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how to Grow cannabis

PostPosted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 11:56 am
by ledbud
very good info from DP

Growing cannabis is not that difficult, cannabis is not called ‘weed’ without good reason. Cannabis can grow indoors using bright lights, it can grow in greenhouses and of course it can grow outside. Cannabis can grow in soil or artificial grow mediums such coco fibre, clay pebbles and hydroponic systems. It can be grown from seed or itcan be grown from cuttings. Cannabis is a highly adaptable plant. So long as you have the correct basic grow conditions and seeds of a stable, potent strain then you are pretty much guaranteed to get a never-ending supply of great quality stash to meet your recreational or medical needs.

However even seeds from a top seed-supplier will not perform well if the grow conditions are poor. Cheap seeds from a low quality seed vendor will never produce the best stash even if grow conditions are perfect. Growing great quality cannabis needs a combination of quality seeds and good growing conditions.

For many people growing cannabis is a more reliable, safer and convenient alternative than buying from dealers. Growing cannabis is also great fun, satisfying and rewarding. Growing your own cannabis means ensuring a predictable supply of cannabis which is often of much superior quality to the inconsistent bag-weed that is sold on the streets. Ironically the dramatic increase in home grown cannabis is a result of many years of cannabis prohibition. There are now lots of growers who feel that self sufficiency is simply less complicated and less risky than trying to find a reliable weed dealer. On top of that is the fact that it has never been as easy to grow your own stash, there are a growing number of internet sites that provide all the information you will ever need, with many books that explain everything you will need to know in great detail.

The starting point for growing great quality weed is to get good quality seeds from one of the better seed suppliers. The best strains were not created by accident, they often took years to breed and stabilise, so don’t expect to get fantastic quality seeds for the lowest possible cost. Successful growers do not cut corners when it comes to choice of seed. Successful growers regard the seed as an investment, not as an area to economise in. You may be able to save a few €uro’s per seed by buying from a low cost seed supplier but why take the risk when there are several seed companies with track records of outstanding contributions in the cannabis seed community?

Many growers prefer growing from seed rather than cuttings (or ‘clones’) since seed grown plants are larger, stronger and more resistant to pests and diseases than those grown from cuttings which often result in smaller and less sturdy ‘dwarf-like’ plants. Growing from feminised seed is the best choice of all, not only does it give better consistency than growing from ‘regular’ seeds but potency is at its best for 80% of all strains when grown from feminised seed stock.

When looking for a strain, choose one with the right characteristics for you. You may have specific requirements so make sure you get them, ask your preferred seed supplier for advice. Growing equipment is widely available; either from gardening centres, the internet or specialist hydroponic suppliers. In simple terms cannabis simply needs sufficient light (natural or artificial), sufficient root space, enough nutrients (though not excessive levels) and enough space and fresh air to grow in.

Whether you are growing indoors, outside or in a greenhouse may affect your choice of strain. You may be looking for a strain that grows large mature plants that will fill a greenhouse (we recommend you look at our Mekong High variety) or perhaps you are looking for a smaller, bushy variety which will hide itself from your neighbors in the corner of your garden. Perhaps you are growing for medical needs, or maybe you have a specific preference for a certain Indica or Sativa variety.

For many growers feminised seeds are the preferred option, this may restrict your choice of supplier and strain so choose carefully.

There are many varieties that are highly potent, yet easy and forgiving to grow. Dutch Passion often recommends feminised strains such as Orange Bud, Skunk#1, Skunk #11 etc in these cases. Growing your own cannabis allows the connoisseur to experience many different varieties before settling on a few ‘favourite’ strains. Even within the Dutch Passion staff it is surprising to see so many people have quite diverse favourite varieties. Everyone is different and quite clearly there are lots of strains which will appeal to some more than others. That is one reason why Dutch Passion introduced the ‘Colour mix’ packets. These packs contain 3 strains, 2 seeds per strain. These packs have allowed growers to savour 3 great quality carefully selected premium strains and are a good choice for those not sure which strain to grow.

Whether growing cannabis indoors, outdoors or in a greenhouse it is not difficult to get top-drawer results. Growing cannabis indoors will need a safe growing room with a light, an extractor fan and air filter (to eliminate the characteristic cannabis odour). The equipment needed to grow safely indoors is neither complicated nor expensive and as little a 0.5m² - 1m² of floor space can be enough to keep you supplied all year with ample herbs. But growing indoors is not for everyone.

Growing in a greenhouse is the preferred method for some. Greenhouses can often be painted with an opaque greenhouse ‘shading’ paint which makes them private and keeps them cooler on the hottest days. Plants can be grown in containers which may restrict plant size and will need regular watering or plants can be rooted directly into the ground allowing them to reach their full growth potential. Greenhouses can grow seeds over the full growing season (typically April to October in the northern hemisphere).

Dutch Passion’s new autofem seeds take just 10 weeks from seed to bud whether grown indoors, in a greenhouse or outdoors. In the tropics 4 harvests a year are possible using Autofem seeds. In Mediterranean climates such as Spain three harvests are possible each year. Even in more extreme northern latitudes Autofem seeds can grow in the short summer season (June/July) in northern Scandinavia, Canada and Siberia. Autofem seeds mean that outdoor growing is possible in just about any location on planet earth!

Growing outdoors with regular seeds is also possible in a wide number of countries. Dutch Passion have carefully bred their outdoor strains to grow consistently well in northern latitudes such as UK, Germany, Belgium and Holland. When cannabis is grown well outdoors the potency and flavour is often breathtaking though it is important to ensure that the plants are grown to maturity and the resulting buds are properly cured.

Those that grow their own cannabis rarely want to go back to the days of spending money on over-priced street weed. Once the initial growing arrangements have been made then ‘growing your own’ is easy and many people are amazed at the quality improvement over the weed they had been buying from dealers. The arrival of feminised seeds, autofem seeds and hardy outdoor varieties from the quality seed banks mean that cannabis growing is possible wherever you are.