With Arizona coming on line in the spring I need a recommendation for a variety(s) that would thrive outdoors in the Central Arizona highlands. Very low humidity, 5,500’, summer highs to 95ish. What say you?
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@Hungus Welcome to our forum! I would probably recommend Bubba Kush, it is always a pretty hardy outdoor strain, any of the OG or Kush strains are generally great, Haze strains are very outdoor resistant. White widow and northern light strains will also be tougher outdoors 
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@Hungus I’d suggest some almost landrace strains. A lot of the kush strains like @Kronic suggested would fair well. Most Afghan strains would work. Durban poison is a good sativa that can survive high heat. Is there anything in particular you are looking to grow? Indica, sativa, hybrid?
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Thanks for the response. I have been away from cannabis since the late 60’s so I am thinking something mellow to start. I am guessing that my experience was limited to strains @ <5% so my standards are going to be pretty low…
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You could choose a sativa strain that has is origins in Mexico, like Oaxacan or Acapulco Gold. Those are fairly native to the desert of the southwest.
While the true landrace seeds my be hard to find, you can find hybrid strains that are based on these.
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@Hungus the most mellow strain with landrace/afghan genetics i can think of is a strain called Maple leaf. It’s a hardy indica that can survive extremes in temperature and it sits around 15-16% THC which is pretty low by modern standards. It has a good terpene profile and a nice mellow even buzz and if you smoke just a little. Very cerebral and relaxing. If you smoke a bit more it kicks in with a pretty stony tingly indica high and can lock you in the couch.
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I know two growers in AZ.
The first grows in a climate controlled shed and the other in his house.
The second one has tried to grow outside but said the most difficult part is the very low rh , the intense sun and the wind.
You’re probably going to need a windbreak and 50% shade cloth and an auto water system of some sort to make a go at it.
Like others have mentioned, you should probably stick with strains that are from a climate as close to yours as possible.
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I grow in Nevada and my climate is very similar to Az. We had that GOD awful heatwave this summer. Was over 112 for a month of which 2+ weeks were 116 or better. 90% of my grow bit the dust. What survived very well was Wonder Woman. White widow and silver haze got stunted but made it through. My Acapulco Gold did not. I built a cover using shade cloth (that shaved 10 degrees of and stopped the blistering sun… I painted all my pots a light color to reflect the heat. I added some insulation between the soil and the wall of my planters. I watered the planters, not the plants, 2 to 3 times a day to help cool them down. I stopped deep water feeding and watered often with cooled water. MDBuds recommended I add more DE (diatamaceous earth), I will for next season. I used kelp and molasses and fish fertilizer to help. My containers are 10-13Gal. The plants in my garden fared better than the potted ones. Some CBD (Dr 30:1 and Red), a few gorilla girls (got stunted but grew). I will probably keep with Gelato, White Widow, AG (one of my fav’s) Silver haze and a few others. I will try to get them in early and out by July, wait for mid Sept to go at it again. I have a 32’ tent that will help me start seedlings and keep away from the brutal heat.
I tried wind barriers but you know what our winds can be like. I bamboo stake all of them, multiple stakes. Hope this helps
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Mike, good info, thanks for that. I am lucky that here in Northern Arizona at almost 6,000’ we avoid those 100+ days (usually) but I will keep those more tolerant strains in mind. Cheers…
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