I started this cannabis test grow to prove that you can grow cannabis and or hemp in the desert. In the full sun no type of shading or screening. This is my third year growing cannabis in the Nevada desert.
This time I did it a little different, I started with three plants. Two went right in the ground at about 2 inches tall, the other I put in a fabric pot. As you can see here. This is 6 weeks into the grow.

The weather range was 55* at night and 70* in the day. The most interesting thing happened the one in the pot was not growing as fast as the other two.
The main stalks of the two in the ground were about 1 inch in diameter. In the pot less than half an inch in diameter. I eventually pulled the one out of the pot to put it in the ground at about week nine. Even though it was in the open sun it continued to grow straight up, tall and skinny.

Here at week 11, you can see how big and bushy the two in the ground. Oh, I forgot to mention I was letting these plants live only on some simple nutrient that I add before I started the grow.
To this point, I have not given any nutrients to any plants. You can see just to the left the plant I moved from the pot to the ground. She does not look very healthy at this point. At week 13 she started to wilt. I took a closer look to find she was infested with russet mites. I have only dealt with these insects once before.

Here is a photo of what russet mites do to cannabis plants. These are the nest of the mites if you magnify the leaf about 100 times you will be able to see black spheres. Which are the eggs of the russet mites.
If you are to find leaves with brownish-red marks on your plants remove them. do not take any chance and burn the leaves with eggs on them.
I was unlucky enough to have been helping with two cultivation sites last year that had russet mites.
One cultivator decided to not even deal with them he chose to cut down burned over 500 plants. The other had over 8000 plants the mites were everywhere we looked. After trying several organic methods I was finally able to knock back the mites. Using a simple formula that passed the Nevada cannabis cultivation pesticide laws.
Here is my grow at week 15 they are getting very tall and showing signs of nutrient deficiencies I added some organic NPK.

They were growing so fast now it was July 2nd the temperature was now around 103* in the middle of the day. I was constantly checking for heat damage. I was very sure this would not happen. The plant in the center is now over 6 feet tall and outgrowing the one to the right. The plant I moved to the ground is now over the mite situation. But starting it in a 7-gallon pot did not allow the roots to flourish in the beginning so it is quite a bit smaller.
The plant in the center her main stalk is almost 3 inches in diameter. The small one is just under 1 inch. I fed them again at week 17 a high phosphate and potassium blend I made 5-45-60.

It did supercharge the center plant she is over 7 feet tall on July 18th. The temperatures were getting hotter and hotter. Some days were up to 110* My test grow was not affected at all. None welted or showed any signs of heat damage.
You can see where there is a definite gap between the two big plants I was curious why the plant to the right was moving more to the right every day.
Then I saw the reason the middle plant was a female to the right a male. He was making room for the female plant I have noticed this in the past few years. As you can see in the above photo the plant with balls all over the tops.

It is now August 8th we have had many days over 110 on August 5th it was 113 a record for this day in Las Vegas The grow is doing well except the one to the left she is shedding leaves I believe the heat got to her. She is a new strain to me not tested to be a desert tolerant strain. I will be continuing to post my test results as time goes by.
I have been asked a few times by the viewers if I would give them some sort of scale. That would be a good reference to the size of these plants. How about a six-foot 230-pound man next to these beautiful girls.

They are now over 8 foot 5 inches, just started to show pistils of the flowers it is now August 21. They started to flower a few days ago they should add another 2 to 3 feet during the flowering stage. I have yet to see any signs of heat damage even though I do not water them every day. This week the temperature will be from 105* to 110* here in southern Nevada.