The marijuana plant is one of the easiest and most appreciative species to grow that exists. Virtually anyone can learn how to successfully plant marijuana by following a few guidelines.
This article is intended for all people who want to know how to grow marijuana and are looking for a quick and easy guide on how to do it. In this publication, we will show you the needs of the plants in their different stages and we will explain in detail how you must do it so that your harvest is of the greatest quantity and quality possible.
Content:
1)What type of marijuana seeds are we going to plant?
- Regular marijuana seeds
- Feminized marijuana seeds
- Auto-flowering marijuana seeds
2) Choosing a variety of marijuana
- Sativa strains of marijuana
- Indica strains of marijuana
- Hybrid strains of marijuana
3) Germinate marijuana seeds
4) Prepare the pot or soil where we are going to plant marijuana
5) Marijuana transplants
6) Growth phase
7) Pruning in marijuana plants
8) Flowering phase
- Pre-flowering
- Fattening
- Maturation
9) Root washing
10) Common pests, fungi, and diseases in marijuana
11) Harvest
- When to cut?
- Use a magnifying glass to see the color of the resin glands
- The indication given by seed banks
- How to cut?
- How to dry marijuana plants?
12) Curing, preserving, and packaging of marijuana
What type of marijuana seeds are we going to plant?
The first thing to do when planting marijuana is to choose what type of seeds we are going to grow. Normally we will find feminized seeds, regular seeds, and auto-flowering seeds.
Depending on the type of seed we choose, the evolution of the crop will be different:
Regular Marijuana Seeds
Regular marijuana seeds can show both sexes, so they can be male or female. The problem with these seeds is that we will have to discard many cannabis plants that will have become male since these will not give us buds and could fill all the buds of female plants with seeds. Apart from the fact that males do not produce buds, we would be wasting space, substrate, and nutrients in caring for those plants that we then have to remove from the crop so that they do not end up worsening the quality and production of the buds. This type of seed is still used by professional growers who are looking for a marijuana plant of exceptional quality or want to dedicate themselves to crossing varieties.
Feminized Marijuana Seeds
They are the common standard today. They will be female with a 99.98% probability. These cannabis seeds will allow us to save space, substrate, electricity, and problems. Above all, it saves money, and on top of that, we will make sure that our buds will not fill with seeds as it happens with regular ones that reduce the quality of the grass and worsen its production. They are the most demanded by most growers when it comes to planting marijuana.
Autoflowering Marijuana Seeds
They do not have the same quality as normal varieties, although in recent years they have been improving more and more. However, the best thing about auto-flowering varieties is that they allow us to plant marijuana outdoors throughout the year, as long as the temperatures don’t drop below 10ºC. Autoflowering does not depend on light to start blooming and can do so at any time of the year.
If you want to know more about how to plant auto-flowering marijuana you can read this article where we explain everything step by step.
Choosing a variety of marijuana
Once we have chosen the type of seed we will have to choose a variety. Choosing a variety is important, since when we grow marijuana we are usually looking for a specific effect or flavor, so it is important to choose a variety that suits your needs well.
When planting marijuana we have to take into account the place where we are going to grow it. For example, it is not recommended to grow certain varieties of cannabis in places where it rains a lot at the end of flowering since it could generate fungi in the buds.
Normally we will find 3 types of varieties:
Sativa strains of marijuana
These genetics are acclimatized to the tropics, so they tend to have a long bloom. The quality of this herb is of another level, especially in terms of effects, they are usually very powerful and its high lasts for several hours. In addition, it is usually a more active and dynamic ball, and not sedating as it happens with Indica varieties and some hybrids.
These varieties are for foodies, they are somewhat more complicated to grow. They can grow a lot in a very short time, reaching double and even triple the height once in bloom. This can cause us problems of height and stability in the plants. If you are a beginner in this planting marijuana, better stay away from varieties with high Sativa predominance and look for a hybrid with a Sativa percentage of no more than 70%.
If you decide on Sativa varieties, here are some recommendations:
Moby Dick from Dinafem Seeds: This cannabis strain has it all, yield, potency and flavor.
Y Griega from Medical Seeds: One of the most powerful varieties on the market, if you want to unleash a torrent of creativity, this is the variety you are looking for.
Jack Herer from Sensi Seeds: Aside from potency and flavor, this legendary strain has unmatched aromas and flavors. I recommend planting marijuana of this variety someday, but yes when you have some experience on cultivation.
Indica strains of marijuana
These genetics have a very relaxing character. Unlike Sativas, they are easy to grow, flower quickly and produce a large number of buds, so if you want to plant marijuana easily and taking maximum advantage of it, you should choose this type of variety. Furthermore, these varieties have a cannabinoid profile rich in CBD and CBG, so the effect, although more medicinal, is less potent than that of Sativa.
These varieties are perfect for beginners, commercial growers, and many medicinal users. Here we recommend some of the best Indica varieties:
Sugar Black Rose by Delicious Seeds: This variety stands out for its power, speed, and production, but above all for its incredible flavor. He has 36 awards at the time of writing this publication and he will surely continue to achieve more.
Kritikal Bilbo from Gehentik Seeds: This strain is an all-rounder. It is fast, powerful, resistant and very productive, which is why it is one of our legendary varieties.
Bubba Kush 2.0 by Humboldt Seeds: 100% Indica genetics. It is one of the fastest varieties on the market, it also stands out for its powerful relaxing effect and its kush and coffee aromas.
Hybrid strains of marijuana
Hybrid varieties are mixtures between Sativa and Indica varieties, these mixtures achieve greater vigor and power than pure varieties. These varieties try to make the best of both worlds; the power and effect of Sativas, with the speed and production of Indica.
However, the effect of these varieties is usually mixed, that is, great psychoactivity and great physical relaxation.
If you have decided on hybrid genetics, here are some recommendations:
Green Poison by Sweet Seeds: It stands out for its speed, production, and incredibly sweet and fruity flavor, but without a doubt what is most striking is its strong and intense smell.
Glueberry OG by Dutch Passion: This variety stands out mainly for its explosion of flavors, a mixture of earthy flavors, diesel and red fruits. Also noteworthy is its power and high production.
Lemon Skunk from Green House Seeds: A mythical variety, recognized by all foodies, you will never forget that incredible lemon flavor. Also, it is a very fast and productive marijuana plant.
Germinate marijuana seeds
It is probably the most complicated step in this guide on how to plant marijuana and in which most beginner growers fail, but by following a few simple steps you will be able to germinate your seeds without problems.
Germination is a process by which the seed embryo develops into a small plant. During this process that lasts a few days, the seed swells and the seed cover breaks, hence a root and a couple of leaves will come out, which we call cotyledons.
To make the seeds sprout we will have to provide them with a little heat and humidity, simulating what happens in nature where the seeds rest until spring comes and sprout.
To know how to germinate in different ways we recommend you visit this article in which we explain the different methods that exist to be able to germinate successfully.
While we germinate the seeds we will prepare to prepare the soil where we will grow our plants.
Prepare the pot or soil where we are going to plant marijuana
We have two options when it comes to planting marijuana. Whether you plant in pots or directly on the ground, you will surely need some type of substrate mixture so that the roots have the support and food necessary for their cultivation. How to grow marijuana.
Substratum.
The land on which we are going to plant marijuana is a very important element for its development. This is where the roots develop, where the plant will live and where it acquires its nutrients. The substrate must be suitable for growing these plants. You are not worth any substrate, as a bad substrate could give many problems in terms of pH (acidity) and EC (electroconductivity) delaying the growth of the plant. For this reason, buying a good quality substrate or making your own land mix is essential for growing marijuana without problems.
If you want to know which are the best lands to plant marijuana, you can visit this article in which we show you the best substrates.
And if what you want is to make your mix, visit this link to the previous article where you can also see how to do it.
Marijuana transplants
Transplants are very common during the cultivation of marijuana, many of us change the planters according to the size of the plant. Marijuana plants absorb less water and do not have to bear as much weight when they are small, so we can keep them in smaller pots until they grow larger.
It is not recommended to have the substrate too wet. A very humid substrate can cause the appearance of fungi and other diseases. If we use small pots when planting marijuana, we run less risk of these diseases appearing, since the substrate will dry sooner. Although you can also grow it directly in a large one, but being careful not to overwater.
Transplants must be done very carefully. Doing it wrong can shock plants from which it can take a few days or even a week to recover.
To avoid this we are going to give you some tips so that the transplant affects the plant as little as possible and with these techniques, we will reduce the transplant shock a lot:
– Wait for the substrate to dry completely, in this way the soil will come out compacted as a single block and the roots will not be damaged when removed from the pot.
– The substrate where you are going to transplant must have a little moisture so that the roots can expand, if you see that it is dry, add a little water to absorb it and recover moisture.
– Transplants must be done when the lights go out or outdoors when the sun goes down, although you can simply leave the transplanted plant in a place where it is not in direct light for 12-24 hours.
– Transplants should never be done during flowering. This is one of the most common mistakes among beginners when it comes to planting marijuana. Unless you’re having trouble maintaining plant stability and need a larger planter, never transplant during the flowering phase.
– When the plants are small and have only a few leaves, it is advisable to protect them with a plastic hood like this or something similar that conserves humidity, and outdoors they also help us protect them from birds.
– Use mycorrhizae. Mycorrhizae are a type of fungus that works in symbiosis with the plant that helps it to develop faster and produce more buds. For this reason, it is advisable to take advantage of the transplant to add a little mycorrhizae by directly applying the powders on the roots, although there are also liquid mycorrhizae that you can use with irrigation.
Growth phase
Once the plant begins to develop new shoots we would enter what we call the growth stage, during this stage the plant is in constant development and uses its energy to create new shoots, leaves, and roots. How to plant marijuana. Increase.
Marijuana plants are grown outdoors in the spring when the daylight hours are highest, the temperature is the hottest, and the land is usually humid due to rain. The “normal” or photo dependent marijuana, as opposed to the auto-flowering one, depends on the change in daylight hours to flourish. Indoors we simulate this by putting the lights on for just 12 hours a day, outdoors and in the northern hemisphere, the plants begin to bloom from the summer solstice (San Juan) when daylight hours begin to decrease.
The growth phase is as important or more than the flowering phase. In this stage, it will be where our marijuana plants will generate a strong structure that will later be able to support the weight of huge and heavy buds.
From the first weeks of growth, we will start using a root stimulator and we will be using it until the second week of flowering. The more developed the root system, the stronger and healthier our plants will be. The roots are where the plants will assimilate the greatest amount of nutrients so the more roots they have, the more food they can consume. The difference between planting marijuana using a root stimulator and planting marijuana without using it is up to 35% in total crop production.
When our plants are approximately 2 weeks old, we will start fertilizing with a growth fertilizer with high nitrogen content. At this stage, marijuana plants need a high content of this nutrient to develop a strong structure and be able to create their new shoots without deficiencies. We will continue to use growth compost until the first or second week of flowering, as that is when cannabis plants hit the last stretch.
Pruning in marijuana plants
During growth, many growers carry out pruning and other techniques of entutoramiento so that the plants acquire the shape we want and can produce more by favoring the entry of light and eliminating the lower parts of the plant. In this way the buds will get bigger and ripen better, thus achieving better quality and production.
How to plant marijuana – Apical pruning
Apical pruning in a marijuana plant.
One of the best-known prunings is apical pruning. This pruning consists of eliminating the highest shoot of the plant so that it inhibits vertical growth and begins to grow in width. This comes in handy especially when we have height problems and we don’t want our plants to be seen from the street or by neighbors. Another advantage of apical pruning is that the plant will distribute the buds more on the lateral branches instead of concentrating its energies on forming a large central bud.
Flowering phase
Flowering. During this stage, marijuana plants begin to show their sex. In the case of males, their flowers begin to form green balls that fill with pollen. If these little balls are opened they will pollinate our plants causing seeds to come out in the buds, for that and many other reasons we use feminized seeds, because that way you always know that you are going to have a female that will produce buds.
Flowering is the most important stage in the cultivation of marijuana since it is of vital importance for the formation of buds and the quality of the final product, being the phase that most affects the content of essential oils (aroma, flavor, THC, CBD, CBG ..) and the final production of buds.
Flowering comprises several phases in which the needs of the plants change and from which we can clearly distinguish 4 stages; pre-flowering, fattening, maturation, and root washing, according to which we can adjust our irrigations and fertilizers to obtain the maximum quality and production.
Preflowering
This is the first phase of flowering and occurs when the plant begins to show its sex and develop bud shoots. This stage occurs after lowering the daylight hours from 18h to 12h. Outdoors this occurs naturally from the summer solstice. From there the plants will receive fewer hours of light until they start to flower. In the latitudes of the geographical equator, daylight hours are more stable throughout the year, so it can practically be cultivated throughout the year.
You should know that marijuana plants tend to grow in size during flowering. Indica varieties usually increase their size up to a maximum of 50%, while the most Sativa varieties can grow up to 200% – 300%, so this is a factor that you should take into account when planting marijuana. . Hybrids tend to be more balanced, although depending on the crossing they may have more Indica or Sativa characteristics.
During this stage the plant will grow as much as it can until it stops growing, to focus on directing all the energy towards bud formation.
In this phase the plant will continue to demand nitrogen, so we will continue to feed our marijuana plant with a growth fertilizer. From here the plant will also begin to demand phosphorus and potassium (PK) to be able to form its flowers without deficiencies, so we will begin to provide it with a flowering fertilizer.
Fattening
During this stage the needs of the plant change dramatically and now the plant dedicates all its energy to the production of buds. In addition to our base flowering fertilizer, we should use a flowering stimulator that gives you the extra contribution of phosphorus and potassium (PK) that you need.
During this stage, the plant prepares the structure of the buds demanding high amounts of phosphorus and potassium (PK). This will make our buds take a large size and gain weight.
If you want to get marijuana of exceptional quality in addition to huge buds, it is highly recommended to add amino acids to our plants. With amino acids, we will get our plants to increase the amount of THC and terpenes in our buds, which will increase the potency, aroma, and flavor. One of the best resin enhancers on the market is Big Nutrients Big Quality Resin if you want to plant marijuana of the highest quality, don’t forget this product.
Maturation
During this stage, the plant continues to demand more and more nutrients. However, the plant is already thinking about the ripening of the buds and is preparing to give consistency to the flower, demanding more potassium. This stage is critical to obtain buds with a high weight and well developed. At this stage, in addition to increasing the doses of the fertilizers that we used during the fattening stage ( base fertilizer, bud enhancer, sugars, and amino acids), it is recommended to add enzymes to improve the final quality of the bud and its flavor.
Root washing
Root washing is another stage where you have to be careful when planting marijuana since it could negatively affect the final flavor and aroma of the bud. During this phase, we want to leave the roots very clean so that the plant assimilates all the nutrients it has stored in the flowers and leaves. This will considerably improve the taste of the buds and their aroma.
It is highly recommended to use only enzymes one week before root washing so that the plant can assimilate all the nutrients that are in the substrate.
In this phase the leaves of the plant will turn yellow, this is because it no longer has enough food in the substrate and takes it from the oldest leaves.
Root washing is crucial, a plant that has not been washed will show a harsher and harsher flavor typical of some nutrients such as phosphorus or nitrogen.
Common pests, fungi, and diseases in marijuana
Pests
Marijuana plants often have a strong flavor and aroma. These aromas tend to attract many insects that try to suck the sap from our plants, reducing quality and production.
With pests, you have to be especially careful when planting marijuana. There are pests like spider mites or whiteflies that can completely ruin a marijuana crop.
To prevent pests from coming to our cannabis plants, we will use Azadirachtin every 15 days. Azadirachtin is a natural repellent and insecticide that gives off a very unpleasant odor for insects, so these will not come close to our marijuana crop and we will make sure that it is free of pests.
Aside from insect pests, when we grow cannabis we can also find viruses and fungi that attack our plants. Viral diseases are usually caused by insect bites. Insects carry many diseases that when in contact with the plant can cause a viral infection. In the same way, the same happens with mushrooms, although mushrooms tend to be more dependent on humidity, being common in people who water excessively.
When planting marijuana in areas with high humidity or frequent rains, it is highly recommended to use a preventive fungicide to prevent the appearance of fungi. Some as deadly as botrytis can destroy an entire crop.
Harvest
We come to one of the most satisfying points in this guide on how to plant marijuana, the harvest. It is one of the most important stages to get a powerful and quality herb.
The harvest refers to the process of collecting the buds, their manicure (removal of leaves), their drying and their curing (dry ripening), largely determining what the aroma, flavor, and power of the buds will be, that is why it is correct drying is essential.
When to cut?
The time to cut a variety is mainly given by 2 characteristics; plant genetics and environmental conditions. However, these characteristics change a lot, so to determine the cut date we are going to propose some more practical solutions to know when you have to cut.
Use a magnifying glass to see the color of the resin glands
This technique is the most accurate indication of the maturity stage of the plant and you only need a small magnifying glass like these to do it accurately.
The resin glands or trichomes have an elongated shape with a kind of droplet at their tip, that’s where most of the plant’s aroma, flavor, and active ingredients are found.
The trichomes when they are still developing have a translucent color, that is to say, that the light passes through them. During this stage, the gland contains very low levels of THC and is not worth cutting.
As the trichomes develop, they acquire a whitish color until it reaches a point that they turn entirely white. When 85% of trichomes are white it will be an indication that marijuana is at its optimum THC point. At this point, marijuana will be when it has the most psychoactivity. After this point, the resin gland begins to acquire an amber tone, a sign of gland degradation, as soon as you start to see more than 25% glands, this means that it is the optimal time to cut, it has already passed and the grass is it will become more relaxing due to oxidation of THC.
The indication given by seed banks
It is a very good reference to know when a plant is ready. The seed banks test or test the seeds to see what deals they maintain before launching them on the market, normally in very stable varieties their dates are usually correct, however, due to the environmental characteristics and genetic diversity, variations can occur even within the same variety.
How to cut Weed?
The cut should be done when the plant substrate is dry. It does not matter if we cut them with the substrate still wet, however, if we wait for the substrate to dry well before cutting we will see an increase in the amount of resin, giving the plants an extra performance. Also, in this way, the plant will dry faster and retain the aroma better, so it is highly recommended to wait for it to dry.
In hydroponic crops, you can achieve something similar by stopping the water pumps for a day.
To make the cut we will need clean scissors for which we will use a little alcohol and paper to leave them very clean. If we use much better pruning shears, we will work faster and in a much more comfortable way since these come with a spring system and a blade prepared for plants. In addition to making our work much easier, we also avoid burdening ourselves with scissors.
The cut should be made from the base of the stem, this allows us to then leave the plants hanging upside down without having to do much work.
When planting marijuana, there are times when parts of the plant ripen before others, usually the highest parts, in these cases you can harvest the most mature parts of the plants first and wait for the rest of the plant to finish maturing.
How to dry marijuana plants?
The most important thing during this process is to keep the plants in the dark and optimal environmental conditions of temperature and humidity so that the bud evaporates the water little by little and in this way it better conserves its characteristics in terms of smell and taste.
Marijuana must be dried in a humidity and temperature range between 18ºC and 24ºC and a relative humidity between 40% and 65% for 1 or 2 weeks. Normally when the plant is dry, its branches will break easily as if it were a toothpick. If they bend, on the contrary, they are not yet ready.
Controlling the temperature and humidity of the drying area is important. The more temperature the room has the sooner the buds will dry and the lower the temperature the longer it will take to dry. As for humidity, it works the other way around, the more humidity the drying zone has, the longer it takes to dry it and the less humidity it has, the faster it dries.
To control the temperature and humidity of the drying area we can use a thermohygrometer (temperature and humidity meter), in this way it is much easier to control the drying process, being able to adjust the opening and closing windows, putting an extractor, humidifier or even with a fan.
To dry marijuana plants we can do it in several ways. A very common solution is to hang your plants upside down with their leaves and branches without manicuring, this method, although it conserves humidity better and slows drying, can cause fungus problems such as botrytis (a very harmful fungus that renders the buds useless ).
Another way is to manicure our plants in green and then cut and hang it upside down, thus reducing the chances of fungus appearing.
Although the best way of all is to use a drying mesh. These meshes allow us to leave the buds already manicured on a breathable surface, in this way we can take the large buds and tear them to pieces since the larger buds are at greater risk of generating fungi due to the humidity they contain inside.
Curing, preserving, and packaging of marijuana
Curing is a different process than drying, during curing what is intended is to dry the bud slowly so that the cannabinoids acquire the maximum possible potency.
A key aspect of drying and curing is getting cannabinoids to become more potent substances.
At first, when the plant is green the main cannabinoids it contains are CBGA THCA CBDA CBCA, these cannabinoids do not produce any serious medicinal or psychoactive effects yet. However, when we dry it, the cannabinoids of the resin gland degrade and these substances will transform into CBG, THC, CBD, and CBC respectively, already having strong psychoactive and medicinal properties.
Curing goes a little further and with it, we intend to transform a large part of these cannabinoids into Delta 8 THC (a more powerful and psychoactive form of THC) and CBN (a medicinal substance with a narcotic and relaxing effect).
The curing must be done once the marijuana is dry, once it is dry it must be transferred to airtight containers, preferably glass, and leaving them in a place where they are not exposed to light.
We will have to open these cans every week for a period of about 2-3 months and let it air for a few minutes so that it expels the moisture and the chlorophyll that still had left to the buds.
If you are not comfortable doing this task, there are some envelopes for curing called Vault B-62 that you can find on our website. These envelopes maintain the perfect humidity characteristics for curing, they also have an average duration of 3 months, making it perfect for storing in cans.
The grass once cured must be kept very carefully. Its exposure to air and light should be minimal, so it is best to use some type of vacuum packing machine that prevents the herb from degrading further and perfectly preserves the power of curing.
This is all you need to know about how to plant marijuana for a quality and smooth harvest. If you have any questions or just want to leave an opinion leave a message in this post.
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