Tips for people who grow cannabis

Useful hints for home grovers

The recommendations in this article will help you improve your plant yields, prevent mistakes, and improve your chances of finishing your grow with great results.

USE ONLY QUALITY LIGHTS TO GROW MARIJUANA

Modern LED lighting technologies for growing plants are developing rapidly, which is good news. As a result, some LED luminaire manufacturers, who were considered leaders a few years ago, are losing ground, and new companies are producing LED lamps that are far superior in terms of ease of use and results.

This does not mean that the old LED technology is bad. Almost any LED lamp will do the job, but it's all about the end result. Pay attention to those companies that make lamps specifically for growing cannabis. These new LED models generally provide faster, healthier growth, better yields, and tighter buds.

Tip : Don't use household LEDs as they usually have lenses and arrays that reduce the total amount of light reaching the plants. If you want to use LED lamps, we highly recommend purchasing a model designed specifically for cannabis. Use proven LED grow lights to boost your yields.

TRAIN YOUR PLANTS

When the plants are young, you have complete control over their final shape and size. Use training to get the plant to grow many large buds instead of one main cola. This often helps to increase yields indoors .

Compare for yourself: in the photo above, a plant with one central cola, and in the photo below, a plant with many cola

Three popular training methods to grow cannabis:

• LST
• Topping
• Main-lining

KEEP BRANCHES AT THE SAME LEVEL

This is a continuation of the idea of ​​how to get a plant to grow many stakes. Every grow light has a "golden mean" - this is the distance at which the buds become the largest and densest. When you keep all the branches at the same height, you are making the most of the light.

Pay attention to the tops of the plants - they are flat:

This naturally creates a lot of buds when the plants start to flower, as long as they all get enough light:

ScrOG - Grow cannabis

In addition to regular hem and workouts, one of the popular ways to create the shape you want is the Screen of Green (ScrOG) technique.

With ScrOG plant growth is kept at the same height using a grid:

The arrows in the photo below are the same length. This demonstrates that the plants on the sides are at a greater distance from the light source.

You can let the side plants grow a little taller so they get more light. Thanks to this, the inflorescences of these plants will become as large as those in the center.

Pictured below is a ScrOG that has been turned into a bowl to make the most of the HPS light (all the light comes from a single bulb):

 Shift to 12/12 MODE ON TIME

When growing photoperiod plants, you must initiate the flowering stage yourself by setting the plants to 12/12 lighting. 

Because most plants almost double in height after switching to 12/12, it's best to start flowering when they're half the size you want. So if you want plants that are 1 meter high, start a 12/12 cycle when they are half a meter high.

FOR THE PLANT TO REVEAL ITS PATENTIAL A MINIMUM OF 37 DAYS OF VEGA IS REQUIRED

If you switch too early, the plants will stay small and produce a small crop:

If you switch too late, the plants can get so big that they take up the entire growing space:

Even if you have plenty of space, large plants are not necessarily the best because the bottom ones tend to stay small and take energy from the top ones.

If the plants are already too tall for your light but are still in the early stages of flowering, a simple solution is the lollipop technique .

It involves the removal of all the lower parts of the plant that do not get light. This ensures that the plant will expend energy growing buds that receive enough light. If possible, the lollipop technique is applied before the plant begins to bloom profusely. 

The photo below is an example of the application of the lollipop technique. It helps to increase the yield of too tall plants:

CONTROL YOUR HEIGHT WITH SUPER CROPPING

Supercropping enables even very tough stems. Using the supercrop technique, you can bend almost any branch at a right angle or even a sharp angle without damaging it.

This makes it possible to drastically reduce the height of the plant if it becomes too tall and its branches are completely hardened.

GET RID OF EXTRA LEAVES

This is a more complex technique. Defoliation during the flowering stage can greatly improve yield, density and overall flower size if done correctly. To do this, it is necessary to remove most of the leaves from the plant at the very beginning of the flowering stage, and then repeat this again after about three weeks.

As a result, the plant has larger and denser buds, and the length of the internodes becomes shorter. Removing excess leaves also reduces moisture and reduces the chance of rot or mold.

Things to remember about defoliation:

• Defoliation is most effective on very dense plants because buds that are hidden from light and air will not be properly nourished. Some varieties never become bushy and cannot be defoliated.
• Use defoliation near the beginning and middle of the flowering stage, when the main structure of the buds is still being formed. When the inflorescences are already fully formed, defoliation will be less effective.
• Do not use this method on diseased, unhealthy or slow growing plants as it may cause stunted or even stunted growth.
• When in doubt, remove fewer leaves. You can always remove more leaves, but you can never get them back.
• The goal of defoliation is to provide direct light and airflow to all florets. This forces the plant to put more energy into the flowers.

DESTROY HERMIKS AND MALE

Cannabis plants are usually either male or female. The female plants produce inflorescences and the male plants produce pollen sacs. Not only are the male plants unsuitable for use, the pollen they create can pollinate the female plants. No one likes cones with seeds that reduce their strength.

Male plant. Long elongated stem, large distance between the nodes and the absence of side stakes. If you do not plan to harvest seeds from your plants, identify and remove the male plants as soon as possible.

TAKE YOUR HARVEST

The tempting desire to harvest plants as they are just approaching the finish line can be a misstep. Early harvest not only reduces yield (bud size increases dramatically 2-3 weeks before harvest), but also reduces the effectiveness of buds.

To tell if the buds are ripe, look at the shiny trichomes under a magnifying glass or microscope:

Transparent trichomes are immature and have low activity. Milky and amber-yellow trichomes are mature and have maximum activity. White trichomes have a cerebral/psychic effect, while amber trichomes have a greater effect on the body, literally paralyzing you.

USE CHEAP BUT USEFUL TOOLS

Don't forget to use humidity and temperature meters in your grow room. Use different garters to support branches with heavy buds, which will help them gain more weight and density.

Don't forget to mist the plants during the night phase - this will help the leaves absorb moisture and the plants develop faster.

IMPROVE YOUR SKILL

How to become a grower:

• Take a moment each day to really look at your plants. Look at the leaves to make sure they are green and healthy. Check inflorescences for male organs or pollen sacs. Even the most inexperienced grower can usually tell which parts of a plant look unhealthy or abnormal.
• When you see a problem, don't ignore it, solve it.
• Ask yourself: Did I do anything differently before I saw this problem? (new addition, significant change in temperature, different grow light, etc.). 
• MOST IMPORTANT: Don't beat yourself up when things don't go perfect. Even the best growers run into problems sometimes. Plants are children of nature, and sometimes they have their own mind and individual behavior.

All these tips and tricks will help you take your growing skills to the next level. Take care of yourself, your loved ones and your plants!

All information provided is for informational purposes only and is not a guide or call to action. All materials are taken from the Internet.