Frequently Asked Questions About Growing Cannabis

Growing your own cannabis at home can be a fun activity, but many things about cannabis cultivation can be unclear to you. If you're a cannabis enthusiast who wants to try a new hobby or grow cannabis for the first time, you might have many questions. Which growing method is best for cannabis? Is cannabis different from hemp and marijuana? Why choose female plants over male plants? How can I detect plant gender? These are some of the most common questions that growers ask from cannabis experts. The answer can be found in this guide.

Here, we answer the 12 most frequently asked questions about how to grow cannabis to clear all your confusion and help you grow your own strains successfully from scratch.

1. What is the Difference Between Hemp and Marijuana?

Hemp and marijuana are types of cannabis plants that differ by the content of the psychoactive component: THC. Both cannabis varieties differ in outer appearance and production of cannabinoids. THC and CBD are the two most common cannabinoids that are the primary difference between hemp and marijuana. THC is a psychoactive compound that is responsible for high, and CBD is a non-psychoactive sibling of THC with distinct characteristics and medical benefits.

Hemp is a cannabis variety that is genetically selected to have THC levels less than 0.3%. Hemp does not have psychoactive effects like marijuana because of its low THC content.

Marijuana is a cannabis variety that is bred to have high THC content, typically 15-30% by weight. Marijuana is cultivated from unpollinated female flowers, which have the highest THC concentration.

2. Should I Grow Cannabis Indoors or Outdoors?

It depends on many factors, such as environmental conditions and your desired product. Factors such as light, temperature, water, humidity, and care will be easier to manage during indoor cultivation. Even though some cannabis strains may seem to grow wilder outdoors, they can produce the same terpenes and cannabinoids as indoor-produced cannabis.

• If you are growing industrial hemp on a large scale, you should use an open-air or large-scale high tunnel or greenhouse.
• On the other hand, if you want to cultivate high-potency THC cannabis, you will want to go for fully closed indoor cultivation.
• If you want to grow cannabis strains with a focus on terpene-rich flavors and reduced electrical costs, consider a hybrid indoor greenhouse with shade systems.

Cannabis plants grown outdoors have larger buds, thick stems, darker leaves, lower trichome density, and loose flower consistency. Indoor-grown plants have smaller buds, thinner stems, a brighter appearance, high trichome density, and tightly packed buds.

You can grow cannabis in plastic, fabric, and ceramic containers. When choosing containers, consider their size and drainage. Fabric containers like tan smart pots and black smart pots are perfect for indoor and outdoor growing. They allow air to pass the roots, leave roots in the center of the soil, and stop them from circling around.

Also Read: How to Grow Cannabis in Containers

3. Should I Grow Cannabis from Seeds or Clones?

Cannabis or hemp can be grown from seeds or clones. Clones are fast and carry characteristics like those of the mother plant, while seeds are easy and accessible. Clonal propagation includes taking a cutting from a mother plant and letting it grow roots. This method produces genetically identical all-female plants with the best predictable traits. Feminized seeds are less costly than clones but produce genetically different plants. They can produce male or hermaphroditic plants.

When you plant clones, you already know that you will get roughly the exact yield, flavor, aroma, appearance, and potency. Hence, it's easy to produce large quantities of similar buds from clonal propagation.

When you grow cannabis from seeds, you will find several phenotypes in the same seed strain. Some will be of better quality than others. You will not have a balanced product like with clones.

If you are a commercial producer, we recommend you go for clones for a balanced and high-quality product. However, if you are growing cannabis for yourself, then start from seeds.

4. Why does Cannabis Plant Gender Matter?

Female plants are preferred in the cannabis industry because pollination reduces crop value. Pollen produced by male plants fertilizes female plants, resulting in seed production, fewer flowers, and reduced CBD levels.

Cannabis differs from many crops because it is dioecious— it has male and female plants. Also, there are hermaphroditic plants with male and female reproductive structures. Since CBD is mostly found in unpollinated female flowers, this poses challenges for growers who want to produce a crop with high CBD content. Therefore, when growing hemp for CBD, all-female plants are essential.

5. How and When Can I Detect Plant Gender?

You can identify male and female cannabis plants at the pre-flowering stage. Female flowers have two white hair-like structures sprouting from them, differentiating them from males. Male flowers don't have white hair and are round. They also grow in dense clusters. Male plants will produce pollen for about 2 to 4 weeks. If you find any male plant in your hemp field, remove and burn it immediately to prevent pollination of females.

6. Does Frost Affect CBD and THC Levels?

Hemp is a resilient plant that can tolerate mild frost once it matures. A study conducted at the University of Vermont tracked the temperature fluctuations and CBD levels of hemp. Some uncovered plants experienced below-freezing temperatures, but this had no effect on CBD levels. A study discovered that frost could cause color changes in plants, but the impact on CBD and THC concentrations is minimal. Like every annual crop, long exposure to hard frosts will restrict plant growth and cause cellular damage in the hemp plant.

7. What are the Best Growing Conditions for Cannabis?

Cannabis thrives in warmer climates with temperatures between 70-80°F. In the early vegetative growth stage, cannabis requires a minimum of 18 hours of sunlight daily. During the flowering stage, you can reduce light to 12 hours on and 12 hours off. Plants grow well in moderate humid areas, around 40-60%. Additionally, the soil should be slightly acidic (6-7 pH), well-drained, and nutrient-rich for cannabis cultivation. Continuously ventilate with fresh air to provide CO₂ to plants.

8. How to Water Cannabis Plants?

Cannabis is a high-use water plant composed of 80-95% water. Without proper watering, cannabis plants wilt and die. According to research, outdoor hemp plant cultivation consumes around 6 gallons of water a day during the growing season. Indoor cannabis plants may require 2.5-2.8 gallons of water towards the end of the growth season.

When watering cannabis in pots, ensure the soil is dry before watering again. Depending on your soil type and climate, you might have to water your plants once a day or once every other day. When a plant is young, it does not need much water. Flushing is one of the popular methods for watering seedlings. As the plant grows and reaches the flowering stage, it will require more water.

The drip irrigation system is a water-efficient method to provide a slow and continuous supply of water to cannabis plants. Instead of flooding the soil, the drip system supplies a constant and controlled amount of water to the plant's root zone. You can also deliver essential nutrients to plants through a drip system by injecting concentrated fertilizer solution via fertilizer injectors into the water line.

9. How Much Fertilizer Should I Apply to my Cannabis Plants?

The amount and type of fertilizer your plants need depends on their growth stage. Cannabis or hemp plants need more Nitrogen in the vegetative phase and Phosphorus and Potassium in the flowering phase. Test your soil before planting in early fall or spring to assess fertilizer needs.

Seedling Stage: Use minimal or zero fertilizer for a few weeks after germination. During this stage, it is best to apply light, balanced fertilizer in a 1-1-1 ratio to avoid overloading the seedlings.

Vegetative Stage: Once your roots have grown enough to strengthen the plant, use a fertilizer high in Nitrogen (N) and lower in Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K), such as 12-6-6.

Flowering Stage: Once the flowers start showing, apply fertilizers that are high in Potassium and less Nitrogen. During the first two weeks of the flowering stage, feed your plants with 5-7-10 fertilizers to encourage the growth of desired big buds or resinous flowers.

10. What CBD/THC Ratio Should I Expect from My Cannabis Plants?

The average CBD: THC ratio can vary from 20:1 to 1:10. Anything higher than 10:1 should not produce a high. Looking at UDAF records, when hemp was legalized first in 2019, more than 3M industrial hemp plants were grown in Utah. Cannabis growers harvested nearly 800,000 pounds of biomass in that year. The flower yield of cannabis plants was between 0.75 and 1.5 pounds per plant. According to state tests, the average CBD content was 5.3%, and THC concentration was 0.28%. This indicated the average ratio of CBD to THC was 20 to 1.

11. How do I Know When to Harvest my Cannabis?

The best method to determine whether your cannabis is ready to harvest is to inspect the stigma, which are hair-like strands covering buds. When the plants are ready to harvest, the hair color changes from white to orange and starts to curl. Moreover, the trichomes on buds will change from clear to foggy and then amber color. It is best to wait until 70% of trichomes are changed into amber to ensure a higher content of CBD and THC.

12. How to Harvest Cannabis?

Cannabis harvesting can be done by hand or by equipment. Hand harvesting is ideal for most growers, both indoor and greenhouse growers. The machine harvesting method is good for harvesting large-scale hemp crops.

You can harvest your cannabis plant in three ways:

• Cut the entire plant at once.
• Cut the stems while the buds are still attached to them.
• Remove the individual buds from the plant.

Before starting harvest, gather all necessary tools, including quality pruning shears, garden gloves, scissors, and a drying rack. Fiskars comfort grip floral snips are perfect for cleanly cutting the stems and branches of plants. Once you have harvested the plants, hang them upside down from a rack to dry and ensure there is enough space between each plant.

Bonus Question: Is it Legal to Grow Your Own Cannabis in the US?

Finally, this is another question everyone has in mind before starting cannabis cultivation. Growing cannabis or marijuana in the United States has different legal restrictions from state to state. Some popular states that have allowed the growing of recreational and medicinal cannabis include California, Illinois, Arizona, Alaska, Michigan, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Missouri, Hawaii, and Vermont. If you are unsure about whether it is legal or not to grow marijuana in your state, make sure to do online research.

Wrap Up

There you have it- 12 most frequently asked questions about growing cannabis. If you're a grower looking for cannabis irrigation supplies, harvesting tools, pruning tools, cannabis fertilizers, and cannabis greenhouses, DripWorks has got you covered. We stock all the necessary products you need to grow cannabis successfully and have a most rewarding gardening experience.