How to Grow Cannabis Plants

Welcome to this chapter of How to Grow Cannabis Plants, another interesting post after the last article about Cannabis & Light. We write this chapter mainly for those approaching the world of cannabis cultivation for the first time. We will observe together the fundamental rules to follow to obtain the highest quality crops in the shortest time (and without risk). We’ll analyze too the various stages of its development and what is necessary for success. Whether you are growing indoors, outdoors or in Guerrilla for the first time, here you will find all your questions answered!

Indoor, Outdoor or Guerrilla Cannabis cultivation?

Have you ever dreamed of jars full of sparkling weed? If you know the art of cannabis cultivation Indoor, Outdoor or Guerrilla, you can make this dream come true!

When starting a cannabis cultivation, you will have to choose whether to start the cultivation cycle. You can choose Indoor, outside in your garden or balcony (Outdoor), or if clandestinely in forest or field (Guerrilla).

Anyway, it will be essential to know a place with sufficiently sun exposition. It will be close to water sources such as a river or a reservoir, and little known with other people. The Outdoor option is great for commercial growers who want to get a decent amount of flowers, while the Indoor option is as recommended for first-time beginners as it is for those looking for quality beyond anything.

There is no optimal answer to question for everyone, as much will depend on the individual experience, will and ability of the grower. We can ascertain that Indoor cultivation, while not producing the same quantity as Outdoor, is the only truly “safe” option. Each parameter is calibrated and decided by man, not by nature. Otherwise, Guerrilla cultivation remains the decision that most exposes plants to atmospheric and environmental weather.

• Indoor cultivation: higher expenditure, greater safety, average production
• Outdoor cultivation: medium expenditure, medium safety, high production
• Guerrilla cultivation: low spending, low security, high production

How to Grow Cannabis Plant: the ABC

Being a weed, growing decent cannabis is within everyone’s reach. However, obtain dense and fragrant Marijuana buds, with shimmering crystals visible to naked eye is a matter of very few!

When you start growing cannabis for the first time, you need to know that there are very specific environmental and nutritional parameters to respect (basic instructions for cannabis growing), depending on the variety you want to grow. As demanding as it is, it will be essential to know these parameters (PH and EC of the irrigation water, Lumen, temperature and humidity, hours of light and dark, nutritional ratio of minerals) if you want to achieve the highest quality. So let’s see them together:

Cannabis Growing Parameters

• Temperature and Humidity: fundamental in every phase of development, they are the easiest parameters to vary together with the hours of light and dark. It will be necessary to increase temperature and humidity for early stages of development. A simple thermo-hygrometer will be enough to measure both.
• Hours of Light / Darkness: more hours of light and less of darkness (18/6) will be referred to as the light cycle in the vegetative phase, while it will be the opposite for the flowering phase. The hours of light and dark represent the only possibility of letting photoperiod cannabis plants to go into bloom. To automate the switching on / off of the lights, just buy an inexpensive timer (available manual or digital). See our article about Cannabis and Lights to find more
• Lumen: they are the measure of the intensity of the exposed light, it should not fall below 4000 lumens per plant. it is easily verifiable with a special light intensity meter, easily purchased on the internet or physical grow shops.
• PH: this is the value that identifies the acidity of the soil / irrigation water. Each growth phase has its optimal PH according to the type of cultivation (soil, coconut, hydroponics and aeroponics). In general, on a scale ranging from 0 to 12, the PH of substrate and irrigation water should remain around 5.2 – 6.5 and never exceed 7. Use a specific meter.
• EC: measure of the electroconductivity of irrigation water, it indicates how “soft or hard” is the solution we are going to apply to the plants. A meter similar to the one for PH is used.
• Fertilizers: mineral nutrient supply that can be of biological origin, or of mineral origin.

Stages of developement of Cannabis plant

The stages of cannabis development that it is essential to know in order to successfully cultivate are mainly three:

• Germination: in our opinion, this is the most delicate cultivation time, it requires extreme attention from the grower. Correct light, temperature of 18 ° – 25 °, humidity above 65% and soft substrate will be the keys to success! (See more about Cannabis Germination stage)
• Vegetative: greater speed of growth and a strengthening of the trunk and branches caracteryze this developement stage. In this period the plant will be able to grow up to 5 cm per day, depending on the genetics. It requires a greater nutritional supply of Nitrogen than Phosphorus and Potassium (see more about Cannabis Vegetative stage).
• Flowering: undoubtedly the most awaited phase by the grower, Flowering is another delicate moment. The humidity should not exceed 50% (preferably 40%), the temperature should not exceed 28 ° as the heat would degrade the precious THC and essential oils. If indoors, you will need to use a powerful lamp (such as a HPS or CMH) to get big yields. If Outdoor / Guerrilla, you will have to pay close attention to molds at the end of the summer season. End of flowering is When the buds are compact enough to develop Botrytis and other plagues where the humidity is too high (see more about Cannabis Flowering stage in this article).

How to grow Cannabis Indoor, Outdoor e Guerrilla

Whether you want to grow cannabis indoors, outdoors or guerrilla, it is essential to have all the material you need to get bright and heavy buds. In addition to the purchase of seeds, it will be mandatory to purchase substrate and fertilizers.

• Scissors, thermohygrometer, PH and EC testers, pots, irrigation systems, timers and lamps will be essential (indoor).
• Pesticides (like Neem oil), protection systems and portable cameras can be indispensable in the case of an Outdoor / Guerrilla.

Preparing in advance to prevent damage and problems is the key to success for the cannabis grower. In any case, the observation of the plants (from the color of the leaves to the peculiarities of the same, from the height to the quantity of flowers, etc.) is a good habit to adopt and refine if you want to get fragrant buds worthy of the best coffee shops in Amsterdam!

That’s all about How to grow Cannabis. Keep following us to find our new article about “Cannabis Growing: What’s the Best Substrate?“!

Davide, CEO Founder & Geneticist