Basic Grow Guide

[Jr. Greenthumb]

Introduction

I guess if you are visiting this page then you want to know how to grow your own herb. Everyone here has been at the same point you are. Reading a lot and in total aww of the whole process. It just seems like so much info and so many things that have to be like this or like that. Don’t get frustrated, just sit back, relax, smoke a bowl and do it. It is a weed, it will grow. We hope the information we have put together is easy to read and that it helps you grow some awesome bud. Just keep in mind that this is a “work in progress” and we all have a life outside of the internet but we will get this together as fast and as best as we can. If you see something you think could be added to Please PM me and we will discuss it and see if it fits our beliefs. All thoughts are welcome and much appreciated so please pitch in what and when you can. We have a lot of experience here on the boards so keep an eye on some of the grow journals here and you will see first hand how things are done. They may seem hard but as you advance in the cultivation scene you will see it is not all that hard.

This Grow Guide we are building is going to start out very basic so we can get it up first. We will add to it as time goes and build it to be the best one available, at least we hope so. We will also be adding an advanced section on down the road. With this Basic guide a beginning gardener will be able to at least get a basic idea on how to grow there own herb.

Thanks from all of us here at Talkweed.com for joining up to this fast growing community. We hope you enjoy your time spent with us and any questions you have I am sure someone around here can help you out.

[Jr. Greenthumb]

Lighting

Well, where do we start here? I guess the first thing is you need to decide what is best for you and your garden. There are many things to consider when choosing a light that best suits your needs. Many people starting out don’t want to jump in with both feet and get the expensive lights right from the get go. Some things to consider when getting your lights is room size, heat build up, and amount of space you are lighting. We are not going to pound fluorescents into the ground because many growers have used, still use and have started with them. In some situations they are the best thing for that setup, others it is not. We are going tell a little about each style lighting and let you be the judge of what fits “your” setup the best.

A few other things to discuss before we get into lighting too much further are some common terminology. You will here reference to Kelvin scale (K) during most lighting discussions. The Kelvin temperature scale (K) was developed by Lord Kelvin in the mid 1800s. The zero point of this scale is equivalent to -273.16 °C on the Celsius scale. This zero point is considered the lowest possible temperature of anything in the universe. Therefore, the Kelvin scale is also known as the "absolute temperature scale". I know that don’t amount to much to most but some may ask what it is, that’s it. You will also see HID, that’s High Intensity Discharge which is (MH) Metal Halide and (HPS) High Pressure Sodium. Fluoro, well I guess that is self-explanatory, Fluorescent! These are all types of lighting as you should well know.

Fluorescent Lighting
Up until the mid 1980’s most indoor growers used this type of lighting. Now tell someone that grew back in the 70’s that fluoro’s aren’t good to grow under and I bet you will get some insight otherwise. Fluorescent lighting does have its limitations. The light is emitted over a large are and not concentrated so the bulb has to be very close to the plant and moved almost daily depending on plant growth. Also, with fluoro’s you need a lot and it is best to keep your grow area small. Fluorescents are great for cloning and starting seedlings, in these stages the plants are not growing vertically and the disadvantages of moving your lights are reduced. They also put out a more gentle light than HID lights do and produce a lot less heat which is very important to those growing in an enclosed area or areas not well ventilated. Fluorescent lights come in many shapes and sizes and easily interchangeable. You can get bulbs in many colors (K). We will discuss this a bit later too. However, 6500K is the optimal color for Vegetative growth and 2700K is optimal for the flowering stage. With fluoro’s you can easily make a full spectrum lighting to get you completely thru an entire grow.

HID Lighting
There are three types of HID lights. You have (MV) Mercury Vapor, don’t waste your time or money with these because they put off a lot of heat and not enough of the right color spectrum for optimal growth. These use to be widely used as street lights and a lot of people still use them as night lights around the garage and house. (MH) Metal Halide emits a blue-ish/white light around 6500K. This is the optimal color for Vegetative growth. Using these lights during your Vegetative growth will give you more compact growth and a more lush plant. These lights are also commonly used to light stadiums, convention centers, and gymnasiums when a natural light is needed. (HPS) High pressure Sodium lights emit a red/orange light which is around the 2700K range, Optimal for the flowering stage. You see this type of light commonly used in Parking lots. These lights used widely as the sole light in many grow operations. If you had to choose only 1 light for your grow, HPS should be the one.

Now for the question everyone asks. “How much light do I need?” To figure this out you need to start by doing a little math. You need to find out how many Square Foot you are going to be lighting. To find that out you need to multiply the length of your grow room by the width. So, if you have a 2’x4’ room you have 8 Sq. Ft. Now, minimal grow lighting needed to sustain good growth is around 2500 Lumens per Sq. Ft., Mid range being around 5000 lumens per Sq. Ft., and optimal being around 8500 Lumens per Sq. Ft. You can also use watts to determine how much lighting you need. Minimum being 20 watts per Sq. Ft., mid-range being 40 watts per sq. ft., and optimal being 65 watts per sq. ft. Now when figuring lighting amount in Fluorescents you generally need 3 to 5 times as many watts as you do with HID lighting because they emit a lot less light. It is always better to figure your lighting with Lumens per sq. ft.

Lighting schedule
Now you’re asking how long do I need to run my light. Well first off you need to get a timer for you lighting because you will need one sooner or later. Don't chance it by turning them on and off by yourself. Things happen and sometime you will forget. For Vegetative growth you can run your lights 24/7 without any ill affects whatsoever. Some growers even do 20 hours on 4 hours off. We recommend starting your seedlings out under 24 hour lighting then as they begin to grow change you lighting to 18/6 or 20/4. Now, when you are ready to flower you need to turn your lights to 12 hours on and 12 hours off. Different strains react different ways to lighting. As you get into cultivating a little more you will begin to understand your plants a lot better. This is all part of the learning process.

[Jr. Greenthumb]

Germination


Now that you have your grow room setup with everything you need and want it is time to germinate your seeds. It can be as easy as sticking some seeds in a cup of moist soil and putting them under a light. There are so many things on the market today to choose from and so many methods to germinating it is not funny. We will stay pretty basic here so you can get the basic idea of what to do and what is going on.

I guess we should start off with what a good seed is. If you bought your seeds from a reputable seed bank then you should be fine to go ahead and germinate them. If you got them out of a bag then you need to check them out a little. Put it between your thumb and finger and slightly roll it with light pressure. If it cracks and smashes then it is not a good seed. You are looking for plump seeds that are green, dark green, brown, and sometimes striped.

Now for "How to". The most basic way to germinate seeds is simply in a small cup of soil. Get a small cup of NON pre-ferted soil and fill it up. Make a hole in the top of the soil and put the seed in it approximately 1/2" deep. Cover the seed with soil and slightly water the soil. In a week 7-10 days the seeds should have popped. If they haven't popped in two weeks then chances are they won't.

Now a lot of people like to use the "Paper towel" method. You simply take a paper towel or napkin, put seeds on it and fold the towel over top of the seeds and get it wet. You then want to put it into a Tupperware container, Ziploc baggie, or a similar container and place in a rather warm location. Warm locations would be places like on top of your computer monitor, internet modem, or a propagation mat. As the seeds germinate you will see a small white tail pop out of the seed, this is the tap root. You can see these starts popping in as early as 24 hours and usually all seeds are popped within 5-7 days. After you see the tap root pop out you want to plant you seed into its medium. If using soil simply make a hole in it like you would for a normal seed and drop the popped seed into the hole, taproot down. After doing this you should see the sprout emerge within 3-5 days and all should have sprouted within 10 days after planting. Doing it this way you know the seed is good before putting into the soil or growing medium plus the process is a bit quicker.

As the sprout emerges from the soil you will see two rounded, non-serrated leaves. These are the cotyledon leaves or other wise spoken of as the embryo, false, or seed leaves. After that you will see two single bladed serrated leaves appear, these are the first "true" leaves. As the sprouts are in this stage they are very delicate. You do not want your lighting too close so they get burned but you don't want them so far apart they stretch a lot. With Fluorescent lighting you can put the lights within a couple inches of the top of the sprout. If you are using HID lighting then you need to be a bit more away. If it is too warm on the back of your hand then it is too warm for the sprout. You also want to have a small fan on the seedling at this point so it begins strengthening the stalk from this early stage. You want there to only be a Slight breeze and not a big wind on them. If there is too much of a breeze on them you can cause them to over transpire. You also don't want to over water your sprouts at this stage or attempt to add nutes to them.

[Jr. Greenthumb]

Vegetative Growth

Now that you have leaf sets forming you are now into the Vegetative growth stage. During this stage it is very common for the newer grower to Over water there plants. You only want to water when the plant wants it. The best way to see this is the leaves will start to go limp. You can also teach yourself by watching this when to water as well. As you are watching this happen feel the weight of the pot. When it needs watered it will be pretty light feeling. After you water feel it again so you know what both stages feel like with that pot and as you continue to grow you will know when it is time just by the feel of it. It is also very helpful to have a high drainage soil. Perlite and vermiculite do well at allowing excess water to drain away and help prevent over watering and allow good oxygen at the root level.

As for your lighting for this period, this varies from grower to grower. The Marijuana plant, during the Veg. stage, does not need to photorespirate so you can grow it on 24 hour a day lighting with no ill effects. Many people prefer to grow on an 18/6 lighting cycle. This not only allows the plant to rest between growing but cuts down on the electric bill. Some people also split the difference between the two and grow on a 20/4 cycle.

The best temperature range for your plants is somewhere between the low 70's to the upper 80's. The higher temperatures may cause the plant to stretch a little extra. If the temps are too high you may want to look in to some silicone additives. Temperature plays a big deal in the overall health of the plant so the lower the better. Your humidity during this stage should be 60%-75%. Now with suck high humidity you will definitely need good circulation in your grow area. A nice sized fan blowing across the plants will help them cool themselves off plus keep an even temperature across the room plus help keep mold from growing. During this stage mold is not a great concern but you may see some here and there, just wipe it off or remove the leaf it is growing on.

As for the nutrients to use in this stage of growing. A plant food high in Nitrogen (N) is what the plant needs during this stage. There are a thousand different bottles of nutrients on the market so you may be a little confused when you start looking for what you want. There are many decisions to be made so look and read before picking the first one you see. You have chemical nutrients, Bio-chemical nutrients, organic-based nutrients, and Organic nutrients. If you want to understand nutrients more visit Here! The nutrients on the market come in both Grow and Bloom. For this stage you will need the Grow or Veg. nutes. During the beginning stages of Veg. you want to start in slow and easy with your nutrients. Your first dose of nutes should be at 1/4 strength, then half, and last at full strength. Between each feeding it is recommended to water so you break them into getting the nutes slowly. Some growers prefer to feed every other watering while others do it every third. It really depends on the strain you are growing and how well it handles it. If you are feeding it too little you will notice the leaves becoming a lighter green. If you feed them too much you will see the plant getting wilty and sick looking then it will get blotchy spots and dead leaves on it with more severe nute burn. A dark green, crisp, and vibrant leaf is what you want to have.

As your plant grows from the little seedling to a full grown adult you will see it go thru many changes. At first you will see it only has a single bladed leaf. They will continue to grow in odd numbers, you will see three fingered leaves, five fingered leaves and they will continue to go all the way up to 13 fingers in some cases. You will also notice as the leaf sets keep coming on that the plant is growing taller and the new leaf sets are growing out of the top of the plant, this is how it grows. You will also notice in the early stages of growth the leaf sets grow out of the stem across from each other and as it gets a little bigger they will be alternating. This alternating is a sign the plant is maturing. You should see this happening by the time the plant is around 12" tall and three to five weeks of age.

[Jr. Greenthumb]

Flowering

Now that you have alternating nodes it is time to flower. This does not mean you have to but that the plant is mature enough to be forced into flowering. You need to take into consideration that your plant will grow three to five times it size while in the flowering stage. So, if you have a twelve inch plant with alternating nodes and you force it into flowering it can end up at five foot or higher when it is fully mature. This is determined by the breed of the plant and how much lighting you have. If you have low lighting far away from the plant it will stretch taller than it would if you had strong lighting lower to the plant. This is why lighting is such a big deal. This is where you need to determine when it is best for you to go into flowering. Read up on the strain you are growing and know what its characteristics are and give yourself enough room to grow in.

Now, to force your plant into flowering you need to change your lighting cycle to 12/12. This means you need to have twelve hours of Daylight and twelve of complete darkness. It is highly recommended that you have a timer during this stage so that your times are consistent and to insure you don't forget to flip the lights off one night. Doing this will not kill the plant but it will slightly stress the plant and may cause the flowering cycle to be delayed from a few days to a few weeks and may also affect the yield and potency. The average time in flowering is eight to ten weeks so you don't want to extend it anymore than it already is. A nutrient high is Phosphorus (P) is best flowering. The nutes marked as Bloom or flowering is what you need for this part of the growing stage.

After you turn you timer to 12/12 you should see the sex of your plant after about five to seven days. Chances are you will see the males first. Look between the internodes of the plant for the first signs of sex. You will see either two little white hairs protruding from a swollen sac indicating female or you will see a little ball attached to a stem. After forcing flowering you should know within the first seven to fourteen days the sex of all your plants. You want to get rid of the males as they are useless. The female plant is what produces the bud we are looking for. Now don't freak out as soon as you see what you think is a ball. Give it a few days to make sure it is a male before removing it from the grow. They don't pose a threat until a little later on as those pollen sacs become yellow. You don't want to let it go that far but give it a few days after you see the balls form and when you are 100% sure it is a male get rid of it. Throw it away, make cannabutter, or make compost out of it just get it out of the grow room or you will have seeds in your buds.

In the flowering stage you want your Humidity level to be a lot lower than it was in the Vegetative stage. You want it to be between 35% to 50%. If the humidity is too high you may get mold form in the buds as they grow. You really want a breeze blowing on the plants at this stage to make sure there is no mold growing anywhere. Mold can kill an entire grow so try to have a good breeze and not a high humidity. It is also not a good idea to not mist your plants at this stage of growth. The moisture can stay inside the tight compact leaf sets of the bud and cause mold to form there.

As the plant becomes mature and getting near the end of its life you will notice some of the fan leaves turning yellow and dieing off. This is normal so don't be alarmed. What the plant is doing is using up it resources and putting all of its energy into the buds. The last tow weeks of flowering you need to flush out your plant to get all the nutrients out of the soil and out of the plant. The nutrients you have been using can cause the end product to be harsh and not all that great. So, you need to flush your pot with three to five times its volume with plain water. This will remove the nutrients from the soil itself and will allow the plant to use up the rest of the nutrients already in the plant.

[Jr. Greenthumb]

Harvest

Now you are at the final stage of growing your own weed. This is what you have worked so long and hard for so continue to be patient. You want your weed to be the best so don't rush it and end up with weed less than desirable. These final stages are very crucial so be patient...

Now you need to determine when your plant is ready to harvest. It is recommended you get yourself a small microscope with 60x to 100x zoom capabilities. What this will do is allow you to look at the trichomes on the plant so you know when bud is ripe and ready to be harvested. When looking thru the scope at the trichomes they look like a crystal. What you are looking for is those trichomes to change color. When the plant is immature the trichomes are cloudy looking and as it matures they become very clear. As the plant becomes ready for harvest these trichomes will start to turn amber. Depending on your preference you want to harvest the plant when the trichomes are between 35% to 75% amber. We suggest that you take a couple at different stages when you are first growing so you know when you want to pick them the next time. The earlier you pick them you will get more of a cerebral high and the later you harvest them the more downy high you will get. Now this is also determined by the plant itself too. An Indica is more of a couch-lock buzz where the sativa is more of a cerebral high and you also have hybrids that are crosses of the two.

You can also determine when the plant is ready to harvest by the pistols on the bud. Most of the fan leaves will have turned yellow and fallen off depending on the strain how many. What you want to look at is the color of the pistols. As the pistols die they will turn different shades of orange, brown, or whatever color is common with that strain. When 35% to 65% of the pistols have changed colors your plant is ready to harvest. As with the trichomes you have the same thing going on here. The fewer pistols that have turned the more of a cerebral high and the more that have turned the more of a downy buzz you will get.

Now that you have chosen it is time for you to harvest you there are a few steps to follow to get that awesome smoke you are wanting. First thing you need to do is get a very sharp pair of scissors and chop your plant down. If you plant is huge you may want to cut the main branches off to allow good airflow as you are drying them. You need to hang them with all the leaves on it in a cool, dry, dark location and allow to air-dry for a little while. Depending on the area and humidity this can take up to a few days. What you are looking for from here is for the outer leaves to become dry and crumbly. When this happens it is time to careful remove them. Leave your plant hanging and continue to check on it and when the little leaves have become dry and crumbly on the outside it is time for the final manicure. What you need to do is clip all the buds off of the stalk and clip off all of the excess leaves without cutting up your buds. A lot of people trim the leaves around the bud. You may find that some of your buds are still pretty damp, if this is the case you may want to put them on a screen to air dry some more or lay out on a piece of cardboard until they are a little dryer.

After doing this you have a few options. Some growers put them into Tupperware on layers of cardboard, others put them in small cardboard boxes to dry and others put them in paper bags. What this does is allow the weight of the buds to compact themselves and to continue the drying process. You will want to turn your buds daily to make sure you don't allow mold to grow. If you do get mold in this step remove the moldy stuff and lay back out on a screen or cardboard to let it dry for a little bit more before putting back to where it came from. At the end of this stage you should have some pretty good smokeable material. This process should have taken anywhere from two to four weeks depending on heat and humidity. Next you will want to add them loosely into a glass mason jar and stick a lid on them. This is the final stage of the curing process. You will want to open and turn the buds daily for the first few weeks and just open them daily for another couple three weeks after that. After this you will have some very good bud. Some growers prefer to open or burp there jars for many months and say the longer you cure the better your bud.

You have now come to the end of your growing adventure so now it is time to kick back and share some of your awesomely cured grade a bud with some close friends and enjoy all the time and effort you put into getting to where you are now.