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If you want to learn how to care for a cannabis plant, then you have come to the right place. This blog post will teach you everything you need to know about how to properly care for your cannabis plant.
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The Basics of Caring for a Cannabis Plant
Cannabis plants are not difficult to care for, but there are a few basic things you need to know in order to keep your plant healthy. Cannabis plants need sunlight, water, and nutrients in order to grow. They also need to be pruned and trimmed regularly. Let’s take a closer look at each of these requirements.
Light
Light is one of the most important factors in cannabis cultivation. The right light schedule, intensity, and duration will result in healthy plants that produce an abundance of high-quality flowers.
Cannabis plants need a minimum of 18 hours of light per day to flower properly. But more is not always better – too much light can result in smaller, less potent buds. If you are using artificial lights, it’s best to give your plants a light “rest” period of 6-8 hours per day to mimic the natural light cycle.
The type of light you use is also important. Cannabis plants thrive under full-spectrum LED or HPS (high-pressure sodium) lights, which provide a broad spectrum of wavelengths that closely resemble sunlight. However, these lights can be expensive to purchase and operate, so CFL (compact fluorescent) lights are a popular budget-friendly option.
When it comes to intensity, cannabis plants need bright light – but not so bright that they become stressed. A good rule of thumb is to start with the lowest intensity setting that your particular bulbs offer (usually 50-60 watts per square foot), and then increase the intensity gradually as needed. You can also raise or lower your lights to adjust the intensity – just be sure to keep an eye on your plants and make sure they’re not getting too much or too little light.
Finally, duration is important when it comes to cannabis lighting schedules. Flowering cannabis plants need a shorter day length (12 hours or less of light per day) in order to produce buds, while vegetative plants need a longer day length (18 hours or more of light per day) in order to grow properly. Once you’ve determined the right schedule for your particular plants, be sure to stick to it as closely as possible – even a small deviation can cause problems with flowering or bud development.
Water
Cannabis plants are 60-80% water by weight. They love a lot of water, but they can’t handle sitting in it. Make sure your pot has good drainage. If you’re not sure, poke some holes in the bottom of it. Water your plant until water comes out the drainage holes, then wait until the top two inches of soil are dry before watering again.
Soil
Cannabis plants thrive in soil that is loose and rich in organic matter. The ideal soil for cannabis is a mix of two parts good quality potting soil, one part perlite, and one part vermiculite. This type of soil drains well and yet still retains enough moisture for the roots of the plant to stay hydrated. If you cannot find potting soil that already contains perlite and vermiculite, you can add these ingredients yourself. Perlite is a lightweight material made from expanded volcanic rock, and vermiculite is a similar product made from mica. Both materials help aerate the soil and improve drainage.
More Advanced Care for a Cannabis Plant
Beyond the basics of watering and giving your cannabis plant some sunlight, there are a few more things you can do to ensure your plant is healthy and happy. Let’s go over some of the more advanced care techniques for a cannabis plant.
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is extremely important to the health of your cannabis plant. Just like any other plant, cannabis needs nutrients to grow strong and produce lots of flowers (buds). The three main nutrients that every plant needs are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). These are often referred to as N-P-K.
Cannabis also needs secondary nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, and sulfur. However, these are not needed in as high of quantities as the big three.
It is important to remember that every cannabis plant is different and will have different fertilizer needs depending on the stage of growth it is in, the soil it is growing in, the size of the pot it is in, and many other factors. It is best to start with a basic all-purpose fertilizer and then adjust from there based on the needs of your particular plant.
There are two main types of fertilizer: chemical and organic. Chemical fertilizers are made from synthetic ingredients and are often more concentrated than organic fertilizers. They can be great for giving your plants a quick boost, but they can also be tough on sensitive roots if you’re not careful. Organic fertilizers are made from natural ingredients such as composted manure or bone meal. They release their nutrients slowly over time, which can be great for long-term growth but may not give your plants the immediate jolt they need to recover from a nutrient deficiency.
The best way to determine which type of fertilizer is right for your cannabis plant is to talk to your local nursery or gardening store staff. They will be able to recommend specific products based on your individual growing situation.
Pruning
Topping and FIMing are two different types of pruning that are often used on cannabis plants. Topping involves removing the very top of the plant, while FIMing (“FIM” stands for “fuck, indent, monitor”) involves removing a portion of the plant just below the top. While both of these techniques can be used to control the height of a cannabis plant, they also have different effects on the plant’s canopy.
Topping results in a multi-branching structure, with each branch having approximately equal growth potential. This is in contrast to the more common practice of letting the main stem grow unimpeded while occasional side branches are allowed to develop. The main advantage of topping is that it allows light to penetrate the entire canopy more evenly, which can result in more even growth and development across all parts of the plant.
FIMing, on the other hand, results in a structure where the central stalk is dominant and the side branches are significantly smaller. This technique is often used when trying to encourage plants to grow taller rather than wider, as it results in a taller main stem with fewer overall branches. Because light penetration is more limited with this technique, it is often used in conjunction with topping or other pruning methods that open up the canopy.
Training
One of the most common ways to shape a cannabis plant is by training it. This involves manipulating the plant’s growth pattern so that it grows in a certain way. The most common type of training is called “Topping.” This is where you cut off the main stem of the plant just above a node (where the leaves branch out). Doing this causes the plant to grow two new stems from that node, instead of just one. This can be done multiple times to create more stems, and therefore more buds. Training is often used in conjunction with other shaping techniques, like LST (Low Stress Training) or SCROG (Screen of Green), to increase yields even further.
