Of the people who have made marijuana part of their lives, an estimated 55 percent choose to grow their own product based on recent reports. With the growing number of states legalizing cannabis use and cultivation, that figure is expected to surge moving forward. Growing your own marijuana gives you more control over the quality of your product. It can also give you more variety and more reassurance that you’re actually getting what you pay for. Certain measures can help you make the most of your at-home cannabis crop.
Choose Your Seeds Wisely
One of the most important steps to take when growing your own marijuana is to choose the right seeds. Be sure to choose a reputable supplier, like a well-established seed bank, when you buy cannabis seeds. That’ll ensure you get high-quality seeds that are more likely to germinate and grow. It’ll give you a broader selection of strains to choose from as well. Hundreds of variations are now available, each with its own unique flavors, aromas, and effects.
When you’re looking at seeds, you’ll find regular, feminized, and autoflowering varieties. Feminized and autoflowering are the easiest for beginners. Feminized autoflowering are even simpler to grow. They only grow female plants, and they flower based on their age rather than the types and amounts of light they receive. Because of that, they take a lot of guesswork out of the growing process.
Set Up Your Grow Space Properly
While waiting for your seeds to arrive, you can set up your growing space. Growing cannabis outside in a garden would be the easiest route, but it certainly takes privacy and discretion out of the equation. With that being the case, most people prefer to grow it indoors. Almost any empty space will do, whether it be a closet, basement, spare bedroom, or grow tent.
Be sure the space is large enough for the number of plants you want to grow, though. Cannabis plants need anywhere from 18 to 36 inches in between them for light saturation, airflow, and room to spread out, but that varies by strain. At the same time, you have different growing methods to choose from. Many people prefer hydroponic systems, but using standard potting soil, dirt, and large pots with drainage holes is generally the easiest and least expensive strategy. You can always branch out and try different techniques as you learn more about growing cannabis.
Light, Heat, and Moisture
All plants need light, heat, and moisture to thrive, and marijuana is no different. It loves heat and humidity, so your grow space should remain at around 70 to 85 degrees with plenty of moisture. That being said, it also needs to be ventilated. Too much heat could hurt the plants, and not having adequate airflow and ventilation could lead to root rot and other problems.
Cannabis also needs plenty of water, and those requirements grow along with the plants. Some strains need as much as six gallons per day during their vegetative and flowering stages. Too much water can be harmful, though. Check the moisture level in the soil. If it feels moist to the touch, your plants are probably fine. If it feels dry an inch or so beneath the surface, it’s time to add more water.
Light is equally essential. If you’re growing indoors, your plants will count on you to give them light that mimics that of the sun. Many growers start out with 18 to 20 hours per day of blue light during the vegetative stage. During flowering, they switch to 12 to 16 hours per day of light in the red and orange range of the spectrum.
Growing Your Own Cannabis Crop
Cannabis isn’t an overly demanding crop, but it does have certain requirements. For beginners, meeting those needs can be challenging. Keep in mind that the points listed here are very general. Numerous variables come into play when growing marijuana. If you start out right and get your seeds from a reputable seed bank, strain-specific growing recommendations are likely to be provided along with other information about different varieties.
