The genus Cannabis
belongs to the family cannabaceae, like hops. It is an annual plant and
usually dioecious, which means it has separate pistillate (female) and
stamenate (male) plants.
Starting Male
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Cannabis Male Female
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Starting Female
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Cannabis comprises three species: C. sativa, C. indica, C. ruderalis. Generally only non-drug
cultivars of sativa are grown for industrial/agricultural purposes whereas for
consumption high-cannabinoid cultivars of both indica and sativa can be used.
Sativa is possible to grow in a very close matrix, whereupon the resultant
plants will have very fine fibers, which can be used to make fine cloth
resembling silk.
Ruderalis bears great differences relative to sativa and indica. It's very
short, produces only traces of THC and flowers independently of the
photoperiod and according to age. The other two species flower as they sense
light hours diminishing. However, commercial cross-bred hybrids containing
both ruderalis, indica and/or sativa genes exist (referred
to as autoflowering). Such strains can be advantageous due
to their small size and early harvests.
Cannabis needs five things to prosper: A grow medium (like soil), light (natural or artificial),
warmth, water and nutrients
(food).
Air Temperature
Cannabis is a summer plant. The optimal day temperature range for cannabis is
believed to be 24-30 C. At night temperature may fall as low as 15.5 C.
Temperatures above 31 C and below 15.5 C seem to decrease THC potency and
slow growth. At 13 C a plant will undergo a mild shock, though sometimes
cannabis has been observed to withstand (only temporarily) freezing
temperatures.
Soil
Soil is the natural growing medium of cannabis and very popular among
growers. Certain characteristics are recommended:
* Good drainage to facilitate nutrient absorption and prevent root
drowning.
* Ideal pH between 6.5 and 7.0. To increase pH one can add agricultural lime
during watering. For decrease ground coffee or lemon peels may be used.
Commercial fertilizers (even organic) almost always make the soil more acidic
(decrease its pH).
* Ideal temperature range: 18-24 C.
* Fertilization: NPK stands for the percentage of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and
Potassium respectively, the most essential elements a plant needs to thrive.
NPK shows the degree of fertilization in commercial soils. For example if a
bag of soil reads "N-P-K: 12-12-12" this means 12% N, 12% P, 12% K. Proper
soil for cannabis must contain all three and additionally the percentage of N
must be equal or higher than the percentages of P, K for the vegitative
stage. No additional N required for blooming stage, but additional P is
added.
Loam soil and compost are considered most effective and cheap choices.
Worm compost, known in some circles as
"black gold", is one of the finest soil additives and is expensive on the
market, but can be produced at home with worm bins. Organic soil is alive with micro-organisms that
break nutrients down for easy uptake from plants.
Watering
Generally cannabis needs to be watered every second or third day or when the
soil dries out, but not for long periods of time. Watering every day can
cause overwatering and damage. However in exceptional cases when the soil
drains very easily or there is excessive heat, plants may need to be watered
daily. A conspicuous sign of water problems is the downward wilting of
leaves. Both over-watering and under-watering stress plants and reduce final bud quantity and
quality.
* Water and nutrient absorption in pot plants of an indoor cannabis room set-up is dependant on
the intensity of the light source (HID, MH, HPS,
250 watts, 400 watts, 600 watts) and the amount of soil or water
reservoir the marijuana plant is growing in, so learning the right balance of
when to water and by how much is something of an artform.
Nutrients
Nutrients are the food of plants and come in the form of fertilizers which
can be chemical or organic, liquid or powder and may contain several
elements. Commercial fertilizers must indicate the levels of NPK (mentioned
above). During vegetative stage cannabis needs more amounts of N than of P,K
while during flowering P is more essential than N, K. The presence of
secondary nutrients (Calcium, Magnesium, Sulphur) is recommended. Also there
are seven micronutrients (Iron, Boron, Chlorine, Manganese, Copper, Zinc,
Molybdenum) that are not extremely important and rarely manifest as
deficiencies. Fertilizers although vital for good cannabis growth, must be
used frugally otherwise they could burn the plant. As a general rule, half
the amount suggested in a bottle may be given at proper time intervals. A
common problem even with experienced growers is over-feeding, thus creating a
general rule, saving money in two ways: Twice the amount of applications and
no plant loss due to over-fertilization. There is also a reduction of curing
time that I have noticed as well.
Organic Cannabis
Organic soil cultivation of marijuana is similar to the organic food movement
in recent times. It is superficially similar to the hydroponic methods, with
the exception of tending towards soil and nutrients which are derived from
organic sources. In general, these sources are items like guano. The use of
soil (generally in buckets or heavy duty plastic bags) makes for a more
natural cultivation process. However, the composition of the "organic"
nutrients is monitored by the manufacturers, and is usually printed on the
container. For this reason, the supposed organic cultivation of cannabis,
especially indoors, resembles other controlled cultivation methods where the
intake of the plants is closely monitored.
Growing cannabis has about six phases or cycles that it goes through before
it can be medicinally used.
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