How To Grow Your Own Marijuana October 2019

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Contributor: Kasey Clark

The thought of cultivating one’s very own personal stash is a notion that has crossed the mind of every single cannabis enthusiast, at one point or another. It truly is an inevitable daydream that many of us have welcomed with open, optimistic arms. But growing your very own cannabis is a lot trickier than one would assume.

Going into such an experiment, the novice stoner may think there is very little work or effort to put forth into their grow. Many (wrongly) assume that growing cannabis is one of those “set it and forget it” type hobbies. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Sure, such a negligent approach could result in a “grow” – but it would, by no means, be considered successful by anybody’s standards.

In short, if you think you can pick up some seeds or a clone from your local dispensary, toss it in the backyard, and let nature “do the work” – the only thing you will have to show for your efforts (or, in this case, lack thereof) would be a disappointing, lackluster plant. One that would not only be riddled with stems and seeds, but it would drastically lack any desired potency one may be aiming for.

Which is why it stands to reason that only the best crops come from folks who, frankly, give a damn about their plants. In order to reach such a level of cultivation, you are going to need to dedicate a lot of time and effort into your garden. There is no “half-stepping” when it comes to creating some truly dank buds – but I am sure you are already well aware of that fact. At least, I hope that you are.

Personally, I have completed a few successful grows in my time, and I know from experience just how much work is needed to even produce a “decent” plant that yields a respectable amount. A lot of research is necessary if you even want to get close to achieving a successful grow during your first attempt. Honestly, creating a healthy, super potent plant straight out of the gate is super difficult. Though not impossible, it takes a lot of knowledge, care, and maintenance in order to create a truly dank product.

Before you even pick out the seeds or clones you want, just remember to tell yourself that this is a learning process – and any skills you glean from such an experiment can not only be used in future grows going forward, but you will come to notice that a wealth of information and skills gained from growing cannabis will find themselves coming in handy in different areas of your life altogether.

Discipline and patience are the main benefactors that all homegrowers come to learn after completing their first grow. There is a whole lot of maintenance that is needed for a cannabis plant to truly thrive and reach its potency potential. This isn’t something you can just tend to every now and then. This is a multiple-times-a-day project that requires the grower’s constant love and attention. If cared for thoroughly, it will show in the end result. If not, well…let’s just say, I doubt you will be happy with the headache-causing cannabis you have lackadaisically created.

Remember, nobody’s perfect when they start out. There are going to be some bumps in the road, so to speak. So prepare yourself for a lot of learning lessons along the way. The great thing about the caring, thoughtful cannabis community is they are here to help. If you stumble across a few issues during your grow, whether it is with nutrients, lighting, or air-flow, the cannabis community is here to answer all of your curious enthusiast questions.

While you could head over to your local dispensary with a laundry list of issues, I would suggest hopping online to any number of marijuana forums that are chock full of useful information. Many of these folks have encountered (and overcome) a lot of issues that beginners often find themselves perplexed by. If you give honest accounts of your set-up, and the problems you are currently facing, you will soon find a good amount of fellow stoners offering up various tips and tricks to help save your crop.

I am not saying these things as any sort of scare tactic or anything. I encourage any and everyone to grow their own buds – at least once. It is a fantastic experience. I just want everyone to be aware of the level of difficulty that awaits them. That said, once you have completed a few grows on your own, you will start to see a huge change from plant to plant. That is mostly due to you learning valuable lessons along the way – thus, eliminating those “rookie” mistakes in future grows.

Personally, I remember during my first grow that I was over-feeding my plants. Even though I had a decent closet set-up – complete with LED UFO style lighting, reflective paneling, and a mini fan ridding my crops of mold and dampness – I started to see a number of my leaves deteriorating and becoming discolored. I had no idea what was wrong. I was using the right nutrients and at the right time. I was even checking the pH balance before applying to my crops.

After some research, I learned that I was overfeeding my plants. That sudden surplus of nutrients caused my plants to react negatively to their required feeding times. Luckily, with the help of my fellow stoners in the cannabis community, I was able to right that wrong before it became too large of an issue. Since then, I have been careful to avoid such a problem, and my buds have never been danker.

Foolishly, I assumed that if I gave my plants even more nutrients then suggested, they would undergo some sort of “Popeye” complex – and become big, strong crops – yielding obscene amounts of buds. Obviously, that was not the case. So, be sure to listen carefully to any and all tips you get along the way – they are there for a reason.

Another aspect of growing that I was surprised to learn was how long the entire process actually takes. At the onset of things, I was assuming I would be smoking my own weed by the end of the month. That, my friends, is a laughable assumption. It takes multiple weeks for the crops to reach their full potential. Even then, they will have to go through a “drying out” process. Which, as you may have already assumed, takes a couple weeks on its own.

There are a lot of “zen-like” mindsets needed to patiently care for your bud. I believe if you approach them with a sort of bonsai-tree mentality, the entire process will not only result in a healthy, dank, high-yielding plant – but it will teach you the basics of patience which you can then utilize in any other aspect of your personal (or professional) life as you see fit.

All in all, my message to young growers out there would be to teach yourself as much as you can before you even grab a clone or a seed. This knowledge will guide you to the proper equipment and nutrients needed in order to cultivate a sincerely strong plant. Just be patient, be diligent, and remember – mistakes happen. Don’t get down on yourself. Simply figure out what caused the problem, fix it, and learn from it. If you follow those simple rules, you will be creating stellar buds in no time – I guarantee it.