How To Grow Your First Marijuana Plant

In today’s day and age, you no longer need to go out to a shady-looking dealer and get your weed. Marijuana can be purchased legally from cannabis dispensaries and provided that it is legal in your jurisdiction, weed can also be grown at your home, without any fear of the law. However, when it comes to growing your own marijuana plant, there tend to be a lot of questions, and rightly so. The most important and the most basic of these questions is: how to grow your first marijuana plant?

Over the next few points, we hope to answer this question in as much of a detail as possible. There are multiple aspects that need to be taken care of, and we are covering them below:

Get the Seeds

The very first thing that you need to do in order to grow your first marijuana plant is to get your first set of seeds. Now the question that you might have is – where do I buy these seeds from? If you are growing in the US, Canada, or Europe, you are really fortunate because the top 10 seed banks of the world are located in these regions. 

A seed bank is basically a place which acts as the repository and seller of marijuana seeds. You get seeds of different strains here, which you can order based on your tastes and preferences. Are you looking for a marijuana strain that tastes good? Or are you looking for a strain that has a high THC/CBD concentration? No matter what kind of a strain you want, seed banks have got them!

Another benefit of buying from seed banks is that they offer feminized, high-quality seeds which have a higher chance of germination compared to other regular seeds that you might get locally. Even these seeds don’t promise 100% germination but they’ve got at least a 70-80% chance which is still pretty good. 

Decide on a Medium

Once you’ve decided on the seeds and the number of plants, the next thing is to select a medium. Basically, you need to decide whether you are going for soil-based growth or non-soil growth. Based on that you would need to get pots, soil, (or the non-soil medium). In the case of a hydroponic setup, you will require very different kinds of things. 

When getting the pots and choosing the number of plants you’re growing, you also need to know how much space it will occupy and whether you have that much space. It is based on the space requirements that you will buy the grow tent. 

Get the Grow Tents

Now that you know your space requirements, you need to get hold of a good grow tent. The grow tent that you are buying needs to be made of a thick outer layer, preferably double-stitched. The best and the most commonly used material is the Oxford Cloth, which makes sure no light leaks out. Besides that, the inner layer needs to be highly reflective. It is generally a 96%+ reflective Mylar layer that is used for grow tents. 

Then you also need to look at your grow tent measurements. It is best advised to get a grow tent that is at least 1x1x1 larger than your actual needs because the plants grow horizontally as well as vertically and you need a little space for them to grow properly. Grow tents are usually available in combinations of 2×2, 3×3, 2×3, 2×4, 4×4, 4×8, 6×6, 8×8, and 10×10. There are some grow tents that are as large as 12ft by 12ft, which is basically the size of a small room in a house. Just make sure you are getting a grow tent that is the right size for your plants.

Get the Lights

Make sure you are getting the best LED grow lights for your plants. These are the most important accessories of growth because they are basically replacing the natural light of the sun. It is sunlight that drives all the growth in a marijuana plant when it grows outdoors under natural circumstances. However, when you grow weed indoors, you require an artificial source of lighting, you turn towards LED grow lights.

These grow lights make sure your plants are getting lights of the right color spectrum, as they need different types of lighting during different phases of growth. Getting LED lights will help you save on electricity as well as ensure bigger buds. LED lights also tend to last for much longer compared to other forms of lighting and also produce a fraction of the heat compared to older lighting systems, which is great for the health of your plants.

Set Up the Ventilation System

Ventilation is very important. Make sure that the ducting is on point. Get the best duct fans and a tent which has enough slots for fans. Also, make sure that your grow tent has vents located on the top and the bottom so that air can easily flow in and out via meshed systems. Other than ventilation, you also need to keep your air clean of all odor, which is why you need a good quality carbon filter which will be attached in the grow tent. All of this together, the ducts, the fans and the filter form the ventilation system.

Get the Nutrients

Once all of this is done, you also need to get the right nutrients for your plants. Your plants need different NPK combinations during the early stages of growth and a different combination once the flowering begins. Hence, getting the right kind of nutrients also matters a lot. You need to get macronutrients and micronutrients, as well as certain organic elements that help your plant grow better.

Maintenance 

Besides all this, you need to take care of your plant while it is growing. Keep inspecting it for insects and infestations, keep shearing off unwanted leaves or portions which aren’t doing well. You might also need to put in an extra fan during hotter months, provide heat during the colder months to keep the temperature stable. Humidity also needs to be monitored from time to time, water has to be provided regularly. It takes a lot of hard work and maintenance to let the plant grow on its own.

Harvest

Last but not least, harvesting is the process that is split into these phases: flushing, cutting, drying, curing, and storing. You need to know 10 days before you finally harvest that you are going to harvest, because this is when you need to begin the process of flushing your plant. Harvesting often requires a lot of patience and skill which comes with time. Initially, you’ve got to be quite careful.

Basically, if you are a first-time grower, these are some of the most important things that you’ve got to take care of. 

FAQs

What is the most important thing for marijuana plants?

Like any other plant, marijuana plants also need nutrients to grow healthy and strong. Besides that, they also need the right level of humidity and temperature. You must create an ideal environment with optimal humidity and temperature that will allow your marijuana plants to thrive. Generally, marijuana plants need a relative humidity of 50-70% and a temperature between 55-85°F.

Can you grow marijuana plants indoors?

Yes, you can grow your supply of marijuana at home. If you are serious about growing marijuana indoors, you will need to spare a good amount of money. From high-quality marijuana seeds to the right equipment needed for growing indoor plants, you will need to buy everything. Growing cannabis plants at home is not an easy task. If you are a novice make sure to learn everything that is needed to grow marijuana indoors. 

What are the different types of marijuana plants?

There are two main types of cannabis plants, Indica and Sativa and Indica. Marijuana is not only meant for recreational purposes but also for medicinal use. Sativas have an energizing effect that helps reduce stress or anxiety and increase focus and creativity, while Indica is associated with full-body effects, such as reducing insomnia and increasing relaxation.

Does the plant gender matter?

If you are looking for a high yielding cannabis plant, getting a female auto-flowering plant is ideal. These are easy to grow as well, especially when it comes to the hermaphroditic plants with male and female reproductive structures. The female marijuana plants can be further cross-pollinated as well.

Should I purchase seed or clones?

Both feminized seeds and female clones come with their fair share of advantages and disadvantages. However, clones are a safer option, especially in the United States because the feminized seeds don’t have any kind of certification programs for them.

What yield should I expect?

This is a subjective question that primarily depends on the type of strain you are growing and the kind of care and optimal growing factors that you are following up the process with. If you aren’t maintaining optimal growing conditions for the plants, the same will exponentially reflect on the yield along with the CBD and THC ratio between the two.

How much fertilizer should I apply?

Growing marijuana with fertilizer ensures optimal growth and yield. Also, the type of fertilizer for the plant will vary depending on the state and the kind of climate that you are from. Also, ensure that the fertilizer you buy should not attract pests to the crops and damage them.

Is it legal to grow cannabis everywhere?

Cannabis or marijuana isn’t legal globally. The laws and legalities will vary from one state to the other. So, we’d recommend that you first familiarize yourself with the basic laws before you consider setting up your grow room. Growing cannabis illegally will impose a lot of legal repercussions, something that you don’t want to experience along the way. The best way to find out about the legalities is by checking it online or asking around.