Marijuana is a plant that arouses passions and hatred throughout the entire planet. Its millenary use (recently mummies with marijuana remains have been found) demonstrates the interest on the part of humanity in this unique plant.
Cannabis has been used for many uses, including:
– For the manufacture of textiles and fibers
– For use in traditional remedies, and, currently, in the pharmacological industry
– For recreational use
Cannabis is a seasonal plant, easy to grow and with enormous capacities to adapt to the environment over generations. Its natural reproduction is carried out by means of pollen (from the males), which when the time comes will pollinate the females (which will generate seeds).
This sexual reproduction of the plant has given rise to large phenotypes. The environmental conditions in which marijuana grows and flourishes are very varied: There are pure African, Afghan, and Mixed breeds.
In these cases, reproduction between specimens of the same species for years has maintained characteristics highly valued among consumers.
There are two main families of cannabis: Cannabis Sativa and Cannabis Indica. Since the late 90s of the last century, auto-flowering varieties have become very popular, which is a subspecies of cannabis indica (crossed with ruderalis).
The differences between indica and sativa lie in plant morphology, differences in effect, and cannabinoid values. Cannabinoids are responsible for the intoxicating effects of cannabis: Substances such as THC and CBD, and the relationship between cannabinoids, will determine not only the effect but also the duration and smell of marijuana.
Cannabis life cycle
After the germination process, which usually takes between 3 and 7 days, the young shoots enter the so-called seedling stage. In this first stage, the platter will develop its cotyledons and the first leaves, roots and stem. A seedling should receive between 16 and 20 hours a day of light to enter its healthy and strong vegetative state.
Throughout the vegetative growth of a marijuana plant, the main root of the seed grows downward and branches out in a similar way to what happens with the aerial part of the plant. The roots will be in charge of assimilating the nutrients absorbed from the water, in addition to ensuring their attachment to the substrate to maintain the aerial structure.
As the plants get bigger, they will demand greater amounts of nutrients to maintain their healthy state.
But first we must focus on the first phase: germination.
Putting the plant in a pot and waiting for your plant to and hope that it will simply grow big and healthy is not the best idea.
The seeds must be germinated, that is, a spout must emerge from it to “push” the growth of the seed.
– Most people germinate their marijuana seeds by leaving them for several days on a damp paper napkin, so that the first sprout appears.
– This, however, is not a good solution if you use toilet or kitchen paper, since this type of paper can have chemicals that negatively affect the plant.
– The best option is to use a “jiffy” or a small circle of pressed peat. If you don’t have any jiffies, use a damp cotton or linen cloth. Be careful that the cloth does not dry out! in a couple of days you should be able to see the first bud.
– When your seed has a small leaf, it is time to plant it.
Pre-flowering phase
Cannabis plants, once germinated and grown, begin to show pre-flowers after the fourth / fifth week of growth. Pre-flowering is the sample of the pre-flowers by the plant (which can be male or female depending on the sex of the plant). When the plants show the first pre-flowers, the growers usually cut the males (unless we are thinking about a breeding project) and the females bloom (much higher in THC, CBD or CBN values).
Some growers take advantage of pre-flowering to sex their plants and maintain mother plants to make marijuana (female) cuttings.
Flowering
Both indoors and outdoors, cannabis flourishes when it perceives a decrease in the hours of light received per day. At the beginning of flowering, the plant changes its main functions (until now dedicated to generating foliage) and begins to generate flowers (the buds). In this stage, the female plants will dedicate all their effort to the production of flowers (being weaker in the face of pest attacks).
During flowering, the use of fertilizers and flowering stimulators is recommended to encourage fattening of the flowers. Unlike growth fertilizers where nitrogen (N) is mostly supplied, to keep the foliage green, qith flowering extra contributions of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) will promote more and larger flowers.
At the end of flowering (where the pistils are mostly brown indicating the optimal degree of maturity to harvest), it is important to carry out 10-15 washing prior to harvest, to get rid of the greatest amount of nutrients accumulated during cultivation. we will stop adding nutrients to the water to promote elimination.
A good washing of the plants favors a better flavor, and a cleaner and healthier effect.
Cutting and drying the marijuana plant
We are reaching the end of the cycle, there is little left to be able to do the first tastings. Now that the plant has reached its optimal state of maturity (while we carried out the last irrigations only with water), the moment of cutting has arrived.
Marijuana needs to be cut and dried in order to consume it. The plants are cut by branches (or whole, to suit the grower) and they are put to dry in a dark and ventilated place for about 15-20 days. After the drying of the marijuana, a period of between 10-15 more days is recommended to start consuming it.
Conservation of the marijuana crop
As it is a dried plant (fruit), marijuana, you should try to keep it in an environment that is as controlled as possible. Some smokers use wooden boxes or curing boxes while others use glass jars. Glass jars and vacuum-packed bags are the best way to preserve (for a long period of time) our dry samples.
If you don’t have a huge budget to start your first cannabis plantation, we recommend you to visit “A Pot for Pot” an great website with complete grow kits to grow your seeds at home.
If what you are looking for is to learn more about the cultivation process, we recommend you to take a look at our store, since we have books on the cultivation of marijuana.
Another recommended book is the fantastic guide to grow cannabis written by Ryan Riley because it contains a lot of useful information.
If you liked this article and it has been useful to learn about cannabis growing, share it on your social networks and leave us your comment below!
