Seedfinder

As the name implies, Ducksfoot is a cannabis plant known for its web-like leaves that resemble duck feet. Unlike other strains that display finger-like structures, Ducksfoot has membranes in between its leaflets, making it very different. 

If you have a great spot to grow cannabis outdoors, you can choose Ducksfoot as most people won’t even be able to recognize it as a cannabis plant. Hell, even experts can sometimes fail to identify the plant!

Ducksfoot hails originally from Australia and prefers warm climates. If you live in an area where you don’t have to worry too much about frost, go ahead and plant Ducksfoot. Or, just wait for the last frost to pass before planting it. 

Cultivated and developed by Underground Seed Collective over several years, Ducksfoot is stable and will perform well as long as the climate is slightly warm. Thanks to its unusual appearance, it’s a great addition to your outdoor garden. 

5. Frisian Duck

Many mutant cannabis strains have been bred with other strains, simply because they provide a great option for guerilla growers. One example is the Frisian Duck — an offspring of none other than Ducksfoot and Frisian Dew. Like Ducksfoot, Frisian Duck also displays a leaf structure that resembles the webbed feet of ducks. It also produces purple buds, making it even tougher for others to recognize it. 

In addition, Frisian Duck’s buds look different from other cannabis buds, making it almost impossible for anyone to identify it, apart from the smell, of course. You can leave it with a few tomato plants and nobody will suspect a thing! Cultivated and sold by Dutch Passion from Amsterdam, Frisian Duck also produces purple hues during its late-flowering stages, and the buds smell of pine and citrus fruits. 

Frisian Duck boasts of hardy genes, thanks to its parents that have been stabilized over a good number of years. As a result, it adjusts quickly and is a favorite among guerilla growers that have no other option other than camouflaging their plants. 

Tips For Outdoor Weed Plants Health

Growing cannabis plants outdoors is easy, but it’s important to consider several factors if the goal is to camouflage them. For instance, you won’t be able to visit your secret spot every day if you don’t want to attract attention. Therefore, the only option you have is to scope a good spot and help the plants grow to the best of their abilities. 

So, before you pick a good spot, here are a few things you must keep in mind to grow your plants and harvest yields successfully. 

1. Water

Water is the most important element to growing plants both indoors and outdoors. If you pick a spot with no water access, you’re doomed from the start. You don’t have to worry about camouflaging your plants as they will simply die on their own. 

In addition, you can’t carry water to your plants regularly, so make sure your spot has some kind of access to fresh water. It can either be near a river or a stream or you can collect some rainwater as you grow your plants. 

2. Sunlight

The very point of growing outdoors is that there’s no comparison to sunlight. No matter what you do indoors, you can’t match the brightness of that ball of fire. So, make sure you pick a spot that gets plenty of sunlight. You can place the plants in between other plants but there should be at least 8-10 hours of sunlight per day for your plants to produce good yields. 

Don't worry about the sunlight scorching the leaves as outdoor plants tend to get adjusted to the climate right from the start. However, if the spot gets intense sunlight throughout the day, you may want to place the plants under other companion plants to provide some shade. 

3. Wind

Remember how important it is to provide ample ventilation to the plants when growing indoors? The same applies outdoors as well. If you choose a spot that gets intense sunlight, there should be some kind of breeze or cool air blowing on the plants to prevent sunburn. Yes, the plants adjust quickly, but ventilation is important to reduce the chances of heat stress. In addition, spots with lots of light and heat with no ventilation are great for pests, so look for a good location where plants are happy and swaying in the wind. 

4. Temperature

As mentioned already, try and provide some shade to the plants if the temperatures usually exceed 95°F or 35°C. Similarly, plants cannot grow well in areas that get too cold. For instance, if the temperatures dip below 95°F or 15°C during the night, the plants will find it super tough to grow. Also, such conditions invite bud rot which can reduce your yields significantly. It’s easy to care for the plants indoors, but you can’t do everything outdoors, so scout a good location at the very beginning to prevent such problems. 

5. Soil

Growing outdoors is very similar to doing it indoors as you’ll have to provide everything necessary for the plant to perform well. One such element is good soil. Although a decent location may have good soil, it’s best to provide some good soil to make sure the plants have no problems. 

One good way is to plant the plants in fabric pots (filled with some good organic soil) and leave them in your preferred spot. You can also dig holes, sink the pots in them, and cover them up so the plants have a good source of soil. 

In addition, don’t forget to use some nutrients as the plant grows. Don't make the mistake of thinking that the plants will automatically produce big buds just because they are growing outdoors. You can use slow-release fertilizers that provide nutrition at the right time. Or, you can visit the spot once a week and feed the plants with some nutrients. 

Conclusion 

Unfortunately, cannabis is not legal in many parts of the world, and people are forced to hide their grows from others. In addition, some people tend to steal your plants, making it very very tough for outdoor growers. So, what do you do? Grow indoors? Not necessarily. 

As long as you camouflage your grow the right way, you don’t have to worry about your neighbors, family, friends, or the police interfering with your project. All you need to do is pick the right spot and the plants will grow better than you expect. 

Apart from choosing a good spot, keep in mind that you need to consider the sunlight, temperature, and access to water as you won’t be able to visit the plants frequently, 

One amazing way to camouflage your plants is to plant other companion plants around them. Or, you can choose to grow strains that don’t look like regular strains. 

FAQ 

How can I hide my outdoor grows?

You can hide your outdoor plants by planting other plants or growing strains that differ from regular marijuana plants. 

How do you get big dense buds outside?

Pick a spot that has at least 8 hours of sunlight, and water, and feed the plants nutrients to get big dense buds. 

Can I use a shed as a grow room?

Yes, you can.