Cannabis Growing Methods Every Grower Should Know

Cannabis is the world’s most popular plant and is arguably the most widely cultivated plant in all of history. As such, people all over the world have been cultivating it for thousands of years and in different types of climates and under various conditions while using unique growing methods. As such, there is more than one way of growing and cultivating marijuana plants. Find out the best cannabis growing methods you use.

If you are interested in growing your own cannabis plants, here are the growing methods that growers should very well know:

Regular methods

• Outdoor growing

Growing marijuana outdoors is growing the plants in their “natural” state. That means that you will mostly be relying on nature to do its thing when you are cultivating your cannabis plants outdoors as your plants will get their supply of nutrients mostly from what they can find in your backyard. Of course, you also need to supplement them with water and nutrients as well so that they will grow up healthy and thriving.

Outdoor growing tends to be one of the more affordable ways of cultivating marijuana because you simply need to plant them outdoors either directly in your backyard soil or in their own pots. What makes it an affordable way of growing cannabis is that you will be relying on the sun on to provide your plants with the heat and light they need. You can even rely on rain from time to time to provide give your plants plenty of water. And if you happen to have good soil in your backyard, there is no need for you to buy nutrient-rich garden soil. 

The problem, however, is that outdoor growing tends to rely on climate conditions. Not all strains of marijuana can grow in a certain climate. For example, indicas prefer cold and dry climates. As such, the strains you can grow outdoors are limited by the climate of the place or region you live in. Pests can and inclement weather can also be problems when growing your cannabis outdoors.

• Indoor growing

Indoor growing is arguably one of the more expensive ways of cultivating marijuana plants because you have to rely on an artificial set up to mimic the conditions needed for cannabis to grow properly. Most indoor growers use a grow room or a grow tent where they can isolate their plants in a space that allows them to control climate conditions. Such grow rooms tend to have their own artificial lighting and climate control systems that can be adjusted depending on the needs of a certain strain.

In a lot of places around the world, indoor growing is very popular because marijuana growers can easily grow any type of strain they want just by simply giving them the conditions that are suitable for them to grow properly. For example, you can grow an indica if you happen to live in a place with a tropical climate by using an indoor grow room.

A knock on this kind of growing method is that it can be quite expensive. Not only do you have to invest in a grow room and the fixtures and systems you need to control the climate conditions but you also have to shell out a lot of money for electricity expenses. Also, indoor growing tends to have lower yields compared to outdoor growing, which allows the plants to have tons of sunlight.

• Greenhouse method

Growing your marijuana plants in a greenhouse is like a mix of outdoor growing and indoor cultivation. In a greenhouse, you can keep your plants in a place where they can get a lot of sunlight while also making sure that they are safe from outside exposure. Greenhouses also allow you to control the climate conditions as well as the lighting exposure. As such, some say it is better than outdoor cultivation because of the added safety while others also say that it is better than indoor growing because you can get more sunlight using this method.

The problem with greenhouse growing is that it is very expensive for you to construct one and is better suited for those who are growing marijuana plants on a large-scale basis. While a greenhouse is much more energy-efficient compared to indoor growing, it is still a very expensive endeavor that not everyone can afford. And if you happen to live in a place where there is a limit to how many plants you can grow, you will be wasting a pretty good greenhouse by cultivating only six to eight plants.

Advance methods

• Cloning

When you hear the word “cloning”, you should not mistake it for the sci-fi type of cloning you see in movies and on television. It actually is pretty basic in the sense that you do not even need any advanced high-tech materials to get the job done. All you need is to cut off a branch or a healthy stem from a mature and thriving female marijuana and then plant it in its own soil, give it the nutrients it needs, and then allow it to grow.

The good thing about cloning is that you no longer need to purchase a new seed because you are practically only making a genetic copy of the mother plant. This way, it is faster and much more affordable for you to grow a new plant. And if the mother plant is a particularly healthy plant that produces high-quality buds, there is a good chance that the clones will also have the same attributes because they are merely copies or extensions of the mother plant.

However, a bad thing about cloning is that your clones will also carry the problems and weaknesses of the mother plants. Clones also tend to have a shorter lifespan because they are generally the same plants as the mother. When you plant the clones, they already are just as old as the mother plant.

• Hydroponics

Hydroponics is an advanced method of growing cannabis and is best left for those who want to grow marijuana on a large-scale basis instead of just simply cultivating them for personal purposes. That is because hydroponics can be quite expensive both when you buy the system and when you maintain it.

When you grow plants in a hydroponics setup, you basically are not using soil. What happens here is that the plants are suspended where their roots are allowed to grow through a net container. Nutrient-rich water vapor is then consistently sprayed on the roots to provide the plants with all the food and nutrients they need. Hydroponics tend to produce higher yields because of how the plants are consistently getting a lot of nutrients. 

• Sea of green method (SOG)

Another popular advance method of growing cannabis is the SOG. The sea of green method involves growing a lot of different small plants in a cramped space instead of growing regular-sized marijuana in the same space. This method forces the plants to vegetate quickly and to move to the flowering phase in about two weeks. That means that it produces buds in a short amount of time because the plants do not have the luxury of time and space to grow big. This method is best for those who want to produce a lot of buds in as efficient a way as possible.

However, the downside to growing using the SOG method is that it takes a lot of effort for you to grow multiple small plants instead of just a few large plants. It can also be bad for those who have a limit to how many plants they can grow. Of course, the SOG method also puts the plants at risk to molds and mildew because of how you will be growing them in a cramped space.