Common Mistakes Growing Marijuana

Do you have some extra time and feel like you’re spending so much dough on pot each month? Are you interested in learning how to grow marijuana from home? Most smokers think about growing their own stash for these very reasons and if you live in a cannabis legal state, your dreams of growing and smoking your own bud is attainable! Though it’s a great hobby to start up, don’t expect to be a master cultivator overnight. Growing weed takes quite a bit of patience and lots of trial and error in the beginning that can rack up costs, but in the long run, you’ll have full control over what you’ll be smoking and also gain a deeper understanding and more respect for the green goddess. These are just a few dos and don’ts of growing weed. 

What states allow you to grow pot?

First things first, be sure that your state allows you to grow marijuana legally whether you have an MMJ card for medical purposes or plan on growing for fun. Currently, Illinois is the only state that legalized recreational cannabis but not home growing for recreation. There are 18 states that allow home growing for recreational or medicinal purposes. Be sure to check websites like NORML for up-to-date information about laws specific to your state. Each U.S. state has its own set of regulations in place for how many plants an adult can grow in a home and how many plants can be mature (ready for harvest) at any given time. For example, Californians can cultivate up to six plants per household for recreation plus up to 100 square feet (with no cap on the maximum number of plants) for medicinal use.

Common mistakes growing marijuana

Poor seed or strain choice

While it sounds like a great, cheap idea, do not use a cannabis seed you found at the bottom of your baggie. Just don’t do it! This is the number one trap that new growers fall into. This is because there’s a high probability that seed from baggie weed is male and won’t flower or is simply a dud that will not sprout. You’ll not only waste your time, you’ll also waste money on your setup and other equipment as well like nutrients, water, and possibly also electricity costs if growing indoors. Strain choice also makes a big difference. Choose a beginner-friendly cannabis strain that’s easy to grow like Blue Dream, Green Crack, Cinex, or if you’re looking for a high CBD to THC ratio, Tatanka Pure CBD. These weed strains are best for beginners because they are quick flowering, high yield, and have high resilience to disease, rot, and mold.

Overfeeding and overwatering

You know what they say about too much of a good thing. It’s tempting to give your new plant babies the most nutrients, light, and water possible, but this is the easiest way to kill them. Overwatering, which creates root rot is much worse than underwatering. Stick your finger in the soil an inch or so to make sure it’s completely dry before watering again. The same goes with nutrients. Only give the plants what’s recommended on the label or you’ll be left with nutrient burn or too many minerals in the soil.

Forgetting to monitor PH

This is where your elementary school science class about bases, acids, and PH levels will actually come in handy. PH levels are super important to monitor consistently throughout your home grow. Use a PH pen or test strips to get a reading between 0.0 and 14.0. The lower the number, the more acidic, the higher the number, the more alkaline. Healthy soil ideal for cannabis plants should have a neutral PH of 6.0-7.0. Use PH up or PH down products to your water to adjust these soil levels for optimal absorption of nutrients.

Harvesting too early

It’s all about the sticky resin-rich marijuana flowers at the end of the rainbow, but don’t get too eager once those buds start forming. A few key identifiers that it’s finally time to harvest are leaves slowly turning yellow and the pistils (those strings coming off of the flower) changing from white to red. However the best way is to look at the trichomes through a loupe. A jeweler's loupe is a must have if you’re growing pot since it’s the only way to get up close and personal with your trichomes. Harvest the cannabis flowers once the trichomes are a cloudy, milky color. If the trichomes look clear or are only partially cloudy, then your flower is not at its peak potency. Some strains will have amber trichomes instead of milky ones, so be sure to research about your specific cannabis strain.

Once your home grow is ready to smoke, head over to our online headshop for the best dry herb vaporizers, cool rolling trays, rolling papers, and glass bongs to give your bud a try.