Growing Cannabis Inside 101
There are a lot of different points of view when it comes to growing Devil's Lettuce. No matter which method is used, the basics are the same. Time, energy, and money to invest. Depending on how much time, energy, and money invested determines the outcome. Most importantly Fire in Fire out! So, when it comes to the purchase of genetics it takes time to do some research. Word of mouth has worked very well in the past. Nothing like firsthand knowledge of the product to make a well-informed decision. Assorted seeds will need to be sexed. Feminized seeds have a 10% chance of becoming hermaphrodites. Auto flowers cannot be cloned and flower when they want to regardless of light conditions.
The Set-up
Proper set-up is important because maintaining an ecosystem the plants will thrive in will produce the best results. Of course, cannabis will grow in less conditions, but again the results will be less desired. The conditions for cannabis are simple. The temperature should be close to 75F with the lights on. With the lights off, the temp. should stay above 62F. Those are standard temperatures throughout the grow. The relative humidity (RH) will vary depending on what stage the plant is in. Maintaining the conditions is especially important.
The Product
For beginner growers, soil is the easiest to use because soil has more of a buffer. There are many types of soil out there to use. There are brands specific to growing cannabis. Do research to find a brand that is easily accessible. If using solo cups to germinate, cut some holes in the bottom. Later transfer the plant to a new pot. Multiple transfers are not recommended for beginners, so think about going to a 3- or 5-gallon pot depending on the space allowed. Bigger pots make bigger plants. If a big plant is not desired use a 3-gallon pot. Acquire PH down, and a way to test the water's PH levels. The plant will not uptake the nutrients if the PH is incorrect. 5.8-6.5 is recommended throughout the grow. LED lighting is the cheapest all the way around for lighting needs. Just make sure the light has red diodes along with the white diodes because this will be required during the flowering stage. Buying a timer to plug the lights in for the automatic on and off will make life easier.
The Plant
The stages of the cannabis plant are easy to remember. The Seedling stage, The Vegetation stage, and The Flowering stage are the main stages the plant goes through. There are noticeable differences in each stage. During the seedling stage, place the seed in a solo cup with soil about an inch from the top. Wet the soil with water. The humidity should be high, so sticking a zip lock style bag on top of the cup will help with that. Place under a light for 24hrs or 18hrs on and 6hrs off (18/6).
Usually, the brand of nutrients used has a feeding chart available online. Do not go by the schedule on the bottle because the manufacturer assumes this is the only nutrient used at the time. As the plant grows adjusting the light height level is needed. Place a hand hovering on the top of the plant and if it burns the hand then if burns the plant.
During the vegetation stage the RH should be between 60% and 70%. The temperature should be between 70F and 85F. Above 85F is a little too hot. Most of the soils used for cannabis growing should carry the plant through vegetation. Using Cal-mag is important because it helps the plant uptake nutrients (Use the directions on the bottle). Making sure the soil has time to dry out between waterings.
Eventually the plant will be mature enough to produce flowers. It only takes about 3-6 weeks (about 1 and a half months) for a cannabis plant to become mature. During the flowering stage, the light is adjusted to 12/12 or 13/11 to trick the plant into reproducing. The reason we get the flowers is so males can pollinate it. Hopefully by this time all the males are weeded out! The only reason males are desired is for breeding purposes. Males produce pollen sacks to reproduce. Males do not produce flowers. There are companies like Farmer Freeman that will sex the plant with a small sample of the plant. A cannabis plant without seeds is called sinsemilla (Spanish for no seeds).
When in the flowering stage it is important not to have any light leaks. So, during the set-up, use this opportunity to close the area up with light on outside verifying no light leaks. The plant will have adjustment issues if light is present during the light off time. The RH in flower should be reduced to 50%. The temperature should stay the same. Depending on the genetics of the strain determines the flowering times. Indica and indica heavy hybrids tend to be closer to the 8 to 9 weeks (about 2 months) time. While sativa and sativa heavy hybrids tend to be closer to the 10 to 12 weeks (about 3 months) time.
Harvesting
When the time comes to harvest, the feeling of excitement from all the challenging work is about to pay off. The best way to figure out when that time has arrived is to purchase a jeweler's loop and scope the trichomes. Look for 10% amber trichomes, 10% clear trichomes, and the rest should be cloudy. Cloudy is the highest point of THC the plant will produce, so this is a good ratio to go by.
Get a good pair of trimming scissors and place the plant so full access is possible. Trim off the fan leaves (bigger leaves) that were helping with photosynthesis. Hang the plant upside down in a dark area aiming for a temperature of 60F, an RH of 60% for 16 days (about 2 and a half weeks). It is understandable that not everyone can achieve this. Adjusting from there is crucial because all the hard work can be ruined if done incorrectly. If the temperature is 70F it might take only 10 days (about 1 and a half weeks) to finish drying. The standard is staying under 75F.
After the drying is completed, a cardboard lid (trim bin) will suffice for trimming and sculpting the bud. The next step is the curing of the bud. Methods are debated constantly, but the recommendation here is Grove Bags. Placing the cannabis in these bags will save the headache of a burping schedule (needed with glass jars). The cure will range between 14 days (about 2 weeks) to 48 days (about 8 weeks). There is a scientific reason for the timing involving certain molecules dropping off on a molecular level but will not get into that here.
Lastly, enjoying the process is all a part of growing. Do not get frustrated if it does not work well the first time. Remember, Edison did not fail, but found 1000 ways not to make a light bulb. Happy growing!
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