Homegrown Cannabis: Don’t Make These 3 Common Newbie Mistakes
Homegrown Cannabis: Don’t Make These 3 Common Newbie Mistakes
Spring rains are here and everywhere you look are signs of rebirth and growth. It’s the perfect time to tackle a gardening project, like taking advantage of California’s allowance for homegrown cannabis plants! Adult residents can cultivate up to six plants without a medical recommendation. That’s a lot to take on for a new cannabis farmer however, so if this is your first time growing, stick to no more than three. You’ll soon find out how much work growing great homegrown can be!
Don’t make the big mistake of thinking weed can grow, well, like weeds. It’s a hearty, resilient plant to be sure but to develop into good-tasting and potent (which is the goal after all) cannabis it requires a lot of TLC among other things. Give yourself a leg up on your first batch of homegrown cannabis by avoiding these common novice mistakes.
Starting with poor genetics.
Whether you’re starting from seeds or clones, it’s important that they’re of top-quality genetics. Purchase seeds from a reputable source, don’t start with a handful of seeds you scrounged from the bottom of bags. To really save yourself some trouble, buy feminized seeds which are guaranteed to be female. Otherwise you’ll need to sex your plants to avoid males and hermaphrodites, neither of which produce flowers. It’s the same if you’re starting with clones. You want your cuttings to come from healthy, well cared for plants.
Choosing soil and fertilizer at random.
It’s worth doing a little research on popular soils and fertilizers for growing cannabis as they differ from both natural soil and common store brands. Your backyard soil may seem fine, but it could have the wrong pH balance or lack enough nutrients. Next to strong genetics, a quality soil is crucial to early development of potent, healthy plants. You always want organic soil and fertilizer when cultivating cannabis!
Overfeeding and overwatering.
As novice growers, we often think more food and more water will help plants develop bigger and faster, but the opposite is true. Overfeeding and overwatering can outright kill your plants. If you’re adding nutrients, it’s likely a concentrated form. Instead of slowly being absorbed like nutrients and minerals found in soil, your plant can rapidly intake the food leading to damage that’s hard to recover from. Too much water can suffocate the roots and lead to root rot, a major cannabis plant killer. Pay close attention to recommended feeding and watering schedules and start slow!
These three common mistakes can make or break the start of a good cannabis crop but are hardly the only things to consider. As your plants develop, you’ll find yourself battling mold, mildew, pests, pH balance, pruning and more. However, starting with good genetics, high-quality soil and fertilizers developed for cannabis and adhering to proper feeding and watering schedules will give the best start on growing healthy plants.
Looking for high-quality seeds and clones? Stop in to OrganiCann or MendoCann and browse our seed catalogs or take home a few healthy cuttings. New strains available each Wednesday!