We all have our share of hobbies and interests, and this pandemic has undoubtedly brought out the best of those. We have all gotten much closer to ourselves as we discovered ourselves, even more, when we couldn’t go out and meet our friends.
However, the downside is that we have also gotten closer to our darker side. When you need to boost your mood in such situations, it’s a great advantage to have your aid ready beside you. For this reason, many turned towards growing their cannabis plants!
Of course, you could buy your supplies from reputed vendors like essence cannabis dispensary or others of your choice, but having your plant sounds interesting! This article is your guide to growing and harvesting the cannabis plant!
What is Cannabis?
Cannabis has become almost a household name that everyone is familiar with. It refers to 3 plants known Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis.
These plants possess psychoactive properties and are well-known for their medicinal uses and other benefits. The flowers of these plants on drying up provide us with one of the most popular drugs in the world. Depending on which part of the world you come from, you may know it as marijuana, weed, or pot.
Cannabis is gaining massive amounts of popularity around the globe. Laws are changing globally as more and more people realize that they can have medicinal effects and might have good uses. We will discuss the legal aspects in the latter part of the article.
Let us understand this plant better and see how you can have your little plant ready for personal use. A common issue is that terms like weed and pot almost associate cannabis with “illegal” practices. Even the name marijuana seems to fall out with the younger generation due to its association with racism.
The main benefits of cannabis include a sense of relaxation, a dire need at hectic times like these. In some places, medical professionals even prescribe it to assist in the fight against some medical conditions. These may include chronic pain, loss of appetite, etc.
Even cancer or epilepsy might soon join this list, but more studies are required to confirm these rumors. Another thing that you need to remember when entering the world of cannabis because though it is considered a natural product as it comes from a plant, it might have some extreme effects, both positive and negative.
THC-A (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid) is the non-psychoactive precursor to THC found in raw cannabis. It has gained attention for its potential therapeutic benefits and can also provide a sense of relaxation without the psychoactive effects of THC. As with other cannabis products, medical professionals may consider THC-A to assist in managing conditions like chronic pain and loss of appetite. If you’re interested in using THC-A, you have two options: you can grow your own cannabis plants and harvest the raw flowers, or you can buy ready-to-use THC-A flower for sale.
Growing the plant
Now that we know more about the plant, let us see if we can grow it ourselves and what steps we need to follow. First of all, remember that female plants are what we should prefer. They result in a higher yield of the buds we love.
Indoor Farming
We get it that some of you are already disappointed that the climatic conditions in your area are not suitable for growing the cannabis plant.
For you folks out there, do not worry because we got your back. Indoor farming is a technique where we (most commonly) use small pots (ones made of clay and not cannabis) to grow a plant. Many people who love gardening are already familiar with this process.
Here, the idea is that you don’t expose your little buddy to the harsh climates outside. You can put soil in this pot and grow the plant inside your room. However, you would need a few extra pieces of equipment. You would require artificial light to emulate the sun’s effects. These specialized lights are essential tools for this kind of cultivation. Lights for growing cannabis ensure that the plant receives the necessary spectrum of light it needs for healthy growth, especially when natural sunlight isn’t an option indoors.
This light should fall directly on the plant. The temperatures needed are also a bit high. Around 24-30° C should do the trick. Additionally, you must also be cautious to keep the humidity and CO₂ levels.
Outdoor Farming
Let us now see the steps to grow the plant for the others who live in favorable climates to grow cannabis. It’s a great benefit if you already have the perfect humidity levels and temperature range.
You need to water the plant at regular intervals, prevent soil erosion, and ensure the plant gets enough light (at least 8 hours of sunlight every day). However, remember that overwatering the plant is harmful. Usually, you don’t need to water the plant every day. When following the outdoor farming method, you can have a large-scale plantation.
Check the government sources to see if you could get any policies that aid outdoor plantations. When planting, remember that the sweet spot is from April to October. Then comes the harvesting season.
Environment-friendly practices
We live in the 21st century, where scientific innovations are at their all-time peak. However, there is a downside to this. We also harm the environment, and it is a good thing that there is more than ever awareness about it. We always look for better measures to help keep our environment safe and healthy.
When it comes to growing cannabis, we must take a few steps to ensure that we don’t cause the environment any harm. For starters, just like with any other plantation, we should minimize water wastage and reduce the carbon footprint. According to studies, eco-friendly measures also result in better yield.
The quality of these plantations is also high. Outdoor farming has the upper hand in this regard as, unlike indoor plantations, it doesn’t require additional appliances to maintain favorable temperatures or artificial lights. Hence, outdoor farming is the more natural process out of the two.
Harvesting the crop
As discussed earlier, you can grow your plant from April to October. Around October, it’s time to reap what you sow! When the buds start growing swollen, you know it’s time. There are various harvesting methods that you can look up on the internet. The most popular way is cutting the plant at the base and hanging it upside down in a dark room. Make sure that a temperature of around 22° C is maintained.
You can also lookup methods like topping, LST (low-stress training), defoliation, super cropping, main-lining, etc. These methods enable the grower to manipulate timelines and yields.
Legality issues
Cannabis is a sensitive topic, and rules regarding it keep changing. There are a few states in the US where it is legal following some conditions. However, remember that in the US, it is illegal at the federal level. So before growing a plant, do your research and check the laws in your area to ensure safety.
HP Thoughts: Did you know that the cannabis plant bears a flower? Here is our quick introduction — Get To Know About CBD Flower.
Conclusion
To conclude, it is understandable that we all have different hobbies. For ones who love gardening a bit too much and want a great break time for themselves, legally growing cannabis might be an option.
As we uncovered the whole journey of growing the cannabis plant in this article, CBD news suggests that you may now start growing your very own plant with some help from your local nursery or friends who are into gardening. Having your plant could save you a few trips to the market when you feel low!
