We want small containers for small plants . We do this in case we accidentally overwater or overfeed . If we had our little sprouts in their final large pot , it would take forever to dry out , and in the bestcase scenario , we would lose time by stunting their growth , but more likely , they would get root rot and die .
Next , you will want to mix some pH-balanced water into your soil . You will find that cannabis thrives at a pH of 6.0 to 6.5 . In my case , 6.5 is the old-school accepted number , but many people now say 6.0 is what they prefer . I will never claim that my methods are the only way or the best way ; I will just say that they have always worked for me . Tap water is around 8.0 , no matter the town or state . I suspect there is some sort of national standard . You can buy a pH tester if you want , but if you add two teaspoons of white vinegar , not apple cider , but white vinegar , to a gallon of tap water , you now have pH-balanced water . You can also use lemon juice , but vinegar is the easiest .
The soil I recommended was Pro-Mix HP . The HP stands for high porosity , meaning it will be spongy for good roots and drainage . I mix mine with my hands in a dish tub because I like to make sure the soil is broken up and the moisture is consistent . My plants usually do best in moist dirt but not over saturated . Most new gardeners tend to water too often , which actually makes the plants grow slower . Fill your cup with soil and tap it lightly on the table a couple of times . You want to pack the dirt a little , but not too much . Now take your index finger and make a small hole in the middle of the soil in the cup . Make your hole around three-quarters of an inch deep and drop in a seed . Cover the seed with dirt and add a little bit of water where the seed is . Using a spray bottle set on mist is an easy way to add water without drowning the seed .
Many people prefer to use starter plugs or germinate their seeds before putting them in dirt , and you ’ re welcome to try it , but I find it unnecessary . They call it weed for a reason . Cannabis has been growing with no help from humans for thousands of years and is a hardy and versatile plant that grows in various climates . Once wild marijuana has become well-established it is hard to eradicate .
Put your cups with the planted seeds in the center of the grow area and hang the light about three feet above them . At this point , you will want to use your metal Halide bulb , labeled with a notation that says it is for vegetative growth . When you assembled your light , one of the components was your ballast . The ballast has a knob to adjust our wattage . We want 600 watts for now , which is the lowest setting . Plug the ballast into the timer that came with the light . The timer should be plugged into the surge protector we purchased , then plug the protector into a wall outlet . We want all electrical equipment away from the plants and any water . Set the timer to the current time and adjust its settings so it is on for 18 hours and off for 6 . I run my veg lights from 6 a . m . till midnight .
Believe it or not , now we aren ’ t going to do very much at all for the next few months . Your instinct as a beginning horticulturist will be to mess with your plants all the time . You will feel like you need to be doing something , and waiting for buds to ripen can be like waiting for Santa to arrive . The plants need you to feed , water , and move them around every few days . The best way to check to see if the plants need water is to pick them up . Dry pots are very light , and it doesn ’ t take much moisture to add weight . A gallon of water weighs seven pounds . You will get a feel for it if you go in and pick them up every day . Our little seed cups need to be inspected a few times a day and if the cup gets light or the top of the soil dries out , give it some mist of the pH-balanced water .
Styrofoam coffee cups with sprouts .
The seeds should sprout within three to six days . If you don ’ t have a plant coming up within a week , you probably aren ’ t going to get one . You may have had an old or damaged seed , which shouldn ’ t happen if you get good seeds from a good company . Good seed shell contains enough natural fertilizer to germinate and feed the plant when it starts to flourish .
After a week or so , you can start to fertilize . Start with half or even quarter-strength food . We are using a brand called Dyna-Gro , which is all we need for the vegetative cycle . Even though we are using dirt , not hydroponics , use the amount that the label recommends for hydro , which is two teaspoons per gallon . As I said , start with half-strength until the plants begin to flourish and look more like pot than tomatoes , then go ahead and up them to full strength . You can also boost the light to 1000 watts . Be careful , some strains like food more than others . Look for instructions from the breeder , and if they say not to over fertilize , pay attention .
The way to look for signs of too much food is to look at your leaf tips . If they start to curl and resemble claws , you have excess nitrogen . Not to fear , flush your container with pH-balanced water , and don ’ t feed again until the plant recovers . This is why we want our container to match our plant . The small pot will dry out faster . To avoid over feeding , and to flush out impurities , water with just plain pH-balanced water every fourth time you hydrate the plants . Don ’ t try to water on a schedule . If you accidentally wilt the plants or burn them a little with the light , they will usually recover . Small plants are much more delicate , but a larger plant that wilts can be revived by removing it from the light for a couple of hours and giving it some water . A plant that looks almost dead will completely recover in no time . Avoid this because stressing the plant is bad , but accidents happen .
As the marijuana outgrows its containers , you will want to repot your plants into a larger home . I recommend using pots that will hold two gallons of dirt . A cheap alternative is mop buckets from the dollar store . Just drill holes in the bottom so that they drain properly . There is a YouTube video demonstrating this on my channel , Bobo ’ s Botanicals . You will find many grow tips and other stuff on Bobo ’ s Botanicals . Some of the videos are not marijuana-related , and some contain adult humor . The grow videos are G rated , but some of my other stuff might not be for everybody . Most people do think they are funny , though .
You can put the plants into flower at any point , from very small to very large . It is entirely up to you . All you have to do is cut the light cycle from 18 hours to 12 by changing your timer and switching to your high-pressure sodium flowering bulb . Just make sure that there isn ’ t any more light during the dark period than if you were outdoors at night during a full moon . The darker it is , the better , with pitch-black the best . When the cannabis is in the dark , leave it alone . Do your watering when the light is on . Also , use this time to remove dead leaves , turn the plants , and rearrange them . Space them so they don ’ t touch each other . You are moving them so that the entire plant gets good light . In nature , the sun moves , in this case , move the
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