Can You Grow 10lb Cannabis Plants in the Mountains? My Dryland Hugelkultur Experiment

The Dryland Hugelkultur Cannabis Grow in the Dog Days of Summer

Will I be able to grow 10 pound cannabis plants in the foothills of the Simcoe mountains in central Washington State?

Actually I doubt it.

Why?

Mostly because I have crowded the plants together too much for them to realize their full potential size wise…they will however get huge…I can see that. They will spread as much as they can on the north and south sides. But if each plant had all the room it needs they would likely get about twice as big.

There is an advantage to crowding them a bit in that environment….and the reason I did it…when crowded like this they help support each other. One thing I wanted to show with this grow is how a cannabis plant can grow in really pretty severe winds (40 mph gusts) with no support at all. I have also decided to not really prune them underneath much at all…which will keep them down a bit height wise.

Before going any farther here are some links to previous articles I have written about this grow…

How to Grow 10lb Cannabis Plants Off-Grid: The 2026 Super Soil & Dryland Hugelkultur Guide

Dryland Hugelkultur Cannabis Grow Central Washington

Early Summer at Stony Oasis: Hugelkultur Cannabis Grow Update

Mid-Summer Explosion: How the Hugelkultur Bed is Feeding My Cannabis Plants

Growing Huge Bushy Cannabis Plants

I have grown many 1000’s of cannabis plants in the last 50 years, and have seen some really bushy plants…like Sir Wild Thing here…

Sir Wild Thing (named in a contest) is a volunteer cannabis plant (they follow me around I swear!) that popped up at my house. This plant became such a bush because I topped it…continually for quite some time. I would imagine I topped it 15 times….I was wanting to create a huge bush…and he….yes it was a he…did not disappoint.

Imagine how many girls he could have had his way with! And, BTW when choosing a male cannabis plant Sir Wild Thing is pretty much a stand out…wonderful genetics. Just did not know what he was…and folks want names.

Topping the Plants in This Years Hugelkultur Grow

I debated on how to handle topping this years plants to get them to grow bigger and bushier. But knew I would likley be crowding them a bit…so decided to go for height rather then circumference. And that is why I also have my cannabis height contest going on. Be sure to enter as the prize will set you up for years seed wise.

So I did top them just once, while they were in their deep tree pots. And I did the just to keep them down a bit for the trip up to their new mountainous home.

What is surprising me is the number of tops each plant is producing! A result of the super soil they are growing in, and perhaps the severity of the spring weather they had to endure.

Just look at all the flower tops on this end plant. I think even up there…grown right, I can grow a 10 lb plant…and I think I will do it next year. I will grow plants that have lots of room to get as big as they can. I am more then impressed with this hugelkultur grow, and these plants as simply loving the super soil. Normally when I am growing plants for size I will feed nearly every time I water…but not this grow…I can see these cannabis plants are FAT…fully fed. You can notice there is not a yellow leaf on any of them…anywhere. FAT plants!

Update on the Runt Cannabis Plant

When growing cannabis plants runts…or plants that just never get as bit or grow as vigorously are fairly comment. I have a soft part of my heart about them…usually let them grow out…unless I am doing a normal seed run, or they are a male, then they get culled.

The runt this year is a strain I got in a trade, and have now run out of…Balochistan Black Tiger. A very Indica Dom plant that can really get going…very dark green with huge Indica type leaves…a beauty to behold really. I have a few of these plants growing out and about, and am hoping to produce some good seed. Thing is this strain is pretty long winded…especially for an Indica type of plant.

Runts can happen for a variety of reasons…most folks think it is only bad genetics but that is just not true 100 % of the time. Runts could have damaged roots, their roots can be running into things in the ground that is on conducive to growing well.

I fell in love with this runt right from the start. She…yes she is already showing sex is just a pretty little plant. And, she looks as though the super soil may lift her from whatever was causing her runtness. She is beginning to grow more, and may catch up to some of the other plants.

You might notice the Crimson Clover companion plants at her base, curious just how much these nitrogen fixing plants benefit cannabis.

Have any companion plant stories? I would love to hear them in a comment.

Does a Wattle Fence Work?

I have used wattle fences if guerrilla grows for years. They can be made simply with materials you can find in the wild. In this instance here at Stony oasis farms I wanted it simply to prevent the strong wind gusts we have had this spring from getting under the plants, and making their stems loosen in the ground. While a very vigorously growing plant can recover, it is best to not have the additional stress…if all I have to do is build a small wattle fence. And, I am not actually supporting any plants, just supplying a bit of respite for those strong spring winds.

Do wattle fences work…yes, they work wonderfully well. While a solid fence stops the wind abruptly…this in itself can cause issues. Hard winds can eddy around and still cause your plants to be wind whipped. A wattle fence lest some wind through…but blocks it’s intensity…a good compromise that works well.

Conclusion

I will continue with nearly weekly updates on this grow as I continue to travel the 100 miles to my property preparing for the move there. I am close to being done with the solar install, and after over 60 trees planted this spring, I am ready to get back on my solar, and move there….you can read more about the other things I got going on at my other website Stony Oasis Farms.

These plants are growing about an inch or more every day now, so you will see a change in their size every week. I am surprised at how bushy they are with only one topping! That is one of the things I love about growing cannabis…after 50 years I am still learning what this amazing plant is capable of.

Please leave me a comment, I would love to hear your take on the grow, and any advice you can offer other growers.