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I remember receiving my first cannabis plant from a neighbor... it was about 7 inches tall and man was I excited! I had dreamed of growing weed since I was a kid! With a big smile stretched from ear to ear, I discretely walked back home with my new baby tucked beneath my shirt. Then, I remember thinking to myself as I stepped back into my apartment "Ok, now what?"
As overwhelming as it might seem, cannabis is a fairly easy plant to grow. With a little knowledge, effort, love, and the right tools you'll be growing, harvesting, drying, curing and smoking your own stash before you know it!
The initial investment can put a small dent in your pocket, but, if you want to grow fat tasty buds that you're proud to show your friends and family, trust me, you won't regret the $ spent! It's an awesome experience and fulfilling hobby! Plus, once you have everything (especially the bigger-pricier grow equipment) it'll last for many future grows.
I've broken this article into categories that follow a timeline as to what you should be focusing your energy on. Seeds, grow equipment checklist, environment/ph, germination, seedling stage, vegetative stage, flowering stage, harvest, drying, and curing.
Now let's get growing!
SEEDS
"What type of seeds should I grow?"
For new growers, stick with Autoflowering seeds or Feminized photoperiod seeds.
Auto flower
Auto flower seeds are the result of breeding a photoperiod plant (female or male) with a ruderalis (autoflower) plant.
Auto Flowering seeds are probably the best choice for beginners who want more of a plug and play, almost disaster proof grow experience, and for those who have limited grow space or need to be extra stealth.
PROS
Fast flowering. Auto Flower plants will bloom and finish automatically based on a timeframe, typically between 2 and 3 months. You don't need to change your light schedule throughout the different grow stages (recommended lights on for 18 hours and lights off for 6 hours from start to finish)
Shorter smaller plants easy to conceal
They are very resilient plants that can withstand crazy temperature fluctuations and are pretty resistant to mold.
You don't have to worry about ruining your crop with light pollution during the lights off hours like you do with photoperiod plants that need absolute and complete darkness when the lights are off.
Autoflowering plants require less nutrients.
CONS
Lower Yields. Smaller plants + shorter life cycle = less buds at harvest time. BUT, there are still some strains out there that are pretty heavy yielders for autos.
Using your lights more @ 18 hours a day will burn them out faster and ultimately give you a slightly higher electricity bill
Not recommended to transplant autoflowers from smaller to larger pots because they don't have enough time to recover from the transplant. This makes it harder to gauge the amount of water and food to give your plants because you start them in the same pot they will finish in
Feminized Photoperiod
Feminized seeds are the result of breeding 2 female plants and the seeds that come out are 99.9% likely to be female plants. Female plants create buds or flowers. You do not want male plants! Unless you decide to start creating your own strains and cross breeding but that's a whole other universe of botany and education, so for now, baby steps folks, baby steps.
PROS
Larger Yields. Bigger plants + longer life cycle = bigger harvests.
Photoperiod plants have a full life cycle and plenty of time to recover from transplanting, nutrient burns, deficiencies, mistakes, etc.
Have more options for plant training to increase yields
CONS
They take what can seem like an eternity to finish! 4 plus months (not including drying and curing) 100% worth it in the end though if you did everything half way decent
Larger plants that are harder to conceal and contain in smaller grow spaces, especially sativas
Photoperiod plants are vulnerable to light pollution during the flowering stage. Any amount of substantial light that leaks into your grow space during lights off could turn your healthy females into hermaphrodites that produce pollen sacks, pollenating your whole crop, decreasing yield and quality. You don't want that to happen.
"Which strains are best for beginners?"
First off, I would stay away from anything OG. These tend to be more fickle strains that are harder to grow for beginners. Some good strains to start out with that are pretty much beginner proof are:
Gorilla Glue (High Yield, High potency, Easy Peasy to grow)
Blue Dream (Moderate Yield, Moderate to High potency)
Green Crack (Moderate Yield, Moderate to High potency)
Northern Lights (High Yield, Moderate potency, very resistent to disease)
All in all, it's a plant that grows like a weed.. It's not rocket science.. Choose something that you like and that you have the space for.. All seed banks have filters to choose the height, variety, potency, etc.
"Where do I get seeds?"
With the wonderful invention of the internet and ecommerce, acquiring seeds is now easier than ever.
Now that I don't live next to a neighbor who gifts cannabis plants, I had to figure out where to get some seeds for my future grows. So with a little online trial and error, I found a couple seed sites that have worked best for me.
Now, there are hundreds of online seed banks that I'm sure are super reliable and trustworthy, but these are the 2 that I have had continued success with.
Both of these seed banks offer great selection of strains with reliable shipping and tracking. There are also multiple payment options in both of these sites and the ability to have your packages stealth shipped in random items (which I definitely recommend doing).
Don't forget to use those filters in your search to find the right strain for you!
Last, when storing seeds be sure to keep them in a cool dry place. I keep mine in the refridgerator with a small silicone pack inside to keep them nice and dry.
(IMPORTANT: Please check your state and local laws before purchasing seeds and make sure it is legal for you to grow in your home. In most places it is not illegal to have seeds, but unfortunately in most areas it is still illegal to germinate them. Basically, do it if it's legal in your state, don't if it ain't. Cannabudgro.com is not liable for any interaction with law enforcement involving this topic)
GROW EQUIPMENT CHECKLIST
I know all too well how badly buying grow equipment hurts the pockets, but, the sooner you buy everything, the sooner you can begin growing and consuming your very own flower! There is no better feeling, waking up everyday to your very own cannabis garden!
Below is a list of just about everything you will need to get started. I list some more optional grow equipment later on in this article, but these are the essentials.
Grow Light
Deciding on a grow light really depends on how much space you have available for your indoor garden and how much you want to spend on electricity.
The higher the wattage of your light the more buds you can potentially harvest, but you will definitely be spending a bit more on your electric bill at the end of each month with higher watt lights.
LED
LED is probably the best route to get started. They are almost all full spectrum and you don't need to do a thing pretty much except turn it on and move it further or closer to the plants.
Here's a link to the best LED Grow Lights 2020 for the price which gives a ton more in-depth information about choosing the right light for your set up.
A couple of my favorite LED's for a 2 x 2 foot set up are the Phlizon CREE Cob 1000 and the Spider Farmer SF-1000 . Both are great lights, at a fair price, that will yield above average results with the proper set up.
For a 2 x 4 foot grow space you can either double up on the lights I mentioned above, or I highly recommend the Mars Hydro SP3000.
This is a very powerful LED grow light with uniform full spectrum light distribution that makes for superior yields, high quality flowers and the light is specifically designed for a 2 x 4 foot grow tent
There are certainly a lot of cheaper LED's on the market, but most of them are junk, and, considering there is a lot of time, energy, effort, and money that goes into a cannabis grow you want to be sure your end product and harvest are well worth it!
HPS/MH
A 400 or 600 watt HPS paired with a MH bulb is also a great option for an indoor cannabis garden.
You will experience fantastic yields! Especially with the 600 watt, but, you will have to change from MH bulb for veg to HPS bulb for flower, they run a bit hotter, and are pretty heavy and bulky.
The iPower 600 Watt Air Cooled Reflector Hood is my favorite HPS for the money.
IMPORTANT: If you decide to use the 600 watt HPS/MH, be sure to use a 2' x 4' x 6' minimum sized grow tent. Ideally you should place this light in a 4' x 4' x 7' grow tent as they are very powerful and can easily burn plants if they are set too close to the top of the canopy.
Digital Timer
I've been using this model for years it functions perfect and is easy to use and setup BN-LINK 7 Day Heavy Duty Digital Programmable Timer. In case you need some guidance there is a youtube video on how to set up the timer here.
Grow Tent
(Skip if you're using a closet or an open area in a room, but I do recommend grabbing a tent as it creates a micro climate inside the grow tent that is easier to control and makes it easier to achieve complete darkness which is vital for photoperiod plants).
This is the exact tent I use TopoGrow D-Door 48"x24"x72". You can go bigger or smaller as needed TopoGrow has a bunch of sizes to choose from.
I like this tent because of the extra height, which allows you to be more flexible when adjusting the distance of your grow light from your plants, and gives you more ceiling for taller plants.
Ventilation and Odor Reduction
Inline fan sucks in cold dry air, removes hot humid air and blows it out through a carbon filter getting rid of any smell you wouldn't want your neighbors getting a whif of.
Complete set up with variable speed control to help adjust your temps and humidity linked here iPower 6 Inch 442 CFM Inline Fan (comes with some bonus goodies too!)
I personally don't use a carbon filter because it does reduce the power of the actual fan, but if you need to be extra stealth do it! Otherwise you can just purchase the inline fan, ducting, and ducting clamps separately and rig it up with some heavy duty zip ties to save a few bucks.
Fan
Circulates air in the tent and strengthens plants. Oscillating fans are ideal, but if you get a good one that is engineered to clamp onto grow tent poles they're gonna run you between $40 - $60 a pop.. Basic fan like this will work just fine click here. Be sure to not to blast your plants with the fan(s) in the same direction for prolonged periods they can get wind burn. Put them on a setting and at a distance where the leaves are gently moving around but not tropical storm status.
Pots and Trays
The bigger your pots, the bigger your roots, and the bigger your plants. If you're growing Auto Flowers you'll want to start the plant in the same pot it will finish in, because of the shorter life cycle. My pots of choice for Auto Flowers are these VIVOSUN 3 gallon square grow bags. The grow bags are made of fabric, unlike traditional plastic material pots, they allow your plants roots to breathe more. Healthy Roots = Healthy Yields.
If you're planning on growing Feminized Photoperiod plants, get a few different size pots because you'll want to transplant your plants as the roots expand. A good pot set up would be a 4" pot to start or I like to use plastic solo cups (drill holes in the bottom for drainage), a 2 or 3 gallon to transplant for vegetative growth, and a 5 gallon for flowering.
iPower 5 Gallon Square Grow Bags work great. You can plant your photoperiod plants straight into a 5 gallon pot right off the bat, but it makes not overwatering or underwatering your younger plants more difficult. I'll cover this in more detail later on.
Don't forgot to buy trays that will fit your pots to catch your nutrient and water runoff!
Fertilizer/Nutrients
If you're just starting out I'd recommend a basic nutrient set up that's affordable like the Earth Juice Starter Kit. It's simple, organic, and has an easy to follow feeding schedule and can be used for soil or coco.
Other nutrients I've had success with in the past are General Hydroponics, Fox Farms Trio for Soil, Advanced Nutrients Jungle Juice, and my favorite Blue Planet Elite 3 Part shown below.
All of these brands have a full line of products that you can purchase and add to your feed schedule as your learn more and more and want to increase quality and yields down the road, and the feeding charts are listed on the bottles or on the manufacturers websites.
2 essential nutrients you'll need to pair with your base nutrients are calcium and magnesium. Cal-Mag are secondary macronutrients that are vital to your plants health and help to avoid nutrient deficiencies. General Hydroponics CALiMAGic works great, but any Cal-Mag will work just fine.
You will also want to add Silica to your nutrient repertoire. Silica increases the resistance to pests and disease, helps forms stronger cell structures, aids in nutrient absorption, and improves overall health and harvest of your crop.
IMPORTANT: When growing in soil especially, I'd strongly suggest starting out at 25% to 50% of the recommended amounts of nutrients per grow phase. You don't want to overfeed and burn or kill your plants.
Also, invest in a Glass Pipette/ Graduated Dropper set. They are super cheap and will allow you to be extremely precise with feeding measurement. Plus they make you look like a MAD SCIENTIST when you're mixing up the nutrient solution!
Growing Medium (Soil or Coco)
If you're a beginner, I'd start off with Soil. It's a lot more forgiving and requires less feeding and less precision. If you overfeed or start seeing problems with your plants you can always just flush the soil with water a couple times over the span of a week and start your feeding cycle over.
2 Soils that I've had the best results with are, my all time favorite Roots Organic Soil, and Fox Farms Ocean Forest Soil.
With these soils, you could literally just water your plants without adding any nutrients or fertilizers and they will produce buds (not cannabis cup quality buds by any means, but good smoke-able flower nonetheless).
On the down side, soil tends to take a little bit longer to harvest than other growing mediums.
Add in some extra drainage with perlite, about to 25% Perlite to Soil ratio in your pots and your ready to rock.
Coco Coir is another great option for growing weed indoors as well. Unlike soil, coco doesn't have any amendment that provide nutrients for the plants so you will have to feed them throughout the grow. This is a plus in the sense that you can experience bigger yields and a faster harvest, but a minus because you have to give your babies the right food and the right amount of food (less room for error). I now grow in coco because I have a little experience under my belt and I love it!
The coco I use is 70% Coco Coir and 30% Perlite by Mother Earth.
Hygrometer
Essential to keep track of your grow spaces ever so important temperature and humidity percentages. I recommend buying a couple and place them in different areas of your grow tent to get an idea of the different temp and humidity in your micro climate. The ThermoPro TP50 Digital Hygrometer is cheap and works great.
PH Meter
Making sure the PH of your water and nutrient solution is within a workable range is key! I'll go more into detail later on, but definitely pick up a PH Pen or PH Meter. Here are a couple options for you. A budget PH Pen will function just fine, but I use Apera Instruments AI311 Premium Series which is accurate, reliable, and comes with a replaceable probe, calibrating solutions and a carrying case.
PPM Meter
This handy little device tells you how many particles per million are in your water or nutrient solution. Basically, the more fertilizer you put in, the higher your PPM will be. Knowing these numbers are vital throughout the different stages of growth and to avoid overfeeding or underfeeding your babies. I'll let you know the relative amounts you'll need per grow phase later on, but this is the PPM I've had in my grow arsenal for a while now TDS 3 in 1 PPM Meter.
PH Up and Down Solution
You will use this stuff a lot to PH balance your water or nutrient solution before feeding. Not going to break the bank either with General Hydroponics pH Control Kit
Humidifier/Dehumidifier
Depending on what part of the world you live in, or what time of the year it is, you may need to remove or add moisture in the form of humidity.
That's why growing indoors is so cool because no matter what is going on outside, you control the environment (to the best of your ability). Where I live and grow the temperature and humidity fluctuate pretty drastically throughout the year. I tend to use my dehumidifier more in the summer when it's hot and humid, and my humidifier more in the winter time when it's cool and dryer. This is why it's always important to have both a humidifier and a dehumidifier.
For a humidifier I like this one, HUMIDIMASTER 6L Ultrasonic Humidifier, because it has a pretty large fill capacity (meaning I don't have to refill it every 4-5 hours) and it's a top fill system which makes life way easier. I run this on the outside of the grow tent and let the inline fan suck in the humid air through the mesh vents.
For a dehumidifier, I prefer using something small and compact because I put these inside my grow tent. The Pro Breeze Electric Mini Dehumidifier is very affordable and does a great job of capturing all that unwanted moist air, especially during the flowering stage.
Multi-socket Power strips and Extension cords
Definitely not the sexy part of growing, but vital nonetheless. You will need something to plug ALL of your electronics into and run it to the nearest wall socket. If you've decided on growing photoperiod plants and plan on mounting your multi-socket power strip inside of your tent, be sure the one you purchase doesn't have a light on it or if it does to cover it up with some duct tape.
Heavy Duty Tip Ties
Trust me, get some these will be clutch. They can be used to secure and rig up just about anything.
Trimming Shears
You will use and need these a lot more than you think, believe that! I use them for various parts of my grow. They are an essential tool and pretty cheap too.
I like these Ultra Snip trimming shears. They are more durable/better quality with sharper blades than cheaper sheers you'll find around and they're only about $10 more.
Feel free to check out any of the products I've posted above.
They are all things that I have personally used in my grows which is why I am recommending them.
I do make a small percentage off of anything that is bought through the links in this article, so if you found this information useful and are going to purchase anyways, I'd greatly appreciate the support of buying through one of my links. Thanks!
Happy growing!
ENVIRONMENT
Temperature
Cannabis plants thrive in temperatures between 70 and 85 degrees Farenheit.
The maximum temperature you want to expose your plants to is 85 degrees with the lights on, and the minimum temperature is 55 degrees with the lights off.
IMPORTANT: You don't want the difference from your lights on temp and your lights off temp to be more than 15 degrees Fahrenheit. This can shock and significantly stunt the growth of your plant. For example: If your lights on temp is 78 degrees F your lights off temp should be no lower than 63 degrees F. Then again, these plants grow outdoors very well in places like Northern California where daytime temps during grow season can reach 90 plus and night time temps can get down into the 50's. Again, it's a plant, that grows like a weed, but, I'm just explaining what I've found works best.
Humidity
Marijuana will grow best at relative humidity percentages between 40% - 70% RH (relative humidity) depending on the grow phase. I'll go into detail per grow stage further below.
PH
When I'm talking about PH, I'm referring to the alkalinity, acidity, or neutrality of your grow medium, water, and nutrient solution.
The PH scale range goes from 0 which is extremely acidic, to 14 which is extremely alkaline, and 7 being neutral.
Cannabis in general flourishes in a slightly acidic PH environment.
If you are growing in SOIL, your ideal PH of your water/nutrient solution should be between 6.0 to 6.5 (closer to 6.5 in the earlier stages of growth, closer to 6.0 in the later stages of growth).
For COCO, your PH should be in the 5.5 - 6.0 range (closer to 6.0 in the earlier stages of growth, closer to 5.5 in the later stages of growth).
VERY IMPORTANT!: You need to measure the PH of your water and nutrient solution runoff, underneath your pots, in your trays, after you water or feed you plants. This will allow you to gauge what the PH of your soil or coco is.
For example: If the PH of your water is 6.5, and your runoff is 5.5, your soil is slightly acidic. To fix this, raise the PH of your water or nutrient solution to, let's say, 7 for your next watering or feeding and remeasure.
Do this until your runoff PH falls within the optimal range for you grow medium.
GERMINATION
Let's pop those seeds!
Germination is the process in which a seed sprouts into a seedling.
Your germination environment should look something like this:
Ideal Temperature: Between 72 - 79 degrees Fahrenheit (Min 68 F - Max - 85 F)
Humidity (RH): 90% - 100% RH
Water PH: 6.4 - 6.5 for Soil - 5.9 - 6.0 for Coco
Light Timer: Set your lights to 18 hours on and 6 hours off
Grow light Distance: If using a peat pellet greenhouse setup, 18 inches
Don't freak out if you can't get everything perfect, just do the best you can with what you got.
IMPORTANT: When you place the seed into a peat pellet or directly into your growing medium, be sure the pointy part of the seed is pointing up when planted. You should be able to spot it, and if not, you can feel the little pointy tip on the seed. Pointy tip towards the sky! Use a pair of tweezers, they help a lot. The diagram below provides a visual explanation of the natural method of a seed germinating.
Below I'll explain some options you have to germinate your seeds that I have personally used. There are other options for germinating your seeds, but these are what have consistently popped seeds for me.
All of them work, some have higher success rates than others, in the end just do what you feel most comfortable with.
Peat Pellet Greenhouse (Recommended)
This is by far the most successful method of germination. I usually see between an 80% - 100% germination rate when I use this method, typically closer to 100%.
Step 1: Fill a bowl or large cup with warm water PH 6.4 - 6.5 Soil - 5.9 - 6.0 Coco (not hot water!)
NOTE: You can also add some Mycorrhizal or RapidStart Rooting Enhancer to your water to enhance root growth once the seeds crack open
Step 2: Drop your peat pellets into the water and let them soak until they are fully expanded as shown below
Step 3: Place seed pointy side up about 1/2 an inch inside of the pellet
Step 4: Put the loaded pellet inside the mini greenhouse in the circular slot and cover with the lid
Step 5: Place the mini greenhouse into your grow space within the ideal temperature range, around 18" from the light
The Jiffy Windowsill Mini Greenhouse 12 Peat Pellets works great for this method, it's cheap, and you can always buy more peat pellets for future grows.
Paper Towel Method
This is the germination method I started with. It works, it's simple and cheap, and the germination rate is about the same as using peat pellets, BUT, you run the risk of damaging your tap root with this method and which makes seeds less likely to fully sprout once planted into the grow medium. So, try not to touch the taproot (the white part that sticks out of the seed shell once germinated) while transplanting.
Step 1: Wet a paper towel to where it is damp, but not soaking wet with preferably PH 6.4 - 6.5 water
Step 2: Place your seeds onto one side of the damp paper towel
Step 3: Fold the opposite side of the paper towel over the seeds
Step 4: Place the seeds covered by the paper towel in a zip lock bag
Step 5: Put the seeds in a dark, not too cold spot
Step 6: Check on seeds daily to see if they have germinated as they can take as little as 1 - 3 days to germinate, and as many as 5 - 7 days depending on the quality of seeds and the environment
Step 7: Once the seeds have popped, grab the seed shell, not the root, carefully plant them about a 1/2 or 1st knuckle deep, root pointing down, into your grow medium of choice. Lightly water, PH ready for your medium of choice, to provide a little moisture
NOTE: I like to cover the germinated seeds with an upside down clear solo cup with one hole drilled into the bottom, to keep the humidity high.
Plant Directly into Grow Medium
The OG germination method.
If it ain't broke don't fix it!
This is by far simplest way to get your seeds to pop and I see a lot of experienced growers still using this method.
Step 1: Scoop a little hole about 1/2 an inch deep in your grow medium
REMINDER: Use 4" pot or solo cup if you're growing photoperiod plants. Use a 3 gallon pot or whatever size you decide on for Auto flowering seeds as this will be there only and final resting place throughout the grow.
Step 2: Plant your seed, pointy side up towards your lights, and gently cover the hole with your grow medium
Step 3: Lightly water PH on point water for your medium of choice
OPTIONAL: Cover the germinated seed with an upside down clear solo cup with a hole drilled in the bottom to increase humidity
Once the seeds have fully sprouted they will look something like the picture below and your plant is now in the seedling stage.
SEEDLING STAGE
Congrats! You made it to the Seedling Stage!
Ideal Environment for Seedling Stage
Temperature: 70 - 78 degrees Fahrenheit
Humidity (RH): 60% - 70% RH
Water PH: 6.4 - 6.5 for Soil - 5.9 - 6.0 for Coco
PPM: 200 - 400
Light Timer: Set your lights to 18 hours on and 6 hours off
Grow light Distance: 12 inches - 24 inches depending on the intensity of your light
Seedling Stage Timeframe: 2 - 4 weeks
NOTE: It's better to have your grow light closer to the plant than further away. As close as you can without burning the new born plant. Place your hand directly above where your seedling is with the light on, if it's too hot for your hand, it's definitely too hot for the plant. Turn down the intensity of your grow light if need be (if it has that feature) or just move the light away from the plant a bit . The reason you want to keep your light as close as possible is if the light is too far away and/or too weak, your seedlings will stretch looking for light, making the stem weak and flimsy. You want to promote short-bushy growth with good, strong lighting. LED Grow Lights, CFL bulbs, and T5 Fluorescents work best for this stage of growth.
Watering
Seedlings growing in Soil, do not need anything put proper PH water and the right environment. That's it. I would not recommend feeding seedlings any nutrients if you're growing in good soil with extra drainage in the form of perlite (you can add up to 50% perlite to 50% soil for seedlings).
For Coco grows, you will need to give your plants some nutrients because unlike Soil, Coco Coir doesn't contain amendments (nutrients). Be sure to go very light on the nutrients you add to your water. I recommend only using between 1/8 and 1/4 of the nutrient amounts listed on the packaging during the seedling stage.
IMPORTANT: DO NOT OVERWATER! Your seedlings do not need a lot of water for their tiny roots and tiny stature. Water your babies, just around the base of the stem (max 3 inch radius around the stem), and do not water again until the soil is completely dry (usually every 2 to 3 days). Overwatering is one of the biggest mistakes made by newer growers (I killed a couple myself when I first started growing RIP). Be patient, don't drown and kill your fragile seedlings. Seeds are not that cheap.
NOTE: If you are having issues keeping your humidity up and want to provide a little shelter for your seedlings purchase a Domed Propagator.
Picture of a healthy seedling starting to grow real leaves seen below. A couple more nodes, and she'll be ready to enter the vegetative stage.
Once your plants have grown 2 - 3 nodes and real leaves, you made it to the vegetative stage and can begin feeding your plants. See the diagrams below for a better understanding of plant anatomy.
VEGETATIVE STAGE
During this grow phase, you're basically doing everything in your power to get your plants leaves and stems as big, strong, and healthy as possible so that they can produce big beautiful buds, and sustain the weight of the those buds for the next and final stage of growth.
Best case scenario, you want your plants to be short and bushy, with tight spacing between the nodes. This space is called the internode as shown in the diagram in the seedling section. This will allow the plant to produce big beautiful buds.
Cannabis plants in the vegetative stage grow best at slightly warmer temperatures than the seedling and flowering phases of growth and moderate humidity levels. The minimum temperature your want your plants to be exposed to in Veg is 70 degrees F and the maximum temperature being 85 degrees F.
DO NOT let your humidity drop below 40% RH. Young plants in veg definitely need slightly moister air to flourish so make sure your humidity is closer to 60% in early veg and can be dropped down closer to 40% later in this phase of growth.
Ideal Environment for Vegetative Stage
Temperature: lights on 77 - 82 degrees F; lights off 72 - 77 degrees F
Humidity: 40% - 60% RH - start at 60% week 1 and decrease 5% each week
Water PH: 6.2 - 6.5 for Soil - 5.7 - 6.0 for Coco
PPM: 400 - 800 lower in earlier veg and higher in later veg
Light Timer: Set your lights to 18 hours on and 6 hours off
Grow light Distance: 12 inches - 24 inches depending on the intensity of your light
Veg Timeframe: Photoperiod 4 - 10 weeks - Auto flower 4 - 6 weeks
Transplanting
(Skip this portion if you're growing Auto flowering plants)
If you're growing photoperiod weed, you're going to want to transfer your plant(s) into a bigger pot for the transition from the seedling stage to vegetative stage. You plants are getting bigger and their roots need more room to expand and grow an even bigger plant.
IMPORTANT: Be sure that the new bigger pot's grow medium is lightly watered (PH 6.2 - 6.5) before transplanting, and that your transfer plants grow medium is relatively dry (don't transplant the day after you watered). This will force the plants roots to stretch out seeking the water that is in the new grow medium resulting in a faster recovery time from the transplant.
Feeding/Watering
You definitely want to start giving your plants some food in the form of fertilizer during veg stage as it will help them grow and get used to absorbing nutrients, BUT, don't overdo it!
Start off with 25% to 50% less than what the nutrient brand suggests.
If you're growing in soil, another way to ensure you're not overfeeding and ultimately not burning your plants (stunting growth and damaging leaves) is to, again, reduce your feed levels to 25% - 50% of recommended dose, but also, do 1 feeding followed by 1 watering, and repeat throughout the grow cycle.
You'll know if your burnt your plant if the tips of the leaves turn brown and dry like the picture below. A little bit is ok in flowering, but you shouldn't see any nutrient burn marks in the vegetative stage
"How often do I water my plants?"
Typically, every 2 to 3 days should work, but keep and eye on the grow medium.
A trick to see when your plants need to be watered or fed is to stick your pointer finger into the medium knuckle deep. If you feel any moisture, from the tip of your finger to that first knuckle, your plants roots still haven't completely taken in the water or nutrient solution from your last feeding, so wait another day and check again.
"How much water or nutrient solution do I give my plants?"
Water lightly 2 -3 days after transplanting, but once your cannabis plant has settled into it's new home water until the entirety of the grow medium is wet with water or nutrient solution and stop when water or nutrient solution starts draining out of the bottom of the pot.
Runoff Testing
Step 1: Pour the excess water/nutrient solution from your pots trays after into a cup or small bowl.
Step 2: Grab your PH pen and measure the PH of your runoff.
Step 3: If your runoff PH is low, your grow medium is acidic, so you need to slightly raise the PH of you water or nutrient solution for your next water or feeding.
If your runoff PH is high, your grow medium is alkaline, so you need to slightly lower the PH of you water or nutrient solution for your next water or feeding.
Step 5: Continue doing this until your PH is in the optimal range for your grow medium.
Sexing... Not that kind of sexing
Towards the end of the vegetative stage and into the beginning of the flowering stage your plants will show whether they are male or female.
If you bought auto flowering seeds you won't really have to worry about this.
If you purchased feminized photoperiod seeds, chances are they are all going to be female plants, but you should always check to be safe.
1 male can pollinate and ruin your whole crop!
The easiest way to determine the sex of a plant is by looking at where the nodes meet the stems. If you see long white or green pistils that look like whiskers then it's a girl. If you notice little pollen sacs (I like to call them ball sacs to remind me) then it is a male.
The pictures below should help clear this up.
Final Note for Veg
If you're growing photoperiod plants, how long you want to keep your plants in veg is entirely up to you. I suggest giving them a minimum of at least 4 weeks before you switch to flowering (12/12), but technically you could keep your plants in veg forever, as long as they are on an 18/6 light schedule.
Though, be sure to recognize that the bigger your plant gets in veg, the more bud sites it will have, and the end result will be a bigger harvest.
Flushing your grow medium with pure water (no added fertilizer) before you switch over to flowering is a good idea. It will wash away any salt build up from the nutrients
FLOWERING STAGE
Now the most exciting part of growing weed indoors, the flowering stage!
You will finally begin to see some results of the work put in over the last 2 months or so.
In order to initiate flowering for photoperiod plants you MUST switch your light schedule to 12 hours on and 12 hours off.
Ideal Environment for Flowering Stage
Temperature: lights on 73 - 78 degrees F; lights off 68 - 73 degrees F
Humidity: 30% - 50% RH
Water PH: 6.0 - 6.5 for Soil - 5.5 - 6.0 for Coco
PPM: 800 - 1200 lower initially, high in the middle, and below 1000 towards the end
Light Timer: 12 hours on and 12 hours off
Grow light Distance: 12 inches - 18 inches
Flowering Timeframe: Photoperiod 8 - 10 weeks - Auto flower 4 - 6 weeks
Transplant
(skip if growing auto flowering plants)
As soon as your plants are ready to be put in flower, follow the same steps I previously mentioned for transplanting in the vegetative stage for photoperiod plant.
A 5 gallon pot will work great and provide plenty of room for the roots.
Defoliate
This is optional, but very important to increasing your overall yield.
About 2 weeks into flower, simply remove any of the larger leaves (the ones that have a longer stem and stick out away from the main stems) that are either blocking primary bud sites or not receiving any or little light.
You can pretty much clear out almost all of the larger leaves on the bottom of the plant like the picture below.
By doing this, your focusing the plants energy more on growing flowers and less on keeping leaves that aren't receiving light anyways, alive and healthy.
Feeding and PPM
Start off with about 50% less than what is recommended from the nutrients label and then you can slowly work your way up if your plants are feeding well with no signs of nutrient burn (tips of leaves are brown dry after heavy feeding).
Again, DO NOT OVERFEED! I personally get great yields and rarely exceed 50% of the recommended dose.
Closely follow the feed schedule (at a lower %) and the PPM range per week. General Hydroponics nutrients has a great chart shown below to give you an idea of a what a basic PPM reading should be week by week. I know this chart says differently, but your PPM can be as high as 1200 - 1400 mid to late bloom assuming of course your plants are responding well to heavy feeding.
Fading
You'll know when your plants are nearing the end of flowering because the colors will start fading from that healthy green color you've seen so much of, to purple, red, or golden colors (think of autumn), all different hues depending on the genetics of the plant.
This is a good thing, don't worry!
Flush
You want to make sure that you flush your grow medium with pure water for the last week or 2 weeks ideally of your grow.
Doing so washes away nutrient salt build up and forces your plants to use up every last bit of nutrients in your grow medium.
Another benefit of flushing, is it improves, flavor, taste, and overall bud quality.
HARVEST
Great job! Congratulations!
BUT...
You're not quite finished.
Honestly, when it came time to chop down my first marijuana plant, I was excited, but more than anything I was sad... Yet, what's the point of growing it if you're not gonna smoke it.
"SOOOO, WHEN DO I CUT DOWN MY CANNABIS PLANTS?"
The best way to tell when its time to chop is by taking a VERY close look at the trichomes on your buds. Trichomes are the resin the plant produces, those little transparent frosty looking things that make your bud sticky (See picture below).
Trichomes are what contains the THC (the fun stuff that gets you high).
For this, you will need a jewelers magnifying glass or a digital microscope or some kind of magnifying device that has at least 40x magnification (preferably 60x).
Not Yet: If the trichomes are still clear, the plants need more time to mature.
Harvestable: If pretty much all of the trichomes are milky white they are ready to harvest, have high potency, and can be harvested if you prefer a lighter, more cerebral type of high. See below.
Best: If the majority of the trichomes are milky white AND about 25 - 50% of the trichomes are amber-brown colored. This is when your trichomes are fully mature and will have the highest potency producing an excellent head and body high. See below.
CAUTION: If you allow the majority of your trichomes to turn amber-brown they will provide a couch lock, I can't move, can't do anything type of high. Some people are into that, I'm not one of those people. Just thought it should be thrown out there for your knowledge.
Trim Those Buds
Trimming is really a matter of preference.
Some prefer to trim buds before they dry, some trim after they dry, some trim a little while wet and a little when dry...
I recommend fully trimming your buds while they are fresh and wet. It makes life a hell of a lot easier.
What you want to do is trim off all of the protruding leaves, and only leave parts of the leaf that contain trichomes (the good stuff). I like to call trichome covered leaves, sugar leaves. Your buds should look something like the picture below once they are fully trimmed and ready to be dried.
DRYING
Ideal Environment for Drying Cannabis
Temperature: 60 - 70 degrees Fahrenheit
Humidity: 50% - 60% RH
Timeframe: 7 - 12 days
No Light
Good air circulation
It's very important to properly dry your buds.
Drying removes the nasty taste of chlorophyll and allows for a tastier and smoother overall smoke, decreases the possibility of mold growth, and can really bring out the beautiful unique aroma of your harvest if done right.
Growing weed takes a lot of time, energy and effort and you can easily mess up the desirable attributes of your crop by not drying your flowers correctly.
You don't want your plants to dry out too quickly or you will lose all those wonderful terpenes (aroma).
Keep a close eye on your humidity level and temperatures. If it's too dry and too hot, all that stanky goodness will evaporate and be lost forever. Get as close as you can to 60% RH and 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
You want to choose a drying space that has good air circulation, but you don't want to be blasting your harvest with a fan either. I've used my grow tent in the past and had great results. Point your fans at the walls away from your harvest, or just turn your inline fan on a low setting. Run your humidifier if need be.
IMPORTANT: Your buds are fully dry when the stem snaps (you'll hear a breaking sound), not bends.
There are several methods to dry your buds, but the 3 ways that have worked the best for me are:
Trimming and then cutting down the whole plant (cut just above the base of the main stem) and hanging it upside down to dry
Cutting and trimming individual buds and placing them in a hanging dryer rack works too. You will need to rotate or turn your buds every couple days or so to prevent them from getting flat on one side. Make sure your humidity is high for this method.
The best method (if you have some extra cash) is cutting and trimming individual buds and putting them in a HerbsNow drying machine. They are out of stock a lot, so if you see they're available get one ASAP! This method really takes away the guess work and fully dries small to medium sized buds in as little as 4 days. You still want your surrounding environment to be as close to 60% RH and 60 F as possible.
CURING
Curing is equally as important as drying.
It's pretty simple, but it's also real easy to screw up as well.
Proper curing increases potency, really brings out the lovely aroma of each specific strain, and makes for a superior end product with awesome flavor and a radical smoke!
Cool, Dark, and Perfect Humidity are Key.
Choose a space where temperatures are between 60 - 70 degrees Fahrenheit that receives little to no light. A bit of low wattage light is fine, but don't expose your curing buds to direct sunlight or grow lights. The relative humidity should be between 60% - 65% RH and the temperature should be no higher than 70 F (lower is better) inside the mason jar.
To maintain optimal humidity pick up some 62% humidity packs, and to keep an eye on the temp buy some mini hygrometers. Place 1 of each inside of your mason jars. This isn't completely necessary, but it makes curing exponentially easier!
I've provided a step-by-step curing process to follow below:
Step 1: Place dry-trimmed buds inside of a mason jar with a 62% humidity pack and a mini hygrometer
Step 2: Seal the mason jar's lid and store in a cool, dark, place (in a box under your bed)
Step 3: Open up the lid of the jar once or twice a day for about 2 to 3 weeks to get some exchange of air. This is called "Burping"
Step 4: After about 4 to 6 weeks your buds will be ready to grind, roll, and smoke!
CONCLUDING REMARKS
I'm pretty sure you're sick of reading at this point, but I truly hope all this information was helpful in your understanding of the process of cultivating cannabis.
Be Patient
Getting everything dialed in perfectly takes time. Just like anything in life, you'll get better with experience and by making mistakes and learning from them. By your 2nd or 3rd grow you'll have a way better understanding of everything, and by your 4th - 5th you'll be growing some gnarly buds!
Be Kind
Say kind words and sing happy songs to your plants. I'm serious! They are living creatures and respond positively to love and care just like we do.
Growing weed indoors is a fascinating hobby that you can participate in for the duration of a lifetime. Enjoy the journey!
Happy Growing!
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