Buying cannabis can be too expensive, especially for someone who uses it on each day of his life. Are you in that situation, too? Well, you don’t need to buy cannabis for the rest of your life. You have another choice that will save you money once you do it right: grow cannabis on your own.
Every serious cannabis user should try to learn how to grow marijuana as it saves you money. The idea is never exclusive for those who want to sell or those who dream of being great pot breeders. Please read on and discover how you can successfully grow weed right in the comfort of your home.
What Do You Need in Growing Cannabis?
There are several tools you need to collect before you get started in cultivating cannabis at home. Your arsenal should include the simplest tools, such as a trowel and complex tools such as a PPM meter.
Some tools you need to acquire will rely on your preferred cultivation technique. One can use different cultivation methods to grow cannabis. Each of these methods comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Some people shove the seeds in nutritious and healthy soil. Others are brave enough to settle for a more complicated hydroponic setup.
In reality, you have so many more tools and pieces of equipment to collect to successfully grow cannabis at home. For now, since you’re just about to begin, pay attention to the most important tools and supplies. Set aside first your need for a PPM meter, light meter, and trace elements.
Buy Your Cannabis Seeds and Soil
1. Cannabis Seeds
Of course, you need to acquire first the seeds of your preferred strain. You have to put more time to decide what to grow. Keep in mind that every cannabis strain is different, and there are 3 main forms: indica, sativa, and hybrid (the combination of the previous two).
Some cannabis strains can be so sensitive in terms of the environment, which is true for most indica strains. You have to consider the climate in your area and pick a strain that can effectively survive. You can do your homework by exploring the web or by asking for suggestions from the sales associate of a cannabis dispensary.
Likewise, you need to ensure the overall quality of the cannabis seeds you’re buying. Don’t just buy and go. Your seeds must be fresh and viable. It will be great if you can buy pot seeds at a local dispensary near you. If not, then be sure to get your seeds only from a reputable online seed bank.
2. Healthy Soil
Cannabis won’t grow in just any form of soil. Choose the best one for cultivating cannabis. What you need is airy, loose, and organic soil. You need anywhere between 3 to 5 gallons of this soil in cultivating marijuana. That will be good enough if you’re planning to use a hydroponic system.
Likewise, you should never forget to buy growing nutrients that will help you ensure your plants’ growth and development throughout the stages. Get premium quality products from a well-known brand.
Invest in the Primary Tools and Devices
Grow Lights
If you’re planning to grow cannabis plants inside a facility or somewhere in your home, then you’re depriving them of the natural sunlight. The solution is to use grow lights. High-quality grow lights mimic the natural rays of the sun, allowing cannabis plants get the right amount of light exposure they need to grow and thrive. Consider investing in HID grow lights or MH system that has bulbs, reflectors, ballasts, or HPS light.
You might be worried that these lights will generate excess heat that can make your house like a living hell. If that is your case, then you can use only LED lights instead. Whatever you choose, make sure the lights will cover the whole grow tent and must be operated together with a timer to make sure your plants will get only the right amount of light exposure. Too much of it can be dangerous to plants.
Grow Tent
There should be a grow tent. Your plants will demand space, and it has to be sufficient for the number of plants you planned to grow. So, you should invest in a high-quality grow tent that will shelter them from moisture and other harsh environmental factors. A grow tent is affordable, and you can put it up just about anywhere inside the house. You don’t need someone’s help in installing and setting it up. Get the job done in no time.
A grow tent can come in different sizes and may be equipped with all forms of hydroponic tools. If you’re not thinking about a hydroponic system, then you don’t need to go for something more expensive. What matters is the tent’s size and kind.
If possible, your tent must have individual sections for clones, vegetable growth, and so on. Consider it if you’re running out of space at home. Of course, it will help a lot as you’re still learning to cultivate marijuana.
Ventilation System
Your indoor cannabis setup needs an exhaust fan that can help dissipate the hot air. The activated carbon filter is the one that helps eliminate unpleasant odors inside the grow tent. For these two, be sure they are big enough for the entire grow room or tent.
Keep in mind that the exhaust fan should circulate the air, which is important as the stagnant air can be dangerous to the plants you grow. Likewise, you should consider getting a thermometer or hygrometer that can help you measure and trace both temperature and humidity.
Getting Started in Cultivating Cannabis
After buying and collecting all the necessary tools and supplies to cultivate cannabis on your own, you’re about to begin the most exciting part of this journey. Actually, one can grow marijuana plants either by using seeds or clones. It depends on your preferences, but growing cannabis by using seeds will be much easier.
Here are the steps you need to take:
1. Learn How to Germinate Cannabis Seeds
But before you can plant them into the soil, they need to germinate first. Perhaps, there are several methods to use to encourage them to germinate, but the one in which you use water and paper towels is the most popular and most effective.
Do your homework to know how the cannabis seeds germinate. Also, the seed bank may give you the steps you need to follow to encourage the seeds to germinate. They require you to follow those steps. Just one wrong step will be enough to void and tarnish the germination guarantee. So, be extra careful when trying to germinate the seeds.
Once the seeds have their white roots or sprouts, then immediately plant them to the soil. Watch them grow day by day and follow these tips and tricks as you learn how to grow marijuana:
2. Do Not Give Too Much Water and Nutrients
Growing cannabis plants can be too exciting. You might be tempted to water them more and nourish them with more nutrients, exceeding the suggested amount. Hold on and be cautious. Overwatering and overfeeding can lead to serious problems.
These two problems can take place whether you grow cannabis indoors or outdoors. Water your plants more and they’ll get drowned. Feed them more and they may get their leaves burned. Keep in mind that cannabis roots need to have both wet and dry cycles. This means you need to water them only when they need water.
You need to check the roots to see whether the plants need water or not. If the soil or roots are still moist, don’t water the plants until they are already dry. In providing them with fertilizers, be sure you follow the recommended dose and time for giving nutrients.
If you’re growing cannabis in a limited space, make sure you adhere to the basic rule. Since you lack space, be sure the plants will be able to make the most of every inch of space provided to them. Indica cannabis plants are better to grow indoors because they stay short and bushy. Also, some sativa strains like Green Crack, you may try pruning techniques to manage their growth and keep the space enough for them.
3. Follow the Right Lighting Cycle
Sprouted seeds or rooted clones will require light. Their exposure to light must be enough. Proper positioning of the light source is crucial. Make sure you lower the reflector so that that the lighting will be close to your plants. This way, they don’t need to stretch to reach the light. Likewise, you’ll be 100% sure all of them get enough exposure to the light.
Your plants’ need for lighting will slowly change as they grow. You need to raise the light system while they grow. In a 24-hour light and dark cycle, your plants should be exposed to the light for the first 18 hours. Then, you turn off the light source for the remaining 6 hours of the cycle.
Perhaps, there could be other choices for the lighting schedule, but the 18/6 setup is the most recommended. In the vegetative phase, your plants will begin to grow new leaves and branches without the buds or flowers.
You need to pay attention to the lighting and its schedule if you’re growing pure indica, pure sativa, or hybrid strains. If you grow autoflowering cannabis, then the lighting will not be important as they grow based on their age. If they are expected to flower in 6 to 7 weeks, they will regardless of how they have been exposed to the light.
4. Keep an Eye on the Flowering Cycle to Boost Yields
Flowering is among the most crucial stages of cannabis growth and development. Deciding when to induce them to flower will depend on you and your preferences. As said previously, the key to successful marijuana cultivation is determining the size of the space you can give to the plants and determining other related things accordingly.
Once you encourage your plants to flower, they will stretch in the next 2 weeks. In many cases, marijuana plants stretch in a week per gallon-size plastic container. Thus, a 5-gallon bucket of plants may give you approximately 5 to 6 weeks of good vegetative space.
The lighting system when your plants entered this growth stage must be 12/12. Meaning, you leave the lights on for 12 hours and off the remaining 12 hours to complete a 24-hour lighting cycle. Once you turn off the lights, be sure you leave the plants uninterrupted as they rest. Don’t do anything that may accidentally expose them to light. Breaking the lighting cycle can lead to unforgivable issues in the end.
Changing the feeding routine can also encourage your marijuana plants to flower. Your plants will be more demanding when it comes to nutrients as they enter this phase. They will need extra nutrients to increase their yielding potential. You can use any recommended blooming solution for this purpose. If your preferred strain takes 60 days to grow and flower, for instance, you should flush down the grow medium with clean water on the 46th to 47th day of its life cycle.
5. Learn How to Harvest and Prepare the Buds for Consumption
You’re almost there, waiting for the perfect time to harvest the fruits of your hard work. Knowing when you must harvest the buds is as important as figuring out the right time for pruning. The trick is to use a big magnifying glass and check the little gland-looking stalks on the leaves, stems, and buds of your plants. These are frosty “crystals” known as trichomes. You can start harvesting if the plants turned cloudy white before they become amber in color.
After harvesting the buds, trim the buds and hang them up for one week. You have to wait for them to dry. The timeframe can be shorter or even longer than a week, depending on the humidity level and the season. Just wait patiently and never rush the drying process or else you get your harvest having the weird chlorophyll-like taste.
You can enhance the entire drying procedure with a humidifier in a drying room when you feel the nugs will dry too soon. Just be careful if you use a fan. Be sure it doesn’t blow the air straight to the buds. Instead, the air must circulate properly to prevent mold and rot. When the buds are completely dry, you can put them inside the jar.
One indicating factor is the stems would still slightly bend, but the buds will be dry. Even at this point, however, the buds still contain buds, but the water comes out throughout the curing procedure. You can store the dried buds inside the opaque jar and leave them in the dry, cool, & dark place.
You can open up a jar and leave it alone once the condensation forms. Remove the lid of the jar twice each day to help replace the air within. It will take about a month for the curing procedure to complete. This time, the buds have the perfect taste and will burn easily.
Should You Trim Your Plants or Not? The Benefit of Trimming Cannabis
Pruning or trimming cannabis plants is not just to keep them short. If you’re after getting more in terms of yield, you should try it. Pruning is one key to maximize your plants’ yielding potential. The only downside is you need to do it early and as often as possible. It can be too hassle on your part if you’re daily life is flooded with so many activities you need to accomplish. Anyway, pruning does not apply to all cannabis strains.
To prune your plants, you must cut the branches slightly on top of the node where you will find the new, emerging shoots. If you got the right timing for pruning your plants, they will eventually adopt the look of a bonsai plant. They will have more bud-producing spots. Meaning, they don’t need to stretch a little further. You’ll be getting your plants short but abundant in flowers.
As you can see, you don’t need to worry too much if you’re running out of space for your cannabis plants. Pruning is the key to getting more yummy buds. If you prune your plants, expect the vegetative phase will be longer than usual. That is the only downside of pruning.
As said before, pruning your plants at the right time is so important. One mistake that most novice growers have done was pruning their plants once they started to flower. Pruning is good to do while the plant is in the vegetative phase. You can even do it as soon as they moved to this phase.
Pruning your plants while they are flowering won’t do any good. It will only reduce their yields. When the branches look as if they have a growing and stretching for the light, they can be bent easily and tied that will keep them burning up. If not, you can use some chicken wires to build a sturdy system that can help spread out the flowers on the site and boost the yields, too.
Just be patient and give enough time for training the developing shoots. This way, they will grow along the base of your screen, filling those empty spots.
The Perks You Can Get If You Know How to Grow Cannabis
You don’t need to spend all your life in buying cannabis strains every month. By learning how to cultivate cannabis, you can enjoy the following:
1. More Savings
Perhaps, you want to learn how to grow marijuana on your own because you’re a medical marijuana patient. What you need to know is that there’s a bit transparency about the growing method used in some areas that make the final product not ideal for medicinal use.
When growing cannabis at home, you may be able to control the medicine and the way it works for your case. Besides, you will no longer run out of stocks. You don’t need to rush at the nearest local dispensary only to find that your preferred strain is currently out of stock.
2. You Learn New Gardening Skills
The good news is that one can become a successful marijuana grower in many ways. This happens to be a very rewarding process. You don’t have to rush things so that you can become as experienced as you can be. Little by little, you will learn from the steps you take and the mistakes you make. Getting a bit of experience should be your goal as a novice. With that, it becomes easier and more possible to create a system that matches your environment.
3. You Have Many Options in Where and How to Grow the Plants
It doesn’t have to be complicated. Whether you like to grow cannabis organically, use a soil container, or use a hydroponic system or raised beds, rest assured there’s a system that would work effectively for you while everything becomes enjoyable and rewarding.
4. You Get Your Desired Results
One of the benefits if you learn how to grow marijuana is that it gives you the authority on everything. Do you want to collect more buds? Do you want the buds to be more potent? Well, those things are possible.
Learning to grow cannabis will give you the privilege and authority to manage nearly every stage of the entire cultivation process. This way, you’ll be more certain that you’ll get the best possible return for your investments. Cannabis has never been a simple and cheap investment. Learning how to be a great grower increases your chances of getting the best value for your money in the long run.
5. You’re More Confident about Your Yield’s Overall Quality
Having the ability to control and supervise the entire growing process will also give you the chance to make sure your seedlings will eventually turn into healthy and mature plants. Growing cannabis on your own will mean you’re free to choose not to use fungicides, fertilizers, pesticides, miticides, and any other material that can harm your yield and even your health in some way.
Conclusion
Anyone can learn how to grow marijuana indoors or outdoors. The process is almost the same no matter what you choose. For a novice like you, indoor growing would be a better option because outdoor growing is quite challenging. You need to protect your plants from external elements like worms, rats, birds, and harsh climate. Indoor growing allows you to have more control over the lighting and other crucial factors to make sure your plants will grow healthy and high-yielding.
You also need to have the best tools to use in growing marijuana. Since you’re a novice, it is normal to encounter failure and make a mistake. What’s more important is you learn from them. Don’t be discouraged. Equip yourself with more knowledge and tips from the internet and your friends or relatives who might be growing cannabis for a long time.