Questions to Ask Before Starting a Cannabis Grow

cannabis grow | starting a cannabis grow | indoor cannabis grow | outdoor cannabis grow

Before you throw yourself into a full cannabis grow, it’s important to educate yourself on the steps involved. If you want to be successful long-term, you’ll need to plan ahead. You can do so by asking the following questions before starting a cannabis grow.

Is a Cannabis Grow Legal?

The first question you want to ask yourself is whether cannabis is legal where you live. As of the date of this post, 11 states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for recreational use. Regulations, policies and fees are constantly changing, so you’ll want to research your own state and municipality to make sure your cannabis grow remains above board. Check out the CannaCon blog series on cannabis licensing and legislation in the United States.

Inside or Outside?

There are pros and cons to growing cannabis indoors and outdoors. It’s important to know the advantages and disadvantages so that you can mitigate any issues ahead of time.

Starting Your Indoor Cannabis Grow

If you choose to start your cannabis grow inside, you’ll have control over (nearly) the entire process. Regulating room temperature, air circulation, soil and keeping pests at bay make growing cannabis indoors a preferred option for many. Because cannabis is an annual and will die off when inclement weather arrives, growing indoors may allow you to reap multiple harvests

Of course, growing inside doesn’t come without drawbacks. Not enough light, too many toxins, and the need for significant electricity can create challenges for any indoor cannabis grow. 

Starting Your Outdoor Cannabis Grow

While growing for the cannabis industry is anything but cheap, the least expensive way to begin is by growing cannabis outdoors. In addition to being a more environmentally-friendly and cleaner option, the elements of nature, including the sun and carbon dioxide, help outdoor plants produce a larger amount of buds. The opposite can be said as well though, as inclement weather can bring destruction to a cannabis crop.

Seeds or Plants?

Much like the indoor/outdoor debate, there are pros and cons involved in choosing seeds or plants to start your cannabis grow. 

Seeds

As only female plants produce bud, starting with seeds can result in challenges if your seed crop doesn’t include feminized seeds. If you do plan to start with seeds, make sure you purchase from a reputable seed bank.

The ease of obtaining and transporting seeds makes it a popular choice. Additionally, you’ll know without a doubt that your plants are free from pests and disease. If you do pursue seeds, keep in mind that not all of the seeds will germinate and if you store them incorrectly, they may grow more slowly or not at all. 

Plants

Cannabis plants, also referred to as clones, can be harder to find than seeds. If you don’t already know someone that grows cannabis, it might be impossible. The perks to finding clones include a faster growing season and a guaranteed gender, among other things. Once again, you’ll want to purchase your clones from a reputable grower so you know the plants are free from pests and disease.

Do You Understand the Cannabis Growing Process?

Of course, you won’t have a successful grow if you don’t understand the process.

Vegetation

Once you have your plants, it’s important that you consider the stages of vegetation, or the growth phase of the plant. Lighting, nutrients, cropping and training are some of the important factors that will lead to a successful (or unsuccessful) cannabis grow. Do your research ahead of time so you know what to expect and can make adjustments accordingly. 

Flowering

You’ve taken the time to care for your plants, outdoors or indoors, with calculated nutrition and lighting and now a few buds are showing. That’s exciting, but do you know how to care for you plant from this point forward? Controlling humidity, cutting away dead parts of the plant, and providing just the right amount of light are critical parts of this process. Consider the process ahead of time, and make sure you have the right strategies and tools for job. After all, a successful cannabis grow is only successful if it produces bud, right?

Harvesting

The hard work is about to pay off: it’s time to harvest your bud. It might be tempting to jump right in and complete the process, but you should take as much care during this stage as you have throughout the entire grow. Have you verified that it’s actually time to harvest? Do you know that lighting and moisture are just as critical during the harvesting stage? How will you cure and store your product after harvest? Take the time to do your research before you grow and you’ll guarantee a great harvest.

Education, Equipment and More

If you are weighing the pros and cons of starting a cannabis grow, you won’t want to miss the CannaCon expo coming to your region. You’ll have the opportunity to talk with like-minded growers, gain knowledge in the areas you aren’t confident in, and purchase any equipment necessary. Register now for CannaCon Northeast Aug. 23-24, 2019 and CannaCon South Sept. 27-28, 2019.

15 Comments

  1. Steph S. on February 13, 2020 at 9:07 am

    Help! I planted 2 feminized Indica seeds on 12/14/19 and I’ve been bringing them outside during the day and inside at night (I live in Long Beach, CA). They have been thriving for the most part but I’ve recently noticed some spotting on the leaves; turning brown at the tips and some leaves are yellow. I’ve fed them fox farm nutrients weekly per recommendation on the bottle. Two nights ago I started putting them in a grow tent at night to ensure complete darkness but I didn’t realize the humidity would be a problem in the tent (90% humidity when zipped up in the tent) and I don’t have any more money to invest in a ventilation system. Can I leave them outside at night with a tarp over them so I don’t have to worry about the high humidity? Also, what do you think the leaves are turning color from? Any advice would be appreciated!

    Thank you!

    • mohammad on July 29, 2021 at 12:33 am

      182 / 5000
      نتایج ترجمه
      Hello, although the irrigation and fertilization have been done regularly and the ambient light and weather are good and there is no disease, my plant has started to dry from the bottom. Thank you for your help.

  2. Donya on April 1, 2020 at 5:47 am

    Hi, today is the 7th day when I plant my soil, the leaves are faded and yellow. What’s the reason

  3. Ray on September 27, 2020 at 5:34 pm

    When do you replant.

  4. Mike on October 2, 2020 at 9:36 am

    Sorry I wrote that I made a mistake it first plant has white dots on the leaves they’re yelllowing a little bit not too much but it’s pale the edges are a little burnt and some of the middle of the leaf they’re just called it and they real soft they’re not crispy now my second plant is dark green and everything’s fine but the tips of the leaves are red and burnt and they’re crispy and hard just the edges of the tips of leaves right at the sides really appreciate and help my first grow right now I’m 4 weeks into flowering maybe 5

  5. Chris Cooney on May 11, 2021 at 12:39 pm

    When a plant tips turning light yellow can I use Cal Mag to help the problem or what do I use

  6. Bob Smith on May 26, 2021 at 12:20 pm

    Help! I watered my baby plants today with molasses water, 1 tbsp/gal, and put them out side in the hot sun. Some of the leaves have turned silvery and curled. What happened, and what should I do now? Thanks.

  7. Patty on August 18, 2021 at 5:28 am

    I put my plants outdoors but I have a led light that shines on my plants at night. Will this cause problem with my plants

  8. Robert E Osborne on December 29, 2021 at 8:38 pm

    Is it okay to use the dry mode in a grow tent

  9. stavros on May 18, 2022 at 4:30 am

    i planted my seed in a pot and everything looked perfect. the plant started growing normally and in a fast pace. after overwatering it the plant became soft and started bending. i didnt water it for a couple of days and it started getting it strength back again but now it has been 3 or 4 days the growth stoped. is that a sign of overwatering and will it start growing again or the damage from overwatering destroyed the roots and it will never grow again?

  10. Yvonne on October 8, 2022 at 9:04 pm

    I think growing a plant for the past 3 to 4 weeks and it started to sprout perfectly fine as normal. I put it in a pot next to the rest of my plants in the garden. One day I come outside and it’s gone and I think my dog eat it that’s the only thing I can think of that would’ve happened because she likes to go over there and look on the plants in the garden. If so will the plant regrow from the stages that it’s at right now if it got pulled From the top of the soil area from the dog. Or is that it for the plant is it done at this point or should I continue to water it as if nothing happened and will grow right back? A friend gave me some really good season I wanted to try and grow some on my own and it seems it was going fine up until this point.

  11. Steven Pepple on November 10, 2022 at 9:19 am

    I have a plant I started awhile back from an unknown seed she is big and pretty the hairs are brown the tricombs are clear and cloudy no amber I was wondering if I could send a pic and get your option on strain and if I should harvest or not do all strains of tricombs turn amber

  12. Dona on December 3, 2022 at 8:53 am

    Hi I have been growing feminized seeds and for 6 years successfully until the last year they have been producing seeds I don’t have a light leak and I use foxfire nutrients I have torn down grow twice and started over but it’s continued to happen

  13. Elizabeth on February 27, 2023 at 6:49 pm

    Thanks for your grow info. So last year someone gave a plant to me and I had no idea of the strain or if it was auto or feminized. I live in coastal Virginia and it was planted outside. It grew to nearly 6 ft. and produced a crazy amount of harvest (30oz). Once it was used, it was evident strain was Indica. It’s good and it does produce a chill high. I prefer, however, Sativa and want to grow that this year.
    Now, I grow outdoors so I need to know if I should use Feminized or auto flower seeds. I prefer a higher THC level and a good yield.
    Again, I had just one plant last year and it grew beautifully.
    What do you suggest? Hope you can get back with me soon as I need to begin germination process in the next few weeks.
    Thank you

  14. micnael haynes on February 28, 2023 at 11:52 am

    i started the veg cycle 18 hrs. l turn the lights off for 36 hrs and then turn the lights on for 12 hrs. how much time will i saved on the blooming cycle.

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