Contest Entry - Brief summation of growing

[email468]

Tckfui has inspired me to entire my brief outline of growing as contestant.

So here is my entry (something I've posted before) ---

Overview of Growing Marijuana

I would highly recommend research and reading everything you can find. It ain't hard to grow a weed but getting something worthy of smoking is a different thing entirely.

Here is a synopsis of what i've learned from this site, other reading and very limited experience.....you'll need:

1) Space - it should be enclosed so you can have more control over ventilation, heat, humidty, security, etc..

2) Lights - very important. You need something that replicates sunlight as closely as possible. I'd recommend HID or High Intensity Discharge lighting (MH or Metal Halide for grow and HPS or High Pressure Sodium for flowering) but this site has a lot of proponents of CFL and other types of light. So your mileage may vary.

3) Something to put the plants in - soil or hydro? This can be a huge discussion so you have to decide if you're going with soil or hydro then go from there. The answer to this question can help determine how often to water (with hydro you are on a schedule - w/soil you check the soil and water accordingly). Soil vs. hydro can also define what nutrients you use and a few other choices you'll need to make.

4) Ventilation/Air Circulation - you'll need at least an 1) exhaust fan (to remove heat and replace CO2), an 2) air intake hole or fan (a passive air intake hole should be slighly larger than the exhaust opening to improve fan life and to avoid creating a vacuum in an airtight chamber) and a 3) circulating fan blowing on the plants (to strengthen them and keep air moving)

5) Odor control - this would include carbon filters/ozone generators

You'll also need nutrients and seeds. My opinion (and some others have recommended this also) is to start with bag seeds until you have had some success and then buy some decent seeds but you may want to start with a known strain.

As for nutrients or nutes, you can look online and find a ton of info but they usually break down into grow and bloom formula with a possible third one. For example: General Hydroponics has Flora Micro, Flora Grow, and Flora Bloom. You use all three for all growth/bloom phases but in different amounts (more grow during vegetative, more bloom during flowering). Instructions are on the packages. I think one of the easiest (and highly concentrated) choice would also be from General Hydroponics and that is the Flora Nova series. There are only two (grow and bloom). There are also a lot of supplements, foliar feeding, and other nutrients but using grow/bloom works fine. One word of caution - a little bit of nutes goes a long way!

Another thing you should know is how the plant grows. It obviously starts as a seed or cutting (clone), then enters the seedling stage. Vegetative is the next stage with flowering being the final stage before either dropping pollen (male) or generating seeds (female). Keep all the males out of your grow room and the females will not be pollinated. But instead will grow big resinous seedless buds (sinsemilla)! This is the point of getting rid of the male plants.

So it goes:
1) Cloning or seed germination
2) Seedling
3) Vegetative
4) Flowering

After the plant is done flowering and ready to harvest (a large percentage of the stigmas turn amber or brown), you cut it down, trim it, hang it in the dark (or in a paper bag) until the stems snap when broken and then you can start slowly curing it. You put the dry bud in jars or tupperware and release air daily (if mold forms get rid of the moldy bits and go back to the drying stage). Don't rush this step! the slower the dry/cure - the more tasty the smoke! Eventually the bud will not remoisten and at that point it is completely ready for storage and enjoying!

This was obviously a very brief overview with many missing bits of information. Please let me know if anything should be changed or corrected otherwise - good luck, have fun and happy growing!

 

[VictorVIcious]

Indoors. I think you are capable of doing a more indepth explanation, separating it better by main topics etc. I have seen several of your post and have beem impressed with your knowledge. This post doesn't measure up to your standards IMO. VV

 

[nongreenthumb]

I commend anyone who enters.

Have you got a link for your entry VV

 

[valuablevariable]

entry:
Its addicting

 

[email468]

Indoors. I think you are capable of doing a more indepth explanation, separating it better by main topics etc. I have seen several of your post and have beem impressed with your knowledge. This post doesn't measure up to your standards IMO. VV

I appreciate your very awesome compliment and input. Good advice (as usual).

 

[tckfui]

I like it it was very good, and I think it will help alot of newbi growers... make them stop posting simple questions... I'm glad to see I finnaly inspired somone to do somthing legal for once joke

 

[email468]

OK ... here we go. I decided to start from the beginning and put some effort into it. But i've only completed part one so if you want me to finish - please post some encouragements!

From Seed To Smoke:
Growing Marijuana Indoors with Hydroponics

A summary of how to successfully grow marijuana in an indoor environment using hydroponics. The summary does not include soil and/or outdoor growing nor does it explain the cloning process. This summary starts with seeds and ends with tasty buds.


About Marijuana

Marijuana is a plant. And like any plant, it is used to growing in the outdoors. Our problem, as indoor growers, is how to replicate the out-of-doors in a closet or small room. Knowledge of the life cycle of plants generally, and marijuana specifically, is essential.

The basic elements necessary for plant growth are light, water, nutrients, atmosphere and temperature. All five are necessary for any and all green plant life and marijuana is no exception. Failure to provide these essentials will cause your plants to suffer.

So now that we know it is important to understand the basics of marijuana, let’s dive right in. Why do we want to grow marijuana? We grow because the THC is very attractive to us. THC (tetrahyrocannibinol) is the psychoactive ingredient that gives us the feeling of euphoria we enjoy. Another words, it is what gets you high. Later we will be learning more about how THC develops and hopefully how to increase its production.

One quick digression, we won't be discussing THC to CBD ratios. Just be aware that THC is not the only factor in determining the effects of marijuana. And the THC to CBD ratio is really what determines the type of "high".

For now, we’ll learn a little more about the plant. Marijuana is dioecious. That just means that there are male and female plants. This is important to know because removing the males from your garden as early as possible will prevent seeds from developing on the females which will provide you with the seed-free (sinsemilla) resinous bud you’re looking to grow. We will be learning how to tell male and female apart and how the marijuana plant reproduces soon.

Varieties

In the meantime, let’s look at the varieties of marijuana. Strictly speaking, there is only one species of marijuana: Cannabis sativa. This is the scientific and legal classification. Of course, many growers know there are three different varieties and many strains made up of these different varieties.

1) Sativa: characteristics include a lighter green color, long thin leaves and flowers, and are generally very tall and lanky. Highs are usually described as cerebral or energetic.
2) Indica: characteristics include dark green shorter and wider leaves with denser flowers and more powerful aroma. Highs are usually described as laid-back and sleepy or "couch-lock" high.
3) Ruderalis: generally not used for cultivation since yield, THC content, and flowering times can be unpredictable.

Note the information is general and differences can and will appear among varieties. Also note that many strains are a mix of indica and sativa.

The Life Cycle

All green plants use light, water, and carbon dioxide (CO2) to create simple carbohydrates. These carbohydrates, along with nutrients absorbed through the roots, work together to create energy-rich food for the plant. This process is called photosynthesis and all green plants, from roses to redwoods, use this process to survive. It is important to understand this as it explains what makes light so important.

The breaking down of the carbohydrates created during photosynthesis is achieved through the respiration process. Without this process, plants would not be able to break down the carbohydrates into useful food energy in order to grow and repair itself. Knowing this, we can then understand why fresh air and ventilation is one of the key elements for a successful garden.

Now that we understand a little more about how plants grow, let’s go over the five basic elements (light, water, nutrients, atmosphere and temperature) in a little more detail.

Light – we know how important light is for photosynthesis but since we are growing indoors, we have to figure out a way to replicate sunlight. Your normal incandescent will not do. Traditionally, HID (or High Intensity Discharge) have been used but more growers are using a combination of HID lighting with fluorescents in the proper light spectrum. We will go into more detail about lighting spectrums and systems later.

Water – Plants use water to move essential elements around in their system. Like us, plants are mostly water (about 80% for plants) and use it to cool themselves. All elements absorbed by plants need water as the vehicle to make photosynthesis work.

Nutrients (Food) – Again, like humans, plants need to break down their food into elements they can use as energy to grow and repair. Unlike us, plants do not breakdown their food through digestion but use CO2 and light.

The primary nutrients needed by marijuana are: Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O2), Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P), Potassium (K), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), and Sulfur (S).

The secondary (but still important) nutrients include: Boron (B), Chlorine (Cl), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Zinc (Zn), and Molybdenum (Mo).

Knowing the essential elemental nutrients required will influence choice of fertilizer. Soon we'll be looking at reading labels and choosing nutrients or "nutes".

Atmosphere (Air) - Knowing the respiration process of plants, we already know the importance of fresh air. But to drive the point home, consider this: there is only 0.3% CO2 in air! That means plants need a lot of fresh air to thrive. And while this process won't be covered, a fresh supply of CO2 is so important that some growers inject CO2 into their systems.

Temperature - Maintaining proper temperature (not too hot or too cold) is the final important element in green plant growth. More will be said about temperature later.

Keep in mind that all five elements (light, water, nutrients, atmosphere, and temperature) all work together in combination to produce healthy plants. You cannot make up for lack of one with more of another. They must be in balance and that is what we will learn how to do soon.

We are nearly ready to discuss the growth cycle, but first let's have a quick look at a very important, perhaps the most important, factor in understanding the growth cycle: the photoperiod. Simply put, the photoperiod is how much light and darkness a plant receives. A sample photoperiod might be the plant receives eighteen hours of light and six hours of darkness every twenty-four hours. The growth cycle is greatly influenced by this. The photoperiod is important to understand because as indoor growers, we have to replicate the seasons in order to "trick" the plant into thinking it is spring, summer, fall and that winter is coming soon. This is the way indoor growers control the height and size of the plant as well as when and how long flowering takes place. In case you don't know, marijuana flowers are the buds. So now you can see the importance of understanding all this!

We will discuss the implications of photoperiod when we discuss lighting, but first let's learn about the growth cycle.

(CONT'D)

 

[email468]

(continued from previous post)

Growth Cycle

Marijuana is an annual plant, which is also called a single season (four to nine months) plant. The growth cycle consists of germination, seedling, vegetative growth, pre-flowering, flowering (also called blooming or fruiting), and finally seed set.

Let's look at each in a little more detail.

Germination - In nature, seeds naturally germinate during the spring thaw. Temperatures rise, ice melts, and the little seed absorbs water warmed by sunshine, which is absorbed by the embryo in the seed. This absorption causes the embryo to swell cracking the seed along the edge allowing the embryonic root or taproot to begin downward growth.
After the taproot gains a foothold, the germinated seed starts growing a stem upwards. The small, ovular embryonic leaves are called cotyledons. Often the cracked seed husk gets stuck on these cotyledons. This is normal and harmless unless, for some reason, the seed husk stops or impedes upward growth.

Seedling - once the second pair of leaves appears, the seedling stage begins. These leaves are very different from the cotyledons. They are bigger and have serrated edges. Another words, they look more like the marijuana leaves that are immediately recognizable. The plant will continue to produce more and larger leaves.

The seedling stage is at an end when the plant has reached the maximum number of leaves per blade. Usually nine to eleven leaves in four to six weeks.

Vegetative Growth - This phase is the plants maximum period of growth. The large fan leaves act as solar collectors, which allows for new and increased growth. The larger the plant is, the larger is its capacity for growth. Under perfect conditions, marijuana can grow six inches per day! The growth rate is normally closer to one to two inches.

About the middle of the vegetative growth phase, the number of blades per leaf begins to decrease. The leaves growing off the stem change from growing opposite to one another to growing alternate one another. Also the space between internodes, that is the space between sets of leaves on the stem, which was increasing begins to decrease and overall growth gets thicker. In the wild, the vegetative stage usually ends into the third to fifth month of growth.

Pre-flowering - After the plant completes its vegetative growth, it enters a "slow-down" period. This plant begins to switch from green growth to producing seeds (female) or pollen (male). This is when the first signs of sex can appear.

Flowering - As we learned earlier, Cannabis is dioecious. This means the plants are either male or female. A single plant can also have both male and female flowers and is called a hermaphrodite - but we'll learn more about that condition later.

During flowering, males start to develop their flowers that will soon fill with pollen. Because pollen is necessary for seeds, the male plant usually (but not always) begins flowering first. Male flowers are easily recognized as they are pale green or red/purple in color and look like little balls. Once the balls fill with pollen and the pollen is released, the male plants die.

Female flowers (or buds) have two small, fuzzy white hairs coming out of modified leaves called bracts and bracteoles. These modified leaves enclose the developing seed and form into dense groupings called buds. The most noticeable difference between early male and female flowers is males lack the two fuzzy white hairs called stigmas.

These flowers continue to bloom and grow until fertilized with pollen. After fertilization, seeds begin to form and grow. Flowering usually lasts two months but that depends a lot on the genetic strain and growing conditions.

Seed Set - is the final stage and is only reached by pollinated females. The male plants have already withered and died. Female plants that have been pollinated, produce more and more seeds that take from ten days to five weeks to develop and mature. Once seeds are finished being produced, the plant dies and drops its seeds.

Female plants that have not been pollinated grow big resinous buds without seeds called sinsemilla. Sinsemilla means "without seeds" in Spanish.

Now that we understand the basics of how marijuana grows and what it needs to stay healthy, we can begin planning our grow room or closet.
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AND THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS FOR NOW

I am working on the following sections and will post when complete: The Grow Room (which will consist of where to grow, what equipment you'll need) then the actual grow, harvest and curing. And possibly a section on plant (and other) problems.

 

[email468]

New info added - starting from scratch

 

[Lacy]

Great info email. Nicely done.

New info added - starting from scratch

 

[scias]

ill be submitting mine as well.... but im keeping it a secret.