Growing your own marijuana plant can be an enjoyable and inexpensive way to have your own supply of weed which you enjoy the most. This gives you access to your marijuana of choice anytime you would want to take a hit. This article will deal with How to grow and harvest weed in your own home. We will attempt to make this as simple as possible for the new grower to fully understand the basic steps to grow and harvest your own weed.
Choose And Purchase YOUR Seed Of Choice
The choices are almost overwhelming! however, it’s not easy just to choose your preferred strain as factors such as growth height of the plant and planting space must also be considered. Surely you have enjoyed more than one strain, choose these and do research on them about their growth habits and how you intend to grow them in your home and like how to grow and harvest weed.
UNDERSTANDING THE FUNDAMENTALS ANDHOW TO GROW AND HARVEST WEED
For healthy and productive plants, it is imperative a grower must know and understand the basics of planting for him to give the best possible care to his growing plant.
- LIGHTING – marijuana plants need light. They need at least eighteen hours of light to have proper vegetative growth. Growing your plant indoors is easily done with a grow light and a timer.
- GROWING MEDIUM – there are different types of growing mediums available for your plant. Some are pure garden soil, another is what seasoned gardeners call a soilless mix. This could be a mix of coco coir, perlite, wood chips pumice, vermiculite, and a few other organic planting materials.
- AIR CIRCULATION – cannabis needs free-flowing air as this promotes the proper exchange of gases. It also makes the plant sturdy. Indoors, this could be addressed by having an exhaust fan to remove stale air and a fan for circulation. Having still environment pests and molds to grow in your grow room.
- PROPER WATERING – cannabis needs water to grow healthy. Like all things living, water makes these living things thrive and carry on with their biological functions. When growing indoors, it is recommended to use water with a pH level between 5.8 to 6.8, and water on a regular basis.
- TEMPERATURE – being a hardy plant, cannabis can tolerate both warm and cold temperatures. However just like humans, too much heat or cold could stress the plant causing it to not function to its expected growth. Ideally, 27 degrees C is good for the marijuana plant. Growing this indoors requires a good balance of lighting, ventilation, and air circulation.
- NUTRIENTS – nutritional needs of the lant serve as fuel or food. This makes the plant grow. Both macronutrients ( the basic NPK – Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium) and micronutrients (trace elements needed in small quantities such as Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, etc). In addition, having compost which promotes the growth of good fungus in your plant makes the roots absorb the proper amount of nutrients and water from your soil mix.
- HUMIDITY – Humidity plays a very important role in the cannabis’ seed stage to flowering. It is normal for plants to release moisture (aspiration). having a properly balanced humidity in your grow room is a must. if humidity levels are low, it could be a good idea to purchase a humidifier to add humidity to your room.
LIGHTING FOR CANNABIS GROWN INDOORS
proper lighting for your indoor-grown cannabis is essential. The idea is to mimic as close as possible the natural environment of the cannabis plant as it grows in nature. giving the amount of light (which generates heat and provides energy to plants). a variety of grow lights are available in the market. just choose properly the adequate equipment to give your plant the ideal lighting condition. CFL (Compact fluorescent light) and LED (light-emitting diode) panels are samples of efficient grow lights.
On the other side of the spectrum is the HPS (High-pressure Sodium) and Metal Halide lamps are long-established grow lights that could effectively provide light to grow rooms. when using these lamps, since they generate a relative amount of heat, proper exhaust and ventilation are required otherwise the room may be too hot for the cannabis plant to handle. To support this article we need also to have deeper facts about how to grow and harvest weed.
GERMINATION OF THE CANNABIS SEEDS
Providing the right conditions to properly germinate marijuana seeds is essential to produce healthy seedlings. Seeds germinate relying on these specific needs:
- Water – this is to moisten the growing medium and not allow the medium to dry.
- Warmth – seeds germinate with warm surroundings. be sure to cover the pot with a piece of plastic to control the release of moisture and provide a more humid setting.
- ideal germinating location – a good spot to place to put your germinating seeds is a spot where it is not touched directly by the sun, it usually germinates faster in darker corners of your room.
THE VEGETATIVE STAGE OF CANNABIS
The next stage of the growing process is the vegetative stage. This is when photosynthesis starts and the greening of your plant begins. if done indoors, an 18 hours daylight and the six-hour night light are practiced. This is to maximize the absorption of light to produce a sufficient amount of food your plant needs to grow healthy. During the vegetative stage, the plant starts to grow big and produces more leaves. This stage then ends once flowers start to show.
THE FLOWERING AND BUDDING STAGE OF CANNABIS
The unmistakable aroma emitted by the marijuana flower will now start to fill your grow room. Once these aromas are present, the excitement of producing buds of your preferred strain will be very close to reality. This is quite rewarding for every gardener.
Once flowers are formed, a protective layer called calyx will emerge and form sphere-like balls covered by maturing pistils. These cotton-like balls then stretch along with their own spike, creating thick crinkled leaves covered in trichomes. Weeks pass and the flower clusters multiply n numbers and form large colas enveloped in resin-rich trichomes. Don’t forget to how to grow and harvest weed. Once these trichomes are fully swollen, maturity is now at its peak.
HARVESTING DRYING AND CURING YOUR CANNABIS PLANT
Once your plant is fully covered in trichomes, and its pistils are changing color depending on the species of your plant, your marijuana plant has reached maturity.
A simple guide on when it is time to harvest:
- When your plant’s trichomes are 20 to 30 amber, you get higher THC content
- When trichomes are 60% to 80 ambers, you most probably will get a broader cannabinoid product
Preparing for harvesting involves the following steps and tips:
- trim off yellowing leaves from the bottom of your plant
- stop spraying any growth hormones or fertilizers and just use plain water
- the room temperature should ideally be 70F or about 21C to 23C
- turn off grow lights as direct lighting may affect THC content when harvesting
- have on hand trimmers, gloves ( to prevent contamination), lines for hanging your harvest, small clothespins for clamping the hanging plants, and isopropyl alcohol for hygienic purposes.
- Flush your buds – this should be done a week before harvesting. Use distilled water or a flushing agent to flush out any residual fertilizer as this causes a harsh and chemical-like taste in your product.
- trimming buds could either be the utting the whole plant from its base or one just chooses to trim them just the ripe buds. The normal ripening of buds starts from the outer part of the plant then the inside buds ripen next.
- Generally, leaves are trimmed prior (manicuring) to harvesting as long as you are in a humid environment. Since stems are softer, it is easier to trim before drying. Use a sterile razor or trimmers, cutting at an angle.
DRYING THE BUDS
Simply hang the plants evenly in a room with 50% humidity. Having good ventilation in the room will prevent the growth of molds in the drying plants. The drying time usually takes 4 to 6 days.
CURING THE PLANT FOR OPTIMAL CHARACTERISTICS
Curing is the lengthy process of removing moisture from the flowers of the cannabis plant. This is done under controlled environmental conditions. keeping your freshly harvested plant in temperatures from 60F to 70F with humidity levels at 50%, will increase the potency of your harvest and produce a sweeter, more fragrant aroma than quick-dried cannabis.
Curing involves 3 simple steps:
- Place the trimmed dry buds in an airtight canning container. Pack them lightly so as not to crush the buds
- Seal the containers and find a cool, dark place to put the canisters.
- During the first week of curing, you should open the containers a few times a day. This is to release the moisture from the buds trapped inside the container. it also replenishes the container with fresh oxygen
- 4 to 8 weeks is the most favorable curing time for the buds
