With many places legalizing cannabis, or at least relaxing laws, it has become a much more popular topic of discussion. People consume cannabis on a regular basis, and by huge numbers, but growing your own has been something many people have been unsure of for a while.
This is understandable, as the laws around growing cannabis are still confusing in many places. It is a topic worth discussing because of those reasons, but also for the fact that for those that know they can grow it, they want to know-how. The first step of educating yourself on growing cannabis is to brush up on the basics. This guide is short, but it provides you some important information if you want to start growing cannabis on your own.
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1. Choosing Where to Grow
The first step is picking if you want to grow indoors or outdoors. The difference in the growing area will determine a lot of other factors that you need to know. This includes air and light, which are obviously vital to a plant’s success. Space can be limited as well, so consider this. If you have a basement, that is a great indoor spot to house your plants. Likewise, a backyard with a fence is optimal for outdoors because you do not want animals or strangers wandering in and interfering with any of your growth plans.
2. Lighting Options
As you know, growing outdoors means you get the option of sunlight, which is free. The problem is that there are peak growing times when sunlight is most abundant, usually spring and summer. However, growing it indoors is also possible; you just need to make sure you are able to provide the right growing conditions.
This means choosing a type of growlight, and not just any type of growlight; they need to be LED ones. They come in a wide range of wattage and sizes, depending on the needs of your plant. If you plan on having many plants, you will need to consider how much power supply you need, and how to properly rig these lights indoors.
3. Air Quality
You might be noticing by now that growing cannabis plants is pretty similar to growing other types of plants. While there are some differences, the most important aspects remain the same. Air quality is one of those factors. Making sure that airflow can get in and out of a grow operation is important. Outdoor plants have the benefit of getting good breeze, while indoors needs ventilation. Consider how your plants can receive proper airflow with windows, vents, or other air exchange.
4. Soil And Nutrients
Providing the proper nutrients and soil (growing medium) is crucial to yielding healthy plants. There are a lot of generic soils you can find at home hardware stores that have good nutrients for plants. Alternate options are composted soil (which you can do yourself), hydroponics, and “soilless.” Hydroponics yields great growth but can be harder to accomplish, soilless is a good choice because it is easily available and has a lot of the nutrients necessary for plant growth.
5. Picking The Type Of Cannabis To Grow
The type, or strain, of cannabis, is a major consideration as well. Due to the fact that so many people have been growing their own cannabis, and a lot of corporations doing it as well, there are more choices now than ever. The strain depends on things like if you want an Indica or Sativa, or even a hybrid.
You can purchase seeds quite easily now as well, or get clones. Seeds are a typical choice because they can be planted then you need to just maintain it until it starts to sprout and grow. Clones are harder because you would need to find someone else with a plant (female) to cut off and plant for yourself to grow a copy of that same cannabis plant.
6. Maintaining Your Plant
Once your seeds or clones start to sprout, you will then need to maintain them to continue getting yields of cannabis. Depending on the source you ask, the temperature to keep for the plant can vary but typically the range is 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. You should also check the pH balance of the soil, and adjust nutrient supply as needed to continue letting your plant grow.
While not the most comprehensive list, these tips give you a basic understanding of how much needs to go into growing your own cannabis. It is not the hardest task in the world, but you certainly need to consider a lot of factors. The best way to learn about growing cannabis is by doing your research and learning from experienced growers.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended for people living in countries where the growing of cannabis is illegal. Respect the law in your country or state and always get all the permits and follow all the regulations.
If you are interested in even more lifestyle-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
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