How to Grow Marijuana for Beginners

New York recently legalized the recreational use of marijuana, and while the details are still being worked out, there is growing interest in the topic of DIY marijuana cultivation. At some point, New Yorkers will be allowed to grow 6-12 plants per household but there are specific rules to follow and growing your own marijuana won’t be permitted until the end of the year for medical marijuana patients and probably until the end of next year for everybody else. Read more about how the new law will apply here.

Disclaimer: This post is for information and entertainment purposes only and not an endorsement of marijuana or confirmation that you are allowed to grow marijuana. C

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to grow your own cannabis? When you grow marijuana (or ganja or weed or any of the other dozens of nicknames for it), you can try different seeds, growing mediums, and different plant foods. You can also experiment with different parts of the plant. For example, you can use other parts of the plants to make edibles, green juices, or rolling papers. 

The time it takes to grow a marijuana plant will vary. It depends on your location, the soil, and the plant itself. Generally, it takes anywhere from 10 to 32 weeks to grow a plant from seed. If possible, you will want to purchase a clone or an auto flower seed because these produce faster-growing plants.

When to Plant Marijuana:

The best time to start a plant is in April. However, you can start earlier if you germinate your seeds indoors during the winter. You can also grow your cannabis indoors with the best indoor grow lights and then set the plant outside when it is bigger. If you choose to buy a clone or an autoflower plant, you can keep it indoors until the end of June, but you won’t be able to harvest until October/November.

Seeds:

If growing from seed, be sure to purchase feminized seeds. These are seeds that have been treated to produce only female plants. The reason for using feminized seeds is that only the female plants produce buds. If you don’t buy feminized seed then you’ll want to look for early signs of a hermie plant so you can immediately remove the male plants and prevent them from ruining your crop by pollinating the female plants. Once you have your seeds ready, get your seedling setup with lights and watch your babies grow!

Growth Stages:

There are four basic stages of growth for Marijuana. The longest growth point happens in the vegetative stage, which occurs after the seedling phase and before the plant starts to flower.

• Germination – takes 3-10 days.
• Seedlings – takes 2-3 weeks
• Vegetative – takes 3-16 weeks
• Flowering – takes 8-11 weeks

Germination:

To germinate your seeds, you need three things: water, heat and air. The simplest way to germinate is in damp paper towels. For this process, you need:

• 2 plates .
• 4 paper towels
• Seeds
• Distilled water.

Step 1

Soak the paper towels in water. They should be wet but not so wet that they are dripping water.

Step 2

Place two paper towels flat on the plate, then place the seeds on the wet paper towels. Keep the seeds about an inch apart from one another and cover them with the remaining two wet towels.

Step 3

Use the other plate to cover the seeds. Then, flip it over and use it as a cover to create a dome-like effect.

Place the seeds in a warm area where the temperature is about 80 degrees F.

Check the seeds once a day to make sure the towels are still wet. If not, sprinkle water from a glass on them. Some seeds germinate right away while others take longer, but generally, you will have small plants in about ten days.

Once your seeds germinate, you can place them in a growing tray filled with soil. The roots will grow downward and the stems upward.

Seedling stage:

When the Marijuana becomes a seedling, you will start to see the cannabis fan leaves. As a sprout, the seed will create leaves with just one ridge, and once it starts to develop, the blades will begin to mature. The plant is not considered a marijuana seedling until it creates true leaves and is a vibrant green. At this stage of growth, you want to be careful to not over-water; the plant doesn’t need too much water at this point. This stage lasts about 2-3 weeks and most growers prefer to care for seedlings indoors.

Vegetative Stage:

The vegetative stage is where the plant starts growing vigorously. This stage lasts about 16 weeks. The plant needs full sun for about six hours and it needs another ten hours of indirect sunlight. Knowing the daily light integral of marijuana is super important to ensuring the yield of your plants. Use a grow lamp if you need to during this stage. At this stage, you should move your plant into a larger pot or set it in the ground, and start increasing the watering. You can also add a bit of nitrogen nutrient at this stage.

Fertilizing & Pruning:

Fertilize in the vegetative state and apply fertilizer with water at least once per week. Pruning will help your plant go in the direction you want it to grow and will send nutrients to all the right places. Careful cutting of dried leaves and branches can help increase the strength of your plant. All you need is some pruning shears and thoughtfully cuts of branches that seem to be going off into the wrong directions.

A few days before pruning and a few days afterward, stop adding fertilizer to the plant so you don’t force the plant into premature growth after the pruning. Give it 7-10 days without fertilizer so it can adjust and continue to grow.

Flowering Stage:

The flowering stage lasts 8 to 11 weeks and needs a light cycle of 12 hours a day. This is the final stage of the plant. Once it flowers, the buds will appear, and you can start harvesting. Most plants flower in eight to nine weeks, but some can take longer. Buds grow towards the end of the flowering stage. Once they are at their fullest, it is time to harvest.

Tips

• Don’t prune when the plants are flowering. This can change the hormones.

• Trellis the plants so they can support the buds.

How to Process Marijuana Buds to Smoke:

Once the buds have grown, flush the plant with water to eliminate any chemical residue and left over nutrients. Do this about eight days before you decide to cut the buds. When you are ready to harvest, cut the branches that have buds and hang them upside down to dry. Trim off the fan leaves and leave the larger buds for smoking.

Now you know how to grow cannabis!

Growing Marijuana like many other plants is a matter of starting, trying things, and finding the growth method that works best for you. You may like growing plants indoors or you might find that you like the taste of plants grown outdoors best. There may be certain soils you like best or plant food. But to start with, you should go light on plant food. Once you have your feet wet then you can try different species and types of plant and different growing methods. Like all things, it is a matter of practice and learning to love growing plants.

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This article was contributed by Morgan from www.420greenthumb.com

Morgan is the budding gardener behind 420greenthumb.com. She discovered the benefits of marijuana when her mother got sick and decided to grow it herself, trying to gain as much knowledge & practical experience as possible. As her love for cannabis grew, she began to teach it to others through her blog and hopes that one day everyone in the USA will have fair and equal access to cannabis.

Did you enjoy this article? Do you plan to grow cannabis in NY once the law allows it? Let me know in the comments!