Cannabis 101 : How to grow your own
From closet grows to the massive industrial grows, most things stay the same.
The main things you need to grow cannabis:
Securable space
Ability to keep a stable grow environment: temperature, humidity and ventilation
Proper grow lights, timers and reflectors
Time and patience to care for the plant
If you are able to accomplish the above continue reading below…
There are plenty of cannabis consulting guides out there for more detailed topics. Below is our quick guide to growing your own cannabis.
Number one is genetics!
If you are going to invest money in a setup, electricity and time you are going to want good genetics.
Figure out what characteristics you are looking for when finding a certain strain. Flowering times, Indica or Sativa & Growing Experience. Some strains need particular growing methods to achieve max yields. Always make sure you are purchasing from a reputable seed company or grower. Feminized seeds are a popular option over regular seeds, due to your guaranteed a female plant.
Clones work well too! After a certain amount of generations of clones you will start to see defects. You can keep a mother plant any where from three months to a couple years.
If you have enough room to have mother plants in with your veg room, you can start making your own clones. One process which works well in terms of genetics and strong phenotypes.
To start if you want a grow cycle to harvest continually, get your favorite strain seed or clone. Line up 4-5 different plants to make into mothers. Take 3 cuttings from each plant. Now, label which plants you took cutting from each. Then once you see each plant through harvest, dry and cure. See which plants yielded you more. To start if you want one harvest or are buying clones or seeds, Germination- Seeds need to sprout. once you know which seeds sprouted plant them in a small pot. Plant a clone and let it grow. It takes time.
Growing times - Vegetation stage 18/6 to 24/24 and flower stage 12/12
Vegetation stage - Is the beginning stage of major growth. Lights set to 18- 24 hours of light per day.
Flower stage - The stage you want everything dialed in. Lights set to 12/12, 12 hours on 12 off. Make sure your plants do no have any light sources when grow lights are off, this can effect your plants by confusing them which will cause stress. Having a stressed plant can create a hermaphrodite, your female plant could start to sprout “banana sacs” which are the pollen sacs and will cause that plant you put so much time in will now be all for not. This is why it is imperative to keep the climate constant, you do not want excess heat or cold. Also, track you fertilizers and flush with a solution every once in a while to break up any fertilizer build up in the soil.
Get ready for harvest
The last part of your grow is to make sure your harvest is ready. Flushing and letting the sugars breakdown are key to a good quality bud that is ready for harvest. Check out how to dry and cure your flower.