There are many rumours about growing cannabis. Below, we debunk 8 common cultivation myths to help you understand what’s really involved in growing great weed.
1. GROWING WEED IS EXPENSIVE
Growing cannabis CAN be expensive. But it doesn’t need to be.
Sure, many growers like to have a lot of control over the growth of their plants. In order to do so, they invest in professional grow equipment like lights, extractors, fans, nutrients, automated watering/light systems, and more. But growing weed doesn’t necessarily require all of this equipment.
Outdoors, all you need to grow great weed is a sunny spot, a pot with some good soil, some fertiliser, and patience. Indoors, you’ll want to invest in a decent grow light, but there are many really affordable options out there. If you’re able to grow outdoors, you’ll be able to grow a few plants for less than €50. Indoors, you should be able to set up a simple grow space for under €100.
2. GROWING WEED IS HARD
Just like growing weed can be expensive, it can also be complicated. But it doesn’t need to be.
Again, if you want to be really meticulous and control every aspect of your plant’s growth, you’ll need to do some reading. You’ll want to look into things like LST and HST, macronutrients and micronutrients, and more to really understand your plants and how you can manipulate them to produce the best possible bud.
But growing weed can also be a lot more simple. It’s still a good idea to do some basic reading to understand the fundamentals of the cannabis plant, but you don’t need to be an expert gardener to grow this weed. In fact, many beginner growers start by just throwing some seeds in soil. Once they are out of the seedling phase, caring for cannabis plants can be as simple as just watering, feeding, and some light pruning.
For all the info you need to grow cannabis, make sure to check out the grow articles on our blog.
3. THE MORE NUTRIENTS, THE BETTER
Many beginner growers make the mistake of pumping their plants full of nutrients, not realising until it's too late that they’re doing more harm than good.
Cannabis needs three key macronutrients to survive: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). The fertilisers you’ll find at a grow shop carry different concentrations of these nutrients depending on whether they are designed to be used on vegetative or flowering plants. These fertilisers deliver nutrients directly to your plants’ roots, where they can be absorbed really quickly. If you’re not careful, you can overfeed your plants and cause nutrient burn. This stresses cannabis plants, stunts their growth, and can even end up killing them if not dealt with.
For beginner growers, it might be a good idea to use organic fertilisers like bat guano. These contain all the nutrients your cannabis plants need, but deliver them more gradually, reducing the risk of nutrient burn.
Alternatively, you can avoid administering nutrients altogether by growing in soil enriched with compost, worm castings, and other organic nutrients for your plants. For more information on how to use cannabis nutrients, check out this article.
4. WATERING YOUR PLANTS WITH JUICE ENHANCES FLAVOUR
Yes, this myth is actually surprisingly popular. Unfortunately, producing aromatic bud isn’t as simple as just watering your plants with fruit juice.
Cannabis gets its unique aromas from compounds known as terpenes. These compounds make up the essential oils of the cannabis plant and are found in the highest concentrations in trichomes that cover female cannabis buds, leaves and, to a lesser extent, stems. Some of the terpenes found in cannabis include myrcene, linalool, limonene, pinene, and caryophyllene.
Some nutrients are designed to help your plants produce more resin and a more complex terpene profile. Alternatively, you can feed your plants small amounts of molasses in the final weeks of flowering. Restricting nutrients and exposing your plants to long periods of darkness during the last days of flowering may also help boost their production of trichomes right before harvest. But sadly, watering with fruit juice won't do a thing.
5. CANNABIS PLANTS NEED BIG POTS AND LOTS OF SPACE
Cannabis plants can grow big, and it's generally advised to use pots of at least 20l to get a decent harvest. However, that doesn’t mean it's impossible to grow plants in smaller pots.
Cannabis can grow in pots as small as 10l. Note that your plants will obviously produce smaller yields than if they were in bigger pots, but you can still produce a fair amount of bud with a few plants in 10l pots. You can also use pruning and training techniques to control and maximise the growth of your plants in these smaller containers.
6. THE QUALITY OF YOUR BUD DEPENDS PURELY ON YOUR SKILLS AS A GROWER
This myth is partially true. Of course, your skill as a grower will have a big impact on the quality of your harvest. But the genetics you grow with are just as important.
There are countless varieties of cannabis out there, each with its own unique traits. If you plan to grow your own cannabis, regardless of your skill as a grower, it's super important you invest in quality seeds from a professional seed bank. That’s the only way you can ensure that you’ll really be growing top-shelf bud.
7. BAG SEED IS GREAT FOR BEGINNER GROWERS
Bag seed refers to the random seeds you find in the cannabis you buy on the street. Many people think that these seeds are ideal for beginner growers because they’re disposable. And sure, sometimes you’ll be able to find some great genetics at the bottom of your bag. Unfortunately, that’s usually not the case.
When you germinate bag seed, you really have no idea what kind of plants you’ll end up with. If you’re an experienced grower, this might not be a big deal as you’ll have the knowledge and skills to adapt to your plant’s grow traits on the fly. As a beginner, however, you’ll likely be caught off guard by plants that grow extremely tall or take longer to flower.
8. HYDRO IS THE BEST WAY TO GROW WEED
Hydroponics is a style of growing in which cannabis plants are placed in an inert growing medium (like perlite) and receive all of their nutrients via a water-based feeding system. It can be used to grow all kinds of plants and is very popular among cannabis growers. Not only is hydro a very advanced technique, it can also be expensive to set up. And while hydroponic setups can produce great weed, they are usually not ideal for beginner growers.
