Are you thinking about growing marijuana?
The global cannabis market size was $20.47 billion last 2020. That huge growth is mostly because of the huge number of states legalizing marijuana. Now, it’s legal in more than 30 states.
That means anyone can grow marijuana in those states. To ensure you have a profitable investment, you have to learn how to cultivate weed. Without proper knowledge of cultivating cannabis, you might be wasting money.
Want to know the tips you need to grow marijuana? Check out this guide to know more about cultivating marijuana.
1. Choose the Right Growing Area
This means selecting an area with enough sun and space, as well as a good soil and water supply. Consider the climate you live in and pick a spot that’s sheltered and gets plenty of suns. Make sure there are no pests or neighbors that could be a distraction to your crop.
Choose an area with good drainage and soil that will help your cannabis plants thrive. Make sure the area is securely contained to ensure your crop isn’t contaminated with anything that could harm it. Take into consideration the amount of time you can dedicate to caring for the plants and the size of the crop when selecting the growing area.
2. Decide What Strain You Want
Finding a strain that fits the needs of the grower should be the primary goal. Consider what kind of flavor and aroma profile you desire, if you want a high THC or CBD content, or if you’d prefer a hybrid of the two.
Determine whether you are growing indoors or outdoors, as this will affect which strains are viable options. Research the growing time, flowering period, and yield size to make sure they fit your needs and resources. Finally, ensure the strain you select is from a reliable seed company and offers genetic stability.
3. Purchase Your Seeds From a Reputable Dealer
The seeds are the crucial foundation for growing healthy marijuana plants. It’s important to get good quality seeds that have been properly stored and grown from a known source. Make sure to look for dealers with a good reputation, review their online feedback, and read up on customer experiences.
Good cannabis seeds won’t guarantee successful growth, but if the seeds are of low quality, it could become a costly mistake. Get your seeds from a highly reputable dealer that can provide further assistance on your growth if needed. If you’re in Australia you can visit here and buy cannabis seeds.
4. Selecting a Grow Medium
Different strains have varying levels of nutrient requirements, moisture-holding capacities, and drainage options. Furthermore, each growth medium has its own pros and cons. For example, rock wool is great for holding large amounts of air and moisture, while coco coir has excellent drainage and buffering capabilities.
Soilless mixes are popular for their flexibility to be tailored to match an individual strain’s needs. Regardless of the growing medium chosen, it’s important to consider the specific strain’s requirements, while also gauging the grow space’s advantages and constraints.
5. Look for More Efficient Technology
Advances in this field could have a huge impact on the industry and help to maximize profits. For instance, the use of smart sensors which monitor environmental conditions and automatically adjust them, choice of automated fertilizers and watering systems, use of UV lights, and control of humidity and temperature.
Additionally, the use of artificial intelligence to help decipher the most effective strains and breeding programs could be invaluable. All of these technologies can come together to create more efficient and effective crops. Finally, the use of environmental sensors, intelligent trackers, and machines that observe and react to the growth of plants in real time could make the process of cultivating marijuana simpler and more efficient.
6. Schedule Foliar Spraying
Foliar spraying should take place early in vegetative growth and then once or twice during flowering on a weekly basis. For best results, use a specialized nutrient mix with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5, which is balanced for the types of cannabis being grown.
Prior to application, inspect and clean the leaves in order to remove any debris. This will allow the spray to adhere to and be absorbed by the plant. Avoid spraying during the hottest parts of the day, when the leaves may burn. Moreover, always be mindful of the amount of spray used, as too much can lead to leaf damage.
7. Implement Low-stress Training
Through proper pruning and careful training, cannabis plants can be shaped into a more ideal canopy, allowing light and air to penetrate while greatly improving the end yield. The process involves multiple topping, FIM, super-cropping and other methods which may sound complicated but are easy to master with practice.
LST can be very labor intensive and require patience. However, the results are dependably impressive. By manipulating the cannabis plant into a shape that is more advantageous for light and air penetration, one may even shape it into the desired harvestable configuration.
8. Keep CO2 Levels High
By increasing the amount of CO2 within the air of a growing environment, plants can uptake more nutrients from the soil and atmosphere, thus increasing their crop yield. CO2 levels can be increased in a few ways.
A good method is to introduce CO2 through an industrial-grade growth system. These systems have built-in meters to keep track of the CO2 levels and can be adjusted according to the plant’s health.
Alternatively, CO2 tanks can be used to manually adjust the CO2 levels. These tanks emit the necessary amounts of CO2 and help to maintain a healthy growing environment.
Guidance on Cultivating Marijuana
Cultivating marijuana requires a lot of time, effort, and knowledge to produce a successful crop. Following the above critical tips will help even novice growers achieve satisfactory results.
With proper lighting, nutrient schedule, humidity & temperature levels, and other essentials in check, anyone can give their plants the best chance of thriving in the grow space. Try it out yourself and start your cultivation journey today!
Check out our other articles to learn more about improving your marijuana growing, harvesting, and processing skills.
