Homegrowing a Cannabis Plant: Killing Time During Lockdown

Is Homegrowing a Cannabis Plant the Right Activity for you during this Lockdown?

If you are so bored at home with nothing to do, here’s an idea: yes, you can slot some time for homegrowing a cannabis plant. Follow the steps below, and until the lockdown is over and until you get to see your friends again, you’ll have your stash ready, and can then enjoy the fruits of your hard labor together. 

Homegrowing your own supply during this lockdown can indeed be one productive way to fill in some of your time and testing your green thumb. Not only can you harvest those sweet and tasty nugs, but you can also make your daytime run faster. 

With cannabis legalization spreading across the globe, this brings the possibility of homegrowing your marijuana in the comforts of your home.

Also, during this pandemic, some people deem cannabis as ‘essential’, which means that cannabis is now a big part of the lives of many people.

What Does a Cannabis Plant Need?

If you think that homegrowing your cannabis is laborious and complicated work, then you are wrong. It is quite easy to grow your cannabis plant if you have the right knowledge on how to do so.  

Cannabis is a plant, just like any plant out there. It needs light, water, air, nutrients, the right growing medium, and the right temperature. The cannabis plant can thrive on its own, but sometimes, it can’t grow to its full potential if you don’t help it.

Below is your checklist of things your cannabis plant will need to live long and prosper: 

• Light. As you already know, light is essential for plants to perform photosynthesis, nurture themselves, and grow. For a cannabis plant, you can use both natural lights such as direct exposure to sunlight, or buy your own artificial light to help the plant's growth. 
• Medium. The most common growing medium used for weed is soil. Yet, it should not be your only choice! You can utilize different kinds of methods to grow your plant such as setting up water-based or air-based systems.
• Air. Of course, plants need to breathe, too. They use carbon dioxide to exchange it with oxygen. Opt-in for a well-ventilated room or an open area with fresh air.
• Temperature. Just what do you expect? Plants can’t survive in extremely hot or cold environments. 
• Nutrients. Your weed can survive anywhere, but only with the proper nutrients. Nutrients help the plant to grow to its full potential with high yields.
• Water. All plants and animals in the world need water, so your marijuana plant is no different.

Once you secure these six plant essentials, follow the ten steps below so you can start your cannabis plant homegrowing venture. From germination to a successful harvest.

Choose your Place

Cannabis, also known as 'weed', can nearly grow anywhere, as the term itself suggests. For a cannabis plant to have its maximum yield, you must place the plant in a suitable environment. Read here about the cannabis ideal growing environment.

There are two ways to homegrowing your marijuana plant. You can do it either indoors or go for outdoor growing for your cannabis plant.                               

• Indoor Growing

As the term ‘indoor growing’ suggests, you are to cultivate your plant indoors or in a controlled environment.

Indoor growing, especially for growing a few plants, is cheaper to start with and maintain. Also, you can have complete control of every factor that the plant needs, from seeding to sprouting.

• Outdoor Growing

Outdoor growing is the very opposite of growing indoors. You cultivate your marijuana plants outdoors. You have the sun as your natural light. However, you don’t have total control over its environment.

Set up Your Light Source

Cannabis outdoor homegrowing doesn’t need any electricity to produce light, as the sun provides that natural light for your cannabis. Your plant should have direct sunlight ideally from 10 am until 4 pm; cannabis plants do need more light than other plants. 

However, if you plan on homegrowing cannabis indoors, you must be considerate about the light sources you will be using. CFCLs and LEDs are not for growing plants, but a lot of people use it to cultivate their cannabis plant for the reason that they are cheap and easy to procure. A brief conclusion on light sources: 

• T5/T8 Fluorescent Lighting is for homegrowing seedlings and other plants that need less light than cannabis plants.
• CMH Grow lights produce UV lights that increase the trichome productivity of the cannabis plant.
• LED Grow lights are top-tier grow powerful lights that may be suitable for homegrowing your cannabis plants.

Pick Your Growing Medium

Like with most other plants, homegrowing cannabis uses soil. However, it doesn't mean that you can cultivate your cannabis using soil only.

There are other media that you can use in homegrowing your marijuana plant. These include:

• Soilless Mix. Aside from plain soil, this mix includes perlite, vermiculite, coco coir, and other substances.
• Hydroponics. Using hydroponic techniques can give you higher yields and faster growth.
• Aeroponics. You can grow your cannabis plant suspended in misted air, but this method is rare for cannabis plants.

Secure Nutrients For Your Cannabis Plant

Providing the right amounts of nutrients needed for your plants can result in substantially more significant yields. However, even if the proper nutrients are present, if the pH of your medium is not suitable, these nutrients can’t be absorbed by your plants. 

It is quite easy to check your water pH, and it doesn’t cost a lot. There are also pH test kits specifically made for this that are available in the market. 

After lots of practice and getting the hang of it, you can easily and quickly adjust the pH of your water.

Pick Your Cannabis Strain 

You are lucky if you know more about the different cannabis strains and which ones are the best for you. If not, browse our website to get some idea of all the different strains out there. Professional growers know many methods and homegrowing techniques that are well-suited to a specific strain. The important terminology here:

• Seed. The most common way to grow plants is through seeds. You can purchase your strains from a seed bank or a breeder.
• Clone. You need to breed female marijuana plants to get your clones. You also need to learn to distinguish a female from a male plant.

Proceed with Germinating the Seeds

There are many ways to grow your seeds, the most common of which is the paper towel method.

Wet a paper towel, put the seed on it, and fold it. Place it in a warm place. When the roots appear, voila! You can now put it in your medium. 

Follow the Vegetative Stage

Depending on the strain, the vegetative stage may last longer than the other stages. The vegetative stage is when the leaves of your cannabis plant appear. In this stage, you should adjust your lights to stimulate the plants to grow faster. 

And the Flowering Stage

This is the stage when your marijuana starts producing its sticky icky buds. This stage will last until your much-anticipated harvest. In this stage, you can adjust your lights to stimulate the plants to flower faster.

Harvest Time

The long-awaited event after all those hours of care and love for your plant is harvesting your buds. Harvesting the plant yourself is one of the rewarding experiences you can get from homegrowing your cannabis plant.

Dry and Cure

After harvesting, you may want to preserve your dank buds as long as they can last, right? Well, proper drying and curing always play a vital role in preserving your buds. Now, after homegrowing your cannabis plant during the lockdown, smoking the nuts that you personally grew with much attention will certainly be your greatest reward.

Don’t be a couch potato during this lockdown. You don’t need much to start homegrowing your weed. Even with the materials that you have in your house at present, you can begin your little homegrowing cannabis plant venture!