The outdoor grow season in South Africa is just a month or two away. Or if you’re reading this in the future, it might be happening RIGHT NOW! Either way you want to ensure that your home grown supply is banging!
According to the general ‘horticultural community’, cannabis is deemed an easy plant to grow. Then again, most of these fundies can’t make their Woolworths orchids re-flower – so yeah take that notion with a pinch of salt.
But let’s not dwell on their opinions and rather dive into 10 mistakes not to make this grow season!
Know your genetics this GROW SEASON!
While you might feel that one cannabis seed is just like another – you’re wrong. Each strain has its own growing characteristics. If you’ve chosen an indica autoflowering compared to a sativa feminized seed, the two plants will grow in different ways.
Also, certain strains are more hardy when compared to others. Not to mention that some can handle the cold better!
If you’re buying seeds from President Seeds they will give you a short write up on what to expect from your purchase. They also have an interesting blog about the difference between genetically modified and bred seeds.
So, what other mistakes can you avoid this season?
Bad Germination!
Failing to germinate your seeds properly will result in a false start. Or just a poor plant. Ensuring that your seed sprouts properly requires a few elements,
- A dark and humid environment;
- Temperatures of around 22-25°C;
- High humidity of around 70 – 90%;
- Fluorescent lighting or a windowsill;
- As little handling as possible;
- And the right pH for potting material, around 5.8-6.2 pH.
Speaking about potting material.
Use the right soil!
Always spend your money on the best potting soil There’s no substitute for good soil, like Freedom Farms.
Freedom Farm’s soil is all the things that your cannabis soil needs to be:
- Light and airy;
- Contains nutrients
- And is free of contaminants
Cool, now what you shouldn’t do is the opposite of this list. Don’t go reusing potting soil as it can be drained of nutrients as well as containing fungi and annoying pests.
Now, that we understand what to avoid in the soil, what are you keeping that soil in? Yes, a pot! But which one?
POTS FOR THE GROW SEASON!
We’re all about the fabric pots. We’ve even got our resident doctor to tell you why you should use them!
Then, once you’ve decided that we’re right (we are), you need to ensure you have the correct size.
For the first 0-3 weeks a root cube will do. Then from 2-6 weeks a small 10cm pot will do!
From 6-8 weeks a 10 litre pot will be good. For autoflowers you might want it a little larger at 12 litres.
Fabric pots offer great drainage, if you are going with a ceramic or plastic pot make sure it drains well.
Anyway, on to the next mistake to avoid this grow season!
Right, we’ve spoken about these issues before in an older article called, Ten Mistakes Newbie Cannabis Enthusiasts Make… So, let’s just revisit those points.
Wrong Cannabis Lighting for Grow Season!
This goes for outdoor and indoor growers. Outdoor newbs often plant cannabis in a shady spot. Remember; it’s a sun-loving plant.
Now for indoor lighting (if you’re uncertain about your yard). The biggest mistake people used to make was positioning the lighting too close to the plants. With old school high-beam lights, this positioning can burn some of the crops, but with our California Lightworks Units, fitted with LED lights, this is unlikely. Also, these rigs come with a pretty detailed instruction manual. So, it’s cannabis-newbie proof.
Over Watering Cannabis
As with any plant, there is the potential of overwatering. It should go without saying that we all get a little attached to our plants and smother them in love, AKA water. Don’t do it. Your plant might need some water every second day, and the soil it is in should have good drainage, so, no build-up/damming up of water in the pot.
Overfeeding Cannabis
Just like your mama cooking you dinner, overfeeding your cannabis is a thing, especially with nutrients, which you can easily overdo. The leaves on your plant will start to curl if you do go overboard. You can correct this by draining the plant with water.
If you think you can’t overdose with organic fertilisers, you can. Follow the instructions to avoid this.
Cannabis Growing Is About Timing
Like any good joke, growing your cannabis is all about timing. You can easily harvest too early or plant a seed too late. While we understand that you’re skipping with joy, looking at that beautiful bud, it’s important to follow the timings as closely as possible.
And like that, we’re done with this list.
Words By: Andrew Macfarlane
z00tly says: “Feels like we’re stuck in a loop/loop/loop/loop/loop/loop!”
