ults but does take a little more work (or money if you buy it).
For those of us who prefer pre-made mixes, I recommend starting with the popular soil since it’s already supplemented with plenty of nutrients that work very well for young cannabis plants. It’s a rich yet still somewhat airy soil that is made for plants just like cannabis and has been used by growers for years.
If you have limited soil options, choose an organic potting mix which is usually available in some form in the gardening section of any big-box store. As long as you use good cannabis nutrients, a regular organic potting mix will work just fine.
Step 4: Get Canabis-Friendly Nutrients
Soil growers – unless you’re growing with composted super soil, you will need to get canabis nutrients made for soil to make sure your plants produce at their best. Even if you started with amended soil, you will still need to start adding nutrients once you reach the flowering/budding stage as canabis plants are heavy feeders and your plants will have already used up most of the nutrients in the soil by the time budding begins.
Soilless & Hydroponic growers – If you are growing in any medium besides soil, like a soilless mix or directly in water, you will want to get canabis nutrients specifically made for hydroponics.
Step 5: Get Canabis Plants
For those growers lucky enough to know other canabis growers in real life, getting plants is usually pretty simple. Many canabis collectives and dispensaries will happily sell you clones though they tend to be a little less liberal when it comes to selling seeds. A great advantage of purchasing clones or seeds from a trusted source is that you know you can trust the genetics you are receiving.
Yet many people do not know any other growers in real life. For these soon-to-be growers, the best option may be to purchase cannabis seeds online from a breeder or seed bank.
Surprising Fact: No one in the US has ever gone to jail or prison from simply ordering cannabis seeds online from overseas.
If you are considering this for the first time, you may be surprised to learn that, because of the way the laws about customs work in America, it is actually reliable and safe to buy your cannabis seeds online from a reputable seed bank as long as you get it from outside the US (sending seeds from one place to another in the US can get you in big trouble though!).
Step 6: Germinate Your Seeds
If you have already a rooted clone (a live canabis plant) please skip right to Step 7.
There are many methods for canabis seed germination.
Personally, I think one of the easiest ways to germinate a canabis seed is to place it directly in a specialized starter cube like a Rapid Rooter.
Just keep the Rapid Rooters moist (but not soaking) and warm. It can help to put your tray on a seedling heat mat. Seedlings should pop in a few days to a week.
So far Rapid Rooters with a heat mat have given me the best germination rates of any method. They work with any growing medium, too – once the seedling has emerged, you can stick the cube directly into your growing medium or hydroponic system.
Another popular way to germinate seeds is via the paper towel method.
Paper Towel Method:
You will need…
A place to plant sprouted seeds
NOTE: If seedlings seem to be “stretching” upwards or growing very tall, usually it’s because they want more light.
Once your plant grows the first “regular” set of leaves, it’s pretty much officially in the vegetative stage. How long is the vegetative stage?
Canabis plants keep getting bigger and bigger with long days (vegetative stage) and start making buds when they get long nights (flowering stage).
Young growing canabis plants grow fastest when the temperature is a bit warmer than a comfortable room temperature, around 70-85°F (20-30°C). But as long as it doesn’t get freezing cold or burning hot, your plants should be able to grow in a wide range of temperatures.
How often do I water my cannabis plants?
In this stage, your plant will focus ONLY on getting big and strong. Buds and flowers are not part of the plant’s vocabulary yet.
If you’r