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To Start Growing Weed, Get Your Nutrients Right

To Start Growing Weed, Get Your Nutrients Right

by | Nov 13, 2016 | Blog, Growing

If you’re trying to begin growing weed, here are a few facts I learned in the school of hard knocks. Someone new to growing weed can sometimes be overwhelmed by all the options they have for plant nutrients and additives. In the end you will find they are mostly all the same.

Stick with nutrients that work 

When you’re growing weed and you use bottled nutrients, find a line that is reasonably priced and stick with it. Switching to the newest, fanciest brand will not increase your yields or quality. On the other hand, dialing in one chosen nutrient line will increase your yield.  Of course, when you begin growing weed, knowing what nutrient line works with your weed strain choice is also crucial.  Follow the label on the nutrient bottle at first and experiment with your weed strain to see if it does better with higher or lower nutrient levels. Remember, growing weed is a REAL science, which inevitably involves some trial and error (hopefully less of the latter).

Develop a baseline

Once you feel you have reached the sweet spot and developed a baseline for plant and bud growth over a few grows, start looking for additives to start growing weed faster. There are a lot out there. Just be weary of the expensive ones in fancy bottles. Test them out and see if you notice and improvement in growth or quality of the weed you’re growing.

In the end, if you are growing weed for personal use, you are probably more concerned with high quality than high yield. You will find that the full potential of the weed strains’ flavor and aroma will come from using less nutrient and additives, not more. Over fertilization masks the flavor of your cannabis when burned.  That is why when you’re growing weed, you shouldn’t feed the plants in the last two weeks of their cycle. This is recommended by pretty much everyone (who knows what they’re talking about, bro science beware!)

Growing weed quality vs quantity

Over feeding your marijuana plants can slow vegetative growth or inhibit bud development, but either way, it will leave your wallet lighter than it should be (so can marrying the wrong person). The good news? If you can grow the finest burning and best tasting cannabis of all you friends, you might just find you get some of the best yields too. Consider it a win-win.

Essential Tips About Buying Marijuana Seeds

Essential Tips About Buying Marijuana Seeds

by | Nov 6, 2016 | Blog, Broscience Mythbusters

Here’s the deal with marijuana seeds. If you have been growing for a while you may have noticed lots of new companies selling marijuana seeds popping up over the past few years. For those of us that have been growing cannabis and searching for better and new genetics know better than to trust these new start-up businesses selling marijuana seeds before doing a little research.

Not all breeders are created equal

First you need to understand that just because someone makes marijuana seeds doesn’t make them a breeder. It is fine to make a cross of two plants you think could mix traits well and create something special. That is what many of these new seed companies are doing. The process is quick to market as many people never test their product to check for hermi traits or otherwise bunk traits before releasing them to the public for top dollar. Believe me, it is an entirely different thing to actually do real breeding.

Good marijuana seeds and genetics take generations

Without going into too much detail, let’s just say to fix a trait into a new line of marijuana seeds takes many generations and large selection populations. It also takes time and money that most are not willing to invest. These breeders go through many rounds of trials before release and never see a dime from their early generations if they deem them not worthy. These breeders have a passion for the plant and their genetics and truly want to give something beneficial to the world.

Keep in mind that one can create tens of thousands of marijuana seeds off a single 1k light. When you multiply that by what a seed retails for, it invites scammers to cash in by creating some hype and dumping some pollen into the flower room. Meanwhile the real breeders making great crosses with integrity must take their time with the process, sometimes at the cost of their bottom line.

Due diligence with seed companies

It is important to research the company selling the marijuana seeds before making a purchase.  Many places online allow you to talk directly to a representative or the breeder.  You can also go to a trade show and speak with breeders face to face. Ask them questions and see if their story checks out.  Also check for reviews online from previous growers.  There are still a lot of shady characters in this industry and they have been attracted to the seed making side of it since it started.  The true breeders have created the genetics that are the foundation of the strains we love today. Support them and their work and your garden will reward you.