Growing weed is a well-defined and acknowledged procedure. Learn about all the tricks in this growers guide.
There’s a lot of discussion over the specifics of “how to grow weed?”
However, regardless of the contentious issues, a method must be followed. This article will give essential information to assist you in learning the ins and outs of cannabis cultivation. This is a short step-by-step guide of how to grow weed. If you want to read up more about this topic we suggest having a look at our best books for growing weed article.
Stages of Cannabis Growth
Cannabis growth comprises several phases that plants go through during their existence. Each step of the cannabis growing process has its requirements, including varying degrees of light, water, and nutrients. Growing a cannabis plant can take anywhere from 4 to 8 months, depending on where you cultivate it. You have complete control over environmental conditions in an indoor grow room, and your plants can blossom in only a few weeks.
Grow room air filtration protects plants at every stage of development by preventing mould and bacteria, eliminating stagnant air, and creating clean, filtered air 24 hours a day. Using a sophisticated filtration system and filter media, grow room air filtration is the act of drawing in and collecting airborne pollutants, and other grow room dangers. When air filtration is used during cannabis cultivation, plants are provided with the purest air possible from when seeds are initially germinated until the last stages of harvest, drying, and curing.
Cannabis plants are often dioecious, which means they have separate male and female reproductive parts. Cannabis plants that exhibit intersex features are referred to as hermies. When male or dual-sex plants grow alongside females, they pollinate them, leading the females to stop feeding buds and instead focus on generating seeds. Male plants must be eliminated before the flowers emerge to guarantee that your cannabis preserves its quality and is devoid of seeds. Now that you better understand cannabis seeds and how to care for and maintain them properly, let’s talk about the stages of cannabis growth!
1. Germinating Cannabis Seeds Stage
To ensure that seeds germinate properly, they must be mature enough. Your seeds will most likely not germinate if they are immature. If your seeds are mature, they will be shiny, light to dark brown and dry and hard to the touch. Your seeds will feel soft and appear white or green if underdeveloped. Keep your seed in a moist, dark place to germinate. Some growers will keep it in a cup of water or wrapped in a wet paper towel in a cabinet. Exposing seeds to light and moisture stimulates hormones and speeds up the growth process. A single root, called the radicle, will shoot downwards as the new stem grows upwards, pushing the seed out of the soil. These cotyledon leaves absorb sunshine energy, making the plant sturdy and larger. The plant is not at its seedling stage until the roots develop and the first genuine leaves appearing.
2. Seedling Stage
To develop quickly during the seedling stage, plants require 18-24 hours of sunshine, wet soil, and mild humidity. Because the seedling has such a small root system, it is critical not to overwater it. When a plant matures into a seedling, it will produce more traditional-looking cannabis leaves. A marijuana leaf is made up of three to thirteen fingers. The leaves that grow from a sprout will have only one wired finger. Marijuana leaves will produce other fingers as they expand. Mature marijuana plants normally have 5 to 7 fingers per leaf but can have up to 13.The serrated margins of the initial fingered leaves can extend up to 4 inches above the cotyledon leaves. Cannabis plants are maintained as seedlings until they generate full-fingered leaves. Growing surroundings must be kept clean and clear of excess moisture at this stage to prevent the plant from becoming infected or mouldy.
3. Vegetative Growth Stages
A seedling begins vegetative development when it has seven sets of pointed leaves. A cannabis plant’s growth skyrockets after being transferred to a bigger pot. Its stem thickens and gets higher, it generates more leaves, nodes, and branches, and its root system matures in preparation for flowering. Growers will start topping and training plants at this point. The space between nodes indicates the type of cannabis being grown. A node is formed when two branches diverge from the main stalk. Nodes form in pairs when a plant is young. When a plant matures, the nodes begin to alternate. They continue to develop in pairs, but the space between them has increased, and the branches are no longer parallel. Sativa plants are lanky and have fewer leaves than Indica plants, which are shorter and denser. Adding water during the vegetative stage is critical to help with plant development. Watering your plant from a distance allows the tips of the roots to absorb more readily as it grows larger and the roots spread outward. To grow 2-3 feet tall, your plants require an increase in warm water, a flow of moist air, nitrogen and potassium-rich fertilizers, and plenty of soil space.Plants should be kept on an 18-hour daylight cycle with a 6-hour night interval in indoor grow rooms. You may maintain your plants on a 24-hour light cycle, but they thrive better when they are given breaks, and it will save you money.
4. Pre-flowering Stage
Pre-flowering can begin 7 to 14 days after a plant first emerges. The pre-flower located at the nodes may then be used to identify the sex. For the pre flowering stage firstly we have to know about male and female flower identification
Female: The buds will have two pistils, which are the reproductive organs of a flower (flowers grow above these leaves, one cluster on each side).
Male: On the node regions, you’ll see little green sacs filled with pollen.
So As the plant delves further into the greenery, it is simpler to determine the sex. A female cannabis plant’s blooming site, or cola, is where clusters of flowers develop. Normally, healthy plants develop one primary cola from the heart of their structure, while lesser cola develops on the plants outside. When a male or intersex plant’s pollen sacs break, the pollen may fertilize surrounding female plants, destroying their trichomes’ ability to produce THC. This is why it’s crucial to eliminate male and intersex plants before they blossom. Sinsemilla is produced by female plants that haven’t been pollinated; they don’t have seeds and make more cannabinoids. The plant’s growth will stop until it gets less light each day (from 18 to 12 hours), which will start to blossom.
5. Flowering Stage
Plants normally enter the blooming stage when they are exposed to light for fewer than 12 hours each day. Cannabis needs 10 to 12 hours of total darkness to begin the blooming stage fully. When the trichome heads change from translucent to milky to opaque, then to amber, and the pistils on cola buds change from white to reddish-orange, your plant is ready for harvest.
6. Yielding and final Stage
To facilitate drying, the cannabis plant should be divided into smaller branches once it is ready to be harvested. The plant should be divided into little pieces, and then the pieces should be strung together and placed in a cool, dark place upside down.The 40% and 50% liquid is used to dry commercial cannabis. For 7 to 14 days, the plants must be left hanging.Fungus and bacterial growth must be stopped by drying..The optional curing procedure is maturing cannabis in airtight, sealed containers (often mason jars) and storing them in a cabinet where the temperature stays between 50 and 60 °F. Jars shouldn’t be packed tightly to prevent a reduction in ventilation. They must be stored for one to three weeks, with one brief daily opening to release any accumulated gases and fresh air.
Important Factors for Growing Weed
We summarize here the most important environmental factors to ensure proper growing of weed.
Light for Growing Weed
Because weed is a photoperiod plant, the quantity of light it receives each day will affect when it blossoms and when it begins to develop buds. When summer transitions into fall, this occurs outside. Indoor growers may prevent this by reducing artificial light from 18 to 12 hours daily.
Water
Of course, weed plants require water, and their water requirements alter as they develop. They also depend on the temperature and weather in your area.
Nutrients
Nutrients are necessary for weed plants’ growth and vitality.
Temperature and Humidity
To ensure that weeds grow, you must create an atmosphere with the right humidity and temperature. Typically, this ranges from 55 to 85 ℉ with a relative humidity of 50 to 70%. Weed plants require wind or airflow, which may be created indoors with fans and naturally occur outdoors.
Which type of weed to grow?
Ultimately, you want to develop a strain that you enjoy. Depending on how big your plants grow, a single plant may produce anywhere from half a pound to a pound of dried buds, so you’ll have enough of it when it comes time to harvest.
The last thing you want to do is spend a lot of time and energy cultivating marijuana to get a strain you don’t like. Everybody has unique likes and preferences, and certain strains affect various people.
Other aspects to take into account while selecting a strain to cultivate
Availability and Legal
Whether you can purchase seeds or clones at a dispensary depends on whether cannabis is legal in your state. Even if you can, you’ll only be able to use genetics created in your state because seeds and clones cannot traverse state boundaries.
Garden Area
Cannabis may be cultivated effectively in tiny or vast locations, but it’s crucial to know how much room you have to work with before you start laying out a garden. Consider cultivating indices, which tend to grow shorter and bushier if you’re growing in a small area, for instance.
How fast does Weed Grow?
Different strains require different amounts of time to mature. Choose strains that blossom in 8-9 weeks instead of 12 if you need a speedy turnaround. Cultivars that autoflower will be much shorter.
Weed Growing Challenges
Growing challenges take more care and attention, including following a more complicated nutrition regimen, requiring more exercise, or possibly paying more attention to environmental concerns. Mastering all of them, especially if you don’t have much-growing experience, takes time, patience, and research.
Climate & Environment
Some varieties grow better in open areas and are simpler to cultivate outside, while others grow short and thick and are ideal for cultivating indoors. Additionally, certain strains may benefit from a climate-controlled setting and require more care since they are more vulnerable to pests. To find out which strains grow best in your environment, you should consult other growers in your neighbourhood.