Every month, many people try their hand at growing weed for the first time. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always goes as planned and often times plants die prematurely due to avoidable mistakes. In this article, we will explore the 10 most common cultivation errors so that you can avoid them in your own garden!
With the internet, researching and learning about indoor cultivation is easier than ever. You no longer have to make the same mistakes as others before you; simply learn from their lessons! Here are ten of the most common mistakes made by hobbyists and home growers, so that you can avoid them in your own journey.
10. Neglect
Before you get started, think about whether or not you will be able to commit the time necessary to taking care of your plants. Too often people make the mistake of neglecting their plants, without realizing that cannabis requires daily attention. Ask yourself if you will have the time and patience to water your plants every day. It may not seem like a lot, but if you forget just one weekend, it could ruin your entire crop.
9. Using bad seeds
A majority of the first-time growers’ seeds are found coincidentally in a bag of cannabis. However, it would be foolish to plant those type of seeds because they usually do not reproduce well. Additionally, wouldn’t it be a waste to put all your time and effort into something that will produce little to no results?
8. Pamper too much
If you’re just starting out with growing cannabis and are feeling excited, remember not to over-fertilize or pick your plants. Just like us, Cannabis plants need their sleep and those leaves actually serve an important purpose. Trying to ‘spoil’ your plants will more often than not do more harm than good, so be careful – especially when it comes to young cannabis plants which are delicate in comparison.
If you’re not careful, it’s easy to over-water and over-fertilize your weed plants.
7. Flowering too early or late
Although the flowering stage is much more interesting, don’t begin too early. A single cannabis plant does not produce a lot of weed unless multiple are grown closely together. On the other hand, you also shouldn’t wait to long to start the flowering phase or your plants may get too big. In fact, once in 12/12 light cycles, cannabis plants grow extremely quickly–about two to three times their original size. To ensure they remain at half your desired size, only start flower them when they reach that point.
6. Acids
A pH meter is important and worth the investment because different nutrients are absorbed at various pH values. If the acidity gets too high or low, your cannabis plants will lose essential fertilizers, which creates an imbalance of deficiencies and surpluses.
To ensure your plants are getting the nutrients they need, purchase a pH meter and acidify your water to about 6.5 (5.8 for hydro systems).
5. Harvesting too early
Patience is a virtue, and even more so when you’re growing cannabis. Keep in mind that it’ll be worth the wait; your buds will get stronger, more potent and taste better if you let them mature for longer. harvest once at least 80% of the hairs are brown and dried out . Many leaves will have turned yellow by then , but the buds should be thick and swollen .
P.S. Make sure to give your plants a final rinse with water before you harvest them.
4. Germination
Before you can harvest, you need a plant–and to get a plant, you have to know how to germinate a cannabis seed. Many people make the mistake of drowning their seeds in water or letting them dry out on cotton wool.
3. Light stress
As you probably know, cannabis plants grow best when they have 18 hours of light and 6 hours of darkness each day. However, too much light can actually stress the plants out – especially if you bother them at night while they’re trying to sleep! This can cause them to go back into the growth phase or even turn hermaphrodite. So make sure it’s nice and dark at night, and use a proper grow bulb during the day.
2. Overfeeding
The number two shows an error that every home grower may have made, namely that of overfeeding. However, plants cannot be compared to humans, so more nutrition does not cause thicker plants. It is preferable to compare plant nutrition for cannabis plants with vitamins for humans. Light is only real nutrition that makes buds thicker, so it’s better to give a little more light when you want to grow thicker buds and feed them tailor-made.
1. Overwatering
It may sound crazy, but it often goes wrong the watering. Sure, cannabis plants shouldn’t dry out again either, but they can hardly withstand wet feet. And since the earth holds a lot of water, it is better to be economical with it. When you grow on soil (obviously you do that) then a handy rule is to water only when the top 3 to 4 centimeters of the soil has dried out. Another trick is to lift the pots daily so that you get a good feeling for the weight of a water-saturated and dry pot.