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Cannabis is now legal in 11 states as well as the District of Columbia. The market is booming with industry outlooks estimating a worth of $25 billion by 2025.
Are you hopping on the cannabis-growing bandwagon? If so, you need a good crop yield. Wondering the best way to grow cannabis?
Boost your production and business with these cannabis growing tips!
1. Choosing the Seeds
Before you can grow anything, you need seeds! Use female seeds because male seeds don’t produce smokeable flowers. More about growing here.
How do you know what type of seeds you’ll need?
First, decide if you’re growing medical marijuana or recreational marijuana. There are many breeds and variations of cannabis strains. Different strains offer different effects on the body.
Sativa is a strain of cannabis that is heat resistant. It doesn’t grow in the cold. Most people feel upbeat and easy after using Sativa.
Indica withstands the cold better than heat. The buds are dense on short plants. Indica gives users a heavy relaxing effect.
The “high” effect from cannabis comes from THC, a cannabinoid. Cannabidiol (CBD) doesn’t cause a “high,” and is more often used for its medicinal effects.
The exception is cannabis for nausea which requires a high amount of THC.
2. Where Will You Grow?
If you grow cannabis outdoors, the weather is sometimes a problem. Avoid that by setting up an outdoor greenhouse. You’ll save electricity by using the sun. And a greenhouse is warm even when it’s cold outside.
You can also grow year-round with a greenhouse. You can add some lights when it’s too dark outside. And you can block light if there’s too much coming in.
3. Consistency Is Key
It helps if you’re a little obsessive-compulsive when growing cannabis! When it comes to watering and fertilizing, keep a record of all your data, including your yield.
After harvesting, refine your process based on the data.
As for fertilizer, look for one specific to the way you’re growing your plants. If you’re using a hydroponic grow system, use hydroponic fertilizer. If you’re growing in soil, use fertilizer specific to soil-growing plants.
Follow the directions for fertilizing carefully.
4. From Vegetation to Flowering
When your plants first appear out of the soil, they’re in their vegetation stage. The stage you’re waiting for is the flowering stage. The flowers are the “buds.”
The flowering stage is about two months. The plant transitions from vegetative to buds. This is the first bud stage. After this, the buds grow and finally ripen.
After they ripen, you’re ready for harvesting.
Once the plants enter the flowering stage, make sure they’re getting about 12 hours of light per day. If you’re in a greenhouse, you may have to add some lights. If they’re getting too much light, put up some darkening screens.
During the first few weeks of the flowering stage, your plants are still growing. Make sure you’re giving the plants proper nutrition at this stage.
The more your plant flowers, the better your yield.
5. The First Flowers
After about three weeks, you’ll see the first full buds. At this point, plant growth slows. Expect a few dead leaves at this point.
Keep on eye on your plants and continue proper nutrition. Into the fourth week and you’ll see big white pistils. The pistils grow fast.
During this stage of growing weed, don’t prune your bushes too much. Don’t cut big branches. Only remove dead leaves and branches.
6. Watch the Humidity Level
Cannabis plants love moisture and humidity. But in the flowering stage, control the moisture! Don’t let it get above 50%.
Why? You don’t want powdery mildew on your buds. If the growing area gets too humid, use a dehumidifier. A 30-pint dehumidifier is a good option for anything in the 500-square-foot size.
If your tent or greenhouse is 1,000 square feet, you’ll need a 70-pint dehumidifier. Try to keep the humidity at or around 45%.
7. Reduce Odor: Carbon-Filtered Airflow Systems
Once your plants begin flowering, you’ll notice a distinct marijuana smell. Running a carbon-filtered airflow system reduces odor. It also circulates fresh air for good growth and healthy plants.
Your plants are now flowering, and the buds are getting bigger every day. Make sure your plants get enough potassium and phosphor. But avoid “burning” your plants with too much fertilizer.
If the tips of the leaves look burned, you’re overfertilizing.
If the buds are heavy and the branches are bending and tipping, add some stakes to your plants. Make sure enough light reaches the buds.
At this stage, some leaves turn brown as the plant focuses on bud growth. Trim the dead leaves away.
If you’re using grow lights, never leave them on during the night. Your plants need the dark phase for flowering. If you interrupt the day-night cycle, you’ll confuse the plants.
8. Harvest Time!
Once the buds are big, around week eight, you’re getting close to harvest time. You’ll harvest between 8-10 weeks. You’ll notice an intense marijuana smell at this time.
If you harvest early, you’ll lose some of the plant potency. If you harvest late, your product might be overly sedating.
About a week before harvesting, flush the plants with plain water and don’t use any fertilizer. This creates a good-tasting product.
Begin harvest early in the day. Cut the plant completely away from the root. Remove all the leaves except the ones connected to the buds. Trim off the smaller leaves from the outside in.
Hang your plants upside down with good air circulation letting the plants dry slowly. Once the buds are dry, the cannabis is ready to go!
Cannabis Growing Tips for Great Plants
Now that you’ve got some great cannabis growing tips, it’s time to grow your own! Start with female seeds of the strain that suits your goals best.Â
Pick the best growing place for you – inside, outside, in a grow tent or greenhouse. Be consistent with everything you do and keep good records. Use proper water and nutrition and watch your humidity levels.
Once the plants flower, you’re almost there! After harvesting, be patient and take time drying the buds.
Congratulations on joining a thriving, growing industry!
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