How to Grow Marijuana
A Beginner’s Guide to Marijuana Growing
For some, growing marijuana is like a walk in the park – it’s like they’re born for it! However, that is not the case for the majority of beginner growers. So, in the following posts, you will learn all the basics that revolve around growing, cultivating, and nurturing marijuana!
We’ll take you on a journey from how to choose the best marijuana seeds for your usage to the perfect harvesting time!
Choosing Marijuana Seeds
The first step in growing marijuana is to choose the best, perfect, and the fittest seeds for the type of growing you’ll be performing.
Indica, Sativa, or Hybrid?
What comes next would be choosing between indica, sativa, or hybrid. Indica is the type that relaxes you, giving you a physical body high and extreme calmness. They also tend to grow stouter and shorter than sativa plants, which is the exact opposite. Sativa tends to give you this invigorating and energizing high.
Hybrids, on the other hand, is a mix. They’re usually dominant with one type (indica or sativa), but they can be completely balanced.
Are Your Seeds Healthy?
One brief and good tip in ensuring that your seeds are kept healthy would be their color. People think that green seeds are healthy, but they’re usually not mature enough. Instead, opt for seeds that are dark brown to black in color. Size-wise, you can choose small or big – typically, though,
What Benefits Are You Looking For?
Of course, before you go for your particular set of seeds, you want to choose the one that would have the benefits you’re looking for. We all know the benefits, but, the most hyped and the most-sought-after would be:
- Lowered blood pressure
- Reduced inflammation
- Anxiety treatment
- Seizure prevention
Stage of Marijuana Growing
Akin to other types and species of plants, marijuana undergoes several stages before it becomes the plant we all recognize. Here are the different stages of marijuana growth.
Germination Stage
This is the first stage of growing a cannabis plant. It is where the plant is still a seed that needs to germinate and sprout. This usually lasts anywhere between 3 and 10 days depending on how fast the seed flourishes.
Seedling Stage
The seedling stage is when the duration of the time that the seedling starts to grow out a few fan leaves. Typically, it will show out a single ridged blade, developing to more ridges as it matures. The seedling stage lasts anywhere from 2 to 3 weeks.
Vegetative Stage
Next up is the vegetative phase and it is considered by many as the most crucial part of the plant’s growth. Lasting 3 to 16 weeks, it’s when the plant develops and grows the greens outward. There are specific ways of watering the plant during this stage.
Flowering Stage
Last but most definitely not least is the flowering stage and this is where the buds start pushing out of the plant. This is the phase where the seed you have (autoflowering or feminized) will have differences. Flowering lasts for about 8 to 11 weeks.
How Long Does It Take to Grow a Marijuana Plant?
The time it takes for a marijuana plant to grow out depends on certain factors. At the least, it could be at four (4) months. At the maximum, however, it can stretch as long as eight (8) months.
How To Grow Weed indoors
A lot of people have the misconception that growing weed indoors is just the same as how it’s grown outdoors, when, in fact, it’s very different. We say that it’s different because almost everything about it is – from the materials and equipment needed to the processes of how it’s done.
Benefits of Growing Weed Indoors
Growing marijuana indoors actually has a ton of advantages and benefits that many growers consider. This is especially the reason why the ratio of indoor growers to outside growers is massive. So, here are some of the advantages and benefits of choosing to grow cannabis indoors:
- Your produce will be consistent
- Insects and pests will be minimal
- Full control over the environment
- No need to take note of weather
- You’ll be able to harvest all year
How to Set Up An Indoor Grow Room
In case you’ve now grown interested in setting a grow room up, here are the things that would be of most importance to you:
Grow Tent
A grow tent, sometimes referred to as grow room, is the portable location you can use to grow a huge selection of plants – in our case, cannabis. Usually, a grow tent will be equipped with the necessary preparations for other parts and equipment needed to cultivate the cannabis plant.
Light
Without light, plants wouldn’t thrive – they need an exact amount of light for them to grow and nurture. So, if you are growing marijuana indoors, you don’t need to bring it out in the sun a few hours per day – you’ll have to set up a sun-like source that mimics it.
Hydroponics
Hydroponics is the growing medium typically used by indoor growers. Now, this is in replacement of soil, because some growers still like using soil as their medium. It follows the same purpose – it supports the roots of the plant, ensuring that it stays upright.
Fan
Fans are an imperative component in this mixture, especially if your tent is so enclosed that it does not have any exhaust units in it. Fans help out toggle the air inside your grow tent. It helps circulate the temperature, too by blowing wind in and out of the enclosure.
Grow Tent Kit
Last, but most definitely not least is a tent kit. It’s like a beginner’s must-have because it includes everything that’s needed in a grow tent like thermometers, hygrometers, receptacles, filters, and many more. Try to find a kit that has literally everything you need – some will have less, some will have more.
How To Grow Weed Outdoor
Growing weed outdoors is something that is not as complicated as you think. Try to imagine nurturing and cultivating another type of plant in your outside garden – of course, with a little complication and styling because, hey, it’s marijuana!
Benefits of Growing Weed Outdoors
If growing cannabis indoors has its benefits, you’ll also be able to find it advantageous do grow cannabis outside, too! Here are some of them:
- Growing it outdoors is natural and is environmentally-friendly
- It’s the least expensive and cheapest way to go
- Your plants can grow their full genetic potential with terpene profiles all natural
- Less energy is required
When is the Best Time to Plant Cannabis Outside
The best time to plant cannabis outside, according to expert growers and cultivators would be February and March. It’s considered perfect timing to get the seeds and start germinating to ensure that the harvest or the yield is maximized all throughout.
This is perfect time because the colder the weather, the slower the growth. So, plant them during summer so that you get maximized harvest and yields!
Choosing Fertilizers and Nutrients
There are multiple types of fertilizers you can choose from, but, among the best ones in the market and the most-sought-after by growers and cultivators are:
- Advanced Nutrients Bloom, grow, and Micro
- Canna Coco A & B
- Organic Fertilizers For Outdoor Plants
- Kyle Kushman’s Vegamatrix
NOTE: You don’t want to use indoor fertilizers for an outdoor setting, and vice versa. So, you need to double-check and confirm the type you’re purchasing.
Apart from these, you can also use traditional means of fertilization to ensure that the plants have the necessary nutrients to grow and nurture.
Strains to Grow Outdoors
Many argue that all strains can be grown outdoors. We, however, firmly believe that there are a particular set of strains that are more effective when grown outdoors versus indoors. So, the best strains you can grow and nurture outdoors are:
- Durban Poison
- HulkBerry
- LSD
- Molby Dick
- OG Kush
- Super Silver Haze
- White Widow
Marijuana Harvesting
On a typical sense, marijuana grown outdoors can be harvested at least once (1) per year.
In harvesting, you can opt for dry trimming or wet trimming. Dry trimming is when the chopped-up plants are hung for several days to a few weeks before they’re trimmed, while wet trimming is when they’re trimmed right after it’s chopped down and just dried out and cultured individually.
Not sure about harvesting your full-grown cannabis plants? Here are a few tips to equip yourself and prevent you from making mistakes:
- 1 week before harvesting, flush your cannabis plants.
- The perfect time to harvest is when you notice the hairs or pistils have darkened and are sticking straight out.
- Another tip is when you see that the trichomes are half clear and cloudy and when they’re about to turn amber or light brown.
- When the trichomes are turning “milky” and when the pistils are about 70% darkened, it’s also up for harvest.
Common Marijuana Plant Problems
If you are a beginner grower, you are more likely to experience these mishaps and problems in growing and cultivating your marijuana plant, both indoor and outdoor:
- Rotting of the buds – molding inside of the leaves and buds.
- Algae – especially common in a hydroponics set up.
- Brown Spotting or Septoria – growth of brown spots on the leaves.
- Powdery Mildew – appearance of white powder that coats the entire plant.
These are just “the most common,” and there are tons of other possible diseases that could endanger the health and overall condition of the plant. Be wary of these, because, most of these roots from evident causes.
Important Marijuana Growing tips
Growing marijuana is not as complicated as you think – at least, for those that have already done it. Nevertheless, it still wouldn’t hurt to get a few important and significant tips, right?
So, here are a few essential tips in growing your cannabis plants:
- When choosing a location, consider the following:
- Climate you are in
- Outside environment
- Estimated time of harvest
- Choose high-quality seeds or clones. Don’t settle for cheap ones, they’ll spoil your cultivation in the long run.
- Ensure that you get the sex or gender you want to have. Females produce buds, while males strengthen genetics.
- Water your plants according to their need – avoid overwatering them. They drown, too, you know!
- Keep a thermometer inside a grow tent if you are growing indoors, and near your plant set up if you are growing outdoors. Keep it at the ideal temperature!
- Use NPK as a guide for fertilization. N stands for nitrogen, P stands for phosphorus, and K stands for potassium.