Grow cannabis successfully requires great attention. You must closely observe its progress, ensure it’s free from pest infestation and that the environment suits the strain you are cultivating. Because cannabis plants are sensitive to changes in light levels, knowing when and how to adjust its exposure is vitally important.
Consider your strain’s terpene profile carefully when choosing a strain to cultivate. Different terpenes present in its buds can dramatically change user experiences, as well as impact the flavour, aroma and effects of any final products you produce. Therefore it’s advisable that new growers test out various strains prior to investing large amounts in seed.
Cannabis cultivation in containers is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to do it, whether indoors or out. When selecting containers, be sure to select a breathable one as roots need oxygen to properly form roots. Most novice growers opt for 10-20 gallon (38-76 L) pots made of clay or ceramic materials with perlite and dolomite lime to balance out soil pH levels and protect roots.
If you are growing outdoors, fencing and barriers will be essential in keeping animals at bay and protecting your crop from theft or robbery. To do this most efficiently, place them out of public view behind a barrier such as a fence; other growers have found success with covering them with netting but this method often exposes too much light.
As you begin growing your plants, it is crucial to be mindful of both time of year and how much sunlight they’ll receive. Cannabis requires over 12 hours of daily sunlight during its vegetative growth stage; more light means longer in vegetative state for plants growing in northern climates. Therefore, growers in such climates may require fast-flowering strains which allow harvest before reduction of daylight starts taking effect.
After entering the vegetative stage, your plants will enter flowering phase where they’ll produce high concentrations of trichomes – responsible for creating that characteristic resinous coating found on marijuana buds – to produce delicious buds. This phase can last from 6-12 weeks depending on the strain – pure indicas will generally have shorter flowering times than their sativa counterparts and hybrid strains may take between three to six weeks longer to flower fully. At this stage it is imperative that you take proactive steps against pollination that can compromise yield of delicious buds; indoor or outdoor growing, this can be accomplished by placing male plants away from female plants as well as regularly sexing male plants to prevent pollination from pollination by fertilizing them during this stage – either indoors or out.