Started with 45. 27 turned out to be M. 18 F. Deer eats 6. Today high wind snaps 5 in two. Others are nice but battling heat wave. SMH!!!
Your story isnt that unusual in hostile enviroments maryijane. For years i started out with 40 and harvested 10 in a bad year and 20 in a good year. I only grow about 16 now, buy i harvest all 16. Ive fought all of your monsters, (deer, storms, drought, heat,males) and learned to beat them, but it takes a lot more focus per plant. So much so that 16's my limit, although a younger guy might do 20..... unless serious drought hits and then about 12 is all you can juggle. Ive grown fems since 03 so i dont have to dig 2x as many holes as i need and good fems are much more consistent. Planting regular seeds can often get you a bunch of differnt pheno's that range from big to little yeilders so unless you know the strain well, you dont have any way to know what you'll harvest and the end of the season. The fems are great. Just me.
indoors my rabbit and daughter mangled a few of my plants. but i agree fem are great or just find u a good mother and clone.
Started with 5, lost 2 to a ant invasion and the other 2 to the heat, the sole survivor is doing pretty decent though
To help plants handle heat better give them a little bit of cool water in the early morning then water them normaly late evening. Around here its normal to have off and on 3-4 day stretches of temps over 100 degrees in the summer months with average temps in the 90`s. Thats assuming your growing in your backyard. I only buy femenised seeds or clones now.
I feel your pain! Over the pond we've had the most rain in June ever recorded! Started with 20 lost most to slugs then mold got the autos and I'm left with 7! Here to next year my friend! Peace