ganjaluvr
Well-Known Member
Germination:
This is the initial stage of growth and occurs when your
seeds embryo cracks open and the seedling produces a root. This root
fixes itself into the soil and pushes the newborn seeding up and over
the soil surface. Following surface contact two embryonic leaves open
outwards to receive sunlight, pushing the empty seed shell away from
the seedling. It takes anywhere between 12 hours to 3 weeks for seeds
to germinate. Once the plant has reached this stage it goes into the
seedling stage.
Seedling Stage:
After the first pair of embryonic leaves are receiving light,
the plant will begin to produce another small set of new
leaves. These leaves are different from the last and may have some
Marijuana characteristics such as the three-rounded finger shaped
points. As the seedling grows, more of these leaves are formed and
bush upwards along with a stem. Some stems are very weak at this
stage and need the support of a small thin wooden stake tied to the
seedling with some fine thread. The seedling stage can last between 1
and 3 weeks. At the end of the seedling stage your plant will have
maybe 4 -8 new leaves. Some of the old bottom leaves may drop off.
Vegetative Growth:
The plant now begins to grow at the rate which its leaves can
produce energy. At this stage the plant needs all the light and food it
can get. It will continue to grow upwards producing new leaves as it
moves along . It will also produce a thicker stem with thicker branches and with more fingers on the leaves.
It will eventually start to show its sex. When it does this it is time for the plants pre-
flowering stage. It can take anywhere between 1 and 5 months for the
plant to hit this next stage.
Pre-Flowering
At this stage the plant slows down in developing its height
and starts to produce more branches and nodes. The plant fills out in
the pre-flowering stage. During this phase of the plant cycle your plant
will start to show a calyx which appears where the branches meet the
stem (nodes). Pre-flowering can take anywhere between 1 day to 2
weeks.
Flowering:
During this stage the plant continues to fill out. The plant will show its
sex clearly. The male plant produces little balls that are clustered
together like grapes. The female plant produces little white/cream
pistils that look like hairs coming out of a pod. Each of the plants will
continue to fill out more and their flowers will continue to grow. It can take anywhere between 4 to 16 weeks for the plant to fully develop its flowers. During this time the males pollen sacks would
have burst spreading pollen to the female flowers.
Seed:
The female plant will produce seeds at this point if she has received
viable pollen from a male plant. The seeds grow within the female bud
and can take anywhere between 2 weeks to 16 weeks, to grow to full
maturity. The female pistils may change color before finally bursting
the seedpods, sending them to the soil below. (Breeders like to collect
their seeds before the seedpods burst.)
These are the six stages of the life cycle of a cannabis plant.
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STEP BY STEP SOIL GROWING AND WHEN TO HARVEST
1st off- be sure to have rapid rooters, rockwool or peat pellets ready-- this means soaked in ph adjusted water as required for each product.
Also make sure you have a humi-dome, or something similar.. and either compact floro lights, shop lights fitted with wide spectrum (daylight) bulbs, a MH or HPS light.
IMO-- CFLs are preferable in early veg- followed by shop-lights... MH is too warm, and hps not the right spectrum-- but use what you have.
Now- put your seeds in between layers of damp paper owels on a glass or ceramic plate. wrap in plastic wrap, then in foil, and put somewhere warm. Check every 12 hours until you see a small white sprout starting to stick out.
Place this sprouted seed sprout down in your grow medium in a humidome, or a deep pan with plastic wrap over the top. Place under a floro light as close as possible.
when they sprout- remove the plastic when they are too close-- or the dome as soon as the 1st leaves open.
Mist 2x a day with water or water w/superthrive & Liquid karma at 1/4 stregnth.
Keep the floro lights as close as possible at all times.
If using MH lights- keep them far enough away so that your hand at plant level can barely feel the heat-- remember-- cooler temps & higher humidity at sprouting & in veg are needed (like spring weather) -- and warmer dryer in bloom (SUmmer & fall)
Have a small fan in the grow area to keep the air circulating so you don't get mold, and so when they sprout, they "move" slightly from the breeze.
Check daily, move the light up as they grow so it is ALLWAYS nearly touching them... (except the MH of course!)
keep them just damp.. you can use plain water- or use superthrive OR liquid Karma... but no nutes.
When roots begin to show outside the grow medium, plant them.. either in their final pot (see below) or in a quart sized pot filled with seed-starter mix or a good organic planting MIX -- nothing called potting soil or garden soil... it is too heavy unless mixed with peat, pearlite, coco.. etc...
When they get their 3rd set of true leaves, give them a drink of water containing vegging nutes mixed at 1/4 stregnth.
Water whenever the top 2 inches of soil are dried out... you can use just water, or the Superthrive/Karma... Nutes every week for organic, every 10 days for non-organics. (see nute schedual in other sticky)
Re-plant into 5-gallon planters with good drainage using the same soil-mix when the plants are 2 inches or so taller than the planter (6 inch planter= 6-7 inch plant)
Add More Lights-- either another 100w CFL or a couple more shop lights with wide-spectrum bulbs.
when they reach 18-24 inches.. OR if they pre sex... OR when they are 1/3 of the size you want them ;
then give them a drink with blooming nutes-- wait 4 days, then go 12/12.
Once the plants "show" , that is day one of bud...start counting the number of days until harvest--this is according to what strain you are growing. If unsure- assume it is a 65 day strain (middle)
At the 3rd feeding during bud, use vegging nutes, they need the extra nitrogen...
Add More light if needed-- slow growth, pale plants, undergrowth ylelowing & dying are the signs!
BE PATIENT!
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FERTILIZER
Marijuana likes lots of food, but you can do damage to the plants if you are too zealous. Some fertilizers can burn a plant
and damage its roots if used in to high a concentration. Most commercial soil will have enough nutrients in it to sustain the
plant for about three weeks of growth so you don't need to worry about feeding your plant until the end of the third week. The most important thing to remember is to introduce the fertilizer concentration to the plant gradually. Start with a fairly diluted fertilizer solution and gradually increase the dosage. There are several good marijuana fertilizers on the commercial market, two of which are Rapid-Gro and Eco-Grow. Rapid-Gro has had widespread use in marijuana cultivation and is available in most parts of the United States. Eco-Grow is also especially good for marijuana since it contains an ingredient that keeps the soil from becoming acid. Most fertilizers cause a ph change in the soil. Adding fertilizer to the soil almost always results in a more acidic ph.
As time goes on, the amount of salts produced by the breakdown of fertilizers in the soil causes the soil to become increasingly acidic and eventually the concentration of these salts in the soil will stunt the plant and cause browning out of the foliage. Also, as the plant gets older its roots become less effective in bringing food to the leaves. To avoid the accumulation of these salts in your soil and to ensure that your plant is getting all of the food it needs you can begin leaf feeding your plant at the age of about 1.5 months. Dissolve the fertilizer in worm water and spray the mixture directly onto the foliage.
The leaves absorb the fertilizer into their veins.
If you want to continue to put fertilizer into the soil as well as
leaf feeding, be sure not to overdose your plants.
Remember to increase the amount of food your plant receives gradually. Marijuana seems to be able to take as much fertilizer as you want to give it as long as it is introduced over a period of time. During the first three months or so, fertilize your plants every few days. As the rate of foliage growth slows down in the plant's preparation for blooming and seed production, the fertilizer intake of the plant should be slowed down as well. Never fertilize the plant just before you are going to harvest it since the fertilizer will encourage foliage production and slow down resin production. A word here about the most organic of fertilizers: worm castings. As you may know, worms are raised commercially for sale to gardeners. The breeders put the worms in organic compost mixtures and while the worms are reproducing they eat the organic matter and expel some of the best marijuana food around. After the worms have eaten all the organic matter in the compost, they are removed and sold and the remains are then sold as worm castings. These castings are so rich that you can grow marijuana in straight worm castings. This isn't really necessary however, and it is somewhat impractical since the castings are very expensive. If you can afford them you can, however, blend them in with your soil and they will make a very
good organic fertilizer.
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LIGHT
Without light, the plants cannot grow. In the countries in which marijuana grows best, the sun is the source of light.
The amount of light and the length of the growing season in these countries results in huge tree-like plants. In most parts of North America, however, the sun is not generally intense enough for long enough periods of time to produce the same size and quality of plants that grow with ease in Latin America and other tropical countries. The answer to the problem of lack of sun, especially in the winter months, shortness of the growing season, and other problems is to grow indoor under simulated conditions. The rule of thumb seems to be the more light, the better. In one experiment we know of, eight eight-foot VHO Gro-Lux fixtures were used over eight plants. The plants grew at an astonishing rate. The lights had to be raised every day. There are many types of artificial light and all of them do different things to your plants. The common incandescent light bulb emits some of the frequencies of light the plant can use, but it also emits a high percentage of far red and infra-red light which cause the plant to concentrate its growth on the stem. This results in the plant stretching toward the light bulb until it becomes so tall and spindly that it just weakly topples over. There are several brands of bulb type. One is the incandescent plant spot light which emits higher amounts of red and blue light than the common light bulb. It is an improvement, but has it drawbacks. it is hot, for example, and cannot be placed close to the plants. Consequently, the plant has to stretch upwards again and is in danger of becoming elongated and falling over. The red bands of light seem to encourage stem growth which is not desirable in growing marijuana. the idea is to encourage foliage growth for obvious reasons. Gro-Lux lights are probably the most common flourescent plant lights. In our experience with them, they have
proven themselves to be extremely effective. They range in size from one to eight feet in length so you can set up a growing room in a closet or a warehouse. There are two types of Gro-Lux lights: The standard and the wide spectrum. They can be used in conjunction with on another, but the wide spectrum lights are not sufficient on their own. The wide spectrum lights were designed as a supplementary light source and are cheaper than the standard lights. Wide spectrum lights emit the same bands of light as the standard but the standard emit higher concentrations of red and blue bands that the plants need to grow. The wide spectrum lights also emit infra-red, the effect of which on stem growth we have already discussed. If you are planning to grow on a large scale, you might be interested to know that the regular flourescent lamps and fixtures, the type that are used in commercial lighting, work well when used along with standard Gro- Lux lights. These commercial lights are called cool whites, and are the cheapest of the flourescent lights we have mentioned. They emit as much blue light as the Gro-Lux standards and the blue light is what the plants use in foliage growth.
Now we come to the question of intensity. Both the standard and wide spectrum lamps come in three intensities: regular output, high output, and very high output. You can grow a nice crop of plants under the regular output lamps and probably be quite satisfied with our results. The difference in using the HO or VHO lamps is the time it takes to grow a crop. Under a VHO lamp, the plants grow at a rate that is about three times the rate at which they grow under the standard lamps. People have been known to get a plant that is four feet tall in two months under one of these lights. Under the VHO lights, one may have to raise the lights every day which means a growth rate of ate least two inches a day. The only drawback is the expense of the VHO lamps and fixtures. The VHO lamps and fixtures are almost twice the price of the standard. If you are interested in our opinion, they are well worth it. Now that you have your lights up, you might be curious about the amount of light to give you plants per day. The maturation date of your plants is dependent on how much light they receive per day. The longer the dark period per day, the sooner the plant will bloom. Generally speaking, the less dark per day the better during the first six months of the plant's life. The older the plant is before it blooms and goes to seed, the better the grass will be. After the plant is allowed to bloom, its metabolic rate is slowed so that the plant's quality does not increase with the age at the same rate it did before it bloomed. The idea, then, is to let the plant get as old as possible before allowing it to mature so that the potency will be a high as possible at the time of harvest. One relatively sure way to keep your plants from blooming until you are ready for them is to leave the lights on all the time. Occasionally a plant will go ahead and bloom anyway, but it is the exception rather than the rule. If your plants receive 12 hours of light per day they will probably mature in 2 to 2.5 months. If they get 16 hours of light per day they will probably be blooming in 3.5 to 4 months. With 18 hours of light per day, they will flower in 4.5 to 5 months. Its a good idea to put your lights on a timer to ensure that the amount of light received each day remains constant. A "vacation" timer, normally used to make it look like you are home while you are away, works nicely and can be found at most hardware or discount stores.
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Temperature and Humidity
The ideal temperature for the light hours is 68 to 78 degrees fahrenheit and for the dark hours there should be about a 15 degree drop in temperature. The growing room should be relatively dry if possible. What you want is a resinous coating on the leaves and to get the plant to do this, you must convince it that it needs the resinous coating on its leaves to protect itself from drying out. In an extremely humid room, the plants develop wide leaves and do not produce as much resin. You must take care not to let the temperature in a dry room become too hot, however, since the plant cannot assimilate water fast enough through its roots and its foliage will begin to brown out.
In a small closet where there are only a few plants you can probably create enough air circulation just by opening the door to look at them. Although it is possible to grow healthy looking plants in poorly ventilated rooms, they would be larger and healthier if they had a fresh supply of air coming in. If you spend a lot of time in your growing room, your plants will grow better because they will be using the carbon dioxide that you are exhaling around them. It is sometimes quite difficult to get a fresh supply of air in to your growing room because your room is usually hidden away in a secret corner of your house, possibly in the attic or basement. In this case, a fan will create some movement of air. It will also stimulate your plants into growing a healthier and sturdier stalk. Often times in an indoor environment, the stems of plants fail to become rigid because they don't have to cope with elements of wind and rain. To a degree, though, this is an advantage because the plant puts most of its energy into producing leaves and resin instead of stems.
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Watering
If you live near a clear mountain stream, you can skip this bit on the quality of water. Most of us are supplied water by the city and some cities add more chemicals to the water than others. They all add chlorine, however, in varying quantities. Humans over the years have learned to either get rid of it somehow or to live with it, but your marijuana plants won't have time to acquire a taste for it so you had better see that they don't have to. Chlorine will evaporate if you let the water stand for 24 hours in an open container. Letting the water stand for a day or two will serve a dual purpose: The water will come to room temperature during that period of time and you can avoid the nasty shock your plants suffer when you drench them with cold water. Always water with room temperature to lukewarm water. If your water has an excessive amount of chlorine in it, you may want to get some anti- chlorine drops at the local fish or pet store. The most important thing about watering is to do it thoroughly.
You can water a plant in a three gallon container with as much as three quarts of
water.
The idea is to get the soil evenly moist all the way to the bottom of the pot.
If you use a little water, even if you do
it often, it seeps just a short way down into the soil and any roots below the moist soil will start to turn upwards toward the water. The second most important thing about watering is to see to it that the pot has good drainage. There should be some holes in the bottom so that any excess water will run out. If the pot won't drain, the excess water will accumulate in a pocket and rot the roots of the plant or simply make the soil sour or mildew. The soil, as we said earlier, must allow the water to drain evenly through it and must not become hard or packed. If you have made sure that the soil contains sand and pearlite, you shouldn't have drainage problems. To discover when to water, feel the soil with your finger. if you feel moisture in the soil, you can wait a day or two to water. The soil near the top of the pot is always drier than the soil further down. You can drown your plant just as easily as you can let it get too dry and it is more likely to survive a dry spell than it is to survive a torrential flood. Water the plants well when you water and don't water them at all when they don't need it.
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BUGS
If you can avoid getting bugs in the first place you will be much better off. Once your plants become infested you will
probably be fighting bugs for the rest of your plants' lives. To avoid bugs be sure to use sterilized soil and containers and don't bring other plants from outside into your growing room. If you have bets, ensure that they stay out of your growing room, since they can bring in pests on their fur. Examine your plants regularly for signs of insects, spots, holes in the leaves, browning of the tips of the leaves, and droopy branches. If you find that somehow in spite of all your precautions you have a plant room full of bugs, you'll have to spray your plants with some kind of insecticide. You'll want to use something that will kill the bugs and not you. Spider mites are probably the bug that will do the most damage to the marijuana plants. One of the reasons is that they are almost microscopic and very hard to spot. They are called spider mites because they leave a web-like substance clinging to the leaves. They also cause tiny little spots to appear on the leaves. Probably the first thing you'll notice, however, is that your plants look sick and depressed. The mites suck enzymes from the leaves and as a result the leaves lose some of their green color and glossiness. Sometimes the leaves look like they have some kid of fungus on them. The eggs are very tiny black dots. You might be wise to get a magnifying glass so that you can really scrutinize your plants closely. Be sure to examine the underside of the leaves too. The mites will often be found clinging to the underside as well as the top of the leaves. The sooner you start fighting the bugs, the easier it will be to get rid of them. For killing spider mites on marijuana, one of the best insecticides if "Fruit and Berry" spray made by llers.
Ortho also produces several insecticides that will kill mites. The ingredients to look for are Kelthane and Malatheon. Both of these poisons are lethal to humans and pets as well as bugs, but they both detoxify in about ten days so you can safely smoke the grass ten days after spraying. Fruit and Berry will only kill the adult mite, however, and you'll have to spray every four days for about two weeks to be sure that you have killed all the adults before they have had a chance to lay eggs. Keep a close watch on your plants because it only takes one egg laying adult to re- infest your plants and chances are that one or two will escape your barrage of insecticides. If you see little bugs flying around your plants, they are probably white flies. The adults are immune to almost all the commercial insecticides except Fruit and Berry which will not kill the eggs or larva. It is the larval stage of this insect that does the most damage. They suck out enzymes too, and kill your plants if they go unchecked. You will have to get on a spraying program just as was explained in the spider mite section.
An organic method of bug control is using soap suds. Put Ivory flakes in some lukewarm water and work up the suds into a lather. Then put the suds over the plant. The obvious disadvantage is it you don't rinse the soap off the plant you'll taste the soap when you smoke the leaves. But remember, if your doing an
indoor grow? Your pretty safe as far as pests go. Also, remember when buying your soils.. to always buy from a store that keeps their soils covered from the weather. Like rain, snow.. mainly.
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PRUNING
We have found that pruning is not always necessary. The reason one does it in the first place is to encourage secondary growth and to allow light to reach the immature leaves. Some strands of grass just naturally grow thick and bushy and if they are not clipped the sap moves in an uninterrupted flow right to the top of the plant where it produces flowers that are thick with resin. On the other hand, if your plants appear tall and spindly for their age at three weeks, they probably require a little trimming to ensure a nice full leafy plant. At three weeks of age your plant should have at least two sets of branches or four leaf clusters and a top. To prune the plant, simply slice the top off just about the place where two branches oppose each other. Use a razor blade in a straight cut. If you want to, you can root the top in some water and when the roots appear, plant the top in moist soil and it should grow into another plant. If you are going to root the top you should cut the end again, this time with a diagonal cut so as to expose more surface to the water or rooting solution. The advantage to taking cuttings from your plant is that it produces more tops. The tops have the resin, and that's the name of the game. Every time you cut off a top, the plant seeds out two more top branches at the base of the existing branches. Pruning also encourages the branches underneath to grow faster than they normally would without the top having been cut.
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Harvesting and Curing
Well, now that you've grown your marijuana, you will want to cur it right so that it smokes clean and won't bite. You can avoid that "homegrown" taste of chlorophyll that sometimes makes one's fillings taste like they might be dissolving. We know of several methods of curing the marijuana so that it will have a mild flavor and a mellow rather than harsh smoke.
First, pull the plant up roots and all and hang it upside down for 24 hours. Then put each plant in a paper grocery bag with the top open for three or four days or until the leaves feel dry to the touch. Now strip the leaves off the stem and put them in a glass jar with a lid. Don't pack the leaves in tightly, you want air to reach all the leaves. The main danger in the curing process is mold. If the leaves are too damp when you put them into the jar, they will mold and since the mold will destroy the resins, mold will ruin your marijuana. you should check the jars every day by smelling them and if you smell an acrid aroma, take the weed out of the jar and spread it out on newspaper so that it can dry quickly. Another method is to uproot the plants and hang them upside down. You get some burlap bags damp and slip them up over the plants. Keep the bags damp and leave them in the sun for at least a week. Now put the plants in a paper bag for a few days until the weed is dry enough to smoke. Like many fine things in life, marijuana mellows out with age. The aging process tends to remove the chlorophyll taste.
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@*@From here, you will see and read random information (but useful) about marjiuana and growing it indoors.@*@
Custom Organic Soil Blend
Consider using this as a starting point for creating your marijuana grow medium (soil);
50% Potting Soil (Fox Farms products are great for MJ)
20% Bat Guano - High Phosphate Fertilizer
10% Organic Seafood Fertilizer
10% Perlite - added to your potting soil
05% Sand (optional)
05% Organic Mix - roots, bark, etc.
Once you have arrived at your soil choice, be sure to use the same formula for all your seeds, seedlings, and final transplanting. This provides minimum stress and shock to the plants while providing everything they need for a healthy existence.
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N-P-K: Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium the 3 essential nutrients plants can NOT live long without. These are the 3 numbers listed on all nute IN THAT ORDER (N-P-K)
These %'s of N-P-K are an indicator of what that particular nute is recommended for.
High in N is for vegging, but still needs a good amount of P & K.
Flowering nutes are lower in N highest in P and moderate to high in K
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Nutrient N-P-K Table
Sprouting: 12-8-12 npk
Vegetative Cycle: 15-5-5 npk
Flowering Cycle: 10-30-10
*the above table shows approximate amounts.. amounts will vary*
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Nutes and Fertalizers: Depends on who you ask! Every grower has a brand or blend they prefer.
Most (but not all) prefer Organics. Fish emulsion, seaweed/kelp, guano, compost, worm castings, bone meal, blood meal, wood ash, and more¦ are organics. With these, follow the directions on the package as recommended for indoor potted plants- whether you are indoor or outdoor planting.
Some new growers insist on using water-soluble granular fertilizers such as Schultz or Miracle Grow since they also contain some minerals. Many growers will tell you that these will kill your plants...others swear by it. Your choice! just remember- these are meant for flowers and vegetables OUTDOORS.. and the amounts used will have to be closely monitored! when using inorganic ferts, or organics that are high in nitrogen..use ½ or less of the recommended amount when mixing, or you could burn your plant... see the feeding guide in the stickies for more info.
Remember!! Do not over-feed your plants! It can cause what is referred to as lock-out' where the plant cannot take-up nutrients from the soil because it is too concentrated. If this happens- you will have to Flush your plant.
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When to start feeding?
Again, opinions vary- but no matter what- when you first start, mix the ferts as a very diluted solution. They are babies and are easily overfed. You can start feeding after they have their 3rd-4th set of leaves, or are 2-3 weeks old, depending on what they are growing in. Some studies now say that early fertilizing & foliar feeding (next!) can increase the chances of producing females by up to 40%... but that is an "opinion" shared only by a % of growers.
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For Foliar feeding, many growers use the same ferts as used to water, but mix the watering solution 1/2solution to 1/2 plain water so as not to burn the plants.
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q: When and how much do I water my Plants?
A: Check your soil! If you can feel moisture when you stick your finger in about 2 inches...do not water yet!
You should always let at least the top inch to 2 inches dry before watering again. There is no set amount of time or #of days, and no set amount of water per-plant... it varies according to temps and humidity.
When you do water- do it slowly!
Don't 'Dump and run' or you may be either drowning it, or not watering enough!
For potted plants, add a cup of water and wait until it all soaks in. if none of the water comes out the bottom of the pot, add a little more, and wait. Continue to do this until only a few drops come out the bottom. That's enough!
Wait and see how much comes out- and dump your drip plate if necessary. IF your grow area is very dry-- leave some water in the drip plate over night-- if it evaporates-- then make sure when you water, some stays in the drip plate for the plant to soak-up.
For in-ground plants- remember, you are dealing with more soil than just that around your plant. It goes deep- and a lot of the surrounding soil can & will wick some of the water away if it is dry outside.
Water slowly!!! Then wait until it is all absorbed before adding more. Once it begins to puddle, yet still slowly absorbs it ... stop.
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Q: When will they start to bud?
A: your plants will need to go through a growth period (vegging) until they are about 1/3 the size you want your finished plant to be. During this period they need longer periods of light and less darkness.
For indoor plants, most people Veg' their plants under 24hr a day lights.
Some use light cycles with 18 hours of light and 6 of dark... but this is NOT recomended if using florescent lights, as they do not provide enough light in a reduced photoperiod.
When the plant is 1/3 of the size you want it to be (suggested at least 12-18 inches!) Switch the lights to 12 hours on- and 12 hours of COMPLETE darkness. This means a closed area with absolutely NO light leaks! not even an indicator light on a dehumidifier.. the slightest leak can hermie your plants!! After a week or two, your plants will "show" by developing hairs or balls.
Outdoors this cycle is different. Vegging takes place during late spring/summer approximately 17 hours of light to 7 hours of dark. AS the seasons go on, and the daylight shortens, the plant will start to flower so as to produce seeds (if it is Female & gets pollinated) before the cold weather begins. You have ZERO control over when they bud outdoors-- you can only wait and watch-- and hope your season is warm long enough to finish the process-- or "tent" them at the end of the season with clear plastic until the buds are ripe.
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Q: How do I tell a male from a Female?
A: Girls have pistles (hairs) boys have pollen sacks (balls)
And yes...this is the only way to tell...and yes you have to wait until they start to bud to tell.
If your plant has both- it is a hermaphrodite (Hermie) both Male and Female- and will pollinate itself if you let it grow. Some will start w/ balls then get hairs (genetic hermie) some will bud w/ both at the same time (genetic) and SOME will bud happily as females untill stressed (light leaks, insects, disease, root problems etc) then suddenly develop a few balls-- often hidden deep inside the female buds. If this happens, and you catch it-- you can DAILY check her & remove the balls-- AND take care of whatever stressed her in the 1st place.. you can keep her female.. but this is ONLY suggested if you have only the 1 plant, or if ALL your plants stress-hermied. Otherwise-- chop he for hash.
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Q: How can I control the size of my plant, or create more colas (bud sites)
A: Try, topping or FIMing your plants... or doing an LST (tying)
FIM (pinching) is best done when the plant has 3-6 sets of leaves, and they bush very well-- topping is best done when you can remove the top 3-4 nodes without removing more than 1/4 of the plant (use the top as a clone!) and tying can be done as soon as the plant is 8-10 inches tall- or as late as deep into flower (not really recomended to start after week 5- as you'll lose size in the main colas-- and without more flowering time, will not make much gains in yeils unless started at early bud or before.)
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Q: What soil should I use?
A: preferably a good quality potting mix (not soil) mixed with pearlite or vermiculite (3 parts 'soil' to 1 part pearlite or vermiculite). There are a lot of growers who use special blends with worm castings, guano, compost etc... but unless you get their advice on how to mix it (must be mixed correctly, & is usually expensive), or unless you can get a specific pre-mixed brand --stick with basic potting soil mix. For sprouting pre-germinated seeds...try rockwool cubes or peat pellets (soak them 1st!) Then when the roots begin to barely show on the outside of them, plant the whole thing!
"Information was "typed" by my two hands.. However! I got my information from two sources.. one being the Interweb and the other being books."
This is the initial stage of growth and occurs when your
seeds embryo cracks open and the seedling produces a root. This root
fixes itself into the soil and pushes the newborn seeding up and over
the soil surface. Following surface contact two embryonic leaves open
outwards to receive sunlight, pushing the empty seed shell away from
the seedling. It takes anywhere between 12 hours to 3 weeks for seeds
to germinate. Once the plant has reached this stage it goes into the
seedling stage.
Seedling Stage:
After the first pair of embryonic leaves are receiving light,
the plant will begin to produce another small set of new
leaves. These leaves are different from the last and may have some
Marijuana characteristics such as the three-rounded finger shaped
points. As the seedling grows, more of these leaves are formed and
bush upwards along with a stem. Some stems are very weak at this
stage and need the support of a small thin wooden stake tied to the
seedling with some fine thread. The seedling stage can last between 1
and 3 weeks. At the end of the seedling stage your plant will have
maybe 4 -8 new leaves. Some of the old bottom leaves may drop off.
Vegetative Growth:
The plant now begins to grow at the rate which its leaves can
produce energy. At this stage the plant needs all the light and food it
can get. It will continue to grow upwards producing new leaves as it
moves along . It will also produce a thicker stem with thicker branches and with more fingers on the leaves.
It will eventually start to show its sex. When it does this it is time for the plants pre-
flowering stage. It can take anywhere between 1 and 5 months for the
plant to hit this next stage.
Pre-Flowering
At this stage the plant slows down in developing its height
and starts to produce more branches and nodes. The plant fills out in
the pre-flowering stage. During this phase of the plant cycle your plant
will start to show a calyx which appears where the branches meet the
stem (nodes). Pre-flowering can take anywhere between 1 day to 2
weeks.
Flowering:
During this stage the plant continues to fill out. The plant will show its
sex clearly. The male plant produces little balls that are clustered
together like grapes. The female plant produces little white/cream
pistils that look like hairs coming out of a pod. Each of the plants will
continue to fill out more and their flowers will continue to grow. It can take anywhere between 4 to 16 weeks for the plant to fully develop its flowers. During this time the males pollen sacks would
have burst spreading pollen to the female flowers.
Seed:
The female plant will produce seeds at this point if she has received
viable pollen from a male plant. The seeds grow within the female bud
and can take anywhere between 2 weeks to 16 weeks, to grow to full
maturity. The female pistils may change color before finally bursting
the seedpods, sending them to the soil below. (Breeders like to collect
their seeds before the seedpods burst.)
These are the six stages of the life cycle of a cannabis plant.
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STEP BY STEP SOIL GROWING AND WHEN TO HARVEST
1st off- be sure to have rapid rooters, rockwool or peat pellets ready-- this means soaked in ph adjusted water as required for each product.
Also make sure you have a humi-dome, or something similar.. and either compact floro lights, shop lights fitted with wide spectrum (daylight) bulbs, a MH or HPS light.
IMO-- CFLs are preferable in early veg- followed by shop-lights... MH is too warm, and hps not the right spectrum-- but use what you have.
Now- put your seeds in between layers of damp paper owels on a glass or ceramic plate. wrap in plastic wrap, then in foil, and put somewhere warm. Check every 12 hours until you see a small white sprout starting to stick out.
Place this sprouted seed sprout down in your grow medium in a humidome, or a deep pan with plastic wrap over the top. Place under a floro light as close as possible.
when they sprout- remove the plastic when they are too close-- or the dome as soon as the 1st leaves open.
Mist 2x a day with water or water w/superthrive & Liquid karma at 1/4 stregnth.
Keep the floro lights as close as possible at all times.
If using MH lights- keep them far enough away so that your hand at plant level can barely feel the heat-- remember-- cooler temps & higher humidity at sprouting & in veg are needed (like spring weather) -- and warmer dryer in bloom (SUmmer & fall)
Have a small fan in the grow area to keep the air circulating so you don't get mold, and so when they sprout, they "move" slightly from the breeze.
Check daily, move the light up as they grow so it is ALLWAYS nearly touching them... (except the MH of course!)
keep them just damp.. you can use plain water- or use superthrive OR liquid Karma... but no nutes.
When roots begin to show outside the grow medium, plant them.. either in their final pot (see below) or in a quart sized pot filled with seed-starter mix or a good organic planting MIX -- nothing called potting soil or garden soil... it is too heavy unless mixed with peat, pearlite, coco.. etc...
When they get their 3rd set of true leaves, give them a drink of water containing vegging nutes mixed at 1/4 stregnth.
Water whenever the top 2 inches of soil are dried out... you can use just water, or the Superthrive/Karma... Nutes every week for organic, every 10 days for non-organics. (see nute schedual in other sticky)
Re-plant into 5-gallon planters with good drainage using the same soil-mix when the plants are 2 inches or so taller than the planter (6 inch planter= 6-7 inch plant)
Add More Lights-- either another 100w CFL or a couple more shop lights with wide-spectrum bulbs.
when they reach 18-24 inches.. OR if they pre sex... OR when they are 1/3 of the size you want them ;
then give them a drink with blooming nutes-- wait 4 days, then go 12/12.
Once the plants "show" , that is day one of bud...start counting the number of days until harvest--this is according to what strain you are growing. If unsure- assume it is a 65 day strain (middle)
At the 3rd feeding during bud, use vegging nutes, they need the extra nitrogen...
Add More light if needed-- slow growth, pale plants, undergrowth ylelowing & dying are the signs!
BE PATIENT!
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FERTILIZER
Marijuana likes lots of food, but you can do damage to the plants if you are too zealous. Some fertilizers can burn a plant
and damage its roots if used in to high a concentration. Most commercial soil will have enough nutrients in it to sustain the
plant for about three weeks of growth so you don't need to worry about feeding your plant until the end of the third week. The most important thing to remember is to introduce the fertilizer concentration to the plant gradually. Start with a fairly diluted fertilizer solution and gradually increase the dosage. There are several good marijuana fertilizers on the commercial market, two of which are Rapid-Gro and Eco-Grow. Rapid-Gro has had widespread use in marijuana cultivation and is available in most parts of the United States. Eco-Grow is also especially good for marijuana since it contains an ingredient that keeps the soil from becoming acid. Most fertilizers cause a ph change in the soil. Adding fertilizer to the soil almost always results in a more acidic ph.
As time goes on, the amount of salts produced by the breakdown of fertilizers in the soil causes the soil to become increasingly acidic and eventually the concentration of these salts in the soil will stunt the plant and cause browning out of the foliage. Also, as the plant gets older its roots become less effective in bringing food to the leaves. To avoid the accumulation of these salts in your soil and to ensure that your plant is getting all of the food it needs you can begin leaf feeding your plant at the age of about 1.5 months. Dissolve the fertilizer in worm water and spray the mixture directly onto the foliage.
The leaves absorb the fertilizer into their veins.
If you want to continue to put fertilizer into the soil as well as
leaf feeding, be sure not to overdose your plants.
Remember to increase the amount of food your plant receives gradually. Marijuana seems to be able to take as much fertilizer as you want to give it as long as it is introduced over a period of time. During the first three months or so, fertilize your plants every few days. As the rate of foliage growth slows down in the plant's preparation for blooming and seed production, the fertilizer intake of the plant should be slowed down as well. Never fertilize the plant just before you are going to harvest it since the fertilizer will encourage foliage production and slow down resin production. A word here about the most organic of fertilizers: worm castings. As you may know, worms are raised commercially for sale to gardeners. The breeders put the worms in organic compost mixtures and while the worms are reproducing they eat the organic matter and expel some of the best marijuana food around. After the worms have eaten all the organic matter in the compost, they are removed and sold and the remains are then sold as worm castings. These castings are so rich that you can grow marijuana in straight worm castings. This isn't really necessary however, and it is somewhat impractical since the castings are very expensive. If you can afford them you can, however, blend them in with your soil and they will make a very
good organic fertilizer.
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LIGHT
Without light, the plants cannot grow. In the countries in which marijuana grows best, the sun is the source of light.
The amount of light and the length of the growing season in these countries results in huge tree-like plants. In most parts of North America, however, the sun is not generally intense enough for long enough periods of time to produce the same size and quality of plants that grow with ease in Latin America and other tropical countries. The answer to the problem of lack of sun, especially in the winter months, shortness of the growing season, and other problems is to grow indoor under simulated conditions. The rule of thumb seems to be the more light, the better. In one experiment we know of, eight eight-foot VHO Gro-Lux fixtures were used over eight plants. The plants grew at an astonishing rate. The lights had to be raised every day. There are many types of artificial light and all of them do different things to your plants. The common incandescent light bulb emits some of the frequencies of light the plant can use, but it also emits a high percentage of far red and infra-red light which cause the plant to concentrate its growth on the stem. This results in the plant stretching toward the light bulb until it becomes so tall and spindly that it just weakly topples over. There are several brands of bulb type. One is the incandescent plant spot light which emits higher amounts of red and blue light than the common light bulb. It is an improvement, but has it drawbacks. it is hot, for example, and cannot be placed close to the plants. Consequently, the plant has to stretch upwards again and is in danger of becoming elongated and falling over. The red bands of light seem to encourage stem growth which is not desirable in growing marijuana. the idea is to encourage foliage growth for obvious reasons. Gro-Lux lights are probably the most common flourescent plant lights. In our experience with them, they have
proven themselves to be extremely effective. They range in size from one to eight feet in length so you can set up a growing room in a closet or a warehouse. There are two types of Gro-Lux lights: The standard and the wide spectrum. They can be used in conjunction with on another, but the wide spectrum lights are not sufficient on their own. The wide spectrum lights were designed as a supplementary light source and are cheaper than the standard lights. Wide spectrum lights emit the same bands of light as the standard but the standard emit higher concentrations of red and blue bands that the plants need to grow. The wide spectrum lights also emit infra-red, the effect of which on stem growth we have already discussed. If you are planning to grow on a large scale, you might be interested to know that the regular flourescent lamps and fixtures, the type that are used in commercial lighting, work well when used along with standard Gro- Lux lights. These commercial lights are called cool whites, and are the cheapest of the flourescent lights we have mentioned. They emit as much blue light as the Gro-Lux standards and the blue light is what the plants use in foliage growth.
Now we come to the question of intensity. Both the standard and wide spectrum lamps come in three intensities: regular output, high output, and very high output. You can grow a nice crop of plants under the regular output lamps and probably be quite satisfied with our results. The difference in using the HO or VHO lamps is the time it takes to grow a crop. Under a VHO lamp, the plants grow at a rate that is about three times the rate at which they grow under the standard lamps. People have been known to get a plant that is four feet tall in two months under one of these lights. Under the VHO lights, one may have to raise the lights every day which means a growth rate of ate least two inches a day. The only drawback is the expense of the VHO lamps and fixtures. The VHO lamps and fixtures are almost twice the price of the standard. If you are interested in our opinion, they are well worth it. Now that you have your lights up, you might be curious about the amount of light to give you plants per day. The maturation date of your plants is dependent on how much light they receive per day. The longer the dark period per day, the sooner the plant will bloom. Generally speaking, the less dark per day the better during the first six months of the plant's life. The older the plant is before it blooms and goes to seed, the better the grass will be. After the plant is allowed to bloom, its metabolic rate is slowed so that the plant's quality does not increase with the age at the same rate it did before it bloomed. The idea, then, is to let the plant get as old as possible before allowing it to mature so that the potency will be a high as possible at the time of harvest. One relatively sure way to keep your plants from blooming until you are ready for them is to leave the lights on all the time. Occasionally a plant will go ahead and bloom anyway, but it is the exception rather than the rule. If your plants receive 12 hours of light per day they will probably mature in 2 to 2.5 months. If they get 16 hours of light per day they will probably be blooming in 3.5 to 4 months. With 18 hours of light per day, they will flower in 4.5 to 5 months. Its a good idea to put your lights on a timer to ensure that the amount of light received each day remains constant. A "vacation" timer, normally used to make it look like you are home while you are away, works nicely and can be found at most hardware or discount stores.
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Temperature and Humidity
The ideal temperature for the light hours is 68 to 78 degrees fahrenheit and for the dark hours there should be about a 15 degree drop in temperature. The growing room should be relatively dry if possible. What you want is a resinous coating on the leaves and to get the plant to do this, you must convince it that it needs the resinous coating on its leaves to protect itself from drying out. In an extremely humid room, the plants develop wide leaves and do not produce as much resin. You must take care not to let the temperature in a dry room become too hot, however, since the plant cannot assimilate water fast enough through its roots and its foliage will begin to brown out.
In a small closet where there are only a few plants you can probably create enough air circulation just by opening the door to look at them. Although it is possible to grow healthy looking plants in poorly ventilated rooms, they would be larger and healthier if they had a fresh supply of air coming in. If you spend a lot of time in your growing room, your plants will grow better because they will be using the carbon dioxide that you are exhaling around them. It is sometimes quite difficult to get a fresh supply of air in to your growing room because your room is usually hidden away in a secret corner of your house, possibly in the attic or basement. In this case, a fan will create some movement of air. It will also stimulate your plants into growing a healthier and sturdier stalk. Often times in an indoor environment, the stems of plants fail to become rigid because they don't have to cope with elements of wind and rain. To a degree, though, this is an advantage because the plant puts most of its energy into producing leaves and resin instead of stems.
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Watering
If you live near a clear mountain stream, you can skip this bit on the quality of water. Most of us are supplied water by the city and some cities add more chemicals to the water than others. They all add chlorine, however, in varying quantities. Humans over the years have learned to either get rid of it somehow or to live with it, but your marijuana plants won't have time to acquire a taste for it so you had better see that they don't have to. Chlorine will evaporate if you let the water stand for 24 hours in an open container. Letting the water stand for a day or two will serve a dual purpose: The water will come to room temperature during that period of time and you can avoid the nasty shock your plants suffer when you drench them with cold water. Always water with room temperature to lukewarm water. If your water has an excessive amount of chlorine in it, you may want to get some anti- chlorine drops at the local fish or pet store. The most important thing about watering is to do it thoroughly.
You can water a plant in a three gallon container with as much as three quarts of
water.
The idea is to get the soil evenly moist all the way to the bottom of the pot.
If you use a little water, even if you do
it often, it seeps just a short way down into the soil and any roots below the moist soil will start to turn upwards toward the water. The second most important thing about watering is to see to it that the pot has good drainage. There should be some holes in the bottom so that any excess water will run out. If the pot won't drain, the excess water will accumulate in a pocket and rot the roots of the plant or simply make the soil sour or mildew. The soil, as we said earlier, must allow the water to drain evenly through it and must not become hard or packed. If you have made sure that the soil contains sand and pearlite, you shouldn't have drainage problems. To discover when to water, feel the soil with your finger. if you feel moisture in the soil, you can wait a day or two to water. The soil near the top of the pot is always drier than the soil further down. You can drown your plant just as easily as you can let it get too dry and it is more likely to survive a dry spell than it is to survive a torrential flood. Water the plants well when you water and don't water them at all when they don't need it.
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BUGS
If you can avoid getting bugs in the first place you will be much better off. Once your plants become infested you will
probably be fighting bugs for the rest of your plants' lives. To avoid bugs be sure to use sterilized soil and containers and don't bring other plants from outside into your growing room. If you have bets, ensure that they stay out of your growing room, since they can bring in pests on their fur. Examine your plants regularly for signs of insects, spots, holes in the leaves, browning of the tips of the leaves, and droopy branches. If you find that somehow in spite of all your precautions you have a plant room full of bugs, you'll have to spray your plants with some kind of insecticide. You'll want to use something that will kill the bugs and not you. Spider mites are probably the bug that will do the most damage to the marijuana plants. One of the reasons is that they are almost microscopic and very hard to spot. They are called spider mites because they leave a web-like substance clinging to the leaves. They also cause tiny little spots to appear on the leaves. Probably the first thing you'll notice, however, is that your plants look sick and depressed. The mites suck enzymes from the leaves and as a result the leaves lose some of their green color and glossiness. Sometimes the leaves look like they have some kid of fungus on them. The eggs are very tiny black dots. You might be wise to get a magnifying glass so that you can really scrutinize your plants closely. Be sure to examine the underside of the leaves too. The mites will often be found clinging to the underside as well as the top of the leaves. The sooner you start fighting the bugs, the easier it will be to get rid of them. For killing spider mites on marijuana, one of the best insecticides if "Fruit and Berry" spray made by llers.
Ortho also produces several insecticides that will kill mites. The ingredients to look for are Kelthane and Malatheon. Both of these poisons are lethal to humans and pets as well as bugs, but they both detoxify in about ten days so you can safely smoke the grass ten days after spraying. Fruit and Berry will only kill the adult mite, however, and you'll have to spray every four days for about two weeks to be sure that you have killed all the adults before they have had a chance to lay eggs. Keep a close watch on your plants because it only takes one egg laying adult to re- infest your plants and chances are that one or two will escape your barrage of insecticides. If you see little bugs flying around your plants, they are probably white flies. The adults are immune to almost all the commercial insecticides except Fruit and Berry which will not kill the eggs or larva. It is the larval stage of this insect that does the most damage. They suck out enzymes too, and kill your plants if they go unchecked. You will have to get on a spraying program just as was explained in the spider mite section.
An organic method of bug control is using soap suds. Put Ivory flakes in some lukewarm water and work up the suds into a lather. Then put the suds over the plant. The obvious disadvantage is it you don't rinse the soap off the plant you'll taste the soap when you smoke the leaves. But remember, if your doing an
indoor grow? Your pretty safe as far as pests go. Also, remember when buying your soils.. to always buy from a store that keeps their soils covered from the weather. Like rain, snow.. mainly.
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PRUNING
We have found that pruning is not always necessary. The reason one does it in the first place is to encourage secondary growth and to allow light to reach the immature leaves. Some strands of grass just naturally grow thick and bushy and if they are not clipped the sap moves in an uninterrupted flow right to the top of the plant where it produces flowers that are thick with resin. On the other hand, if your plants appear tall and spindly for their age at three weeks, they probably require a little trimming to ensure a nice full leafy plant. At three weeks of age your plant should have at least two sets of branches or four leaf clusters and a top. To prune the plant, simply slice the top off just about the place where two branches oppose each other. Use a razor blade in a straight cut. If you want to, you can root the top in some water and when the roots appear, plant the top in moist soil and it should grow into another plant. If you are going to root the top you should cut the end again, this time with a diagonal cut so as to expose more surface to the water or rooting solution. The advantage to taking cuttings from your plant is that it produces more tops. The tops have the resin, and that's the name of the game. Every time you cut off a top, the plant seeds out two more top branches at the base of the existing branches. Pruning also encourages the branches underneath to grow faster than they normally would without the top having been cut.
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Harvesting and Curing
Well, now that you've grown your marijuana, you will want to cur it right so that it smokes clean and won't bite. You can avoid that "homegrown" taste of chlorophyll that sometimes makes one's fillings taste like they might be dissolving. We know of several methods of curing the marijuana so that it will have a mild flavor and a mellow rather than harsh smoke.
First, pull the plant up roots and all and hang it upside down for 24 hours. Then put each plant in a paper grocery bag with the top open for three or four days or until the leaves feel dry to the touch. Now strip the leaves off the stem and put them in a glass jar with a lid. Don't pack the leaves in tightly, you want air to reach all the leaves. The main danger in the curing process is mold. If the leaves are too damp when you put them into the jar, they will mold and since the mold will destroy the resins, mold will ruin your marijuana. you should check the jars every day by smelling them and if you smell an acrid aroma, take the weed out of the jar and spread it out on newspaper so that it can dry quickly. Another method is to uproot the plants and hang them upside down. You get some burlap bags damp and slip them up over the plants. Keep the bags damp and leave them in the sun for at least a week. Now put the plants in a paper bag for a few days until the weed is dry enough to smoke. Like many fine things in life, marijuana mellows out with age. The aging process tends to remove the chlorophyll taste.
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@*@From here, you will see and read random information (but useful) about marjiuana and growing it indoors.@*@
Custom Organic Soil Blend
Consider using this as a starting point for creating your marijuana grow medium (soil);
50% Potting Soil (Fox Farms products are great for MJ)
20% Bat Guano - High Phosphate Fertilizer
10% Organic Seafood Fertilizer
10% Perlite - added to your potting soil
05% Sand (optional)
05% Organic Mix - roots, bark, etc.
Once you have arrived at your soil choice, be sure to use the same formula for all your seeds, seedlings, and final transplanting. This provides minimum stress and shock to the plants while providing everything they need for a healthy existence.
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N-P-K: Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium the 3 essential nutrients plants can NOT live long without. These are the 3 numbers listed on all nute IN THAT ORDER (N-P-K)
These %'s of N-P-K are an indicator of what that particular nute is recommended for.
High in N is for vegging, but still needs a good amount of P & K.
Flowering nutes are lower in N highest in P and moderate to high in K
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Nutrient N-P-K Table
Sprouting: 12-8-12 npk
Vegetative Cycle: 15-5-5 npk
Flowering Cycle: 10-30-10
*the above table shows approximate amounts.. amounts will vary*
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Nutes and Fertalizers: Depends on who you ask! Every grower has a brand or blend they prefer.
Most (but not all) prefer Organics. Fish emulsion, seaweed/kelp, guano, compost, worm castings, bone meal, blood meal, wood ash, and more¦ are organics. With these, follow the directions on the package as recommended for indoor potted plants- whether you are indoor or outdoor planting.
Some new growers insist on using water-soluble granular fertilizers such as Schultz or Miracle Grow since they also contain some minerals. Many growers will tell you that these will kill your plants...others swear by it. Your choice! just remember- these are meant for flowers and vegetables OUTDOORS.. and the amounts used will have to be closely monitored! when using inorganic ferts, or organics that are high in nitrogen..use ½ or less of the recommended amount when mixing, or you could burn your plant... see the feeding guide in the stickies for more info.
Remember!! Do not over-feed your plants! It can cause what is referred to as lock-out' where the plant cannot take-up nutrients from the soil because it is too concentrated. If this happens- you will have to Flush your plant.
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When to start feeding?
Again, opinions vary- but no matter what- when you first start, mix the ferts as a very diluted solution. They are babies and are easily overfed. You can start feeding after they have their 3rd-4th set of leaves, or are 2-3 weeks old, depending on what they are growing in. Some studies now say that early fertilizing & foliar feeding (next!) can increase the chances of producing females by up to 40%... but that is an "opinion" shared only by a % of growers.
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For Foliar feeding, many growers use the same ferts as used to water, but mix the watering solution 1/2solution to 1/2 plain water so as not to burn the plants.
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q: When and how much do I water my Plants?
A: Check your soil! If you can feel moisture when you stick your finger in about 2 inches...do not water yet!
You should always let at least the top inch to 2 inches dry before watering again. There is no set amount of time or #of days, and no set amount of water per-plant... it varies according to temps and humidity.
When you do water- do it slowly!
Don't 'Dump and run' or you may be either drowning it, or not watering enough!
For potted plants, add a cup of water and wait until it all soaks in. if none of the water comes out the bottom of the pot, add a little more, and wait. Continue to do this until only a few drops come out the bottom. That's enough!
Wait and see how much comes out- and dump your drip plate if necessary. IF your grow area is very dry-- leave some water in the drip plate over night-- if it evaporates-- then make sure when you water, some stays in the drip plate for the plant to soak-up.
For in-ground plants- remember, you are dealing with more soil than just that around your plant. It goes deep- and a lot of the surrounding soil can & will wick some of the water away if it is dry outside.
Water slowly!!! Then wait until it is all absorbed before adding more. Once it begins to puddle, yet still slowly absorbs it ... stop.
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Q: When will they start to bud?
A: your plants will need to go through a growth period (vegging) until they are about 1/3 the size you want your finished plant to be. During this period they need longer periods of light and less darkness.
For indoor plants, most people Veg' their plants under 24hr a day lights.
Some use light cycles with 18 hours of light and 6 of dark... but this is NOT recomended if using florescent lights, as they do not provide enough light in a reduced photoperiod.
When the plant is 1/3 of the size you want it to be (suggested at least 12-18 inches!) Switch the lights to 12 hours on- and 12 hours of COMPLETE darkness. This means a closed area with absolutely NO light leaks! not even an indicator light on a dehumidifier.. the slightest leak can hermie your plants!! After a week or two, your plants will "show" by developing hairs or balls.
Outdoors this cycle is different. Vegging takes place during late spring/summer approximately 17 hours of light to 7 hours of dark. AS the seasons go on, and the daylight shortens, the plant will start to flower so as to produce seeds (if it is Female & gets pollinated) before the cold weather begins. You have ZERO control over when they bud outdoors-- you can only wait and watch-- and hope your season is warm long enough to finish the process-- or "tent" them at the end of the season with clear plastic until the buds are ripe.
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Q: How do I tell a male from a Female?
A: Girls have pistles (hairs) boys have pollen sacks (balls)
And yes...this is the only way to tell...and yes you have to wait until they start to bud to tell.
If your plant has both- it is a hermaphrodite (Hermie) both Male and Female- and will pollinate itself if you let it grow. Some will start w/ balls then get hairs (genetic hermie) some will bud w/ both at the same time (genetic) and SOME will bud happily as females untill stressed (light leaks, insects, disease, root problems etc) then suddenly develop a few balls-- often hidden deep inside the female buds. If this happens, and you catch it-- you can DAILY check her & remove the balls-- AND take care of whatever stressed her in the 1st place.. you can keep her female.. but this is ONLY suggested if you have only the 1 plant, or if ALL your plants stress-hermied. Otherwise-- chop he for hash.
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Q: How can I control the size of my plant, or create more colas (bud sites)
A: Try, topping or FIMing your plants... or doing an LST (tying)
FIM (pinching) is best done when the plant has 3-6 sets of leaves, and they bush very well-- topping is best done when you can remove the top 3-4 nodes without removing more than 1/4 of the plant (use the top as a clone!) and tying can be done as soon as the plant is 8-10 inches tall- or as late as deep into flower (not really recomended to start after week 5- as you'll lose size in the main colas-- and without more flowering time, will not make much gains in yeils unless started at early bud or before.)
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Q: What soil should I use?
A: preferably a good quality potting mix (not soil) mixed with pearlite or vermiculite (3 parts 'soil' to 1 part pearlite or vermiculite). There are a lot of growers who use special blends with worm castings, guano, compost etc... but unless you get their advice on how to mix it (must be mixed correctly, & is usually expensive), or unless you can get a specific pre-mixed brand --stick with basic potting soil mix. For sprouting pre-germinated seeds...try rockwool cubes or peat pellets (soak them 1st!) Then when the roots begin to barely show on the outside of them, plant the whole thing!
"Information was "typed" by my two hands.. However! I got my information from two sources.. one being the Interweb and the other being books."
