Being able to produce for yourself is important, especially when it comes to producing your own medicinal herb. Not everyone was born with a green thumb, but anyone can learn how to grow yields of bud using the following guidelines. However, like anything else in today’s world, there is a wide variety of options to choose from so you must cypher through to find the most suitable option for your needs. With the information obtainable from this article and the wits you have about yourself you can implement and begin to grow as much as your heart desires (or law abides). The three rules to produce from seed to smoke: ruminating what strain one would like to grow, realizing where and how to make such pot grow, and reaping the full potential of the yield.

The process of deciding the right strain ultimately depends on the difficulty level one is willing to handle.The first and utmost important thing is knowing that cannabis has different male and female plants. Females are the only ones that produce the cannabinoids, but males are NEEDED for breeding. So, if you only want to yield bud then you must purchase all feminized seeds.  Most people tend to pick seeds that can be grown easily but every strain requires a specific growth pattern and lack of knowledge is usually the driver for “easier” seeds. However, deciding if you’d rather have a sativa strain, Indica strain , or an auto-flowering strain can help dictate which growing path one must follow. 

Sativa

Sativa strains grow tall and are the tallest during the flowering phase. They excel in warmer climates and have long narrow buds. One also might feel more energetic or productive so generally best used during the day. It typically has higher THC and lower CBD counts, which is exceptional for nausea, lack of appetites. However, possibly able to cause anxiety. Examples: Sour Diesel, strawberry, Durbin poison, pineapple express.

Indica

Indica thrives in the colder climates, grows short and carries short dense buds. It typically has a higher CBD and lower THC count, which is exceptional for reducing anxiety and pain. They also yield more and grow faster than sativa strains while producing more bud. Its deep couchlock feeling makes it best for nighttime use and sleeping.  Examples: Afghan Kush, Chocolate Chunk, Bubba Kush, Forbidden Fruit.

Auto Strain (Hybrids)

Hybrids consist of both Sativa and Indica. They are small and only have a two to three-month cycle time, which proves worthy for first timers. These strains are more modernized as new ones are created every day depending on how they are bred. They also tend to have higher THC counts but the cannabinoid levels change depending on the parent plants. Knowing the parent plants are key when deciding the best use of the day or the feeling you obtain. Examples: Blue dream, Trainwreck, White Widow. 

Ruderalis

Ruderalis is the third type of cannabis and often overlooked as it virtually has no THC while high amounts of CBD. They are grown from hemp and can produce yields within a month. However, there aren’t any overwhelming feelings and only used to ease pain. They are purely medicinal use and cannot produce THC. In the previous blog, i mentioned states must breed with precision in order to prevent the hemp from producing THC. They do so by snipping all the male counterparts. Only females are allowed to grow which prevents the dormant THCa Synthase from activating. This just shows women don’t need men to get the job done, but man it is more fun. With all this knowledge of strains one can finally make the decision of what seed to grow and then move forward to setting up the farm. 

Outside growing tends to run into a lot of challenges rather it be scent bothering people, rodents tearing up the crop, or privacy issues so I recommend setting up a growing room. Growing rooms and/or facilities aren’t cheap and the biggest mistake most people make is buying cheaper products that do NOT result in the desired yield. In order to avoid this one must be prepared to buy expensive top-of-the-line equipment. The right equipment is not hard to find, but one must know how to get the seed to its different stages of growth. The life cycle consists of germination, seedling, vegetative, and flowering.

Produce from Seed

Germination

An active seed typically looks light to dark brown while dormant or undeveloped seeds are green or white and won’t germinate. To germinate seeds, you place the desired seed into a soaked, folded paper towel and placed inside a dark protective dome (can be made out of paper plates) where it sits for 5-10 days in a 70-90-degree Fahrenheit room. Between 5-10 days the seed will “pop” and white taproot sprouts outs. Transportation is important, one must prepare a pot with soil and place the tap root facing down in the center of the soil.

Seedling

Use a spray bottle for watering as over watering is a HUGE mistake most people make during this stage. This stage lasts at least 2-3 weeks or until it begins growing multiple blades. It is vibrant green but is extremely vulnerable to mold and disease so temperature must be monitored. No excess moisture can be in the room as well, so proper ventilation is needed. 

Vegetation

This is the longest stage lasting 3-16 weeks. Your plant should be moved into a larger pot by now. This is where you implement techniques and methods to improve your yield such as topping or training. Water level intake increases and must be strategically poured away from the stalk to allow for the roots to branch and grow efficiently. An ideal temp is between 70 – 85-degree Fahrenheit and keep the direct light on them for between 18 and 24 hours a day, or between 10 AM and 4 PM

Flowering Stage

This stage lasts 8-11 weeks and where you reap the benefits of following the proper techniques during the vegetation stage. Flowering occurs naturally when the plant receives less than 12 hours of light a day and temp must be between 65-80 degrees. A CRITICAL step most forget is to rid the batch of males, as we can notice them in this stage by their pollen sacs and no white hairs, so they do not pollinate with the females. 

Now that we know the life cycle and what we are growing, then we can move forward to properly plucking the full yield without harming the plant.

Your plant is ready for harvest when your flowers majority white hairs turn dark. 70% dark is typically the highest THC yield, but the longer you wait the more relaxing feeling one gets from smoking. Now grab your snip snips because here comes the EASY part. Snip off all of the bud and dispose of the excess branches. QUICK another critical step. We must dry and cure the weed before it goes bad.

To Smoke

Dry Storage

The plant must be hung upside down in a well-ventilated area that is dark and cool so it can dry completely. Then place the bud 75% full in a mason jar and seal the lid tightly. Then once a day for 2 weeks open the jar for a few seconds to allow for excess moisture to escape and fresh air to enter, and once a week after this. The top can be left for longer during the process if one feels there is too much moisture, so mold does not grow. Now we have the best yield of the best bud.

There are many techniques one could adopt to obtain different yields as growing is an artwork much like anything else. We would love to hear any ideas or methods that work for you. We are all growing every day and together we can grow the best herb on the planet.

Similar to: “Producing from Seed to Smoke”

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References

Bergman, R. (2016, December). A Beginner’s Guide To Growing Marijuana. Retrieved from https://www.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com/beginners-guide-growing-marijuana/#strain

Anderson, M. (2018, December). How To Set Up An Indoor Grow Room For Cannabis. Retrieved from https://productiongrower.com/blogs/how-to-grow-weed/setting-up-a-space-to-grow

Hennings, T. (2020, January). Stages of the marijuana plant growth cycle. Retrieved from https://www.leafly.com/news/growing/marijuana-plant-growth-stages

Holland, K. (2019, April). Sativa vs. Indica: What to Expect Across Cannabis Types and Strains. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/sativa-vs-indica#takeaway

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