How to Grow Weed

Written and Fact Checked by: S. Zulfiqar  

Cannabis is finally being accepted globally as a means of recreation and disease management and that is why it’s being legalized throughout different parts of the world including Canada and the US. People are now being legally allowed to grow their supply of cannabis.

The whole concept of the cannabis cultivation may seem complicated but that’s not entirely true. It seems like that because we’re not given the right information but that’s about to change as we are giving you a simple 10-step guide to grow your weed plants.

Are you ready to get going?

Step 1: Where to Grow?

The first question would be about the place where you’re planning to grow weed? The plant can be grown both indoor and outdoor. You just have to pick the desired place.

Indoor growing is a pretty private idea. Especially if you’re planning to grow just a few plants, this would be the right choice. Growing indoor can be amazingly cheap and quite simple to maintain. Plus, you’ll have loads of control over your growth. But make sure that you’re aware that if you don’t provide everything your plants want and need, there’s gonna be bad news. They’ll die. So the survival of your indoor plants will depend on you.

On the other hand, outdoor growing may not require artificial lighting but it does have its issues like privacy or stealth. Nature shall take care of the plants as the sun will provide the glow which means you won’t have to do everything for them. With that said, you’ll still have to provide water if it’s too dry outside and you’ll need to protect them when it’s too rainy. To understand better, like all living creatures, plants tend to die if they are exposed to extremely cold or hot temperatures.

Step 2: Choosing your Light

There are a handful of powerful lighting options that will do the job.

The sunlight: The first and the foremost source of light on the planet is the sun. The recommended hours when the plants should get their natural light are from 10 am to 4 pm. You’ll need to make sure that they do.

Fluorescent light and household bulbs: Although they are not made for growing plants they can still do the job. You can easily buy a pack of these light bulbs from anywhere and you’re good to go.

Other lighting options: You can go for LED grow lights that are commonly available these days. Apart from those, LEC (CMH) grow lights are a powerful substitute as well. Other lighting options also include fluorescent lighting (T5/T8) which you already might’ve around various nurseries or botanical gardens.

Step 3: Choose your Soil

The best-considered option here would be to compost your soil. You can also purchase as it gives amazing results but sure does take a little more effort and money.

If you’re running out of soil options, you can go for an organic potting mix. This type of soil is easily available in every gardening section of the big box stores. And of course, you can go through the online market to know more about soil options.

Step 4: Pick your Nutrients

No matter what sort of soil you are growing your weed in, you will still need to add nutrients to your soil. There are different types of soils, seeds, and plants so they need various types of nutrients as well. For best results, make sure that you choose your nutrients according to your requirements.

Step 5: Choose your Strain

Be sure about the strain that you wish to grow. You can do your research to know what exactly you want. After being sure about what you want, ordering seeds online is your best bet. We’re pretty sure you won’t know any seed provider in person. In case you do, talk to him. If not, get your desired seeds from the online market as there are tons of suppliers that are providing top-quality seeds.

Fun fact: No one in the US has been sent to jail for ordering cannabis seeds online.

Step 6: Germination

There are several ways to germinate your cannabis seeds. All you need to do is to find some decent weed starters and follow the instructions. The other popular method is the paper towel technique. Both these ways are incredibly simple to understand and don’t require much effort, whatsoever.

Step 7: Make them Big and Strong

The ideal temperature for the young growing weed plants is between 70-85°F (20-30°C). It’s important to know that at this stage the young plants are just finding ways to grow bigger and stronger. They are not looking to grow flowers or buds yet. So water them accordingly.

Step 8: It’s Flower Time

This is the time where the indoor growers need to make some changes. Switch to a 12-12 light schedule. This means that you should light the plants for 12 hours and leave them in complete darkness for the next 12 hours.

Step 9: Harvesting Time

If new buds have stopped growing and you’re noticing white hair-like threads on your plants, it means you’re getting closer to getting results. By this time, the whole room will start to smell like cannabis.

You are supposed to wait till half of those hair-like threads start to change to a darker color.

Step 10: Dry and Yaay

The final step is to cut off the fat buds and hang them upside down. This process should be carried out in a dry yet cool and well-ventilated dark room. Only then will they be able to dry perfectly.

For best results, let the buds dry slowly. There’s no rush.

After they are dried, the buds must be kept safe in quarter-sized, airtight glass jars. Fill each jar about ¾ of the full. A pro tip is to open the jar once a day for a few seconds. This will release the little moisture that is still left in them.

And there you go. You are now the proud owner of your very own, home-grown cannabis.

More interesting reads: Weed Vape Guide, Strain Spotlight: Death Bubba, Strain Review: Northern Lights

References

• Donnelly J, and Young M. The Legalization of Medical/Recreational Marijuana: Implications for School Health Drug Education Programs. J Sch Health. 2018 Sep;88(9):693-698. doi: 10.1111/josh.12669.