How to grow outdoors?

Today we have several practical tips for effective cultivation of plants outdoor, that is, outside in the sun. The gardening season is in full bloom after a long winter, so it would be a shame not to give the plants in your beds more than just the bare essentials they need outdoors. Even in an outdoor environment it is possible to achieve fantastic yields!

Quality soil and rich soil life

Pests, dangerous pathogens or heavy metals. All of these work against us and our plants when growing in open soil. Therefore it is good to know the soil you have available and work with it accordingly.

High content or conversely lack of specific nutrients in your soil can make it unsuitable for growing certain types of plants. The same applies to the pH, which you measure with a meter. Of course one option is a laboratory analysis, but a much simpler solution is to go straight for a tried-and-true soil substrate. Nowadays it is not a problem to obtain a large amount of high-quality soil at a reasonable price. An example is BioNova Bio Soilmix, which is a premium soil that is also 100% natural, making it suitable even for organic outdoor plant cultivation.

Our customers have long favored soil mixes from the brand Plagron as well - Growmix and Lightmix. These represent a great base for fast and high yields in your garden! In addition to three types of high-quality peat (white, black and fibrous), they also contain additions of biohumus, vermicompost or perlite. Biohumus and vermicompost support a healthy “micro-life”, i.e., beneficial microorganisms living in the soil, whose activity has a positive effect on the stable development of plants in soil, making them more resistant to stress or potential pests that we must reckon with in outdoor cultivation so we can enjoy a proper harvest. The perlite addition ensures perfect aeration of these soil substrates, which greatly improves the effects of watering because nutrients are better absorbed by the root system. Both of these pre-fertilized and aerated soil mixes contain mineral nutrients. So what is the difference between them? It is mainly how long additional fertilizers are not needed. Lightmix contains all nutrients plants need during the first week of the cultivation cycle. And the composition of Growmix is a proven source of health and strength for plants during the first three weeks of the cultivation cycle. Therefore, if you have less experience growing outdoors so far, you can take advantage of that. Conversely, Lightmix is used by more experienced growers and gardeners who want to switch to applying selected fertilizers according to their own plans as soon as possible.

As already mentioned, supporting soil microorganisms is definitely worthwhile. For this purpose, mycorrhizal fungi are used in cultivation, especially Trichoderma Harzianum. We dedicated a separate article to this fungus and to plant nutrition products that use its symbiotic relationship with the plant root system: Trichoderma: a natural way to a rich and healthy harvest.

OUR TIP: Organics Nutrients MYKORIZA premium contains a completely organic concentrated powder of Endo&Ecto mycorrhizal fungi, beneficial bacteria, microorganisms and Trichoderma. It increases root system growth by up to 400%, which allows your plants better nutrient supply and strengthens their immunity, as mentioned earlier. Plants will be more productive, healthier and the yield will be of higher quality. We recommend it!

Nutrition for plants grown in soil

Deficit or excess nutrients in open soil are addressed by applying basic and complementary fertilizers designed specifically for use in earth or soil substrates. They therefore respond very well to the needs of outdoor growers when cultivating all types of plants.

When growing outdoors, where purely natural conditions and influences prevail, you have the opportunity to grow fruit, vegetables or herbs in organic quality, i.e., 100% naturally. This is made possible by purely organic fertilizers. If the prospect of ecological cultivation appeals to you, be sure to read the article: BioNova Veganics – fertilizers not only for vegans.

OUR TIP: Bat guano, worm castings or fish mix containing fish bone meal – all of these are additional organic fertilizers commonly used in outdoor plant cultivation!

BioNova Silution

Plagron Alga fertilizers contain an extract from seaweed.

The problem with mineral fertilizers when growing in open soil is soil degradation. At the same time it makes little sense to support soil life, because mineral-based fertilizers largely destroy beneficial microbial life, which in outdoor cultivation ultimately reflects in increased occurrence of pests or plant diseases.

However, if you combine outdoor cultivation with irrigation systems, you will need mineral-based nutrition (see below). The Dutch brand BioNova also produces our best-selling single-component mineral fertilizer for soil, which is BioNova Soil Supermix. We are also happy to advise you on the selection of other mineral fertilizers. You can often recognize them by the designation TERRA, for example Shogun Samurai Terra Grow as some of the best British fertilizers, combining a perfect balance of nutrients with an advanced understanding of the complex chemistry affecting nutrient availability in soil.

From the above it is clear that, just like the composition of the substrate, the composition of nutrition for plants grown in the sun is also important for a healthy and rich microbial life. In addition to basic fertilizers, you can support soil life and beneficial microorganisms with several products. The composition of these products is based on the effects that various organic substances have on plants:

• Fulvic and humic acids, including tips on the best products, were discussed in detail in the article: Fulvic and humic acids: importance and use in plant nutrition.
• The article Enzymes deals with products based on complex sets of living microorganisms that can convert dead plant residues into valuable organic material and support plant development in many ways. For example Cannazym, which many experienced and ecologically minded growers swear by, speeds up the breakdown of dead root material and activates beneficial microorganisms while helping to maintain optimal soil aeration. Cannazym therefore also serves as an effective prevention against these problems.
• All the products above pursue a common goal: optimal nutrient uptake and healthy plant development. At the end of the cultivation cycle, remember to flush the plants during the last week before harvest. Growers call this phase flushing and it ensures that harvested plants or their fruits are as clean as possible (free of fertilizer residues) and taste as they should. Flushing agents, such as Canna Flush, gently remove all excess salts from the plants so they do not destroy beneficial fungi or bacteria, ensuring great flavor.

All the products mentioned above pursue a common goal: optimal nutrient uptake and healthy plant development. At the end of the cultivation cycle, remember to flush the plants during the last week before harvest. Growers call this phase flushing and it ensures that harvested plants or their fruits are as clean as possible (free of fertilizer residues) and taste as they should. Flushing agents, such as Canna Flush, gently remove all excess salts from the plants so they do not destroy beneficial fungi or bacteria, ensuring great flavor.

Remember, however, that plain water alone does not actually flush anything effectively, because plants begin to use nutrients stored in leaves only around the tenth day of flushing. For this reason it is important to use dedicated agents that accelerate this process, so that the desired and real flushing happens immediately. In addition to Canna Flush we also recommend, for example, T.A. Flashclean (G.H. FloraKleen).

Growing outdoors, managing water

Outdoor growers sometimes don’t realize at first that hydroponic and aeroponic systems, which allow much more efficient management of water and fertilizers, can be used just as well for outdoor gardening as for indoor. They do require some initial investment, but the benefits are worth it. Judge for yourself from the list of advantages:

• Higher yields and better-quality harvests
• Lots of time saved and, in the long term, also money on water and fertilizers
• Durability for several years

For outdoor gardening you can also set up your own DRIP irrigation system at any scale. On this topic we recommend a detailed article titled Hydroponie snadno – kapková zálaha – drip.

Hydroponics made easy: drip irrigation.

Keep in mind that irrigation systems are not compatible with organic fertilizers, because bio nutrient solutions usually need to be used within 24 hours! This means that a feeding solution prepared from purely natural plant nutrition would spoil and clog a hydroponic system.

Do you have space in the garden and are interested in growing tomatoes, peppers and similar types of plants? Then you might also be interested in Autopot self-watering systems, which allow much simpler and less time-consuming operation compared to other hydroponic systems like NFT or Aeroflo. Autopot is a perfect solution for all urban growers. In an urban environment it works great on balconies, terraces, backyard gardens or in greenhouses. If you have enough space to collect rainwater, get a practical FlexiTank.

Automatic solar irrigation

Growing various types of plants outdoors combined with an irrigation system can be so economical that you can do without an electrical power source altogether. Don’t believe it? Proof is the automatic solar irrigation from the brand Irrigatia. You can also use it in gardens or plots where there is not enough water pressure or no electricity connection. The rules are simple. The more the sun shines, the more IRRIGATIA waters! The system turns off at night. Right now the sun is beginning to shine outside and we have about six or seven relatively sunny months ahead, including a hot summer. So why not provide automatic irrigation for outdoor plants at minimal cost even when you go off to enjoy even stronger sunshine, for example at the seaside. From our point of view Irrigatia is a smart investment for outdoor cultivation in spring and later at the turn of spring and summer.

How to protect plants in an outdoor environment?

Natural conditions cannot be influenced like the ideal microclimate inside a growbox. Therefore it is important to start protecting plants already when choosing the place where they will grow. It should of course be sufficiently sunny, but it should not accumulate overly humid or hot air. It should also be somewhat protected from strong winds. In an uneven fight with strong wind, bamboo stakes and support nets can help you especially with taller plants and shrubs; they not only prevent stems from breaking but also ensure upright growth. Continuous and rather gentle air movement is something your plants will reward you for. Considering the natural conditions of outdoor cultivation, which can often expose plants to stress and negatively affect their development, we recommend the separate article: Stress harms plants too: abiotic stresses of plants. Before we know it, spring sunshine will be followed by intense summer sun, which can be accompanied by heat and drought. These factors represent significant stress for plants. Besides regular watering, it is therefore appropriate to give plants products that can significantly revive and revitalize plants weakened by these abiotic stressors. Among other things, they contain silicon, which effectively helps plants with overall revitalization.

Our customers especially appreciate these preparations:

• BioNova Silution
• Shogun Silicon
• T.A. Silicate (G.H. Mineral Magic)
• Biotabs Silicium Flash
• Atami B’cuzz Silic Boost
• Grotek Pro-Silicate
• Mills Vitalize

Protection of plants grown outdoors is also related to effective prevention, which can literally mean the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful season. Therefore never underestimate it in outdoor gardening. You need to start with the basics:

• clean substrate free of harmful pathogens
• healthy seedlings
• regular monitoring of the growing environment

You can monitor insect presence in the growing environment with sticky yellow traps.

Prevention and biological protection of plants is always much better than chemical solutions like insecticides or fungicides. We therefore recommend to every outdoor grower the Canna CURE pest spray. Excellent results against chewing insects and easy to use! Also no negative impact on crop quality. The same can be said for other purely natural products, such as BioBizz LeafCoat, Terra Aquatica Protect, Atami B’cuzz Bio-Defence or the Czech product AGRO CS Rock Effect.

Do not hesitate to ask us anything you are curious about regarding outdoor plant cultivation. We are happy to also advise you on selecting specific products. We believe that after reading this article you have plenty of inspiration for outdoor gardening, not only for the upcoming season. We look forward to your questions at the usual email address info@higarden.cz.

We also recommend these products:

• Garden tools
• Shogun fertilizers
• Vermiculite - substrate additive

Further reading:

• What is vermiculite and how to use it?
• SHOGUN: the best British fertilizers with emphasis on research
• Indoor vs Outdoor: is it better to garden at home or outside?