Frequently asked questions about growing your own grass (updated)

Many people will choose to grow their first cannabis crop this year, and to help them along the way, I’ve decided to answer some of the most frequently asked questions.

I’ve seen these questions repeatedly on forums, websites, and the like, so decided it is time to just make a solid list to answer most of them. Of course, I certainly won’t be able to answer all of them, but hopefully these answers will help clear any doubts you may have before growing your own!

So let’s just jump right into it, right?

How important are the genetics of cannabis seeds?

Genetics play a role in cultivation, especially if you are growing for a reason. For example, if you’re looking for a big yield to turn into oil, you should be better off with an indica-dominant hybrid or other big yielding strains.

However, if you’re looking for a more cerebral high, growers tend to recommend sativas. Additionally, if your geographic location has certain innate conditions, such as humidity or drought, it is beneficial to find genetics that can work with your location.

Ultimately, of course, you can take bag seeds and throw them in the ground to grow a good harvest – but if you want to take your growing to the next level, genetics do play a role.

How about nutrients for marijuana plants?

It depends on how you are going to grow cannabis – hydroponics or soil. In most cases, soil-based growing requires very little additional nutrients, and in most cases, you will need a little more potassium during the flowering phase.

If you bought soil from a store, it is pre-fertilized, which means you don’t need to add anything for at least 3-4 weeks.

If you are growing hydroponically, you will need to add nutrients as the growing medium does not contain any. All you need to do here is balance the pH and density of nutrients to make sure you don’t burn your plant – a mistake often made by beginners.

If this is your first grow, I highly recommend starting with soil as it is more tolerant than hydro.

How about some grow lights? What’s the best?

The best grow light is the one that fits your budget and gets the job done. You can grow with something like CFL (Compact Florescent Lights), which takes at least 6000 lumens to flower.

Most people use these for the vegetative phase because they have low power consumption and can provide more than enough light to start the process.

For flowering, you want a little more “punch” and while it is possible to flower with CFL, most people opt for HID (High Intensity Discharge) like HPS (high pressure sodium) and MH (metal halide). These have what you need to bloom, but they also produce a lot of heat and use a lot of electricity.

LED is your final option, these can be used for both the flowering and vegetative phases – and as the prices for them are dropping sharply, they have become a good option for the whole process. They don’t generate as much heat as HPS and offer more light than CFL.

These are your ideal entry-level lights.

How often should i water the cannabis plants?

This is a mistake new growers often make – when should you water the plants? Usually when the top 3-4 cm of your soil (if you’re growing soil) is dry, watering is fine.

If you water your plants too much, there is a risk that the roots will suffocate. This causes the plant to wither and die. Conversely, the plant will achieve the same result underwater.

How should I train my plants?

Training your plants is optional – and if done correctly, yields can be increased significantly. I recommend doing a few rounds without doing anything just to learn how the plant reacts during the growing cycle.

Once you are comfortable with growing a plant from seed to harvest, you can start implementing various techniques such as swazzing, lolipopping, LST, etc.

If you want to create larger buds, you should trick the plant into thinking that the buds it has are light. So if you add structural support to the branches, the plant can grow buds that are heavier than the stem.

However, it is not recommended for newbies.

When do I harvest my buds?

Harvesting too early will dramatically reduce the potency of the plant. To know when, look at the trichomes.

When the trichomes are clear – you will be around 3-4 weeks from harvest. If they are milky white it means THC production is at its maximum level, but you will still be 1-2 weeks away from harvest.

When you finally see that 10-20% of the trichomes have turned amber, now is the time to harvest.

However, with experience, you will learn when to harvest. Remember that these are all just “rules of thumb” and not something that you absolutely need to obey religiously.

How important is it to dry and harden your buds?

This is one of the areas where most of the newcomers screw up their crops. This is usually due to a lack of patience. However, without properly drying and curing your cannabis, you will lose all of the hard work you did during the growth phases.

Therefore, you should carry out drying in a dark room with a humidity of 45% -55%. Second, you want some air circulation and know it’s ready to shake if the branches break, but don’t break it off.

Then you will put it in a jar to harden. Fill the glass to about ¾ and hold some air. Put these jars in a dark room and burp them for about 15 minutes a day.

Belching essentially means opening it up and letting the gases escape. This process takes at least 21 days, but I recommend waiting at least a month to stop smoking.

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