ighting (HPS, LEC) when it comes to how much bud they can produce. They’re visually attractive and tend to be more appealing to growers because they’re not as ‘old-fashioned’ (though they tend to cost more). In fact, LEDs are the only grow lights that have seen major technological research and development in the past 10 years.
LED grow lights work great for growing canabis and some companies have been refining their models for years (the combination of parts is almost like a company’s recipe). Each LED model is different and needs to be kept a different distance away from your plants. It can sometimes be hard to find any “standard” advice about growing with LEDs, yet these days there are quite a few brands that are well-tested and trusted by canabis growers and these brands tend to have good support for questions. When in doubt, it’s always a good idea to just ask the manufacturer about how far away the lights should be kept, as that’s where new growers are most likely to mess up.
Step 3: Choose Your Growing Medium
Each growing medium that you can use has different care and watering requirements.
These are the most common grow mediums:
Soil – grow in organic composted super soil for the easiest growing experience, or start with the popular Fox Farms Ocean Forest soil mix (FFOF already contains enough nutrients to last the first month of your young plant’s life).
Soilless Mix – anything besides soil including coco coir, perlite, vermiculite, etc. (all soilless mixes are technically considered hydroponic growing since there’s no soil).
Directly in Water / Hydroponics – Get some of the fastest growing and biggest yields possible, especially when combined with HID/LEC/LED grow lights.
Less Common Types of Hydro – Some people grow with plant roots suspended in misted air (aeroponics) or in a tank with fish (aquaponics), but these are relatively less common for cannabis growers.
What’s the Best Soil? Your absolute best option would be to compost your own soil (or purchase composted soil) which gets incredible taste results 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 t