Trilix
Member
Welcome to my general synopsis for growing marijuana. Here I will (hopefully) teach you everything you will need to know to grow your own top quality weed. Before you read any further it is important to know this one rule: No matter how much money you spend on your seeds, grow room, and equipment, unless you put love and effort into this and do your research you will not see superior results. Just like everything in life you get out of it what you put into it. I will do my best to make this a one stop shop of information so you will have all the available information to make your growing experience the best it can be.
Seeds and Strains
Indoor / Outdoor Strains:
There are two different places you can grow marijuana, and they are obviously indoors and outdoors. This guide is more indoor oriented, but outdoor weed can be almost if not just as good as indoor grown weed. For both indoor and outdoor conditions, there are specific strains for each one of the two. You of course can attempt to grow your plants in suboptimal conditions by taking it out of its element, but it is not preferred. On seed bank websites you will commonly see different strains labeled indoor or outdoor. In indoor strains you will see a common trend that they are the higher THC content of the two, while outdoor strains tend to have lower THC contents. But on the flip side you will also find out that indoor strains are more weak and fragile, while outdoor strains are more hardy and resilient to fluctuations in temperature, insects and pests, and suboptimal nutrient conditions (they have to be, they grow outside!). I would highly recommend selecting a strain dependant on where you plan to grow to make life easier for yourself.
Indicas and Sativas:
There are two different types of marijuana. Indica, and Sativa. This is essential to know while picking what strain you want to grow. The reason being is that each has a different effect on you. In Indicas, you will feel a heavy body high, while in Sativas you will feel a cerebral head high. I like to think of it like this Indica = Couch Lock. Sativa = Giggly Goofy Head High. Not every strain out there is pure Indica or Sativa either. A good amount of strains were bred by crossing the two of them to create a hybrid. Some hybrids have a staggered percentages of either of the two types. A good example of this is the strain Blueberry, it is 80% Indica, and 20% Sativa. If your strain is a hybrid the seed bank will usually tell you how much of the strain is Indica and how much of the strain is Sativa. This is great information to know while picking out a strain that suites your preference of high.
Bagseed
Bagseed is a seed that you found in a bag or from weed you bought from someone. Not supplied from a reputable seed bank. While these seeds will grow, they are not what you want to use. Seriously do yourself the favor of spending the money on quality seeds from a seed bank. I say this because bagseeds are generally found in poor quality weed. If you think about it, because only female plants produce buds, this means that something had to go wrong during the growing process of that weed and something caused that weed to hermie, or become a hermaphrodite. You want to avoid hermieing your plants at all costs. Bagseed has a high chance of being difficult to grow due to poor genetics from its predecessors . Avoid bagseeds.
Reputable Seed Banks
I personally use Attitude Seeds. Nirvana Seeds also has a reputation for being legit as well as quality, though I have only used Attitude and would recommend them. Feminized seeds are seeds that are guaranteed female plants.
Lighting
When growing weed, it is important to know how much lighting you will need to be successful. The minimum amount of light required to be successful to grow weed is 3,000 lumens per square foot. While that is the general rule to follow, it is important to know you do not want to scrape by with the bare minimum. The reason being is that the actual amount of light reaching the plant can vary depending on how reflective your grow box is, how thick your canopy is, and how far away your lights are from the plants. I would recommend buying a lumen meter if you want to know exactly how many lumens are reaching your plants.
There is an easy way to determine how many lumens per square foot you are getting. To do this take the total amount of lumens your light is producing, and divide that by the total amount of square feet you have.
Of course there are a million types of lights that exist. But not all of them are good for growing, and not all of them are good for growing depending on what stage of growth you are in. I will only bother covering the important ones you should consider using.
Compact Fluorescents (CFLs): CFLs are perfect for stealth grows or grows that have a minimal amount of plants. I wouldnt recommend trying to growing more than 4 plants with CFLs. The reason being is because they do not produce as much power as some of the other types of lighting and you will need many of them to grow. Though they are nice because they produce little to no heat. This means that you can get your lights 2-3 away from the tops of the plants (or sides of the plants) without causing burning or damage. They are also nice because they are small and can be easily mounted instead of being bulky and needed to be hung from the ceiling. CFLs can be found at almost any hardware store, so they are more easy to find as well.
CFL wattages are different then what you will normally see on average incandescent house lights. On the packaging of CFLs there will be (normally) two different wattages listed. The actual wattage and the incandescent equivalent. The only thing important to you is the actual wattage of the CFL, ignore the incandescent equivalent. This generally means you need 2-3 CFLs per square foot of grow space (as per the lumens per watt information above).
While I dont like plagiarizing, I am going to have to quote the beautifully written guide on CFLs written by Dr. Chronic in the CFL sub forum to explain color temperature. He does a fantastic job of getting the point across, much better than I ever could (I have a limited experience using CFLs).
High Pressure Sodium (HPS): HPS lights are most commonly used for the flowering stage of growth. They emit a mostly yellow-orange-red spectrum of light. This is good for flowering because during marijuanas natural state (outdoors), there is more of this spectrum of light in the early fall/late summer (harvest time). This spectrum of light will make your buds grow tighter and denser, and will make your buds explode in size. I highly recommend using a HPS light during your flowering stage. You can also use a HPS light for the entirety of growth, but you will find that MH are much better suited for vegetation. If you are on the lower end of the budget scale, using a HPS through vegetation is not going to ruin your grow.
Green Spectrum Lights: During dark hours of growing it is HIGHLY advised you let NO LIGHT into your grow room. But do to whatever schedule your day is on, you may only have time to do business in the grow room during these dark hours. To be able to see to work, while still not affecting your plants you will want to use a green spectrum light. You can find them in any hardware store. The reason you can use these lights during dark hours is because they emit a green spectrum that is neutral to marijuana during the dark hours and will have no effect on the plants at all. Of course it will look like you are looking through night vision goggles, but you will be able to see and work. I recommend picking one up even if you dont plan on using them, they are extremely cheap ($5?), and will come in handy if the time ever arises and you need one.
Light Cycles: In the natural world, the sun is up and down for different hours of the day depending on what time of year it is. During the summer you see the sun for longer, and during the winter you see it for a much shorter time. Because marijuana is a photoperiodic plant, it basis what time it starts to flower by how many hours of light it gets. In an indoor situation, this means we can control what stage of growth the plant is in by controlling how long our lights are on for. There are generally 3 accepted light cycles people use, and they are usually abbreviated as follows: 24/0,18/6, and 12/12. I am sure you can figure out what each one of those means, but for those of you who dont know, the first number is how long the lights are ON, and the second number is how long the lights are OFF. Ex: 18/6 means that the lights are on for 18 hours a day, and 6 hours of the day they are off.
So for growing indoors you want to try and emulate these light cycles to manipulate how your marijuana grows. 24/0 light cycles are used for seedling stage. 18/6 light cycles are used for seedling and vegetation stages. 12/12 light cycles are used for flowering stage. This is because as the year gets closer to winter, the plants naturally get less sun. When you set them on a 12/12 cycle, they then are tricked into thinking it is later in the year and will begin to flower. I recommend you dont use 24/0. There has been no actual research to determine that it promotes growth any faster than 18/6, and it uses more electricity (save yourself money and use 18/6 in my opinion).
Light Distance: The distance your lights should be from the top of your plants will be different depending on what type of lights you are using. Because there is no specific rule like while using X light keep them X distance away the way I decide how high my lights should be is that if you put your hand under the light and it physically hurts or burns, it is too close. Your plants are alive, they will burn just like your hand and die. As long as your hand is comfortable under them where the tops of the plants are then you should be fine. But being too far away can be just as bad as too close. If your lights are too far away your plant will grow vertically too fast and start to fall over. To prevent stretching I suggest you get them as close as you can before it burns. For CFLs, you want them 2-3 away. Also with CFLs, I recommend you supply side lighting. It will increase plant growth greatly, and in fact if you want you can combine MH/HPS lighting with CFL lighting and get side lighting in as well as direct top lighting, you will only see better results in your plants doing this. The more light you have the better.
Growing Mediums
Hydroponics
Hydroponics is the method of growing plants without using soil. In reality it is actually growing plants in a medium that provide no nutrient value to the plants and is neutral to them, meaning you can supplement the amount of nutrients the plants receives manually rather than letting the plant extract everything from a soil. The advantage to growing with hydroponics is that you will see your plants grow faster and bigger then if you used soils. This is because you can pump them full of the nutrients you want, its like growing with steroids. The disadvantages to hydroponics is that it is not quite user friendly. This means that it is all in your hands. You are responsible for all of the nutrients your plant is receiving, and if you use too much or too little you can hurt the plant. There are many different types of hydroponic systems but I will only describe the most popular and easy of them all.
Coco: This is what I use. In my opinion it is the best growing medium you can possibly buy. The reason why I feel it is superior is that it is very hard to over water. Coco has the exact water retention needed perfect for growing marijuana. Coco is also very good at keeping the medium in the correct pH level. There are three different kinds of Coco, and you can buy them all separately or mixed. I used the premixed bags available at hydroponics stores because they are generally pre washed and it saves me the time of mixing it myself.
Pyth: This is the finest grade of Coco. It looks like soil in appearance and you will find that it makes up a bulk of the premixed bags out there. The reason it makes up a good portion of the mixed bags is because it is great for developing a healthy and complex root system (as it is very similar to soil in consistency).
Coir/Fiber: This is the second finest grade of Coco. It looks straw or hair like in appearance and it makes up a small percentage of mixed bags. It is great at letting root systems develop well while still providing enough drainage for hydroponic set ups.
Husks/Croutons: This is the coarsest grade of Coco. It looks like tiny little shells, and makes up a somewhat small percentage of mixed bags. This is perfect for Ebb and Flow systems because it is very chunky which allows for great drainage and movement of water through it, while still providing enough surface area to have healthy root systems. It is comparable to Rock Wool in its uses.
While using Coco it is important to know that you should keep your pH levels in the 5.5-6 range. I personally use 6.3 as my pH and it seems to be fine, but it is recommended to use slightly lower than average pH levels then in normal hydroponic set ups for maximum efficiency.
Aeroponics: Aeroponics (sometimes spelled airoponics) is a great way to grow, but it is also the most difficult to set up for hydroponic systems. It is set up in a way that the roots are exposed the entire time. The plant is held by the base of its stem in place, while a mister sprays at the roots. A lot of these types of set ups will look like giant triangles in shape with the plants coming out the sides, and the roots dangling on the inside. A mister will be positioned to shoot at the roots inside, and the excess mist collects along the walls and then condenses and drips down into a reservoir where it is then recycled to be sprayed again. I dont have extensive experience with these types of systems, but plans to build them can be found all over the internet. They are extremely efficient when done correctly and can produce ridiculously large plants, though many people use them in a sea of green grow set up (more on that later).
Rock Wool: Rock wool is a hydroponic medium that can be used in several ways. It can be used in an Ebb and Flow system as well as a traditional watering medium. This means that you can use it as if it were regular soil, but has the advantage over soil because it is nutrient inert. I personally wouldnt recommend using it unless you are using it in an Ebb and Flow system where it reigns supreme. Before using Rock Wool ALWAYS prewash it, it has lots of glues and contaminants directly out of the bag.
Ebb and Flow: Ebb and Flow systems are normally what people think of when they hear hydroponics. It is a system where your plants are put in a medium (preferably Rock Wool or Husk/Crouton Coco) and they are flooded with water for a certain period of time. This water then is pumped out of the medium and recycled into another reservoir to then later be pumped back into the medium. This type of system is good because it brings nutrients to the plant consistently and often. They are not incredibly difficult to build, and set up designs can be found all over the internet. If Coco is not available to you, I would recommend this system for growing if you decide to use hydroponics.
Soils
I typically will tell people that if they want the best marijuana they can possibly produce they should avoid soils and go with hydroponics due to its superiority at controlling how much nutrients your plants will receive. But soils are still a very viable option. I have never decided to use soils myself, but they are still a great way to grow if you dont think you can be on top of the nutrients all of the time. Soils are different then hydroponics because they lack the proper aeration and drainage that hydroponics does. To combat this many growers add a growing material called Perlite. You want around 30% of your growing medium to be Perlite if you decide to use soils. It is inexpensive and can be found at most hardware stores in the gardening section. Many growers also add Coco croutons in as well to help with aeration. Try to avoid heavy soils, or soils that are dense. Choosing the correct soils with the proper nutrients for your stage of growth is also vital, so do your research on your soil before you decide to use it. It is highly advised you purchase a proper growing soil instead of going out into your backyard and digging up some dirt, it just wont work correctly. Back yard dirt generally doesnt have the nutrients and aeration you want for your plants. If you are growing outside it is also advised to replace the area you are growing in with the proper soil. I dont know of any specific soils in particular that are perfect for growing but have heard a lot of good things about Black Gold, I would look into that if you are planning to use soil for a medium.
Nutrients
Nutrients are possibly the most important thing when it comes to growing. These decide how well your plant is going to grow. There are 14 nutrients your plant will need to survive, but there are only 3 main nutrients. These three nutrients are Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium, or NPk. When looking at bottles of nutrients you will see 3 numbers written on them X-X-X (N-P-k). This is how much of each nutrient is in the solution. During the different stages of growth your plant will need higher levels of different nutrients. During the vegetation stage of growth you want higher levels of Nitrogen and an equal amount of both phosphorus and potassium (ex: 8-2-2). During the flowering stages of growth you want nutrients that have higher levels of phosphorus and potassium (ex 2-8-8 ). Some growers like slightly higher levels of phosphorus then potassium during flowering, but personally I think an equal amount of each does just fine.
Some growers also like to add in enhancement solutions for root growth. I have never used them but I have heard good things about them working very well. But you should be fine sticking with a NPk nutrient, as they also contain the other 11 nutrients needed for growing in them as well (you can find the levels of each of those nutrients in the solution on the back of the bottle usually). If this is something that interests you I would recommend you go for it and use them, I like to just save myself money and pass on them and my plants grow just fine without them.
While it is great to see nutrients that have high numbers in the NPk rating (20,25,30), keep in mind that nutrient burn can and does happen. It sometimes is better to buy a solution that has lower numbers of NPk and then use more as needed to make sure you dont end up nutrient burning your plants. Dont assume Well this has 30-2-2, it must be fantastic for vegetation or something along those lines. You still need all 3 of those nutrients to grow, and over saturating your water with those types of nutrients will kill your plants.
Some people use nutrient solutions even while growing in soil that has nutrients in it already. I am not sure how well that works, just be wary of nutrient burn, it is often the cause of death for plants.
Flushing: If you end up nutrient burning your plant you will need to flush. Flushing is the process of taking 3-4 times the grow medium in pure water and drowning the plant and letting it drain out. This gets all of the nutrients that were formerly in the medium and burning your plant out of the medium and you can start fresh and use less nutrients. It is important to flush 2 weeks before harvest and then continue to use just water, otherwise your plants will have a chemically taste to them.
Fans (Intake/Exhaust) and Carbon Filters
An essential part of growing is air. Plants need Co2 to grow which is found in air. What people do not realize at first is that plants use Co2 rather quickly, and most of the Co2 in the air is depleted in a short amount of time. Because of this you need to be constantly bringing in new air into the room. At the same time you also need to be moving the old air out, because with the old air goes heat (and unfortunately smell). To be as efficient as possible you want to be replacing all of the air in your room 3 times an hour or so. Fans will have a rating on them, CFM, on how well they move air. CFM stands for Cubic Feet per Minute. To find out how powerful of a fan you need, first you will need to calculate how many cubic feet you have in a room. For example, lets say you had a 4x4x7 room. That room has 112 cubic feet. To replace the air 3 times an hour you will need a fan that can move 37 CFM. Generally it is a better idea to have an intake fan bringing more air in then you are sending out.
When you send air out of the room, you are more importantly sending out heat. Heat is important to keep moving out of the room because you want your room at ideal temperatures at all times. Because of this you will often see set ups where a fan is blowing air directly next to the bulb in the light into ducting, which then leads out of the room. If you decide to do this make sure it is emptying the air into a place you want it to, because it will smell heavily of marijuana. To combat the smell there are things called Carbon Filters. Carbon filters can be stand alone and also be attached to the end of ducting. Stand alone carbon filters are used to eliminate the smell inside the actual room, where carbon filters attached to the end of exhaust ducting are used for eliminating the smell being expelled into other parts of the house. You can buy them in hardware stores and hydroponics stores, and there are a few DIY guides online as well to make them cheaply. I highly recommend you pick up a carbon filter because you room will stink, and I mean stink BAD. Especially if you cant afford to have your entire house or apartment wreaking of marijuana.
You will also need an oscillating fan in your room blowing air around. I like when I can see the leaves slightly moving around from it, it means that the air is always being moved around the plants.
Mylar
Mylar is a paper like material used to make your room as reflective as possible. Think of it like gigantic rolls of tin foil that doesnt crinkle and stays flat. You want to line your entire grow space with mylar if possible. It is really cheap (I bought a 4x20 roll for $12), and dramatically increases how efficient your lights are. Simply just cover ever wall or surface with mylar. Mylar can be found at just about all hydroponics stores.
Meters
Meters are what is going to make sure everything is in check. They will give you essential information so you can then make adjustments to the environment to make sure your plants are in ideal living conditions. Most of these can be found in hardware stores or hydroponics stores.
Thermometer/Humidity: For your plants to live, you need to know what temperature it is and how humid it is in the room. Ideal temperature is 75 degrees F. Ideal humidity is 30%. This does not mean tragedy will strike if they are not exactly that but try your best to always keep them around there. Anything lower than 60 degrees F is too cold, and anything higher than 85 degrees F is too hot. If the temperature strays outside those limits for too long your plants will undergo temperature stress and may very well hemie themselves. Humidity is also important to keep ideal, but is also slightly harder to control so if it is a little low or high dont worry, just dont let it stay that way for too long.
pH: pH is incredibly important while growing marijuana. pH is the measurement of how basic or how acidic your water is. Ideal pH is 6.3 (or 6-6.5). The reason why you need to monitor pH is because if your waters pH is not in the ideal range you will find your plant in nutrient lockout, which means it will be unable to absorb the nutrients in the water and therefore will not grow. Every time you mix a batch of water, always put in your nutrients first and then measure pH. You add nutrients first because often times nutrients will change the pH of the water, and it would be pointless to get the correct pH and then put in nutrients that change it.
PPM: PPM stands for Parts Per Million. It is the standard way to measure how much nutrients are in your water. It is important to note that tap water already has its on PPM. Measure your water before you put in nutrients and then tack that onto the actual PPM you want to use. For example if the water already has a PPM of 200, and I want water with 1000 PPM worth of nutrients, in the end after applying nutrients my PPM should be 1200. I tend to follow this during growing for PPM levels
Keep in mind that is just generally what I do. You will need to do a little trial and error for a little bit depending on how well your plants are growing. If you notice that X PPM is burning your plants, flush and lower the PPM of the water until you are not burning them and then slowly increment it as they grow.
Water
I personally just use plain tap water for my plants. A lot of people recommend letting the tap water sit for 24 hours to let the chlorine in the water dissolve out of it before using it. I dont do this and I have never seen any problems and I think it really comes down to personal preference. Because I dont fiddle with my water like that very often, I just recommend using plain tap water. But if you are more interested in optimizing what water you use, here is a great article written about that from Doc111, Click Here
Germinating
Germinating is the beginning process of all growing. It is when you take seeds and cause them to sprout outside of your grow medium, and then you plant them. To do this take your seeds and place them in a damp paper towel. Take the paper towel and then put it in a closed glass mason jar or Ziploc baggie for 3-4 days. When you see small white roots popping out of the seeds, they are done germinating. Take the seeds out of the paper towel and plant them. When planting them make a ¼-1/2 deep hole in the medium and place the seed inside, then gently cover it with your medium (dont pack it down). In a few days your plant will start to poke through the top of your medium and you will be on your way!
Harvesting
Harvesting is the entire process of taking the buds off of the plant and turning them into something smokeable. It is not an extremely long processes but has a few steps involved to it. The way to tell if your marijuana is ready to harvest is by the color of its trichrombes. The trichrombes can only bee seen with a 30x magnifying glass. When you look at them in the magnifying glass there are two parts to them, a stalk and a cap. They kind of look like mushrooms. When these trichrombes become close to half amber colored instead of white, you are ready to harvest.
Manicuring: Manicuring is the process of cutting all of the fan leaves and excess plant material off, leaving only the buds. Using a pair of scissors just cut away everything but the buds. Do not throw this skuff away, as it is prime material used in making hash and making the most out of your grow. You can find recipes for hash all over the internet. I seriously suggest looking them up before deciding to discard your excess trim.
Drying: Drying your buds is a must. After manicuring your marijuana you can then hang it to dry. I take pieces of string or fishing line and hang them on. While drying you want a fan blowing air around the room. Do not point the fan AT the drying buds, simply just make sure the air is being moved around the area. You also will want to leave a light on in the room, and try and keep the humidity around 30% (if it gets any higher you stand a strong chance of seeing mold develop on your buds ruining them). After 3-5 days of drying (It may possibly take longer for some of your thicker and larger buds), their stems should no longer bend, but snap. When your stems snap you are done drying. Be very careful not to over dry, or let the rooms humidity get too low, or your buds may dry too quickly and become extremely brittle, to the point where it almost turns to dust in your hands. That is not what you want. Some people like the buds to be slightly less dry then this for the curing process.
Curing: Curing is the process by which you dry the buds evenly. When hang drying them in the drying process, you are mostly just drying the outside of the buds. The core of the buds are still wet. To combat this we cure. To cure your buds put them in glass mason jars, fill each jar 1/3-1/2 full. Put the lid on and let it sit around. Open the lid of the jar for around 30 minutes a few times a day. What happens during this process is that the excess moisture is being draw out of the core of the buds, drying it evenly. When you take the top off of the jar it lets excess moisture from the center of the buds escape. You MUST make sure you take the lid off a few times a day otherwise your buds will become moldy and ruined. The longer your cure your buds, generally, the smoother and stronger your bud will be. 1 weeks is usually enough time for the buds to become smokeable and extremely potent.
Growing Techniques
Sea Of Green (SOG): SOG is the method of growing MANY plants at once, but not letting them get to full size. This process involves flowering extremely early, often the plants in a SOG set up will only have a main cola, and that is all. The advantage to this method is that if you are working with a limited vertical space you can still optimize your yield. Another positive thing that comes with SOG is that you crop out more often than if you had waiting for the plants to grow fully. You can turn a 4 month process into a 2 month process. Obviously your total yield will be much smaller, but because of how fast you can do each grow you end up cropping out almost twice as much.
Screen of Green (SCROG): SCROG is the method of using a screen to maximize your grow space and train where you plant can grow. More in depth description will be added later
Super Cropping: Super Cropping is the process of breaking your branches to create new main colas. In reality they are not true main colas. When the plant is 4-5 weeks into growing, take the branches and roll them between your fingers a little and bend the branch. The branch should break, but NOT SNAP OFF. You are only trying to break the branch. The plant will then repair itself where you broke it, and produce a new main cola from where you broke it. I have not had a lot of experience with this and my knowledge of it is limited but I will update this with more info as soon as I find some.
Low Stress Training (LST): LST is the process of taking string and attaching it to the top of your plants, then tying it down and attaching the other end to its own bucket. This causes the plant to bend into an arch. The reason behind doing this is because as canopies of leaves start getting thick, it is hard for light to penetrate and reach the lower nodes of the plant. With this method you can arch them outward, letting light down below. Also it maximizes your potential to grow upwards. A very good technique if you have limited vertical room.
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Table Of Contents:
1. Seeds and Strains
2. Lighting
3. Growing Mediums
4. Nutrients
5. Fans (Intake/Exhaust) and Carbon Filters
6. Mylar
7. Meters
8. Water
9. Germinating
10. Harvesting
11. Growing TechniquesIndoor / Outdoor Strains:
There are two different places you can grow marijuana, and they are obviously indoors and outdoors. This guide is more indoor oriented, but outdoor weed can be almost if not just as good as indoor grown weed. For both indoor and outdoor conditions, there are specific strains for each one of the two. You of course can attempt to grow your plants in suboptimal conditions by taking it out of its element, but it is not preferred. On seed bank websites you will commonly see different strains labeled indoor or outdoor. In indoor strains you will see a common trend that they are the higher THC content of the two, while outdoor strains tend to have lower THC contents. But on the flip side you will also find out that indoor strains are more weak and fragile, while outdoor strains are more hardy and resilient to fluctuations in temperature, insects and pests, and suboptimal nutrient conditions (they have to be, they grow outside!). I would highly recommend selecting a strain dependant on where you plan to grow to make life easier for yourself.
Indicas and Sativas:
There are two different types of marijuana. Indica, and Sativa. This is essential to know while picking what strain you want to grow. The reason being is that each has a different effect on you. In Indicas, you will feel a heavy body high, while in Sativas you will feel a cerebral head high. I like to think of it like this Indica = Couch Lock. Sativa = Giggly Goofy Head High. Not every strain out there is pure Indica or Sativa either. A good amount of strains were bred by crossing the two of them to create a hybrid. Some hybrids have a staggered percentages of either of the two types. A good example of this is the strain Blueberry, it is 80% Indica, and 20% Sativa. If your strain is a hybrid the seed bank will usually tell you how much of the strain is Indica and how much of the strain is Sativa. This is great information to know while picking out a strain that suites your preference of high.
Bagseed
Bagseed is a seed that you found in a bag or from weed you bought from someone. Not supplied from a reputable seed bank. While these seeds will grow, they are not what you want to use. Seriously do yourself the favor of spending the money on quality seeds from a seed bank. I say this because bagseeds are generally found in poor quality weed. If you think about it, because only female plants produce buds, this means that something had to go wrong during the growing process of that weed and something caused that weed to hermie, or become a hermaphrodite. You want to avoid hermieing your plants at all costs. Bagseed has a high chance of being difficult to grow due to poor genetics from its predecessors . Avoid bagseeds.
Reputable Seed Banks
I personally use Attitude Seeds. Nirvana Seeds also has a reputation for being legit as well as quality, though I have only used Attitude and would recommend them. Feminized seeds are seeds that are guaranteed female plants.
Lighting
When growing weed, it is important to know how much lighting you will need to be successful. The minimum amount of light required to be successful to grow weed is 3,000 lumens per square foot. While that is the general rule to follow, it is important to know you do not want to scrape by with the bare minimum. The reason being is that the actual amount of light reaching the plant can vary depending on how reflective your grow box is, how thick your canopy is, and how far away your lights are from the plants. I would recommend buying a lumen meter if you want to know exactly how many lumens are reaching your plants.
There is an easy way to determine how many lumens per square foot you are getting. To do this take the total amount of lumens your light is producing, and divide that by the total amount of square feet you have.
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Approximate light production:
Incandescents: 17 lumens per watt
Mercury vapor: 45-50 lumens per watt
Fluorescents: 60-70 lumens per watt
Metal halide: 90 lumens per watt
High pressure sodium: 107 lumens per wattCompact Fluorescents (CFLs): CFLs are perfect for stealth grows or grows that have a minimal amount of plants. I wouldnt recommend trying to growing more than 4 plants with CFLs. The reason being is because they do not produce as much power as some of the other types of lighting and you will need many of them to grow. Though they are nice because they produce little to no heat. This means that you can get your lights 2-3 away from the tops of the plants (or sides of the plants) without causing burning or damage. They are also nice because they are small and can be easily mounted instead of being bulky and needed to be hung from the ceiling. CFLs can be found at almost any hardware store, so they are more easy to find as well.
CFL wattages are different then what you will normally see on average incandescent house lights. On the packaging of CFLs there will be (normally) two different wattages listed. The actual wattage and the incandescent equivalent. The only thing important to you is the actual wattage of the CFL, ignore the incandescent equivalent. This generally means you need 2-3 CFLs per square foot of grow space (as per the lumens per watt information above).
While I dont like plagiarizing, I am going to have to quote the beautifully written guide on CFLs written by Dr. Chronic in the CFL sub forum to explain color temperature. He does a fantastic job of getting the point across, much better than I ever could (I have a limited experience using CFLs).
Metal Halide (MH): MH lights are most often and commonly used for the vegetation stage of growth. They emit a mostly blue spectrum of light. This is good for vegetation because during marijuanas natural state (outdoors), there is more of this spectrum of light during the time of year when you start your plants. The blue spectrum of light encourages extremely healthy stem growth, as well as fan leaf growth. I highly recommend using a MH for vegetation. You CAN use a MH for then entire life of your grow, but I dont recommend it. Doing so will produce very light and fluffy buds. It is highly recommended to switch to a HPS light after vegetation.
High Pressure Sodium (HPS): HPS lights are most commonly used for the flowering stage of growth. They emit a mostly yellow-orange-red spectrum of light. This is good for flowering because during marijuanas natural state (outdoors), there is more of this spectrum of light in the early fall/late summer (harvest time). This spectrum of light will make your buds grow tighter and denser, and will make your buds explode in size. I highly recommend using a HPS light during your flowering stage. You can also use a HPS light for the entirety of growth, but you will find that MH are much better suited for vegetation. If you are on the lower end of the budget scale, using a HPS through vegetation is not going to ruin your grow.
Green Spectrum Lights: During dark hours of growing it is HIGHLY advised you let NO LIGHT into your grow room. But do to whatever schedule your day is on, you may only have time to do business in the grow room during these dark hours. To be able to see to work, while still not affecting your plants you will want to use a green spectrum light. You can find them in any hardware store. The reason you can use these lights during dark hours is because they emit a green spectrum that is neutral to marijuana during the dark hours and will have no effect on the plants at all. Of course it will look like you are looking through night vision goggles, but you will be able to see and work. I recommend picking one up even if you dont plan on using them, they are extremely cheap ($5?), and will come in handy if the time ever arises and you need one.
Light Cycles: In the natural world, the sun is up and down for different hours of the day depending on what time of year it is. During the summer you see the sun for longer, and during the winter you see it for a much shorter time. Because marijuana is a photoperiodic plant, it basis what time it starts to flower by how many hours of light it gets. In an indoor situation, this means we can control what stage of growth the plant is in by controlling how long our lights are on for. There are generally 3 accepted light cycles people use, and they are usually abbreviated as follows: 24/0,18/6, and 12/12. I am sure you can figure out what each one of those means, but for those of you who dont know, the first number is how long the lights are ON, and the second number is how long the lights are OFF. Ex: 18/6 means that the lights are on for 18 hours a day, and 6 hours of the day they are off.
So for growing indoors you want to try and emulate these light cycles to manipulate how your marijuana grows. 24/0 light cycles are used for seedling stage. 18/6 light cycles are used for seedling and vegetation stages. 12/12 light cycles are used for flowering stage. This is because as the year gets closer to winter, the plants naturally get less sun. When you set them on a 12/12 cycle, they then are tricked into thinking it is later in the year and will begin to flower. I recommend you dont use 24/0. There has been no actual research to determine that it promotes growth any faster than 18/6, and it uses more electricity (save yourself money and use 18/6 in my opinion).
Light Distance: The distance your lights should be from the top of your plants will be different depending on what type of lights you are using. Because there is no specific rule like while using X light keep them X distance away the way I decide how high my lights should be is that if you put your hand under the light and it physically hurts or burns, it is too close. Your plants are alive, they will burn just like your hand and die. As long as your hand is comfortable under them where the tops of the plants are then you should be fine. But being too far away can be just as bad as too close. If your lights are too far away your plant will grow vertically too fast and start to fall over. To prevent stretching I suggest you get them as close as you can before it burns. For CFLs, you want them 2-3 away. Also with CFLs, I recommend you supply side lighting. It will increase plant growth greatly, and in fact if you want you can combine MH/HPS lighting with CFL lighting and get side lighting in as well as direct top lighting, you will only see better results in your plants doing this. The more light you have the better.
Growing Mediums
Hydroponics
Hydroponics is the method of growing plants without using soil. In reality it is actually growing plants in a medium that provide no nutrient value to the plants and is neutral to them, meaning you can supplement the amount of nutrients the plants receives manually rather than letting the plant extract everything from a soil. The advantage to growing with hydroponics is that you will see your plants grow faster and bigger then if you used soils. This is because you can pump them full of the nutrients you want, its like growing with steroids. The disadvantages to hydroponics is that it is not quite user friendly. This means that it is all in your hands. You are responsible for all of the nutrients your plant is receiving, and if you use too much or too little you can hurt the plant. There are many different types of hydroponic systems but I will only describe the most popular and easy of them all.
Coco: This is what I use. In my opinion it is the best growing medium you can possibly buy. The reason why I feel it is superior is that it is very hard to over water. Coco has the exact water retention needed perfect for growing marijuana. Coco is also very good at keeping the medium in the correct pH level. There are three different kinds of Coco, and you can buy them all separately or mixed. I used the premixed bags available at hydroponics stores because they are generally pre washed and it saves me the time of mixing it myself.
Pyth: This is the finest grade of Coco. It looks like soil in appearance and you will find that it makes up a bulk of the premixed bags out there. The reason it makes up a good portion of the mixed bags is because it is great for developing a healthy and complex root system (as it is very similar to soil in consistency).
Coir/Fiber: This is the second finest grade of Coco. It looks straw or hair like in appearance and it makes up a small percentage of mixed bags. It is great at letting root systems develop well while still providing enough drainage for hydroponic set ups.
Husks/Croutons: This is the coarsest grade of Coco. It looks like tiny little shells, and makes up a somewhat small percentage of mixed bags. This is perfect for Ebb and Flow systems because it is very chunky which allows for great drainage and movement of water through it, while still providing enough surface area to have healthy root systems. It is comparable to Rock Wool in its uses.
While using Coco it is important to know that you should keep your pH levels in the 5.5-6 range. I personally use 6.3 as my pH and it seems to be fine, but it is recommended to use slightly lower than average pH levels then in normal hydroponic set ups for maximum efficiency.
Aeroponics: Aeroponics (sometimes spelled airoponics) is a great way to grow, but it is also the most difficult to set up for hydroponic systems. It is set up in a way that the roots are exposed the entire time. The plant is held by the base of its stem in place, while a mister sprays at the roots. A lot of these types of set ups will look like giant triangles in shape with the plants coming out the sides, and the roots dangling on the inside. A mister will be positioned to shoot at the roots inside, and the excess mist collects along the walls and then condenses and drips down into a reservoir where it is then recycled to be sprayed again. I dont have extensive experience with these types of systems, but plans to build them can be found all over the internet. They are extremely efficient when done correctly and can produce ridiculously large plants, though many people use them in a sea of green grow set up (more on that later).
Rock Wool: Rock wool is a hydroponic medium that can be used in several ways. It can be used in an Ebb and Flow system as well as a traditional watering medium. This means that you can use it as if it were regular soil, but has the advantage over soil because it is nutrient inert. I personally wouldnt recommend using it unless you are using it in an Ebb and Flow system where it reigns supreme. Before using Rock Wool ALWAYS prewash it, it has lots of glues and contaminants directly out of the bag.
Ebb and Flow: Ebb and Flow systems are normally what people think of when they hear hydroponics. It is a system where your plants are put in a medium (preferably Rock Wool or Husk/Crouton Coco) and they are flooded with water for a certain period of time. This water then is pumped out of the medium and recycled into another reservoir to then later be pumped back into the medium. This type of system is good because it brings nutrients to the plant consistently and often. They are not incredibly difficult to build, and set up designs can be found all over the internet. If Coco is not available to you, I would recommend this system for growing if you decide to use hydroponics.
Soils
I typically will tell people that if they want the best marijuana they can possibly produce they should avoid soils and go with hydroponics due to its superiority at controlling how much nutrients your plants will receive. But soils are still a very viable option. I have never decided to use soils myself, but they are still a great way to grow if you dont think you can be on top of the nutrients all of the time. Soils are different then hydroponics because they lack the proper aeration and drainage that hydroponics does. To combat this many growers add a growing material called Perlite. You want around 30% of your growing medium to be Perlite if you decide to use soils. It is inexpensive and can be found at most hardware stores in the gardening section. Many growers also add Coco croutons in as well to help with aeration. Try to avoid heavy soils, or soils that are dense. Choosing the correct soils with the proper nutrients for your stage of growth is also vital, so do your research on your soil before you decide to use it. It is highly advised you purchase a proper growing soil instead of going out into your backyard and digging up some dirt, it just wont work correctly. Back yard dirt generally doesnt have the nutrients and aeration you want for your plants. If you are growing outside it is also advised to replace the area you are growing in with the proper soil. I dont know of any specific soils in particular that are perfect for growing but have heard a lot of good things about Black Gold, I would look into that if you are planning to use soil for a medium.
Nutrients
Nutrients are possibly the most important thing when it comes to growing. These decide how well your plant is going to grow. There are 14 nutrients your plant will need to survive, but there are only 3 main nutrients. These three nutrients are Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium, or NPk. When looking at bottles of nutrients you will see 3 numbers written on them X-X-X (N-P-k). This is how much of each nutrient is in the solution. During the different stages of growth your plant will need higher levels of different nutrients. During the vegetation stage of growth you want higher levels of Nitrogen and an equal amount of both phosphorus and potassium (ex: 8-2-2). During the flowering stages of growth you want nutrients that have higher levels of phosphorus and potassium (ex 2-8-8 ). Some growers like slightly higher levels of phosphorus then potassium during flowering, but personally I think an equal amount of each does just fine.
Some growers also like to add in enhancement solutions for root growth. I have never used them but I have heard good things about them working very well. But you should be fine sticking with a NPk nutrient, as they also contain the other 11 nutrients needed for growing in them as well (you can find the levels of each of those nutrients in the solution on the back of the bottle usually). If this is something that interests you I would recommend you go for it and use them, I like to just save myself money and pass on them and my plants grow just fine without them.
While it is great to see nutrients that have high numbers in the NPk rating (20,25,30), keep in mind that nutrient burn can and does happen. It sometimes is better to buy a solution that has lower numbers of NPk and then use more as needed to make sure you dont end up nutrient burning your plants. Dont assume Well this has 30-2-2, it must be fantastic for vegetation or something along those lines. You still need all 3 of those nutrients to grow, and over saturating your water with those types of nutrients will kill your plants.
Some people use nutrient solutions even while growing in soil that has nutrients in it already. I am not sure how well that works, just be wary of nutrient burn, it is often the cause of death for plants.
Flushing: If you end up nutrient burning your plant you will need to flush. Flushing is the process of taking 3-4 times the grow medium in pure water and drowning the plant and letting it drain out. This gets all of the nutrients that were formerly in the medium and burning your plant out of the medium and you can start fresh and use less nutrients. It is important to flush 2 weeks before harvest and then continue to use just water, otherwise your plants will have a chemically taste to them.
Fans (Intake/Exhaust) and Carbon Filters
An essential part of growing is air. Plants need Co2 to grow which is found in air. What people do not realize at first is that plants use Co2 rather quickly, and most of the Co2 in the air is depleted in a short amount of time. Because of this you need to be constantly bringing in new air into the room. At the same time you also need to be moving the old air out, because with the old air goes heat (and unfortunately smell). To be as efficient as possible you want to be replacing all of the air in your room 3 times an hour or so. Fans will have a rating on them, CFM, on how well they move air. CFM stands for Cubic Feet per Minute. To find out how powerful of a fan you need, first you will need to calculate how many cubic feet you have in a room. For example, lets say you had a 4x4x7 room. That room has 112 cubic feet. To replace the air 3 times an hour you will need a fan that can move 37 CFM. Generally it is a better idea to have an intake fan bringing more air in then you are sending out.
When you send air out of the room, you are more importantly sending out heat. Heat is important to keep moving out of the room because you want your room at ideal temperatures at all times. Because of this you will often see set ups where a fan is blowing air directly next to the bulb in the light into ducting, which then leads out of the room. If you decide to do this make sure it is emptying the air into a place you want it to, because it will smell heavily of marijuana. To combat the smell there are things called Carbon Filters. Carbon filters can be stand alone and also be attached to the end of ducting. Stand alone carbon filters are used to eliminate the smell inside the actual room, where carbon filters attached to the end of exhaust ducting are used for eliminating the smell being expelled into other parts of the house. You can buy them in hardware stores and hydroponics stores, and there are a few DIY guides online as well to make them cheaply. I highly recommend you pick up a carbon filter because you room will stink, and I mean stink BAD. Especially if you cant afford to have your entire house or apartment wreaking of marijuana.
You will also need an oscillating fan in your room blowing air around. I like when I can see the leaves slightly moving around from it, it means that the air is always being moved around the plants.
Mylar
Mylar is a paper like material used to make your room as reflective as possible. Think of it like gigantic rolls of tin foil that doesnt crinkle and stays flat. You want to line your entire grow space with mylar if possible. It is really cheap (I bought a 4x20 roll for $12), and dramatically increases how efficient your lights are. Simply just cover ever wall or surface with mylar. Mylar can be found at just about all hydroponics stores.
Meters
Meters are what is going to make sure everything is in check. They will give you essential information so you can then make adjustments to the environment to make sure your plants are in ideal living conditions. Most of these can be found in hardware stores or hydroponics stores.
Thermometer/Humidity: For your plants to live, you need to know what temperature it is and how humid it is in the room. Ideal temperature is 75 degrees F. Ideal humidity is 30%. This does not mean tragedy will strike if they are not exactly that but try your best to always keep them around there. Anything lower than 60 degrees F is too cold, and anything higher than 85 degrees F is too hot. If the temperature strays outside those limits for too long your plants will undergo temperature stress and may very well hemie themselves. Humidity is also important to keep ideal, but is also slightly harder to control so if it is a little low or high dont worry, just dont let it stay that way for too long.
pH: pH is incredibly important while growing marijuana. pH is the measurement of how basic or how acidic your water is. Ideal pH is 6.3 (or 6-6.5). The reason why you need to monitor pH is because if your waters pH is not in the ideal range you will find your plant in nutrient lockout, which means it will be unable to absorb the nutrients in the water and therefore will not grow. Every time you mix a batch of water, always put in your nutrients first and then measure pH. You add nutrients first because often times nutrients will change the pH of the water, and it would be pointless to get the correct pH and then put in nutrients that change it.
PPM: PPM stands for Parts Per Million. It is the standard way to measure how much nutrients are in your water. It is important to note that tap water already has its on PPM. Measure your water before you put in nutrients and then tack that onto the actual PPM you want to use. For example if the water already has a PPM of 200, and I want water with 1000 PPM worth of nutrients, in the end after applying nutrients my PPM should be 1200. I tend to follow this during growing for PPM levels
Code:
Seed (Week 1-2) No Nutrients
Seedling (Weeks 2-3) 100 -250 PPM
Post Seedling (Weeks 3-7) 500-600 PPM
Plant (Weeks 7-11) - 800-1000 PPM
Plant (Weeks 11 Finish) 1000-1200 PPMWater
I personally just use plain tap water for my plants. A lot of people recommend letting the tap water sit for 24 hours to let the chlorine in the water dissolve out of it before using it. I dont do this and I have never seen any problems and I think it really comes down to personal preference. Because I dont fiddle with my water like that very often, I just recommend using plain tap water. But if you are more interested in optimizing what water you use, here is a great article written about that from Doc111, Click Here
Germinating
Germinating is the beginning process of all growing. It is when you take seeds and cause them to sprout outside of your grow medium, and then you plant them. To do this take your seeds and place them in a damp paper towel. Take the paper towel and then put it in a closed glass mason jar or Ziploc baggie for 3-4 days. When you see small white roots popping out of the seeds, they are done germinating. Take the seeds out of the paper towel and plant them. When planting them make a ¼-1/2 deep hole in the medium and place the seed inside, then gently cover it with your medium (dont pack it down). In a few days your plant will start to poke through the top of your medium and you will be on your way!
Harvesting
Harvesting is the entire process of taking the buds off of the plant and turning them into something smokeable. It is not an extremely long processes but has a few steps involved to it. The way to tell if your marijuana is ready to harvest is by the color of its trichrombes. The trichrombes can only bee seen with a 30x magnifying glass. When you look at them in the magnifying glass there are two parts to them, a stalk and a cap. They kind of look like mushrooms. When these trichrombes become close to half amber colored instead of white, you are ready to harvest.
Manicuring: Manicuring is the process of cutting all of the fan leaves and excess plant material off, leaving only the buds. Using a pair of scissors just cut away everything but the buds. Do not throw this skuff away, as it is prime material used in making hash and making the most out of your grow. You can find recipes for hash all over the internet. I seriously suggest looking them up before deciding to discard your excess trim.
Drying: Drying your buds is a must. After manicuring your marijuana you can then hang it to dry. I take pieces of string or fishing line and hang them on. While drying you want a fan blowing air around the room. Do not point the fan AT the drying buds, simply just make sure the air is being moved around the area. You also will want to leave a light on in the room, and try and keep the humidity around 30% (if it gets any higher you stand a strong chance of seeing mold develop on your buds ruining them). After 3-5 days of drying (It may possibly take longer for some of your thicker and larger buds), their stems should no longer bend, but snap. When your stems snap you are done drying. Be very careful not to over dry, or let the rooms humidity get too low, or your buds may dry too quickly and become extremely brittle, to the point where it almost turns to dust in your hands. That is not what you want. Some people like the buds to be slightly less dry then this for the curing process.
Curing: Curing is the process by which you dry the buds evenly. When hang drying them in the drying process, you are mostly just drying the outside of the buds. The core of the buds are still wet. To combat this we cure. To cure your buds put them in glass mason jars, fill each jar 1/3-1/2 full. Put the lid on and let it sit around. Open the lid of the jar for around 30 minutes a few times a day. What happens during this process is that the excess moisture is being draw out of the core of the buds, drying it evenly. When you take the top off of the jar it lets excess moisture from the center of the buds escape. You MUST make sure you take the lid off a few times a day otherwise your buds will become moldy and ruined. The longer your cure your buds, generally, the smoother and stronger your bud will be. 1 weeks is usually enough time for the buds to become smokeable and extremely potent.
Growing Techniques
Sea Of Green (SOG): SOG is the method of growing MANY plants at once, but not letting them get to full size. This process involves flowering extremely early, often the plants in a SOG set up will only have a main cola, and that is all. The advantage to this method is that if you are working with a limited vertical space you can still optimize your yield. Another positive thing that comes with SOG is that you crop out more often than if you had waiting for the plants to grow fully. You can turn a 4 month process into a 2 month process. Obviously your total yield will be much smaller, but because of how fast you can do each grow you end up cropping out almost twice as much.
Screen of Green (SCROG): SCROG is the method of using a screen to maximize your grow space and train where you plant can grow. More in depth description will be added later
Super Cropping: Super Cropping is the process of breaking your branches to create new main colas. In reality they are not true main colas. When the plant is 4-5 weeks into growing, take the branches and roll them between your fingers a little and bend the branch. The branch should break, but NOT SNAP OFF. You are only trying to break the branch. The plant will then repair itself where you broke it, and produce a new main cola from where you broke it. I have not had a lot of experience with this and my knowledge of it is limited but I will update this with more info as soon as I find some.
Low Stress Training (LST): LST is the process of taking string and attaching it to the top of your plants, then tying it down and attaching the other end to its own bucket. This causes the plant to bend into an arch. The reason behind doing this is because as canopies of leaves start getting thick, it is hard for light to penetrate and reach the lower nodes of the plant. With this method you can arch them outward, letting light down below. Also it maximizes your potential to grow upwards. A very good technique if you have limited vertical room.
