Start Growing in 5 Easy Steps

Growing your cannabis is actually fairly easy! With some basic equipment, you can enjoy your own homegrown buds. Growing cannabis plants is much like growing any other plants. All it needs is a bit of warmth, water, light, and love from its owner.

We've broken down all the phases into five essential steps for our new growers who just joined this amazing hobby. 

Step 1. Germinating your seeds
The life cycle of the cannabis plant starts with waking up the seeds. We can achieve this by using the paper towel method, which everyone at home can do. It's one of the most, if not the most, cost-effective ways to germinate your seeds.

To start, simply place a wet piece of paper on a plate or bowl. Place the seeds on the piece of wet paper. Make sure to spread the seeds to avoid entangling. Wrap the bowl or plate with a plastic sheet and place it near a heat source to keep them warm and cozy.

Check on them every day, and when you see the first set of leaves and a taproot, you know your seed is ready for the next stage.

Estimated Time: Seeds usually sprout within 24 to 72 hours. In some cases, it can take up to a week for them to wake up.

Step 2. Planting your seedling
It's time to give these cute seedlings a new home. Let's prepare their new home first. Grab a pot and fill it with some potting mixture. Moisturize the potting mixture and make a small hole in the center for your seedling. Make sure it's deep enough for the roots.

Gently grab the seedlings by their leaves without touching the roots. And place the roots all the way down inside the hole, carefully, and don't bend the roots. Gently close the hole, and spray the surface of the potting mixture generously with water. Give the little ones some gentle light and water them carefully. Allow the seedling some time to establish their roots and prepare for the next stage.

Estimated Time: At this stage, the seedling usually needs 1 to 2 weeks to fully develop its roots and grow a few sets of leaves.

Step 3. Vegetative (Grow) phase
At this stage, your plant is starting to grow really fast. It's going to produce a big fan of leaves and branches out with a strong stem. At this point, make sure your plant receives plenty of light. If you are growing inside in your growing space. Make sure it gets about 18 hours of light a day and let it rest for 6 hours in darkness. And don't forget to water your plant.

This is the stage where your plant is building up mass and strength. You can experiment with nutrients if you like. But make sure you don't overdo, overfeeding can cause nutrient burn.

You can use steady airflow to help your plant build more strength. A gentle breeze is like a workout for your cannabis plant. It helps them grow thicker stems and stronger branches, which helps with supporting future sticky buds.

Estimated Time: Depending on your goal and the strain you planted, it can take 3 to 9 weeks for your plant to grow. The longer you leave your plant in vegetative stage, the bigger it grows, the larger your yield will become.

Step 4. Flowering stage
You can kick start your flowering stage by giving your plant 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. When the buds are starting to form, the smell will intensify. Over the following weeks the buds will grow larger and denser, and they will be covered in crystal like trichomes. Make sure to keep watering your plant, they will be drinking more in this stage. When the lower leaves are starting to yellow, don't panic, that's actually normal. That's how your plant is signaling that she is focusing her energy into growing buds.

You will notice that your plant will be even stretching some more during this stage. When the pistils on the buds turn from white to orange or brown . And the Trichomes are shifting to milky and amber like colors. This is when you know it's time for harvest!

Estimated Time: Depending on the strain you pick, flowering time can take from 6 to 12+ weeks. Keep an eye on the coloring of the Trichomes and pistils, and you will know exactly when you can start harvesting.

Step 5. Time to harvest!
Are the buds covered in milky and amber trichomes? Your plant is ready for harvest! Cut the branches, trim away the leaves, and hang the buds to dry. Let them hang for about 1 week to dry. You can test if your buds are dry enough by bending the stems. If they snap, you know it's dry. 

After drying, you will want to start the curing process. Which will bring your buds to the next level. You will turn the okayish buds into some of the smoothest and most flavorful buds.

Start curing by placing your buds into an airtight glass jar. Fill the jar for about 70 to 80%, make sure you don't jam pack or squeeze the buds too tightly. Keep these jars in a cool and dark place.

Burping time: For the first 7 days, open your jar of buds and let it “burp” for about 30 minutes a day. And after the first week, you can just open the jar a few minutes a day for the next few weeks, and you are done!

And just like that, you have grown your cannabis. With some grow lights, a pot with soil and some love, everyone can grow their cannabis. Just like any plant, make sure you don't overfeed your plant with nutrients and don't drown your plants. If you are growing in a tiny space, make sure you keep the humidity in check to avoid mold.

If you liked growing your first plant, and you are looking into optimizing your grow for higher quality buds and larger yields. You can expand your equipment from here with:

• Thermometers and Hygrometers to keep your grow environment temperature and humidity stable.
• Start experimenting with quality nutrients for the vegetative stage and flowering stage.
• Get some higher quality grow lights with timers for an automated, strict light schedule.
• A dedicated grow space, for example a tent, which can prevent light leaks and control light more accurately.
• A fan for airflow, which strengthens the stems of your plant and can help with preventing mold from forming.

To make your life easier: Humidifiers or dehumidifiers can help with humidity. Some carbon filters can help with controlling the smell of your cannabis plants. A proper pruning scissor will help with pruning your buds. And humidity packs can help with curing your buds in your jars. Those will keep the humidity in your chars perfect.