More and more people have taken to growing their own marijuana in recent years thanks to the evolving legal landscape in the US and the increasing cultural acceptance of its use. Cultivating your own cannabis flowers can be a fun and rewarding experience that gives you a deeper connection to the weed you consume, and it may also save you some money. 

If you’re curious about cannabis cultivation but have no idea about the steps involved or where to start, this post is for you. We’ll walk you through all the basics of cultivating cannabis, from picking seeds and preparing an ideal environment to harvesting, drying and curing.

To make your marijuana growing experience as satisfying as possible, be sure to pick a strain with effects and an aroma that you really love. To make a decision, consider that sativa strains tend to produce a more energetic high, while indica varieties are more likely to make you relaxed and sleepy. For more information, read our other post about choosing the right cannabis strains for your lifestyle. We also recommend trying a strain at least a couple times before deciding if you want to grow it. 

What do you mean I can’t grow cannabis flowers with any cannabis seed? That’s the reaction of many people when they hear that only female marijuana plants produce the seedless, THC-rich buds they know and love. Male cannabis flowers do exist, but they are less abundant and contain less of the psychoactive compound. In addition, male plants can fertilize nearby female plants, causing the females to produce seeds. To avoid this, many growers eliminate male plants as soon as they identify them. 

An alternative to growing plants from seeds is to create a clone. Do this by taking a six-inch-tall trimming from an existing cannabis plant that hasn’t yet reached its flowering stage. You can then put it in a medium such as a starter cube so that it grows roots and voilà, you have a new plant that’s genetically identical to the original plant. This method can save you some time as you don’t have to wait for the initial stages of sprouting and caring for seedlings. 

If you live in a temperate climate, you can save money on grow lights by cultivating your cannabis flowers outdoors. However, if climate conditions where you’re located aren’t ideal for marijuana or if you just prefer to have more control over environmental factors, an indoor setup is the way to go. 

For robust foliage and potent cannabis flowers, your marijuana plants will need plenty of sunshine (or artificial sunshine), though the recommended hours of light per day will vary depending on the stage they’re in. When your plants are tiny seedlings, they should get about 16 consecutive hours of light per day. Once they’re a bit bigger (in the vegetative stage), they need a minimum of 14 hours, though 18 hours or more can help them really thrive. In the flowering stage, 12 hours of light is plenty.

Temperature and humidity are critical factors for the healthy development of cannabis flowers. During the vegetative stage, try to maintain a stable temperature between 70-85°F . When flowering begins, you can decrease temperature slightly (to 65-80°F) to enhance resin production and terpene development. As far as humidity goes, it should be decreased throughout the course of the plant’s life: around 70% during seedling phase, 40-60% in vegetative stage and 35-55% during flowering.

The ideal watering frequency for cultivating cannabis will depend on factors such as soil type, humidity and temperature but, as a general rule, you should water plants every two to three days. Some growers believe their plants do best when they follow the “wet/dry cycle” watering routine, which consists of giving plants abundant water and then waiting for the soil to get quite dry before watering again. 

You’ll know your cannabis flowers are ready to be harvested when the hairs on them, called pistils, are brown or red and the trichomes have turned amber or cloudy. But just because they’re ready for harvest doesn’t mean they can be smoked—first you’ll need to hang the buds upside down in a dark place with humidity around 50% and a temperature between 60–70 °F for drying. 

After that, you’re ready to cure the cannabis flowers. Curing is an important last step as it improves the taste and smell of the buds and helps prevent mold or future degradation of cannabinoids or terpenes. The process is simple: simply store dried flowers in an airtight glass jar and leave it somewhere that’s dark, dry and cool. Open the jar to let air in for about 20 minutes daily and don’t forget to check to make sure there’s no mold. Cure for at least two weeks. 

We hope this post has been a helpful guide for anyone thinking about growing marijuana. While you’re waiting for your own plants to reach harvest, feel free to check out our wide selection of premium cannabis flowers.