After the legalization of cannabis in the US, many people have excitedly dived into this hobby and have even turned it into business. Growing cannabis plants at home (indoor cultivation) gives you the advantage of being able to grow them all year round. This is indeed the best time to become a part of this growing culture. While this skill takes time to master, an eager person can learn it pretty fast after the first few tries. Here we have listed the basic steps that will ensure you have a healthy and successful yield.
Choosing seeds
This can be confusing, after all when the market is full of Sativa, Indica and hybrids, auto-flowering, and feminized seeds, how will a person choose one? This can be answered by first finding what your needs are, these types of seeds all have their own pros and cons. Some give you an energetic rush, while others are easy to grow in certain areas.
Research more about these types of seeds and check out what they have to offer to you and what their growing requirements demand from you. With this in mind choose your ideal seed from a trusted source. Local or cheap sourced seeds might be easily available to you but if they are not good in quality then chances are they won’t even get past the first phase of germination. Beginners are especially prone to get affected by this, as a bad seed will not lead to a satisfactory yield; they will blame themselves for the result and get discouraged from planting again. Take a look here for reputable seed banks.
Choose place
There are only two options when it comes to this: indoors or outdoors. Indoor growing will provide you much more control over your cannabis plants. This also enables you to grow your plants all year long without any pause as the setting inside is created so as to mimic the natural environment. The best part is that you can actually grow them anywhere, be it a spare room, closet, or even in your garage. Though most growers opt for ‘grow tents’ to plant their cannabis as other places need to be tailored regarding light, fans, and other equipment.
On the other hand, we have outdoor farming. It is much cheaper than the previous alternative as it does not require much equipment to create an artificial environment. But you will still have to spend money on measures to prevent bugs, pests, birds, and all other sorts of animals from destroying your cannabis plants. But when comparing the overall price involved in both types of farming done right, outdoor cultivation bags the title of being cheapest. The outdoor grow season spans from around April to October.
Choose growing medium
A growing medium is one in which you plant your seeds or sprouted seeds. And while soil might seem like the obvious answer to you, the truth is that many other options are available. The most common ones being: soil, soilless mix (coco coir, perlite, vermiculite), and hydroponics.
The best soil is self-composted soil but it can be a bit costly, coco coir and perlite are also great as they are low maintenance, cheap, and can hold water well. For beginners, coco coir is recommended.
Choose fertilizers
To produce the best quality plant first the soil needs to be top-notch. If you prepared yourself a composted soil then you can go easy on the nutrients. But any other soil will require you to add fertilizers once your plants reach the flowering stage as they will need to feast on them heavily to produce buds and would have already depleted the nutrient level in the soil by then.
Those who opt for a soilless medium will have to purchase cannabis nutrients that are specifically made for a soilless medium. Keep in mind to avoid feeding full strength at first or the plants will end up suffering from a nutrient burn.
When you’re done with these preparations you can start with germinating your seeds after touching up on a few more factors like temperature, humidity, the pH level of the soil and water, lighting, and proper ventilation. Research adequately about the various methods of germination and the coming phases. Each phase requires its own set of temperature and humidity to produce the best quality yield, it also depends on the lighting so outdoor growers must plant seeds that align their phases with the season.
It is recommended to keep a grow diary so that you can record your progress and mistakes and accurately implement the experience when you plant your next batch.