Introduction

Growing marijuana has become a popular activity over the past few years, especially now more countries and some states in America tolerate and allow the recreational or medicinal usage and cultivation of marijuana. The reason that people have started growing that we hear the most is that people don‘t want to pay for overpriced cannabis from dispensaries that fail to deliver in quality. Please note that in other countries growing marijuana is an illegal activity and therefor you should inform about the regulations in your country or region before taking any steps towards growing marijuana. For those that are allowed to grow marijuana, continue reading :)

Anyone can do it

Even those who have never planted a seed in their life can grow their own marijuana. The cultivation of marijuana is just a simple process where steps and rules need to be carefully followed. This grow guide is for those who are just getting started with growing marijuana and the experienced growers who want to use this grow guide as a reference.

From seeds to buds

1. Like most things in life, growing marijuana starts with planting a seed. You can browse our seedshop to find the strain which suites you the most.
2. Now you have the marijuana seeds you want, it‘s time to germinate them. Since germinating marijuana seeds needs a chapter of its own, we have created the germination guide, which you can follow along with this grow guide to get your plants growing perfectly.
3. Once the seeds have germinated, it is time to grow. You can plant them into soil or any other growth medium of preference.
4. Growing marijuana is the most intensive part of the whole process. This grow guide will highlight the most important aspects of growing marijuana so you will know what to do in any situations that may occur.
5. When the marijuana plant is at the end of it‘s flowering cycle, harvest the buds from the plant and dry them. The last section of this grow guide will take a more indepth look into harvesting marijuana.

Soil

After the seeds have germinated they‘re ready to be planted. There are multiple growing methods like Hydrogrowing where soil isn‘t used but here we will specifically cover growing marijuana in soil. Growing in fertile soil is required to get the best out of your marijuana seeds. Unsterilized soil from the park across the street won‘t cut it since the chances are that it contains parasites. You can find the perfect soil at your local gardening center. The soil should meet the following specifications for the best results:

• The soil should be drain well. Some sand, sponge rocks or pearlite will do the job.
• The pH level should neutral. Somewhere between 6.5 and 7.5. If the soil is too acidic the plant will tend to be male more.
• The soil should absorb nutrients and fertilizers well.

Containers

When your soil is ready it‘s time to plant your seeds. Prepair some kind of container to contain the soil. Make sure the containers are sterilized as well. The size of the container is quite important, as the roots get bigger along with the plant. Too big is better than too small.You can transfer the plant to another container later on, but we strongly discourage you doing so. Transferring plants can be a shock to them, which causes a plant to need time for recovering and that slows the growth down.

The container should have a hole in the bottom, so excess water can be drained. Also, don‘t pack the soil down too tightly. The seeds should have some air and space to take root.

Fertilizers

Marijuana plants like to be fed. While air, sun and water are enough, you can get more out of your plants using fertilizers. There are many fertilizers available on the market. Make sure the fertilizer you use is meant for marijuana, or plants like it. Although it can be tempting to use loads of fertilizer, you should really follow the instructions on the fertilizer manual. Using too much fertilizer can burn your plant and destroy the roots.

The last 2 or 3 weeks you should stop giving your plants fertilizer altogether. This applies to all fertlizers! Your plant absorbs nutrients and turns it into the combustibles it needs to grow. If you keep feeding your plant fertilizer up to the moment that you harvest there will still be unconverted nutrients in it‘s system. This might result in an unpleasant taste when smoked, and it even might be unhealthy. Feeding your plant before you harvest it will ruin your harvest, and you will have to start over again.

Light

Marijuana plants need light to grow. Some countries will have beter conditions to grow outside than others. For example: In North America sunlight isn‘t intense enough to grow into the big plants you will get when growing outside in Latin America. Also, Sativa marijuana plants grow better near the equator, and Indica plant can be grown well more towards the poles. Check out our marijuana grow map to see which type of marijuana grows best in your region.

Growing marijuana plants inside requires the right setup. Lighting, the intensity of the lighting and its color spectrum all influence the growth. Your lamps should be hanging at least 60 cm above the plant so they can absorb all of the light but won‘t get burned by the heat of the lamps. As the plant grows, you should hang the lamps a bit higher to keep a safe distance. Most growers use a 12/12 hour cycle while growing,12 hours of light, 12 hours of darkness. This will mature your marijuana plants in 2 to 3 months. The longer the hours of light are, the longer it takes to get your plants into blooming fase although they will grow bigger. 16 hours of light will mature them in 4 months, 18 hours of light will take 5 months.

Temperature and Humidity

Marijuana plants like it hot. The best temperature is around 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) when the lights are on. In the time the lights are off you can easily drop the temperature to 18 degrees Celcius (62 degrees Fahrenheit) to mimic the ideal outdoor climate. Humidity is important for the resin on the buds and leaves. When the humidity is low the plant will protect itself from desiccation, thus producing resin. When the humidity is high the marijuana plant will grow wide leaves with less resin.

Air regulation

Air regulation is essential for growing strong healthy plants. The best thing to do is have rotating fans which mimic an outdoor breeze. Because the plants are feeling the pressure from the wind they grow stronger stems which result in stronger plants. Air regulation is also vital for keeping your plants alive because they need fresh air. Marijuana plants breathe through their leaves, and a breeze also helps them expell diseases and poisons from them. When the growing environment is not regulating the air well, the leaves will become a yellowish brown and die. To keep your plant from smelling, and the whole neighbourhood from finding out about your new hobby use a CO2 filter to regulate smell and CO2 levels.

Watering

In some countries like the Netherlands tap water is of great quality and can be used to directly water marijuana plants. But in most countries there‘s too much chlorine in it which makes it unsuitable for watering marijuana plants. So you need to get clean water somehow. The water needs to be at room temperature when you water your plants. Drain soil with water all the way to to bottom, and make sure there‘s a hole in the bottom so excess water will be drained.

Bugs & Diseases

The best way to prevent bugs and disease is to disinfect the growroom, wash your hands before entering and wear clean clothing. Once you have bugs it‘s pretty hard to get rid of them. Insecticide will do the job but will also negatively affect your plants so use as little as possible. The best method to get rid of bugs is organic, using Ivory soap flakes.Just shave some ivory soap in water and coat your plant‘s leaves with it. Wash it off after a few hours.