How to Grow on a Balcony and Terrace: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started
Would you like to grow a few plants for pleasure, but you do not have your own garden or space at home for a grow box? If you have at least a small balcony or terrace available, you can grow fine buds there too. You only need to know how to arrange the garden properly, choose the right varieties, and take good care of the plants.
Does growing on a balcony or terrace have any advantages? Absolutely. First, you save money, because the sun will not send you an electricity bill at the end of the month. Plants grown outdoors require less care than those in a grow box, and that also applies to balcony plants. Last but not least, on the balcony or terrace of your home, the plants are always within reach and in sight, so you can care for them at any time and spot any problems in good time.
Which balcony is suitable for growing, and what should you watch out for?
For your growing to make sense, your balcony or terrace should meet at least the basic criteria. The plants must be in as much sun as possible. A balcony or terrace on the south side of the house is ideal. In the shade, your plants will also grow, but they will be weak and the yield from them will be minimal.
Under certain circumstances, it may happen that the plants get too much light, which causes leaf bleaching and light and temperature stress. This most often occurs with young plants exposed to overly intense sun. However, during hot summer months, the midday sun can be too much even for fully grown plants. This is especially true if you live in the middle of the concrete jungle of a big city, where temperatures can rise very high. In such a case, it is better to move the plants into partial shade during the midday hours.
The last thing worth keeping in mind when growing on a balcony or terrace is light pollution. Photoperiod varieties need a sufficiently long and uninterrupted period of darkness every night in order to flower. If, for example, public lighting or light from a neighbouring window shines on them every night, they may fail to flower. In such a case, it is better to grow autoflowering varieties, whose seeds are labelled as “autoflower”.
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Pot size
Growing on a balcony means having plants planted in pots. If that is not the case for you, write to us — we would like to see your balcony. For growing in pots, the rule is that the larger the container, the larger the plants and the higher the yields. On the other hand, anyone who wants to remain somewhat discreet can plant the plants in smaller growing containers, and they will not grow as much.
On balconies and terraces, it is not a very good idea to grow in pots smaller than 10 litres. The substrate in such small containers will dry out very quickly in the sun, and you would have to water the plants several times a day. The gold standard for outdoor growing is pots with a volume of around 20 litres. However, if you want to give your plants a touch of luxury, you need not be afraid of pots with a volume of 50 litres or more. This will provide the plants with a balanced environment, more space for the roots and more nutrients for vigorous growth, and you will not have to water them so often.
What type of pot is best for growing on a balcony or terrace? You certainly cannot go wrong with a classic plastic pot. However, we recommend the white version, which reflects light better than black plastic and protects the roots from overheating. The disadvantage of plastic containers is that they tend to topple over in gusts of wind. A better solution for growing on windy balconies are fabric pots, which are more stable. In addition, they are breathable and allow the roots to breathe better, thereby supporting their growth.
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Which varieties are best for growing on a balcony or terrace?
In the world of modern growing, you can choose from thousands of different strains from all over the world. However, not all of them are suitable for growing on a balcony or terrace. Above all, avoid long-ripening equatorial varieties, which some people refer to as sativas. Not only do they flower for a long time and fail to ripen here, but they also grow very tall, and in a small space they can be difficult to manage. More suitable are more compact varieties (sometimes called indicas), or hybrids of sativa and indica, which are characterised by a shorter flowering time of around eight weeks and a height of up to 1.5 metres.
As we already mentioned in the previous lines, a major problem with outdoor growing in inhabited areas is light pollution, which can affect plant flowering. Therefore, the best choice for growing on a balcony or terrace is probably autoflower varieties, which flower independently of the length of day and night, so artificial light does not disturb them. Another advantage of autoflowering varieties is that they usually do not grow as tall as their photoperiod sisters.
If your main concern is the largest possible harvest, it is a good idea to grow from feminised seeds. These produce only female plants, so you do not have to bother removing males or worry about accidental pollination.
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Plant height, odour and other safety measures
Although growing is already legal, there is no need to bother your neighbours with what you are doing. Especially in built-up areas, your garden may disturb the surroundings. There is probably not much you can do about the characteristic aroma of the plants. It helps to plant other aromatic species around your garden, such as mint, basil, thyme, rosemary and other herbs. Tomatoes have a surprisingly strong and to some extent interchangeable scent.
If you need to hide the plants from prying eyes, try to do so without shading them too much. Surprisingly effective is it (at least over longer distances) to hang artificial flowers on the plants, which partially mask their true nature.
You can influence the growth and shape of the plants by trimming, bending, weaving them into nets, or even breaking them. The basic method of shaping plants is topping, which you can start as early as roughly the second week after the seeds germinate, if the seedlings have at least three tiers of true leaves. The more often you top during the vegetative phase, the shorter and bushier the plants will be. However, this applies only to photoperiod-dependent plants. Autoflowering plants are not topped, but they can be bent during growth.
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Whether you have a small balcony or a spacious terrace, there is always a way to make the most of the space. Would you like to improve further? On the Higarden blog you will find more detailed guides and practical experience.