Many Home-Growers are badly or even misinformed when they start cultivating their own Cannabis plant. Over the years we have collected the most commonly made mistakes from thousands of Home-Growers all over the world. Getting rid of these mistakes is one of the primary goals of the HGC Academy.
1) THE CULTIVATION METHOD
Find out what cultivation method suits you best. If you really don’t have room to cultivate Cannabis, then don’t! Ask yourself the 6 basic questions to prevent disappointments down the track.
2) GENETICS
Starting with the right genetics is the most important thing to consider when you want to cultivate quality Cannabis. There are hundreds of companies that sell Cannabis seeds and there are many hundreds of strains to choose from. Experience shows us that no seed company has all but good genetics. Read online cultivation reviews of people who have grown the strain you would like to cultivate. A good seed company will offer you lots of information on their genetics, including cannabinoid profile and genetic background. E-mail them your questions and test their customer service before you buy from them. You can research a strain at Seedfinder. Don’t use bagseed!
3) SOIL
Never use dirt, weak or unknown soil. Go to the garden center or home market and look for an organic soil that is suited for cultivating vegetables. The best soils have a proper N-P-K ratio (14-16-18) and are enriched with structure elements like perlite (to improve water regulation) and micro-nutrients like magnesium and calcium. Don’t buy advertised ‘marijuana-ready’ soil. Often they require extra nutrients to be added during cultivation (available from the same companies that sell you the 'empty' soil).
4) FERTILIZERS
Avoid adding extra liquid fertilizers. When you use quality organic soil with the right N-P-K-ratio (macro-nutrient ratio), you don’t need to use them. Don’t use boosters (such as P-K-boosters) as they tend to mess up the pH of your water and soil. Your end product will need a longer cure and taste will be affected, no matter what the print on the bottle tells you! If you want to amend your organic soil, use vermicompost (worm castings) in combination with mycorrhizal fungi and trichoderma. These fungi will form a symbiotic relationship with the roots of your plant and will protect it from pathogenic fungi, bacteria and viruses. They'll help your plant with its metabolism, nutrient uptake and water management, resulting in a biomass-increase up to 40%! Should your plant still show a lack of nutrients, top-dress in the beginning of the flowering phase with the same organic soil. Plants should be almost yellow when they are ready to being harvested.
5) GERMINATION
Although there are a lot of ways you can germinate those precious Cannabis seeds, planting them directly in quality soil and using a large volume will result in a thriving, healthy and strong plant. Do not use plastic cups to put your seedlings in. This will limit both growth and plant metabolism and increases the risk of you drowning your seedling by giving it too much water.
6) IRRIGATION
Do not give a young seedling too much water. Irrigate with plain tap water every 2 or 3 days. Make sure the soil dries out a bit before you give those seedlings more water. It is important that the roots are stimulated to grow and look for water in the soil. Correct watering also minimizes the risk of attracting fungus gnats that thrive in wet soil. Keep it uniformly moist but never wet. Never pour water against the stem of the plant, but irrigate about 10cm away from it to prevent stem rot.
7) LIGHTS
When cultivating Cannabis indoors, there are still a lot of Home-Growers that use spiral compact fluorescent lights (CFL). Most of them aren’t suited for Cannabis cultivation. We advise you to have a look at T5 PLL (T-Neon) light fixtures, they are plug and play. If you can afford the investment, go with a proper LED light suited for plant cultivation. Never use fluorescent tubes (will result in small plant) and try to avoid high pressure sodium (HPS) or metal halide (MH) lights. They give off too much heat and will present you with a huge electrical bill. Always try to minimize your Cannabis carbon footprint!
8) HARVEST
Be patient! Most starting Home-Growers harvest their Cannabis prematurely. Take a closer look at the trichomes (the crystal resin bulbs, not the white hairs!). When most of them have a milky (misty) look and your inflorescences have swollen, harvest is around the corner. Make sure you harvest the inflorescences in a clean environment. You’ve come this far, so make sure everything stays clean. Do not trim off the subtending leaves on the inflorescence. They will protect the trichomes from light (degrading) and handeling (breaking). Make sure you double-check the flowers for any signs of gray mold. Are your inflorescences infected with a white fuzz (powdery mildew), they are not suited for consumption and you should destroy them (as painful as that might be). Never consume Cannabis that has been infected with mold!
9) CURING
The curing process is different for each strain. Curing means you give the dried inflorescences time to breakdown the chlorophyll inside the plant cells (responsible for the green look of the flowers and bitter taste). It also allows for the smell and taste to develop. Most strains need to cure at least several weeks before they are ready for consumption. Don’t use cardboard boxes or paper bags for this process. Use glass jars in a dark and cool environment and try not to open them too much. Use a hygrometer inside the jar to keep the relative humidity in check (RH is best around 60-64% for most strains). This way you can make sure the flowers won’t mold or dry out too much. When the buds become too dry, the curing process will stop and you are left with a product that is harsh on your throat and has no taste (also happens when drying too fast).
10) STORAGE
When the curing has finished (and you have decided that the flowers are ready for consumption), make sure your product stays the way you like it. Seal the harvest in food grade mylar bags or in jars. Put them in a refrigerator. Make sure the temperature at which you store your Cannabis is below 8 degrees Celcius (46 Fahrenheit) to prevent further curing. This way your home-grown product will have a long shelf life and you can enjoy it for many months or even years to come!
Submitted November 25, 2014 at 02:54PM by HGCAcademy http://ift.tt/11s9GZ1 cannabis
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