Growing Weed. It’s the whole point of Happy Travelers Tours and our MountainTop Grow Tour (aka: the Wine-and-Weed tour). So, what is the big deal about growing weed?
Growing Weed
While it seems like a straight-forward proposition, and, in fact, you can just throw a seed into a pot, have it germinate and then transplant it. Give it sun and water and, viola, your plant will grow and it might even produce some decent flowers in the end.
However, like most things, the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it. Think of it this way: you can learn to strum some chords on guitar and even play some songs BUT if you put in the time, you can end up with serious skills which bring delight to your friends.
Same thing with the process of growing weed.
Growing Weed Outdoors
The easiest way to get involved with growing cannabis is to start with an outdoor plant or two (check your local jurisdictions for local rules). If you can, get your first plants from either someone you know or a licensed nursery or wholesaler and plant those where they get full sun every day.
To this end, a southern exposure, with full day-long sunlight is the best. If you can’t grow outdoors, then you’ll have to consider growing indoors and that means a lot of work, starting with lights. There is a lot to talk about when discussing growing weed outdoors step by step and finding a local farmer or mentor is a great way to start growing weed.
Best Nutrients for Growing Outdoors
This will depend on a lot of factors which are unique to where you’re going to be growing. To compare it to a vineyard for a moment, the same soil and environmental issues which exist for a vineyard (terrior, microclimate) are the exact same issues for growing outdoors. And, if you’ve never grown in a specific outdoor location before, you have to do some research about:
- Local Soil and Amended Soil
- Ph Level of the Water
- Local Pests, including Spider Mites
- Which Nutrients other Local Farmers Use
Best Lights for Growing Weed Indoors
There are lots of options for indoor lights, including state-of-the-art LED systems which mimic the Sun’s light wave spectrum as it moves from May to October. Read this article for more information about Growing Cannabis Indoors. One of the best ways to learn how about growing weed plants indoors is to work with someone who has an existing operation.
Remember, the main challenge with indoor cannabis production is creating the outdoor environment which the plants love, inside.
Light Stages for Growing Weed
There are three stages of growing weed indoors which are controlled by how much light the plants get:
- Vegging – where the lights are on more than 18 to 20 hours per day
- Flowering – where the lights run 12 hours on and 12 hours off
- Drying and Curing – where there are no lights
Growing Cannabis in a Greenhouse
There are several types of greenhouses, from state-of-the-art glass houses which has features you can control via a phone app (e.g., open/close windows, turn on/off water, turn on/off lights and so on) to simple, Hoop Style Greenhouses which you put together in your backyard.
It all depends on your budget, time and resources.
Growing Marijuana from Seed
If you can germinate your starters from seed, you will most likely have heartier and sturdier mature plants than if you start with clones. However, there’s more work to do when you start with seeds, including sexing the plants and ensuring the seed stock you’re working with is from a stable genetic and not just a random seed you found in the bag from your last cannabis purchase.
Growing weed with seeds is very satisfying and it’s best if you have some knowledge, or the help from someone who has been successful growing from seeds either indoor, outdoor or in a greenhouse grow.
Does Growing Weed Smell
Yes. In fact, in many jurisdictions in California, you have to have an “odor mitigation” plan around your facility to help contain the smell. The growing weed smell is an industry issue and something to consider, especially with outdoor operations.
Conclusion
Growing weed can be very simple or very complicated, depending on your level of interest and available time!
To learn more (or all about growing weed) Book a Happy Travelers Tours and join our MountainTop Grow Tour and get up-close-and-personal with over 1,200 cannabis plants!