Home Cannabis Grower Q&As

by Nebula Haze

I recently asked you to share your toughest grow questions and was genuinely surprised just how many of you took the time to share your struggles.

I believe every grower should be smiling about their cannabis garden. Today let’s close that gap, starting with the 5 most common questions we received. More answers coming next week.

1.) How do I get consistent seed germination?

Struggles with germination are extremely common. Luckily, seed germination is easy to master once you find the right technique.

Turn seeds into fast-growing seedlings.

Example question

“Only a only handful of seeds have opened up while soaking, and none have sprouted. What do I do?”

First off, if you buy seeds that don’t germinate, contact the people who sold you seeds. Most reputable seed companies have a germination guarantee, which means they will replace seeds that don’t sprout.

That being said, certain cannabis strains sprout stronger than others. In some tests, these seeds germinated faster than average: Purple Haze, Northern Lights #10, Green Crack, Do-Si-Dos, Black Cat Kush

In a recent test, Purple Haze seeds achieved a 99.3% germination rate (142 out of 143 sprouted).

Second, try a different germination method.

Don’t keep doing the same thing over and over if it’s not working.

In this case, the grower mentioned soaking seeds, which typically means they either put seeds in a glass of water or used the “wet paper towel method”.

These are both excellent germination methods, but some growers struggle with them.

Solution: Plant Seed Directly in Soil

If you’ve struggled with multi-step germination methods, try one of the simplest. This works for most growers if you just follow the instructions exactly as stated.

1. Plant the seed directly in the soil or coco about a knuckle deep. See the picture below.
2. Cover seed loosely with soil. The seed shouldn’t get direct light until it sprouts. Add no more soil than necessary to accomplish that.
3. Give water, warmth, and light – Give 2 cups (500 mL) of water so the soil and seed stays moist even with the light on. Keep your grow light turned on for warmth, but not too close.
4. Don’t touch – Once a seed is in soil, don’t mess with it. If it starts to dry out from the grow light, very gently dribble a few more spoonfuls of water, but otherwise leave the seed undisturbed to do its thing.
5. Sprouts appear 1-3 days later on average, though certain strains and older seeds might take up to a week.

Learn more about sprouting cannabis seeds directly in soil.

2.) Why do some seedlings grow slow at first?

Seedlings can feel so mysterious, but they’re actually simple things with simple needs. Give them a good environment plus a little bit of water, and they’re happy.

Example Question

“I use organic living soil (mild not hot) and organic bottled nutrients. I always see really slow growth during weeks 1 through 4 🤔 What can I do for faster seedling growth.

Slow growing seedlings in good soil are usually caused by one of these 3 things.

• Too Much Water <– Probably This – Watering too much or too often is the #1 cause of slow-growing cannabis seedlings. Underwatering makes similar symptoms, but is less common.
• Hot or Cold – Temperature should be between 70-85°F (20-30°C) for happy seedlings.If the grow space gets too hot or too cool on a regular basis, plants tend to grow slower.
• Light Starvation – If a seedling grows tall and stringy without many leaves, it needs more light. Either increase the light intensity or number of hours of light per day.

Droopy, small seedlings like this one in the middle usually aren’t getting the right amount of water.

Solution: Keep cannabis plants warm and breezy under a proven LED grow light the recommended distance away (or sunlight).

Insider Tip: If the pot feels heavy, give less water.

For the first week after germination, give seedlings just 2 cups (500 mL) of water every few days. For the second week, give just 3 cups (750 mL) of water every few days. Raise the amount as they get bigger.

Follow our day-by-day seedling watering schedule for fast-growing seedlings.

With good watering and environment, 3-week-old cannabis seedlings should be about this size.

3.) Do autoflowers need special nutrients?

Many of the questions we received involved autoflowers, including what nutrients to give them so they start fast and grow big.

Example Question:

Can you give autoflowers organic nutrients like you would do a photoperiod plant? I have good soil, which has some nutrients, but I want maximum growth. I heard to give autoflowers very small amounts of nutrients during the first few weeks.

Can you give autoflowers regular cannabis nutrients? Yes, when it comes to nutrients you can treat autoflowers essentially like photoperiod plants.

• Vegetative Stage – Give “vegetative” or “all purpose” nutrients until buds start forming. Example: FloraNova Grow or Pure Blend Pro Grow
• Flowering Stage – Once you see fluffy white buds, switch to “flowering” or “bloom” nutrients until harvest. Example: FloraNova Bloom or Pure Blend Pro Bloom (Soil Only)

Learn more about cannabis nutrients.

Note: Autoflowers can be extra sensitive to overwatering. Follow our day-by-day watering schedule for fast-growing autoflower seedlings.

These autoflowers got “regular” cannabis nutrients. See the grow journal.

Are you an autoflower grower (or want to be?): Learn 5 tips for faster-growing and higher-yielding autoflowers.

Those are just the first 3 questions in our “Grow Questions: Answered” series. Join our newsletter to get more answers delivered to you each Sunday.