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Germination
The simplest and most natural way to germinate cannabis seeds is to stick them directly into their intended growing medium. This can be done in soil, but a more common method involves using jiffy pots or a similar seed propagation system. This is a great option for beginners, as it eliminates the risk of damaging a delicate seedling by transplanting it.
For best results, the seeds should be soaked in clean water for 12 hours. This will help them imbibe moisture, and encourage the embryonic root (radicle) to break through the seed shell and start absorbing nutrients.
It is important to note that the initial weeks of a seedling’s development require very little interference from the grower. Nutrients will need to be monitored, and the environment should be kept at the correct temperature and humidity, but once a seedling has sprouted and begun to take shape, it is ready for its first vegetative growth cycle.
Vegetative Growth
Cannabis plants require a healthy and robust vegetative growth phase in order to prepare for flowering. Whether you grow using SOG or SCROG methods, or simply with an indoor lighting cycle of 18 hours on and 6 hours off, the vegetative stage will take several weeks for your seedlings to develop into full fan leaves.
This is the time when you should water your plants only when the top
When cultivators strike the perfect balance between temperature, humidity, and light conditions, their plants thrive during the vegetative stage. The best growers can help their plants stay in the nutrient sweet spot throughout the veg period, which sets the stage for a bountiful harvest. Size often equates to yield, and growers should aim for large and healthy plants in the veg phase. This means that your plants will produce a larger amount of flowers when they reach the blooming stage.
Flowering
When a cannabis plant is in its vegetative stage it’s important to provide it with the best possible environment for growth. The seeds are delicate and must be stored properly, with a dark, cool place for the best chance of survival.
Once a plant starts to elongate it’s ready to enter the flowering stage, this is when it produces its psychoactive trichomes. The trichomes are made up of THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids. These can be found in the buds that grow tightly together in a cluster called a cola. The bud is what you smoke, vape, dab, or ingest to experience the effects of the plant such as talkativeness, increased sociability, euphoria, or the munchies.
Cannabis plants are usually dioecious, but sometimes they demonstrate intersex characteristics and are referred to as hermies. It’s critical to identify male and hermie plants as early as possible and cull them before they flower. Once hermie flowers bloom they can pollinate female plants and ruin your weed harvest.
Harvest
Cannabis seeds contain a number of essential nutrients including Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, fiber, chlorophyll, antioxidants, and immune-stimulating secondary plant compounds. They also contain a significant amount of the amino acid arginine, which plays a key role in producing nitric oxide, responsible for relaxing blood vessels and promoting blood flow.
The best way to determine when a plant is ready for harvesting is to check the trichomes using a trichome viewer. Trichomes will be clear in the first stages of ripening and will become milky white as the buds mature and reach their peak potency.
If you’re growing outdoors, you’ll be at the mercy of the seasons and may have to wait for your plants to ripen naturally before harvesting. If you’re growing indoors, however, you can manipulate the ripening process by changing your lights to a 12/12 cycle (one hour of light and one of darkness). This will trigger the plants to begin the flowering stage.