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One of the reasons medical Cannabis is making a comeback is that it can provide great medical relief. Many people are unaware of how medical Cannabis can improve one’s quality of life. This is why there are still states that have not legalized its use for medicinal purposes. It is important for everyone to know the benefits of using medical Cannabis. It is also important they understand the different Cannabis growth cycles. They also need to know oils or marijuana tinctures associated with this herb can work well with their current medical issues.
One of the things you’ll need to learn about Cannabis is the growth cycles of the herb. Its different strains are associated with this type of treatment. It’s important to understand what happens during these growth phases. because they affect the cannabinoid profiles found in your medicine.
There are typical, three separate stages associated with the Cannabis growth cycle. Cultivating Cannabis for medical purposes, the first stage is known as the vegetative stage. And typically occurs when new plants are first sprouted from their seeds. This stage lasts roughly about two weeks. After which time, most plants have already started flowering or budding out. During this phase, it’s crucial that you have good lighting. These flowers need a lot of light to power up their photosynthesis process. The process can mature crops faster during this early phase of development. Once the plant starts budding you’ll notice that its terminal bud may become more dense or elongated. This depends on the Cannabis strain used.
The second phase of the Cannabis Growth cycle is known as the flowering stage. This stage lasts roughly between three to six weeks depending on the type of strain you’re growing. This is when most Cannabis strains develop their full flavor and potency. This phase makes this a very tempting time for marijuana growers. However, it’s important not to harvest at this point; since they will benefit more from leaving them in the vegetative cycle until they flower longer.
The third and final Cannabis growth cycle associated with medical marijuana cultivation is called the induction phase. And this typically occurs after most crops have finished their budding process. Some growers associate it with entering into their flowering state afterward. Once most of your plants have already started producing buds, you can now begin harvesting. This can be done one plant at a time until you end up with a good amount of medical Cannabis. Which you can use to help benefit your health condition.
There really isn’t much difference in harvest times between hydro and soil cultivation. Except that maybe in some cases your plants in hydro will be a bit more ready at harvest time.
This is because you’re able to control the environment better. And manipulate things like water levels as well as temperature/humidity which can affect the Cannabis growth rate per cycle.
Overall I’d say that hydroponic growing is slightly easier than cultivating outdoors. But, both setups work well for growing weed for beginners.
When growing Cannabis in the soil you’ll need to spend more time with your “baby’s”. As an indoor grower, especially if you’re a beginner (it’s just the nature of soil). But once you get into a groove and understand what your “baby’s” want, it becomes second nature. You know when they need water, air, and light from experience.
With hydro it’s easier to control. An indoor cultivator will feel like they don’t have as much work to do. But eventually, you’ll likely want to stretch your cultivation skills and try some new things with nutrients or setups. Experimenting with Cannabis and your knowledge of the growth cycle can enhance your crop. There are many ways to cultivate hydroponics and there are still many things to learn, even for the most experienced growers.
With soil growing, it may take you a bit longer to get good at it. In my opinion but once you do, your plants will thank you! The buds you harvest from your crops will be better than the ones grown in hydro. Because as an indoor cultivator, you’re much more connected to your crop and literally consider them your baby’s.
It’s all about finding what works best for you!
I’ve seen hydro grows that use both setups: proves that they both work well for growing weed. And some again, I’d say it’s easier with a hydro setup.
But I prefer soil growing for a few reasons:
It’s easier to get set up if you have limited space. And you can manage the intricate Cannabis growth cycles closely.
Your plants flourish and feel much stronger when they’re in the soil, which is important! Most hydro setups don’t let you actually touch the plant (which is not fun) but some do, so keep this in mind
The soil produces attractively large colas, which look great and make the grow room seem much larger!
Soil cultivation is also a lot easier to clean up (but I’d still recommend staying away from “that stuff” if you’re growing indoors) but more on that later. If you choose soil growing, check below for a few very beneficial tips that will help you get off to a great start!
Hopefully by now, you’ve found your seeds or clones and grown your marijuana to the best of their abilities (if not, check out Chapter 4 for how to grow marijuana!). Now is the time to get your hands on some soil.
In the past, I’ve used Miracle Grow and other store-bought soils and have had good results with them… but it’s a bit tricky to find (especially in The Netherlands where I live). For my last cultivation, I bought a bag of “World Soil” which is sold at a local garden shop near me, which made it very easy to get the right nutrients for my crops and soil.
But if you have your own compost or are growing in the ground already, feel free to use that! Just make sure it has good drainage and provides plenty of nutrients for your precious plants (and remember: any time you’re using anything that comes in a bag, check the nutrient levels and right them down before you use it to make sure your weed is getting exactly what they need).
This will allow for better drainage. The mix is already in pots, so there’s no need to worry about drainage from that (the plant roots can grow down low into the soil), but you want the water you’re giving your plants to be able to drain out again!
Mixing in perlite will keep this from happening. If you can, get fine perlite – it will make things easier for you. Introducing perlite to your cultivation will certainly enhance your Cannabis growth cycle. It also enhances yield.
Your herbage should be ready for their first feeding just after you’ve transplanted them into pots (if you’re growing in the ground, this is about 2 weeks before they actually go into flowering). You can give your plant its first feeding when you see the first white roots appear.
Mix up a solution of water and nutrients. It takes a lot of energy for the plant to produce healthy roots, so try giving it as much as possible for its first few feedings until its root system starts to get more developed (at which point, you can start reducing how often you feed your herb).
Here’s the nutrient solution I use:
Note that this is just for small Cannabis cultivation. Feed more if you’re growing two or more plants in a 5-liter pot (or bigger!)
If you’re growing outdoors, be careful not to get nutrients on the soil surrounding the roots as it can cause damage to the roots and burn them (this is also true for hydroponic setups).
Soil growing indoors can be hard if you have to water manually since it takes a lot of time and effort. But there are several things you can do to make things easier for yourself:
Use pots with holes in them. This makes it easy to water your crop from the top – and washing the soil is much easier when you don’t have to reach into a pot!
Get a watering system that allows for automatic watering. Leave it on so that your plants always have some water in the soil, but not so much that they drown. Look for something with a valve and some kind of measuring system to keep track of how much water has been added (and at what pH) – this way you can be sure your plants are getting exactly what they need!
Put your pots on top of saucers. This will ensure that the water drains back into the soil and doesn’t sit around on top of your plants, drowning them (which, believe it or not, can actually happen).
Stay around for Growing Cannabis: Growth Cycles Part #2
Cannabis is an annual plant that goes through three distinct phases during its growth cycle: vegetative, flowering and harvesting. The vegetative stage is the first phase and can last anywhere from a few weeks to several months, depending on the size and type of plant you’re growing. During this time, the cannabis plant will grow leaves and stems as it prepares for the next stage of development. Many growers will start to see small buds appearing on their plants towards the end of this phase but most plants won’t be ready to flower until they’ve reached a certain size.
The flowering stage is the second phase of a cannabis plant’s growth cycle and normally lasts between two to four weeks. Once your plants reach the desired height and size, you will want to start changing their environment so that they will begin to flower. This can be done by reducing the amount of light they’re getting each day or by changing the light schedule altogether. For most indoor growers, 12 hours on and 12 hours off is a good place to start when trying to get your plants to flower.
At the same time, you will also want to start increasing the humidity levels in your grow room since this is another critical stage for developing buds and preventing mold and mildew from forming on them. The high humidity will help protect your plant’s new buds from unwanted problems as it matures further into late autumn. You should also continue watering them lightly but make sure not to overdo it as this can also cause mold problems.
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