You’re considering growing your own cannabis: congratulations! With the legalization of cannabis spreading across the United States every year, it’s never been a better time to throw your hat into the pot-growing ring. However, you may be intimidated and even perplexed about how to grow cannabis and what issues you’ll need to consider before growing cannabis. Read on for an outline of issues specific to growing and cultivating cannabis plants and for pointers for how to cultivate an amazing crop.
What do my cannabis plants need?
You’ve got your high-quality seeds from Growers Choice Seeds, now what? While strains of cannabis will vary on preferred growing conditions and concerns (some strains are more susceptible to mold than others, some like a warmer temperature than others, etc.) the following are the six most important elements to consider in making sure your plants grow healthy and full of nugs.
1. Light
Like any other plant, cannabis plants need light! If you plan to grow outside, keep in mind that cannabis plants need more light than many other kinds of plants. Eight hours or more of direct sunlight is recommended for the best output. If you don’t live in a sun-kissed part of the world, it may be best to grow your plants indoors. You can use compact fluorescent light bulbs or household LEDs for inexpensive lighting options. Ceramic metal halide (CMH) lights have come into vogue recently among growers as they emit a fairly natural color and produce significant levels of UV light, which is known to increase trichomes. On the higher end of the financial spectrum, LED lights are powerful, visually attractive, and have benefitted from significant technological development over the last ten years, leading to a variety of LED models available to the everyday consumer.
2. Material to Grow In
Soil is the obvious material for your cannabis plants to grow in, but those new to cannabis cultivation may not be aware that this is not your only option. Hydroponic systems are very popular among cannabis growers. A hydroponic system is soilless and features an aquatic environment where nutrient solutions feed the plants, with substrates providing support for the roots. Hydroponic systems are popular because they typically help produce big yields and foster fast growth, especially in combination with CMH or LED lighting systems.
3. Nutrients
Cannabis plants do need specific nutrients to grow. If you’re using soil, expect to add cannabis nutrients made for soil to your plants around the flowering stage because cannabis plants are heavy feeders and this is the time in the process when they’ll need extra nutrients the most. If you’re using a hydroponic system, you’ll want to get cannabis nutrients specific to hydroponics.
4. Temperature
Keeping your plants in an acceptable temperature range is very important to successful cultivation. Young cannabis plants like warmer temperatures, in the 70-85°F (20-30°C) range. As they get into the flowering stage, however, plants usually prefer a colder range, around 65-80°F (18-26°C). Keep in mind that if you’re planning an indoor operation, your lights will give off heat, impacting the temperature of the room.
5. Air
Along with not being too hot or too cold, the space, where you’ll be growing your weed, needs to be well-ventilated and enabled with good air exchange. If you’re growing outside, of course, the natural breezes will take care of this, but if you’re growing inside, most people install an exhaust fan to remove warm air, and a filtered air inlet on the opposite side of the room to bring fresh air inside. It’s also a good idea to maintain a constant light breeze in your grow area, as this helps ward off mold and flying pests. A circulating fan can work great for this purpose.
6. Water
Lastly, plants need water to survive and cannabis plants are no different. You may think that common tap water would work fine for your cannabis and while you may be right, depending on your location, filtered water may be best for your new Mary Jane buds. Some tap water contains dissolved minerals that can build up in the root area and affect nutrient intake, or your tap water may contain fungus or other pathogens that don’t affect people but can cause root disease in plants. Also, some places have a high level of chlorine in water, or high or low pH levels, which can affect the growth level of your cannabis plants. Keep all this in mind when determining the water source for your plants.
Cannabis plants are planted, now what?
Once you have the key cultivation elements in place for your plants, it’s important to regularly check on your seedlings. These are not the kind of plants where you can get them going, go on vacation for two weeks, and forget about them! Cannabis plants benefit from constant monitoring for mold, pests, too little or too much light or water, and other barriers to cultivation success. Checking on your plants at least once a day is advisable, especially in the early stages.
Coaxing your plants into healthy weeds with heavy nugs (that you can then roll up and enjoy!) can be a very rewarding experience. Most growers love to share cultivation advice so, as a new grower, don’t be afraid to ask for advice! It’s likely that another grower has encountered the same cultivation issue you are wrestling with and when it comes to pot cultivation, two heads are usually better than one.
