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An Overview On Growing Your Own Marijuana Plants, Continued

The growth of the cannabis plant can be divided into two stages, namely flowering and vegetative. Seedlings, when exposed to proper light, tend to grow taller, branch out intensely, and develop more growing tips. If the light cycle is shortened to 12 hours per day or even less, the plant’s growth is stunted. When growing outdoors, this process happens automatically as fall approaches after the plant has grown substantially during summer. However, the grower’s responsibility is to ensure the plant gets sufficient exposure to light when growing the plant indoors. 

This means that if the amount of light the plant is exposed to is not reduced, it will continue to remain in a vegetative state. There will be many sticks, lumber, and leaves, but no signs of buds’ growth if the light is not reduced. It is a practice that is more commonly used when growing mother plants to take cuttings or looking to clone the vegetative plants continually. Even the mother plants have to be cloned after several years due to space limitations. While it is uncommon, there are gardens where you can see mother plants of over twenty years. 

Indoor plants in the initial growth stage are exposed to around 18 to 24 hours of light in a day. When the plant’s growth and height has reached the desired limits, the light cycle is reduced to 12 hours. If the dark phase remains uninterrupted, the plant will transit from the vegetative stage to the flowering stage. When the plant’s outward and upward growth halts and flowers bloom, it becomes what we call “prized buds.”

The transition from vegetative to the much-awaited flowering stage is not instantaneous and may take several weeks. During the transition period, there would be some upward and outward growth. The hybrids grown by most cultivators today have a flowering period of around 45 to 65 days. Some rare and pure Sativa strains are known to have an exceptional flowering period of more than three months. 

One thing to note here is that the plant’s nutrient requirements during both vegetative and flowering stages are entirely different. It’s essential to tailor your grow methods accurately each phase, especially during the transition, to ensure the desired harvest. During the vegetative or initial growth stages, the plant requires more nitrogen-heavy nutrients, such as seaweed or liquid fish. During the flowering stages, the plant requires nutrients rich in phosphorus and potassium, such as bat guano. It’s essential to familiarize yourself with NPK fertilizers, so you have high-performance formulas needed for good results during the growth stages. 

Growing Cannabis Indoors vs. Growing Cannabis Outdoor – Which is Better?

Typically, the pot grown outdoors is not considered “good quality” because outdoor cultivation is mostly done on a large-scale. These plants grown outside are leafier, and their buds are not fully developed. However, it doesn’t mean that great pot cannot be grown outdoors. All you need to do is make sure your cannabis plants are protected from rain or wind. Fast winds can degrade THC’s quality, bruise trichomes, and even break branches. It’s essential to create a greenhouse or a windbreaker to protect the plant from the wind. 

Rain can be detrimental to the plant’s growth, too, especially during the later stages of flowering. Rain can potentially cause mold that would rot the bud and reduce the amount of high it provides. Covering the plants during the rainy season or windy weather is essential. 

When it comes to growing indoor plants, the entire process is different. Cannabis is grown best in rooms with intake fans, outtake fans, and charcoal filters, which can quickly soak any odour from the environment. The combination of intake fans and outtake fans ensures a constant supply of fresh air in the room.

Growers need to keep pests away from indoor plants. As there are no natural predators to take care of the bugs, the vegetarian bugs would have a free run on the unsuspecting plant leaves. The branches of the plant may also need to be staked to lend additional support. Make sure the lighting is never too close or too far from the top of the plant. The distance of around one to two feet is considered optimal for indoor plants. Growing cannabis is not difficult either indoors or outdoors; the choice depends on your personal preferences and what you have available.

Fertilization – Should You Choose Chemicals or Go Organic?

Like all plants, cannabis needs a sufficient amount of nutrients for ideal growth. Besides the basic supply of NPK or Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium, many other micronutrients are also required. The primary difference between the organic and chemical-based nutrients lies in how the nutrients are supplied to the plant. Laboratory developed formulas are considered inorganic, such as Miracle-Gro, which is a concentrated salt formula. However, nutrients retrieved from living organisms such as Liquid Fish, Seaweed, and Bat Guano are organic. 

Many growers feel that plants cannot distinguish between the elemental molecules they feed on from organic or chemical-based compounds. Some growers openly claim that all the fuss about organic pot is nothing but a sham. On the other hand, organic growers believe that the taste of buds of organically grown plants is much better. The nutrients and other resources needed for organic pot’s growth are readily available and much cheaper. 

Whether the plant is organic or not, it needs to undergo flushing in the last couple of weeks. Flushing is done to ensure we remove all the salts and minerals the cannabis plant has soaked up. It’s a mandatory process, and if more growers followed this step strictly, the quality of weed available worldwide would be much better today.

Pest Control – Choosing Between Organic and Chemical-Based Products

Like fertilization, there are differences in opinions among the growers about whether to use organic pest control methods or chemical sprays and pyrethrum. Some growers stick to organic pest control products and methods like using Neem Oil and using predator insects or nematodes to fight off pests. However, at times, the growers are overwhelmed with pest issues and have no options left but to choose chemical-based pest products. 

Keeping a close watch on the plant and regularly checking for any pests’ presence would help keep any pest issues at bay. Rinse the leaves and mist the plant regularly with pest sprays. Using safe and organic methods is always preferred as far as possible. It would not only produce a better-tasting pot but ensure no unwanted chemicals are ingested while smoking.

The Future of Cannabis

Cannabis use will continue to increase as more and more states are passing laws to permit the use of medical and recreational marijuana. Today, the majority of voters in the United States are in favour of decriminalizing marijuana use by adults. The voice of voters and the influence of the cannabis industry is finally being heard, and support for significant law reform has reached a record high. The fight for the legalization of marijuana has come a long way and is finally past the tipping point. 

The practice of growing pot at home for personal use is spreading globally at a rapid pace. Reports say that pot is grown for personal use as far as Lebanon, Mexico, Belgium, and Spain. Many other independent reports claim that the practice of cannabis cultivation for recreational purposes is growing in Asia, Eastern Europe, and beyond. 

What’s Next?

Smart growers should build a nursery of mother plants and continue to share its materials with like-minded people interested in growing. Cultivators now have access to better technology, materials, and information than ever before. Growing techniques continue to get more refined, and cultivators can easily share their experiences and growing tips online.

The internet has provided a public forum for growers to come together, solve each others’ problems, provide solutions, and share knowledge freely and openly. As these forums and alliances develop further and continue to thrive, refined techniques and better strains find their way across the globe.

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An Overview On Growing Your Own Marijuana Plants

Now that many states and provinces have legalized recreational marijuana and dispensaries are popping up every day, cannabis culture has slowly become accepted by the public. The most recent trend among cannabis smokers across the country is homegrown cannabis. Marijuana smokers are shifting their focus on cultivating cannabis on their own because the process has been simplified. By providing the optimal environment, humidity, nutrients, and pesticides, their plants can offer a large amount of flower when considering the amount spent on supplies and materials.

When starting with cannabis cultivation, it’s best to stick to the basics. Use a 2 to 4-gallon bucket and fill it in with soilless mix or loose potting soil. Make sure the bucket has holes at the bottom for drainage. Using a few fluorescent bulbs or HID lights of around 250 to 400-watt should be sufficient for a small room. However, for larger spaces, High-Intensity Discharge (HID) lights of around 600-watt to 1000-watt are required along with Metal Halide or High-Pressure Sodium bulbs and ballasts. 

Keep in mind that while high-wattage lights provide more illumination, it also generates more heat. The solution for this would be LED’s because their technology generates less heat, and as a result, saves electricity costs. LEDs provide less illumination but still provide enough light so plants can grow without side-effects.

Understanding the Primary Variants – Indica & Sativa

Marijuana in use today can be easily classified into Indica, Sativa, or a hybrid, which is a combination of the primary two types. There is a less know strain called Cannabis Ruderalis, a low-THC variant mostly available in Russia or Eastern Europe but can’t be smoked. 

Indica strains are characterized by their fat leaf structure and short stature as compared to Sativa. It originated from the Hindu Kush region of Central Asia. It was earlier cultivated primarily to make hashish. Glandular trichomes layer the buds of Indica, often referred to as “Crystals” or “Kif.” The trichomes are removed before being pressed to make hashish. The users usually feel sluggish or fatigued after smoking indica.

Sativa strains typically have a longer growing season compared to Indica plants and are taller and have longer branches. The leaves and buds of Sativa plants are much thinner and elongated. It is native to equatorial regions and is mostly bred for hemp purposes or a wide range of medical applications, mostly taken through smoking or brewing tea. The characteristic ‘high’ Sativa offer is often termed as “ecstatic” or even “racy.” The veterans returning from Vietnam are credited with describing the high provided by smoking Sativa. These veterans smoked Laotian, Vietnamese, and Thai Sativa strains, some of the most potent variants found in the world. Smoking pure Sativa can often induce a feeling of paranoia or make the heart race abnormally, which is more so the case with unsuspecting smokers. 

Regular pot smokers are well aware that different hybrids would have other characteristics in terms of scent, taste, flavour, and intoxication levels. Various strains of cannabis offer different qualities, ranging from paranoia to giddy and from stoned to catatonic or even a simple high. One of the most significant factors that play a huge role here is personal preferences. It is well documented that humans have bred cannabis they prefer repeatedly. Indica would mostly be smoked at night, while Sativa would be suitable during the daytime. Most marijuana smoked today is a hybrid of Indica and Sativa, with one being not more than 60 percent or so over the other. 

Understanding the Characteristics of Male and Female Plants

When we smoke weed or marijuana, we are basically smoking the dried flowers from a female cannabis plant. The male cannabis plants are useless except for the breeders. The breeders use the male plants’ pollen to pollinate flowers inside the female plants, eventually producing seeds. The first thing to remember for pot production is to discard the male plants as soon as they are identified. In other words, it can seed the entire female crop. You must be wondering how to identify which plant is male or female, right?

It can be easily found out during the initial phases of flowering at the plant node, where male plants would show their sex. The plant node is the area where the stem and leaf meet. A male plant’s flowers would protrude, looking distinct like a spear’s tip, and then gradually incline downwards. It would appear as a small bunch of bananas, and if the growth is allowed further, the flowers will burst open, spilling its pollen all over. It would destroy your efforts to grow a seed-free pot. Make sure to discard all-male plants, no exception!

During the early flowering stages, when females would show their sex, they’re identified by their pear-shaped bracts and white hairs coming out of the nodes. The white hairs emerging out of the nodes are a clear sign that it’s a female. However, you need to be careful because cannabis plants are capable of being male and female at the same time. Some plants are known to appear as a female when determining sex but do grow male flowers too. It can ruin the crop entirely if such plants are not discarded at the right time. Keep a close watch on the growing flowers for any signs of hermaphrodite behaviour. 

Soil, Soilless, or Hydroponics?

Traditionally, cannabis plants are grown either in soil or in soilless potting mixes that replicate an earthly loam type of characteristics. Loam soil is usually a mix of 40% sand, 40% silt, and 20% clay. Hydroponic techniques allow cultivators to increase their harvest. Hydroponics is a way of cultivating plants with their roots immersed in a nutrient-based solution. Roots growing through the hydroponic system grow bigger and faster than when the same roots are “live” in soil. 

However, it needs to be noted here that hydroponics is an advanced technique and not for everyone. The hydroponic system’s success depends on many other factors, including the pH level of the nutrient solution, water temperature, environment temperature, etc. Moreover, the water temperature and the pH level needs to be closely monitored and checked several times through the day for optimal growth and desired outcome. While cultivating cannabis in a soil-type potting mix may not yield results as good as in hydroponics, it is still the recommended method for beginners. It is mostly because growing cannabis in a soil environment is much more forgiving, and any issue can be resolved in a matter of days. 

There have been many exciting developments taking place in the world of hydroponics. NASA pioneered an Aeroponics system in which the roots are sprayed continuously with nutrient solution. The system was primarily developed for long-term space missions. Another development is the 360-degree grow-units where the plant’s air-cooled roots are rotated to expose the plant to the maximum light footprint. It impacts the size of the harvest and quickens the growth rate.

Hydroponic cultivators are now using innovative ways to use organic nutrients for their plants, and one of the most interesting examples is Aquaponics. In this form of cultivation, there is a fish farm stacked right below the hydroponic plant trays. The fish farms feed the plant and vice versa.

The most preferred mixes for growing cannabis, especially for the beginners and the home growers, are coco coir or soilless mix, a combination of clay, silt, and sand. The coco coir is an organic, renewable product made out of the outer layer or hulled coconuts shells. The primary reason these mixes and methods for growing cannabis are more preferred is that there are far lesser hassles than the hydroponic system. As mentioned earlier, the hydroponic system needs constant maintenance and supervision in terms of water temperature, pH levels of nutrient solution, clogged tubes, etc. When using coco coir, the growing process is slightly different because its nutrient requirement and the pH profile is not the same as the soilless mix. When using coco coir, the pot needs to be watered frequently but in optimal amounts. If you are looking for a method that’s the best of both worlds (i.e, offering the benefits of hydroponics and the soilless mix), using coco coir would come reasonably close. Using coco coir can be termed one of the more straightforward and ecologically method to cultivate cannabis indoors.

Part 2 coming next week! For a detailed step-by-step process, you can read more about growing cannabis here.

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