Now that marijuana has been legalized in many states in the US, people are able to partake in something that was off limits not long ago. And, in many of these states where it is legal to smoke it, you can also grow your own in small quantities. This is great news for people that love to DIY or just like to supply themselves with what they need.
Even if you are an avid gardener, however, you’ll need to know specifically how to grow marijuana. It is not like growing parsley for your cooking. It is quite a finicky plant and ensuring that you can end up with a product to smoke with a heady glass or use as an edible ingredient, you’ll need to know how to take care of it.
In this article, I will give you the basics to keep in mind so you know what you are getting into if you want to grow your own weed.
Pick your location
Growing your marijuana plant or plants is going to be based on where you can actually grow it. There are a lot of different ways to go about the actual growing process so you do have a lot of choice when it comes to where.
If you want to be discreet about it, you can opt for growing it indoors. Luckily, there are a lot of systems out there available for indoor growing. If you live somewhere that doesn’t have a lot of nosy neighbors, then growing outside is a good option as well as long as the spot where you plan to grow meets certain requirements.
The first thing to do is make a list of where you would actually potentially be able to use as a growing space and then go from there based on the plant’s needs.
For instance, growing outdoors is going to require a certain type of strain that works best for your location for weather and sunlight. It is a cheap option to grow outside since you don’t need to use growing lamps or an aquaponic station.
Pick a spot in your garden that gets at least 8 hours of sunlight per day. If you don’t get that much then growing indoors is likely to be your best bet as a spot that is too shady will prolong the time it takes to grow and may affect your results. You also need to time the growth for temperatures to be a certain level depending on the growth stage.
This is why it is more popular to grow indoors where you have more control over the process.
Find an area of the house where you have the space for a grow area with lights and a table that can also handle the height of the plant itself. You’ll also need to be able to control the temperature there so make sure that it is not in an area where you will be spending time as the temperatures may not be suitable for comfort. A basement or attic are the most likely spots for this.
Your lights
There are a lot of different lights to choose from including the sun. The problem with the sun is that you have no control over it. Certain strains are very picky and really don’t do well with any inconsistencies.
This is why many people choose to grow indoors. Since you are only allowed a plant or two, it isn’t difficult finding the space to do it. You just need the right lights.
LEC (Light Emitting Ceramic) type lights are probably the best ones to use as they give a nice, natural looking light that is not harsh to look at. Some of the older growing lights look very bright and yellow and make it obvious that you are growing indoors so if you want to be discreet then LEC is the way to go.
LED lights are also popular but they are all so different and some need to be close to the plant and others far from it that there is some trial and error involved.
The soil
The easiest and cheapest way to grow your weed is in regular old soil. Of course you’ll need to put some additives into it to make sure your plant has all it needs, but this is not difficult to do. Another benefit to using composted soil is that you do get flavor from the soil. Sort of like terroir when it comes to wine, different minerals and nutrients in the soil will impart their characteristics into the bud.
Some people love to use hydroponic systems and not use any soil at all. This can be expensive to get started but the people that use it swear that they have more control over the finished product by not using any soil at all. It is also easy to give the plants the exact nutrients it needs to grow quickly and healthy. A bonus is that there is no weeding required.
Whatever medium you choose, make sure that the pH of the soil or water is right to ensure the plant grows well. If you’re using soil, then make sure the pH is somewhere between 6.0 and 7.0. If you’re using a hydroponic system then between 5.5 and 6.5 is ideal.
Getting the seeds
Finding a source for the seeds is part of the fun of growing. You can order online or even find some locals that do seed sharing. There are thousands of strains of marijuana out there so make sure you research the type of seeds you are looking for.
Some strains will give you a mild ride while others will give you a wild ride. You may want to experiment with different weeds before you decide on the type of plant to grow so you don’t put money and time into growing a strain you end up not liking.
