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While you can grow more marijuana outdoors or achieve higher yields indoors with hydroponics (growing plants without soil), growing indoors with soil offers a winning mix of ease and security that makes it a good choice for beginning growers who only need enough medical marijuana for themselves. Germinating is simply the process by which you start your seeds sprouting. You can germinate them in a variety of ways the key is to keep them warm and moist. Starter cubes These cubes of growing medium are the easiest option. Stick your seed in the hole, pointed end down, and keep the cube moist and warm. Once the seedling appears, you can plant the cube directly in potting soil. Good brands include Jiffy Pellets and Rapid Rooters. Wet paper towel Put the seeds in the paper towel, fold it and put it in a dark place for 1 to 3 days. When a white root pops out, plant 1 inch deep with root downward. Warm water For older or dried out seeds, try dropping them in a glass of slightly warm water and placing it in a dark place. They should sprout in 24-32 hours. If they haven't after this time, move them to a moist place to finish sprouting. Germinate in soil You can germinate your seedling directly in potting soil. Plant 1 inch deep with the pointy end down, and keep the soil moist and warm. Seedlings carry their own nutrients, so don't start them out in overly-nutrient rich soil. For best results, plant seedling in potting soil contained in plastic cups with holes poked in the bottom for water drainage. You can transfer to a larger pot and begin slowly adding nutrients after two to four weeks. You can buy a soil mix like Fox Farms designed for marijuana, or purchase garden soil and add the necessary nutrients. You can also use coco peat (coconut shell hair), which retains moisture and drains well, and has the correct pH. If using garden soil, consider: pH Marijuana needs soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7. For overly acidic soil, use 1 cup of dolomite lime for every liter of soil to increase pH. To increase acidity, add coffee grounds or citrus peelings. Texture Moist soil should barely stay together when run through your hand, and feel spongy when you clench it in your fist. If the soil is too dry, you can add vermiculite to increase water retention, but be sure to adjust pH afterwards. Perlite will increase drainage and will not impact pH. Nutrients As well as inorganic fertilizers, there are a variety of organic materials you can add to your soil to increase the phosphorous and nitrogen content, including guano (nitrogen and phosphorous), worm castings (nitrogen), kelp meal (potassium and nitrogen), and bone meal (phosphorous). During this stage, your plants do nothing but grow. The vegetative stage lasts 4-5 weeks before flowering can start, but can go longer if you want bigger plants. To keep your plants healthy, you'll need to make sure their environment is ideal: Water Poke your finger in the soil if it is dry up to your first knuckle, add water. Water until 10-20% of the water you added has drained out the bottom of the pot. Light You need to provide at least 18 hours of light a day to keep your plants in the vegetative state. 24 hours of light will not harm the plants, but you can save energy by giving 18 hours of light and 6 hours of dark. Nutrients Add the nutrients to the water you use to water the plants. Start by adding half the amount recommended on the packaging. As your plant gets bigger, you can add more nutrients. pH The ideal pH is between 6 and 7. Add 1 cup of dolomite lime for every liter of soil to increase pH. To increase acidity, add coffee grounds or citrus peelings. Temperature Keep the temperature between 70 and 85 degrees. 70-75 degrees is best for most plants. If you have a CO2 generator, you can raise the temperature to 80 degrees. Humidity Keep relative humidity at 70-80% during the seedling phase and 50-80% during the vegetative phase. Increase it with a humidifier. Lower it with a dehumidifier or by increasing the rate of your exhaust fan. If your plant becomes too big for its pot, its growth will slow. To transfer, invert the plant in its pot while holding your hand over the soil around the plant's base. Let the plant and its soil fall into your hand, and gently place it into a hole dug in the soil of the new pot. The size of the pot needed depends on how high you want the plant to be: 12" = 2-3 gallon container 24" = 3-5 gallon container 36" = 5-7 gallon container 48" = 6-10 gallon container 60" = 8-10+ gallon container You can keep your plant in the vegetative stage as long as you want, but a good rule of thumb is to end the vegetative stage when it is half the final height you desire, as plants generally double in height while flowering. Switch the light schedule to 12 hours on, 12 hours off to induce flowering. Even if you have all female seeds, plants may still produce a few male flowers if stressed. You'll want to remove them immediately to prevent pollination, because seedy buds are less potent. A male flower has pollen sacks (little balls) around where the main stem connects to the branches. A female flower has white hairs at that spot. Your plant has different requirements during the flowering stage. For the best buds and highest yields: Light During the 12 hours of light, give as much light as possible to the bud sites. Tuck leaves to the side to expose them. Nutrients Switch to a formula lower in nitrogen and higher in phosphorus, as too much nitrogen can limit bud growth. After 4 weeks, you'll want to start steadily reducing the amount of nutrients you provide. Provide no nutrients in the last 2 weeks to avoid any chemical taste to your buds. Humidity Lower it to 40-50% to reduce the risk of disease.
Grow indoors with soil for security, control, and ease. Germinate your seeds. Plant your seedlings in potting soil. Purchase and prepare your soil. Care for your plants during the vegetative stage. Transfer your plants to larger pots as needed. Induce flowering. Remove any male flowers. Adjust the growing conditions for flowering.