With the excitement of the legal ability to grow cannabis many are asking, what do I need to grow weed? Well we would love to help you out with a short guide to getting started with growing cannabis.
You will need to acquire a strain of cannabis you prefer, you can acquire seeds from a host of places, including using the links in Green Magi Labs Top 2020 Strains article. Quality strains from seeds are not the only choice you have though. There are some dispensaries that will provide you with clones and plant starts for a price. You can always often network to acquire strains from other growers, especially around summer outdoor grow. Seed banks can also be found online with a quick Google search and are an excellent way to get cannabis seeds. Make sure you look at overall seller information before making any purchases online from any seed distributors you choose to use.
Your growing medium is a very important choice. You will need to know if you are growing with a solid medium, such as soil, or you plan to grow hydroponically. Soil is considered the easiest medium to start with. Soil is forgiving in ways hydroponics are not. Hydroponic systems show amazing growth rates and produces a high quality bud when done correctly. Hydroponics requires a higher level of skill in many cases and actively maintaining. Hydroponics also will require you to get very comfortable with solution mixes, and PH controls. To grow in soil, little is needed besides lighting systems, ventilation, and nutrients. To grow in hydroponics you will need a hydroponics system to actively control your setup and solutions daily. You also will need nutrients solutions, PH up and down, and a light system or source.
Growing indoors or outdoors, both require you to think and be safe about who all you show, and to control access in some manner to your cannabis grow. There are some strains that excel at being grown outdoors,have amazing quality, and spectacular yield. There are also strains of cannabis that are exceptional quality, but require the control of an indoor grow to turn out correctly. Pick your stain based on information provided by most seed brokers.
Lighting is a must and you have choices, from T-5 and T-8 lights, LED, High Pressure Sodium, Ceramic Metal Halide, and the Sun. T-5 and T-8 lights have low overall electric use and are great for veg. The light is not overly hot, so there is reduced fire risk and less requirements for overall ventilation and cooling systems. The T-5 and T-8 do not put out as intense of light, so they are great for sprouts, starts, clones, and even for vegging plants indoors. The T-5 and T-8 are not considered the best for large grow rooms and for budding, but they are an amazing starter light for first time growers. LED lighting has come an amazing distance recently, they have very low energy cost, they are made to put out specifice light wavelengths, and some LED systems have programmable controls for optimizing light wavelength requirements, as they change from veg cycle to budding cycle. LED lighting systems have low heat, with overall low fire risk. LEDs have a small footprint coverage is one of the most common complaints, footprint coverage is the area covered under the light source. LED light systems can be found cheap in some cases, the best systems do cost though. LED lighting systems are great for getting started growing cannabis at home. High Pressure Sodium and Ceramic Metal Halide provide for very intense light, they are hot and require a ventilation system, and in some cases specific upgrades to an electrical system. HPS and CMH provide for amazing footprint coverage and have the ability to provide intense light that contributes to often increased yield. HPS and CMH are best for serious growers, require more money to get started, and do have fire risk if not done properly. For industrial grows HPS and CMH are amazing, for you closet at home or in an apartment, it is probably not the best choice. The Sun is amazing in almost every aspect, except you do not control the lighting cycle. The sun is intense and can damage sprouts or seedlings started indoors, so it is best to transition them over a couple of days to the outdoors. If you grow your plants outdoors you have to consider its security, the weather, and the time of year. It will not be done till fall, for wherever you live. You will have to check if it is done by examining the trichomes on the bud. Growing under the real Sun outdoors, is amazing. The Sun offers a massive yield in comparison to indoor. Growing under the real sun is a great way to get started if you have never grown before.
Nutrients will be required to get a plant through the full cycle to harvest and get the optimum yield, quality, and terpene profile. The terpene directly affects the taste and overall flavor bouquet. The nutrients in your soil, even high quality soil will run out and the requirement for nutrients shifts through the cycle of the cannabis plant, as it goes from veg, to bloom, and the even, finishing out, or flushing. Many companies make Bloom, Vegetation, and Finishing products, we would love it if you choose ours if you’re growing in soils, but here is what they should have period. Veg products should have a base of micronutrients, the nitrogen (N) should be high during veg, along with containing potash (K) and phosphate (P). During budding your bloom fertilizer should have an increased amount of phosphate (P), the patash (K) is slightly increased, and the Nitrogen is reduced, but still present. Most cannabis and bud finishers reduce or eliminate the nitrogen (N), have phosphates (P), and potash (K), plus some sugaring substance. There are very specific fertilizers made for cannabis, so use fertilizer made for what you are growing to get the best outcome.
Get a book because there are a ton of issues that will come up while you grow and learn from growing. You will encounter diseases, pests, fungi, and tons of other random issues. All of them are easy to deal with when you have the information. The quality and quantity of bud you get from grow cycle will reflect what you know about growing, “the more you know, the better the grow”. Growing cannabis is constantly evolving and there is a ton of stuff you can learn to improve your growing experience.
Trellising or netting to support the extremely swollen buds you have produced is important so they don’t weigh down and break the stems of your plants. Pesticide, whether organically natural or chemical, will come in handy sooner or later for indoor or outdoor grows. A smart phone, jeweler’s loop or handheld microscope allows you to determine when the trichomes have reached your desired maturation zone. Glass jars and a place to hang your drying plant for curing is the final thing you will need.
We would love you to try our veg fertilizer, Ambrosia’s Garden and our Budding Bloom fertilizer Gaia’s Virility. Designed for cannabis and hemp, soil growers. Colorado product, proudly made in America!
Produced by Green Magi Labs