Growing cannabis has been a craze for quite some time now and more people are looking to start growing their own at home. With cannabis seeds becoming more popular by the day, it’s clear to see why cannabis has been a well sought-after topic for the past few years.
With the government slowly acknowledging the use of cannabis the craze has started to spread. And it’s not just good news for regular smokers but corporations are also getting involved.
With guides showing you how to grow dagga becoming all the more desirable, here we will cover the same concept and take the different seasons into account. In the end, you will be able to understand how to grow cannabis and take care of your own dagga plant.
How to Grow Weed
When you ask yourself the question of how to grow weed from seeds, just remember that each seed has different needs and wants. Although some seeds do have similar or identical growth methods, each one should be researched rather than going in gung-ho.
One of the main components to look at when growing cannabis is light or direct sunlight. Most commonly, eight hours of direct sunlight should be sufficient for most but it differs from plant to plant. Other main components are getting the pH of your water right and the number of nutrients that your plant receives.
Before starting your process, you also need to understand that male plants don’t grow buds, where female plants do. Unless you are breeding cannabis already, you won’t be able to tell which is which until the vegetation stage. A female plant’s stem is always thinner and has more leaves than a male plant.
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Best Way to Grow Weed
Since there is more than one way to grow your marijuana plants, indoor or outdoor, it’s always a question of which method is actually better.
Indoor
Growing weed indoors is highly favored with a lot of growers. Its main advantage is that you can manipulate the ‘weather’ to make your plant blossom into great buds. Since the weather isn’t a factor, it can be done through any season, warm or cold.
One of its downfalls is that you will need to dish out the cash for that hash. Grow lights can be expensive and a homemade one won’t always do your plant justice, so before choosing this method you’ll need to be sure that you can afford it.
Outdoor
Outdoor weed is well-loved by the cannabis community as it’s the natural way to grow your plant. One of the biggest advantages is that seeds grow faster outdoors if done correctly. A good amount of sunlight and a good watering schedule will have your plant growing and budding much faster.
The obvious downfall is that you won’t get the sunlight you always need throughout the year. Unless you can manipulate the seasons, you are limited to when you can grow your weed.
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Growing Marijuana – The Seasons
The following tips are more so directed at growing your weed plants outdoors since indoor planting has the benefit of manipulating ‘weather’.
The perfect time to plant your seeds is in mid-spring. Planting seeds at the start of spring can result in taller plants struggling with re-vegging. Weed seedlings love slightly more sunlight than when they start to grow, so planting them in a sunny area is optimal for their growth.
Planting your seed during summer is peak perfection if you know how to maintain your plants. With warmer days, your plant will grow…fast. As mentioned, if you’re not experienced in growing, you might have trouble since it’s hard to maintain size in the summer.
Autumn should be considered as a harvesting season. Since the warmer months are now a thing of the past, your buds should be flowering close to the end of summer or at the start of autumn. If you are considering starting your growth period in autumn, you should switch to indoor planting.
Winter can be a good time to plant, but only closer to the end and in mid-spring if you can wait. Since it’s colder with hardly any sun coming through, this is an indoor growth season. Although plants can still grow outdoors, they won’t grow as big, but they will have some value since they grow tight.
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How Long Does Weed Take to Grow?
Growing your weed plant from seed can take anywhere from 10 – 32 weeks to reach maturity. Generally, it differs between seeds and methods such as indoor or outdoor growing. It’s generally quicker with a clone or auto-flowering seed.
How To Care For Your Weed Plant – Tips for Growth
For every plant that there is, there are always some tips you can follow to get the most out of your bud. Here we will list some of the best tips to help you in your growing process:
- Use string and stakes to help your plant carry its load
- For a more reliable way to check your plant’s harvest time, look at the tiny mushroom-shaped outgrowths on your buds called trichomes. The color will indicate when it’s ready
- For indoor or grow tents, use a simple fan that blows through. It prevents bud rot, strengthens your stem, and prevents mold from forming on your plant
- If you want to grow your plant organically, you can use organic material such as compost and bat guano which supports the growth of beneficial microbes.
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Growing Your Own Weed at Home
Hopefully, this will leave you with some knowledge next time you decide to grow your own. It can be a fun process of producing your own and we highly recommend that everyone tries it out at least once.
Now that you know how to grow weed at home, why not try it and share your results and experiences?
To find out more information on the legality of CBD products, check out the post on CBD oil legality in South Africa.