There are a multitude of ways in purchasing Cannabis, but huge fans who consume in bulk would be highly benefited by taking the path of planting cannabis and cultivating one’s own Cannabis plant.
In growing and cultivating plants to produce maximum yield and harvest, the most significant benefit is the goal. You can do this whether you prefer to grow THC-rich buds to be able to stay high for the following months or years, or if you like CBD-rich flowers to maintain a relaxed and stress-free feeling in the days or months to come.
It is essential to start by being informed about the most important factors to consider and get the key in getting the maximum yield in planting cannabis.
Lighting is the Most Important
The first thing that you have to prepare for is the lighting that you will use because this is the key to reaching the optimum growth of your Cannabis plant. Necessarily, outdoor growers do not have to worry about the light because the sunlight is there. Good news is that there are already some artificial light sources for the indoor growers. Light is the key factor to enable plants to activate photosynthesis, which is the process of synthesizing the food and energy that a plant needs to supply for its growth and flourishing. This means that without light, there will also be no photosynthesis.
Wattage is the key to determining how much will be you be able to produce. The standard estimate that one has to keep in mind is that 1 Watt will yield a maximum of 1 gram of flowers. Therefore, if you choose a 600W light source, the most that you can produce is 600g of flowers, and as you increase or decrease the wattage of your light bulb, the yield also increases or decreases.
There are several types of light sources that are currently popular for planting cannabis indoors. LEDs are the most commonly used as it requires only very little energy to run and generate almost no heat. But the disadvantage is that purchasing LEDs is quite expensive so other cultivators opt to go with different types of the light source such as CFLs and HID lights.
To make sure that you are on the right track when it comes to lighting, investing in a lux meter would be an affordable and helpful way. These devices will enable you to select the best spots and allow you to know if you’re giving your plants enough light.
Be Wise in Selecting the Soil and Regulating the Nutrients
Your choice of soil and the nutrients you supply your plants will also dictate whether or not you produce the maximum yield.
Autoflowering strains require light and aerated soils and do not focus much on the nutrients they receive. This can be achieved by adding perlite and coco coir to your soil.
Other strains, however, give high regard to the particular nutrients and corresponding amounts they receive. You have to meet its specific nutritional demand which is composed of three significant macronutrients called nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Plants which have not produced flowers yet or are in the vegetative stage require high levels of nitrogen and potassium. When they reach the flowering stage, they will need high amounts of phosphorus and a lower level of nitrogen. If you are planting cannabis it will also need micronutrients such as magnesium, calcium, zinc, iron, and sulfur but only in small amounts to aid the entire growth process.
When planting cannabis directly on the ground, which considerably has a more substantial area when compared to indoors at plant pots, a broader spectrum of nutrients is necessary. This can be achieved through the use of compost. Compost should contain a ratio of around 2:1 green material to brown material; the green material tends to soil microorganisms and becomes a nitrogen source. In contrast, the brown material is a woody substance that provides sufficient carbon. These green and brown materials get broken down and become excellent, dark humus which will provide many nutrient requirements of the Cannabis plant.
With all these nutrients, however, to achieve maximum yield, it is necessary never to overfeed your plants instead, be able to supply only the right amount of each nutrient. An easy and convenient way to do this is to purchase premixed nutrient formulas which are manufactured especially for this purpose, and you will have to choose the variant most suitable for your chosen plant, as well.
Choose the Best Spot: Indoors or Outdoors?
Planting cannabis or any other plants outdoors will automatically provide enough space for the roots of the plant to anchor on the ground and become more abundant freely as they see fit. This healthy root system causes exponential benefits for all the other parts of the plants above the ground as it enables them to grow sturdier and taller and allow them to absorb more the oxygen, nutrients, and water which are contributors to their increase in size and yield of buds and flowers.
However, planting cannabis outdoors is not an option for all Cannabis cultivators, especially if one does not have enough garden space or lives in an area with strict protocols. But growers could still opt to go indoors given that they take a close look at all the other details and factors provided intended for planting cannabis with excellent yield, which includes sufficient nutrients, proper lighting, and even enough space for the development of a root system. In this case, good quality Cannabis can still be produced. However, it may not be as good as those that are cultivated outdoors and on the ground.
Genetics is a Fundamental Concept, as well.
Genetics in plants is concerned with the species and the known characteristics of the Cannabis plant that you are going to select. An example of which is the tree-like sativa that produces kilograms of yield. This particular type of Cannabis requires specific factors, as well, such as space and other resources for an optimum condition for development. Therefore, in considering genetics as you choose a strain, make sure that it suits your environment and resources. In this way, you will be able to harvest maximum yield and garner maximum benefits from your plant of choice.
Which is Better: Photoperiodic or Autoflowering?
One of the major components to be considered in choosing Cannabis plants is whether its variety is photoperiodic or auto-flowering. As a grower, you will have to pick whether you prefer speed or size and yield in your planting journey.
Photoperiodic strains, as the name suggests, require shifting in the light cycle to begin flowering. This phenomenon occurs naturally for outdoor growers but will be a task to be monitored in the case of indoor growers. Photoperiodic strains, however, are famous for producing significantly taller plants and more abundant yield.
On the other hand, auto-flowering strains do not need changes in the light cycle for it to start sprouting flowers. This occurs because it contains Cannabis ruderalis genetics, which is a subspecies that have adapted to the climates in the northern regions and to the different light cycles that come with it. Autoflowering plants are distinctly recognized for its speed in growing and flourishing flowers in Cannabis.
Strains to Consider: Indica or Sativa?
These photoperiodic strains can still be further divided into different characteristics of growth and yield and the characteristics of the ideal environment for their development. Sativa strains are famous for its tall and massive yield which reaches up to 3m in height and produces about a kilogram of flowers and buds per plant. While indicas grow as a bushy plant, are 2m tall at an average, and provide up to around 500g of flowers and buds per plant. Because of this, however, some indicas have been genetically modified and were designed to produce giant, rock-hard buds in massive quantities, which makes them almost like the product as sativas when cultivated outdoors and arguably more productive when planted indoors.
Practice Makes Perfect
Similar to any other skills or craft one desires to be good at, nobody begins as an expert but starts as an individual determined to achieve its end goal and willing to learn along the process.
There are several factors to be considered and regulations that need to be observed. Still, as you practice and the number of plants you try to grow increases, your abilities are proportional, they increase as well. On your first plant, it will be a total success if you can reach the harvest stage regardless of how much yield you ended up with.
As time goes by, your experience and skills increase and you become more knowledgeable and more efficient in watering and feeding your plants and find out the perfect timing in line with your plants and your schedule and resources.
Several methods are known to promote higher buds and flower yield, which includes mainlining, topping and filming, defoliation, low-stress training (LST), SOG, and ScrOG. All of these are concerned with shaping your plants in a way that it will be most efficient in absorbing light and creating the exponential growth in size and yield.
Part of the ways in reaching the maximum yield for your Cannabis plant is being a skilled cultivator which is mainly learned through practice.