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Introduction

Sometimes we are all a little guilty of perpetuating the myth that Cannabis is hard to grow. We use horrible language, real newbie scaring terms, lumen this, effective light that, ppm this, ec that, germinate this, top that, organic this, chemical that, medium this, ph that, cloning this, crossing that.

Some basic knowledge is always required of course but it's really not THAT hard with a reference guide like the internet available to you 24 hours a day.

Anything you do, it's been done before. And someone probably took photo's.

I must admit to owning a ph tester, or several. I'm a toyer, for sure. But I always end up returning to a few good basic principles. You can make this as complicated as you like (even in dirt) and get amazing results, and yes everyone has there few little tricks which will work wonders for grows (done properly) but by the same extent it's possible to get a far superior smoke to almost anything you will ever buy just by chucking a seed in a pot, watering it, providing it with a good source of correct spectrum light, loving and nurturing it.

Yes, of course there are pitfalls, but none that are complex or beyond the abilities or average joe or the beyond the supply capability of the nearest hydro store and B&Q (B&Q..... it's a place like Home Depot ).

I see so many people saying it's too complicated, it's too expensive, it's too this, it's too that. It ain't. Or at least it doesn't have to be. The only sacrifice you really have to make is half an hour a day.

Not that anyone could spend that little time with their ladies! But yeah, this particular example was a little cap nod to the smokers who thought growing was too difficult for their pot addled minds...

Step 1

First thing to do (assuming your grow space is set up and you have your seeds) is to go to the garden centre and pick up supplies for your grow. In this case:

• Starter pots - Square plastic starter pots or alternatively paper cups with holes pushed in the bottom.
• Tomato pots - These are really cheap and a good size for small plants.
• Drip Trays - To fit the above pots. This will save your nice white grow room floor getting too dirty and will allow you to water your plants from below.
• Unfertilized soil - any brand will do just be sure to check that there is no continuous feeding factor and that the ph is reasonably neutral. Don't be too fussy, we're growing WEED.
• Fertiliser and soil additions - Now this is where you can get complicated if you like.

The easy way would be to buy a fairly level natural fertilizer (7-7-7 N-P-K is a good rating) that can be added to your water to make a tea, this can then be added when you water the plant.

A slightly more complicated way is to mix your own fertilizer which can either be added to the soil when potting on or added to water to make a tea. I tend to use the latter though I do added some worm casing to regular potting soil on most occasions.

I tend to use guano combination to make my feeding tea. 13-8-2 seabird guano during veg and 0-13-0 (with small amounts of additional veg fert) Indonesian bat guano with additional rock phosphate for flowering. There are all sorts of fertilizers and schedules you can go with though and that's a topic in itself that will be covered later.

Perlite - This is an indispensable supply that you must mix with your soil when planting. This is an entirely neutral substance that is used purely to increase drainage in your soil.

Step 2

So, you're home with all your goodies, your seeds and supplies, now it's time for the spending (not fun) to stop and the growing (fun) to begin.

At this stage you'll want to mix a little bit of soil, 40% perlite and 60% soil and place this into your starter pots. Pack this soil gently with your fingers (not to tight) and give it a small watering (so the soil is damp). I do this before I put in a seed and then leave it for 24 or so hours so that the soil has settled and when I plant the seed it will remain where I plant it and not drop 1/2 an inch when the soil is first watered.

This is however a step that can be missed out and just something I do for consistency.

Step 3

Planting a seed. Make a small hole 3/4 of an inch deep in the surface of your soil in each of your prepared pots and into each place a seed. Cover this seed over with soil and VERY GENTLY tap this down. Water sparingly so the soil is moist but aerated and not sodden.

I keep my newly planted seeds and their new homes on a heating mat to keep the soil warm but this is only necessary if you live in a climate where ambient temperatures are low.

Now some will say you should germinate using a paper towel before planting a seed but I say bollocks to that, the only advantage of paper towels is that it's easier to avoid over watering and you can check visually on the progress of germination.

Some will also say that you should soak you seeds for 24 hours before planting them to separate the good from the bad (the good sink and the bad float) but again I say bollocks. Nature doesn't provide cups of water, it provides soil. If it's good enough for nature, the greatest power that there is, it's good enough for me.

What I DO do is to keep my seeds stored in a cool dark place (a box in the fridge) so that when they are planted and get watered it's equivalent of a spring shower after winter. I get 90% or more germination rates with viable seeds.



Step 4

After 48-72 hours all that are going to germinate are likely to have popped their heads above the soil. Those that don't in this time period can be kept a while but I write them off after a week. If it doesn't germ in a week I don't want to grow it anyway.



For the next week or two these babies are in their seedling stage and are pretty delicate.

Their crucial things to look out for during these stages is over watering, heat and fertilizing too soon. Your plant does not need to be drowned and the soil should be slightly moist no more, conversely your seedling cannot hold much too much water so you do not want them transpiring (water exchange through foliage) too much, to avoid this keep them under flows and avoid undue heat.


At this stage (and all stages) you should have some air exchange around the seeders to start strengthening the stems and to maximize the CO2 available to them.

Turn on those fans brah but only gently, too much air movement will increase the rate of transpiration (water loss) in the plant and soil. Use 18, 20 or 24 hours of light.

I like to keep seedlings under fluorescent lighting until it is 8 to 10 inches tall. This is about the maximum effective penetration of fluorescent lights. Flo's provide a gentler less hot light source that can be positioned closer to seedlings than a HID.



Step 5

Once the plants are several inches tall and have developed their first true leaf set (the first round leaves are seed shell leaves and are there to allow the plant to get enough energy to begin to form proper leaves) it is probably time to pot them up. When mixing this soil I again go with 50% perlite but in addition to my regular soil I add 10% worm casings and a small handful of guano mix.

If you are using paper cups this pot can be simply cut off and thrown away and the entire root ball and soil planted into your prepared larger tomato pots, if you are using plastic starter pots, squeeze them gentle to loosed the soil inside before tipping them into your hand and potting them on.

I plant up early and before the seedlings roots fill the entire grow space they are given, this is to avoid stress and allow natural root development. Seedlings develop a root system with a strong and deep tap root (cuttings usually have a shallower root system), this tap root needs room to grow.