Basics Guide (Under Construction)
Section 1 - Seeds and Where to Get Them
Feminized v Not, Autoflower vs Photoperiod
When you're shopping for seeds the categories are generally photoperiod, (regular) or autoflower. They are also going to be feminized or not, (regular) meaning if you don't buy feminized seeds, you're going to have to check your plants as they grow and discard the males so they don't pollinate the females and produce buds that are packed with seeds. This will also contaminate your tent and require a deep clean to remedy.
Suggestion 1: Buy Feminized Autoflowers for your first run.
Pros-
Suggestion 2: Avoid the impulse to buy a lot of seeds the first time. They come in packs of 3, 5, or 10, buy 3 or 5 of a strain you know you like.
The main reason for this is you may be thinking- " I'll buy a few strains, grow one of each and decide which I like best for my second run". This is an option for sure, but you're going to create more work for yourself than you may realize.
Suggestion 3: Buy Seeds from one of the breeders I'm listing below and buy them through a reputable seed bank.
Two favorite seed banks:
Breeders:
A -lot- of seed companies do not actually produce cannabis seeds. They buy them in bulk, repackage them, and sell them as their own. If you buy from these companies they wont have a clue what the genetics actually are, often you'll get mislabeled strains, and they will be more prone to herm. Herm is a term for when your plant turns from female to male during the growing process and you have to chop or discard it.
Here is a short list of companies that produce good genetics:
Suggestion 1: Buy Feminized Autoflowers for your first run.
Pros-
- You will run the same lighting schedule the whole time. (18h on, 6h off)
- No having to identify males.
- Plants will finish in 9-14 weeks from germination. Yes I know they all say 9-10 weeks but the companies exaggerate the speed, often the plants that grow a little slower will out produce those that finish in under 10 weeks.
- Autoflowers work by automatically starting to flower after a certain amount of time rather than you inducing flowering by changing the light schedule. They do this because their genetics are crossed with a strain called ruderalis. (Link to details here)
- If things go poorly due to inexperience, the short growing cycle will let you try again soon.
- Autoflower seeds are planted directly their final pots, because they go so quickly, there is no repotting and they do not have the same issues with root stunting regular strains have if initially planted in large pots.
- Autoflowering strains tend to be sensitive to nutrient issues. (you'll get some work identifying issues based on leaf color etc.) They have their own feeding schedules that do not match the schedule your nutrient system manufacturer will provide.
- They go FAST, while it's nice to be done with a run quickly, the limited time means once you've got nutrient issues, the week or two it takes to get things back on track is a large % of the plant's vegetative or flowering stage.
Suggestion 2: Avoid the impulse to buy a lot of seeds the first time. They come in packs of 3, 5, or 10, buy 3 or 5 of a strain you know you like.
The main reason for this is you may be thinking- " I'll buy a few strains, grow one of each and decide which I like best for my second run". This is an option for sure, but you're going to create more work for yourself than you may realize.
- Different strains reach very different heights unless you are using training techniques. You will likely have one light that is supposed to be the same rough height from all the plants. (the distance changes during different stages of the plants life, it starts at about 24'' and ends around 12'') The way around this is to stack raisers under the runoff trays to get the canopies to be the same height.
- Different strains reach different stages of their life at different times so you further complicate the above issue.
- Different strains tend to have slightly different sensitivities to nutrients so you can get into a situation where you have multiple plants presenting a variety of nutrient deficiencies. It will make things easier if you mitigate that risk somewhat by starting with one strain.
Suggestion 3: Buy Seeds from one of the breeders I'm listing below and buy them through a reputable seed bank.
Two favorite seed banks:
- North Atlantic Seed Company (Maine, USA)
- Multiverse Beans (California, USA)
Breeders:
A -lot- of seed companies do not actually produce cannabis seeds. They buy them in bulk, repackage them, and sell them as their own. If you buy from these companies they wont have a clue what the genetics actually are, often you'll get mislabeled strains, and they will be more prone to herm. Herm is a term for when your plant turns from female to male during the growing process and you have to chop or discard it.
Here is a short list of companies that produce good genetics:
- Mephisto Genetics
- Twenty20 Mendocino
- Dutch Passion
- Ethos
Choosing Your Grow Medium and Nutrients
So you bought a tent and set it up but now you need something to grow it in and something to feed the plants. The main choices are Coco Coir, (husks of coconuts, very renewable) a formulation of peat, (something like Promix HP) or soil.
For beginners we were advised to use a peat option like Promix HP as the "most idiot proof". Both peat and coco are considered closer to hydroponic growing than soil because they are mostly inert. People swear by both peat and coco and neither is a bad choice. For your first grow, and particularly if you are using Promix it is suggested you add additional perlite to the mix before potting to increase drainage, about 5:1. This will help with drainage, and while you may need to water slightly more often it will let you correct issues more rapidly. It seems as though Promix has recognized this and is now making a blend of Promix + coco which is likely a fantastic choice.
If you choose to go with coco instead this is a tremendous resource for helping you with amendments etc. -> Here
For nutrients we've had luck with the techniflora line. The recipe for success box should get you through your first couple grows and it's considerably cheaper than most other options. The case of mini-bottles comes with the feeding schedule. (more on that below) It is also beneficial to add Microbe Life Yield Enhancer and Hygrozyme as biological additions to your feedings.
For beginners we were advised to use a peat option like Promix HP as the "most idiot proof". Both peat and coco are considered closer to hydroponic growing than soil because they are mostly inert. People swear by both peat and coco and neither is a bad choice. For your first grow, and particularly if you are using Promix it is suggested you add additional perlite to the mix before potting to increase drainage, about 5:1. This will help with drainage, and while you may need to water slightly more often it will let you correct issues more rapidly. It seems as though Promix has recognized this and is now making a blend of Promix + coco which is likely a fantastic choice.
If you choose to go with coco instead this is a tremendous resource for helping you with amendments etc. -> Here
For nutrients we've had luck with the techniflora line. The recipe for success box should get you through your first couple grows and it's considerably cheaper than most other options. The case of mini-bottles comes with the feeding schedule. (more on that below) It is also beneficial to add Microbe Life Yield Enhancer and Hygrozyme as biological additions to your feedings.
Germinating Your Seeds
While its difficult to get to a 100% germination rate here is a helpful guide that should get you north of 80%
-> Here <-
Using water for 24 hours then the paper towel method seems to be relatively foolproof but we've also seen studies where planting directly in soil can result in sprouting a day or two quicker.
-> Here <-
Using water for 24 hours then the paper towel method seems to be relatively foolproof but we've also seen studies where planting directly in soil can result in sprouting a day or two quicker.
Autoflower Feeding Schedule / Watering
Remember, if you choose to grow autoflowers, their nutrient requirements are unique, and also unique to the strain. It will take time and a few runs to get things dialed in. This resource for feeding autoflowers is pretty solid- Here
Also remember when watering you will need to measure your water PH (buy a decent meter) and adjust it up or down to get into the 6-6.5 range. If you're feeding, this is done after mixing your nutrients into the water. Generally the nutrients will bring the PH of your tap water down. Its always a good idea to have a bucket of water sitting out for a day or two before you water which will help reduce chlorine if it's present in your water. There's a ton of info available on this on the web.
When you water, particularly if you're using bottled nutrients, you HAVE to make sure about 20% of the water that goes in the top comes out the bottom once the plant is 4+ weeks old and well established. You'll want plant elevators in your saucers. (like this- Here) If you do not do this, the salts will build up in the medium and lock out nutrients. If you suspect you are getting nutrient lockout, measure the PH of the runoff, if its getting close to 5.0 you likely need to flush the plant a bit.
The majority of first time growers overwater their plants. (watering too often) The easiest way to avoid this is to get in the practice of lifting the pot to check the weight, it will be significantly lighter when its getting close to watering time.
Also remember when watering you will need to measure your water PH (buy a decent meter) and adjust it up or down to get into the 6-6.5 range. If you're feeding, this is done after mixing your nutrients into the water. Generally the nutrients will bring the PH of your tap water down. Its always a good idea to have a bucket of water sitting out for a day or two before you water which will help reduce chlorine if it's present in your water. There's a ton of info available on this on the web.
When you water, particularly if you're using bottled nutrients, you HAVE to make sure about 20% of the water that goes in the top comes out the bottom once the plant is 4+ weeks old and well established. You'll want plant elevators in your saucers. (like this- Here) If you do not do this, the salts will build up in the medium and lock out nutrients. If you suspect you are getting nutrient lockout, measure the PH of the runoff, if its getting close to 5.0 you likely need to flush the plant a bit.
The majority of first time growers overwater their plants. (watering too often) The easiest way to avoid this is to get in the practice of lifting the pot to check the weight, it will be significantly lighter when its getting close to watering time.
Knowing when to Harvest
The best guide we've seen for knowing when to harvest is the one from IGLM - Here