As cannabis is legalized across the country, there is a growing interest in “homegrown weed.” While cannabis may be legal where you live, it’s still expensive. The solution to the expense is to grow your own.
Cannabis may be called “weed” because it’s easy to grow. For millennia, it could be found growing in many places as a common weed. That means, as long as you can obtain cannabis seeds, you can easily grow your own.
Growing Cannabis Indoors
The preferred method of home growing cannabis is to do it indoors. That way, you not only control the environment, but you can also prevent your plants from being stolen.
First, you’ll need to designate a space to grow your cannabis. This could be a spare bedroom, the garage, or even a closet. A cool, dry place with a window to provide fresh air from the outside is the best.
Cannabis loves sunshine, so the next step is to set up grow lights on a timer. Give your plants 12 hours of light every day. You’ll also need to ensure that the room temperature remains between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit when the lights are on and 58 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit when the lights are off.
Finally, cannabis should do just fine with a good quality, organic potting soil. Keep in mind, cannabis can grow quite tall, and needs a large pot, as large as 10 gallons. The soil also needs to be well-drained. Waterlogged soil can kill your plants.
Obtaining Cannabis Seeds
As you get your growing room set up, also go online to find a source for cannabis seeds. You’ll need to decide if you want to grow Indica, Sativa, or a hybrid strain. Research the varieties of cannabis that will best suit your needs, then search for a seed supplier.
When you’re looking at seeds, you’ll see some seeds are feminized while others are non-feminized or normal. If you buy feminized seeds, you’ll be able to avoid any of them being pollinated, meaning that you’ll get the quality bud you’re looking for. Feminized seeds are also useful if you’re looking for nearly identical plants with very little variation between them. Non-feminized seeds are often cheaper, though you may have to dispose of the male plants when they reach the flower stage.
Nurturing Your Cannabis Plants
While wild cannabis grows like a weed, producing high-quality cannabis flowers takes a little more effort. Feed your cannabis plants weekly with an organic fertilizer containing all the major plant nutrients, including nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus.
Fertilizers have three numbers on the label, and these numbers represent the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. During the initial growing phase, your cannabis plants will need a fertilizer with a ratio of 20-5-10. However, once the plants begin to bud, switch to a fertilizer with a ratio of 5-30-20.
It generally takes four months for a cannabis plant to produce flower buds. However, it also varies according to the strain. In any case, within a few months, you could have an inexpensive and renewable supply of cannabis.