Beginners Guide to Growing Marijuana

How To Grow Marijuana

As spring and summer are approaching, the scent and idea of growing marijuana at home is in the air. I don’t know if it’s just me, but something about sunny warm days makes me want to smoke more. And even more so, the warm weather brings out my passion to grow and cultivate my own fruit, vegetables and of course marijuana. 

For true cannabis lovers, many of them turn their attention to growing and cultivating, as oppose to just toking. We are often asked the same question, “I’d like to start out growing with just one little pot plant, to see how things go”.

At the Seed Pharm, this is exactly the kind of enthusiasm we want to hear. After all, we’ve been supplying high quality cannabis seeds for over a decade, so we like to think we’ve helped grow a few plants in our time. Now it’s 2017 and marijuana is (mostly) legal in North America. Law enforcement is busy enough today with more pressing issues, so we don’t think they are going to harass you over just one plant.

How to Begin

First, let’s remember you’re growing a plant. Really no different than your first time growing a tomato plant. Remember, its not going to be difficult, mother nature does most of the work. Marijuana is called weed for a reason, because like weeds it can grow anywhere. There is one key aspect to remember though, and that is that cannabis is what’s called a “flowering plant”, meaning that it bears its fruits only once a year, during the fall season when the daylight hours grow shorter.

This is very  important for indoor home growers because the light period, or photoperiod, of the plant has to be controlled. This basically means that a “pot plant” must be placed in over 12 hours of light daily in order to prevent the plant from flowering. This sounds crazy right? Why not let it flower now so we can smoke some buds. Truth of the matter is, you could probably do that. But the down side of this is, if a plant flowers too early, there won’t be very much bud to harvest. What you ideally want for a pot plant to grow properly, is u need it to “vegetate,” for at least a few weeks before flowering. Otherwise, the harvest will be disappointing. In order to keep a plant in proper vegetation and to grow healthy buds, the young seedling should be grown for 4 to 6 weeks before flowering is induced. During this time, the plant should get a minimum of 16 hours of light, even up to 18-20 hours is better. We all dont live in Alaska, so we don’t receive 18 hours of sunlight in the summer, so for us indoor growers, we need to use a combination of natural light near a window with good sunlight, as well as using grow lamps will be needed to ensure the proper length of its photoperiod. Don’t worry, the hydro company won’t be called for the sudden power surge required for one plant.

Horticultural Lighting

Your lamp is going to be one of the most important parts of the process. Serious growers typically use more specialized and expensive lamps, but to grow just one plant at home, many lights will work. A 250-watt HID (high-intensity discharge) bulb—either an HPS (high-pressure sodium) or MH (metal halide)—can be found in virtually any hardware store. However, these bulbs do require a specialized HID fixture and/or ballast, as they do not screw into any standard home fixture safely. Alternatively, if you do have a window with very good light and the power of the sun for a good portion of the day, you can also use fluorescent bulbs to supplement the sunlight after sunset. Fluorescent bulbs such as T5’s, T8’s or even CFL’s can provide enough light to keep your plant in a vegetative state. Just remember though, that the less intense the light, the less the plant will develop. The option of fluorescent bulbs should only be used as supplemental light for plants that receive strong sunlight during the day. If the light provided during the day isn’t strong enough, the plant will stretch wildly and not develop well enough for a proper harvest. If you’ve experienced this, Seed Pharm recommends using the 250-watt HID option for the full 12-hour photoperiod during flowering, keeping the pot plant away from a window in it’s own designated area.

Triggering the Flowering Cycle

This is the satisfying part, watching your plant grow and develop. Once it has reached a point that your plant can produce enough flowers for a decent harvest, it is time to bring her light cycle to an even split of light and darkness. 12 hours each day of light, and 12 hours each day of dark. This does not mean that you will no longer need your lamp though. During the 12-hour photoperiod of flowering, the plant will need the strongest light possible to help her produce energy for her buds.

Rarely is it possible for your plant to be in direct sunlight for these 12 hours. So you will need strong supplemental lighting.

The best option for flowering is to relocate the plant to an area like a closet or cabinet where you can hang your lamp overhead and control the light cycle exactly as required. Use a standard timer for this and put it on a 12 hour cycle.

During the dark cycle, it is extremely important that it remains a “dark cycle”, no light whatsoever should enter the space.

Any light disruptions can cause the plant’s flowering to be stressed or confused, allowing the plant to hermaphrodite (creating seeded flowers) or severely weaken yield and quality of buds.

Other Pointers:

Container types, soil, nutrients and of course light and enclosed spaces are all equally important in growing and getting the best yield.

Because today’s focus is on growing one plant, there are many options for cultivation. Containers need to offer breathability, drainage holes and saucers to catch run offs will help. Remember not to let your plants stay too long in stagnant water. The pH levels will change and eventually be redrawn by the plant. This water can also attract bugs and mold, which you definitely don’t want.

In terms of medium, using organic soil will probably be the best, only a small amount will be required. You can also use peat-, coco-, or sphagnum-based mediums. Choose an airy medium, as u want the air to reach the root zone of the plant. Roots are like us and breath in oxygen, while above the grown the plant breathes C02.

Your plant is a growing organism and requires nutrients. Keep this in mind as organic based mediums tend to have better nutrients mixed in already. Stay away from artificial ones amd “miracle gros” whenever possible.

Thanks everyone for reading. See Pharm wants to remind you that growing can be as enjoyable as smoking. It connects you with nature and puts us back with our roots before technology took over. It’s a fun process, you will learn and always continue to improve your skills. Enjoy everyone, and keep on growing!