by Sirius Fourside – Grow smarter: LEDs for weed, setting up right, sick plant fixes, effective nutrients, reliable seeds.
I’m not ashamed to admit my first few grows ended in failure. The culprit? Bad information, over-priced products, and a dash of over-zealousness. My earliest plants didn’t even see the light of harvest day.
This plant was doing so well, but it suddenly got sick less than a month away from harvest!
After some time and practice, I can now grow more high-quality bud than I can use while expending a minimal amount of time and effort.
These days, I grow more weed than I can use. Time to make Hash Oil and rosin!
But I’m not special… I can honestly say that I’m no artist, prodigy, phenom, or anything even remotely close to those things.
I just learned how to fix a few mistakes that were holding me back as a grower, and today I’m going to go through some of those common setbacks and make sure they don’t set you back!
Mistake 1: Giving Plants Too Much Love
Is it possible to love something too much? I’d say my wife Nebula might love cats too much. A baker in my neighborhood once told me I love desserts too much (that really happened, and he was right).
Loving your plants too much isn’t the problem, it’s the extraneous attention we give as a result of our love.
When it comes to growing cannabis, that extra love can mean that growers check on their plants more often than needed. While there’s nothing wrong with checking on your plants regularly (that’s actually a good thing), these extra check-ins increase the chance that the grower is going to do something to the plants.
A poke here, a trim there, maybe a little extra water…
The fact is, plants spend a lot of time not doing much. Or rather, they spend a lot of time doing things very slowly. That means that there are stretches of time where there isn’t much for the grower to do besides give water every few days.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a trick to beating the waiting game. Just treat these times like the perfect opportunity to practice patience, because the flowering stage requires a ton of it!
Mistake 2: Watering Too Much (Is My Plant Really Thirsty?)
The best instructions are specific. Well-made, specific instructions can teach anyone to do almost anything! Ideally, instructions can tell you precisely what you need to do from beginning to end.
Conversely, the bane of specific instructions is telling the reader to make a judgment call. And unfortunately, plant watering requires many judgment calls. How often do I water? How much do I water? Am I watering too much?
It would be nice to be able to tell growers, “Give your plants exactly 0.5 gallons of water every Monday and Thursday until harvest.” But there are too many variables (strain, container size, growing medium, etc.) to be able to give advice with that level of accuracy. Especially past the seedling stage.
Luckily, watering is a breeze after a couple of attempts, and here are some tips to make it even easier.
Note: Make sure your pot/container has proper drainage. Excess water should be able to escape the bottom of the pot freely.
Your plant definitely isn’t this thirsty!
How to Water Cannabis Plants
Seedlings – Here’s a day-by-day seedling water schedule for the first 30 days. After 30 days…
Soil – Wait until the top inch of your medium feels dry before watering again.
Coco coir – Aim to water plants every 1-2 days. If coco is staying wet for 3+ days, give less water at a time until plants get bigger and start drinking more. Don’t wait for your coco coir to dry out, but don’t water if the top 1/2″ (~1.5 cm) feels “wet”.
Extra watering tips
- “Pick Up the Pot” method – For either coco or soil, if the container feels light, it’s time to water your cannabis plants! If the pot feels heavy, there is likely enough water for the roots already.
- If not adding nutrients – If growing in “just add water” soil with no added nutrients, try to avoid runoff so you’re not accidentally washing away all the nutrients in your soil.
- If adding nutrients to your water – Once plants are 30 days old, always make sure that 10-20% of the water comes out the bottom of your container. Remove the runoff water immediately (don’t let plants sit in water). This helps prevent pH problems and excess nutrient buildup, amongst other things.
Note: If you have small seedlings in a big container, be extra careful not to overwater. Give only 2-3 cups (500-750 mL) at a time in a circle around the base of a seedling every 2-3 days. You want to provide just enough water that it dries up within a few days. If the medium is completely dry by the next day, you need to give more water at a time. If it’s taking more than 3-4 days to dry out, you need to give less water at a time until the plant is a little bigger and drinking more.
Get full instructions on watering cannabis plants: https://www.growweedeasy.com/how-often-water-marijuana
A tiny seedling only needs this much water every few days.
Mistake 3: Playing the Light Game
There are plenty of ways to deliver light to your cannabis plant. Some growers are lucky enough to get their light straight from the sun. *grumble*
As indoor growers, we have to navigate the hotly-debated and sometimes confusing world of indoor grow lights. For most indoor growers, cannabis-specific LED grow lights are the best option because they don’t make a ton of heat and are electrically the most efficient. There are also high-intensity bulb lights like LEC and HPS, which get great results but tend to get hot and are best suited for a cool grow space (like a cellar).
Every camp claims their light is king!
Learn about the best LED grow lights for growing weed.
The fact is, most types of grow lights will work just fine under the right circumstances. If you’re somewhat new to growing indoors and are having a hard time deciding on a grow light, here’s what I would recommend:
Small stealthy grows including PC grows, file cabinet grows, or new growers just trying to get a feel for the process
- A small 100W LED grow light fits even in a very tight space
A “grow cube” setup can produce ounces of weed in the corner of your bedroom.
A small grow tent (2′ x 4’ or 3′ x 3′), regular closet or something similar
- Best for Most Growers: A 200W LED or 300W LED is awesome in a space this size.
- A 315W LEC works as long as you’ve got plenty of height and the space tends to stay cool.
Larger grow tent (4’ x 4’ or bigger), walk-in closet or something similar
- Best for Most Growers: A higher powered LED panel (400-700W in total) excels in this area. The HLG Blackbird 600W LED is perfect to grow weed in a 4’x4′ grow space.
- A 600W HPS also works well for this size of grow, as long as you can keep the heat under control.
Huge grow areas like a garage, shed or an entire room
- Multiple big grow lights are the standard for big indoor grow operations.
- The sun. The price is unbeatable, and sunlight provides the perfect light for your plants!
Read more about different types of cannabis grow lights: https://www.growweedeasy.com/grow-lights
See examples of cannabis grow setups with yield estimates.
If you want to upgrade your grow lights, read this: https://www.growweedeasy.com/grow-light-upgrade-guide
Mistake 4: Bad Seeds = Confidence Killer
Growing with bad marijuana seeds is particularly harsh on growers of all levels.
That’s because it can be tough to pinpoint when the seed itself is the problem. Most growers blame themselves for a problem that shows up in their grow long before they assume it’s the seeds. I’m not immune to this problem, either. If a seed fails to germinate, I always wonder what I could’ve done, even if I provided the perfect growing conditions.
When I say “bad seeds”, I mean any seed that has a significantly higher chance of causing problems in a grow. That includes:
Bag Seed
- If you have weed with seeds in it, the seeds are likely an accident. Seeds you find in weed aren’t supposed to be there, which means that their genetics are a toss-up. Even if the seeds started with good parents, there’s no telling how high or (just as likely) low the bud quality will be. Unfortunately, the only way to find out the quality of bag seed is to grow it. Some growers win the genetic lottery, but many others lose out.
Beat-up Seeds
- These are seeds you might get from a friend, or maybe you have them stashed somewhere and forgot how you got them. In either case, if the shell of the seed looks beat-up, it may not germinate as well or quickly as seeds stored in good conditions. That doesn’t mean you should toss beat-up seeds! Just be aware that they have a higher chance of not germinating.
Old Seeds
- Seeds are little nuggets of genetic material, hoping to grow into plants. And like (nearly) all other genetic material, it doesn’t last forever. Although seeds can be viable for quite a few years after they’re made, the chances of them successfully germinating goes down over time.
Wrong Seeds
- If your order cannabis seeds from the wrong seed source or breeder (or just get the wrong strain for your goals), you can end up with the same challenges as bag seed! Learn which seed sources and breeders you can trust.
If all your cannabis seeds sprout except one strain (like the Critical Purple Kush seeds in this case), you can feel pretty certain the problem was those seeds, and not you.
Check out the next picture. I planted all these seeds at the same time. The tub on the right has seeds that I planted within a week of receiving them in the mail. The tub on the left has a well-known strain with award-winning genetics… but the seeds were more than six years old from when I first bought them. Even though the seeds were germinated together and grown in identical conditions, the set of seeds on the left were all outpaced by the ones on the right.
Old seeds on left, fresh seeds on right. Fresh seeds often grow faster!
Sometimes It’s Random!
- Even if you’re starting with the best, most fresh seed stock, of a proven strain from a trustworthy breeder, occasionally you’ll get an individual seed or plant that just doesn’t grow as well or quickly as the others. Don’t beat yourself up if this happens. It’s always a good idea to sprout at least a few more seeds than you need in case you happen to run into a runt or mutation. If all your plants are healthy and growing fast except one, you can blame the seed!
Don’t deal with bad seeds: https://www.growweedeasy.com/seeds
Mistake 5: Nutrient Mistakes (Plant Food Should Be Easy, Right?)
When it comes to cannabis nutrients, there are dozens of companies vying for your money. Why?
There are two main reasons:
- Nutrients are profitable – Nutrients don’t cost much to make, but they sell for higher prices. Profit!
- Relatively easy to make – Cannabis plants have simple requirements, so it isn’t difficult to make nutrients that satisfy those requirements.
In short, this means that even a no-name company can make nutrients that work as well as high-priced nutrients. This lower barrier of entry combined with high profits makes for a lot of competing companies who all mostly do the same thing.
There are SO many kinds of nutrients for growing weed!
This can be confusing for newer growers because it means they have to wade through a bunch of products to find something that does the job.
If you’re in this spot, allow me to narrow down your choices to a few proven companies that work great for growing cannabis!
3 Professional Nutrients for Growing Weed
- General Hydroponics Flora Trio – All Grow Medium (Personal favorite)
- Fox Farms Nutrient Trio – Soil & Coco Coir Only (Mostly organic)
- Humboldts Secret Kit – All Grow Mediums (Premium)
Looking for cheap-but-effective nutrients?
- Dyna-Gro Grow & Bloom – All Grow Mediums (Surprisingly effective for weed!)
Important note: Although some growers associate nutrients with “feeding”, think of light as being closer to food for your plants than nutrients. Nutrients are more like a multivitamin.
More information about picking the best cannabis nutrients: https://www.growweedeasy.com/nutrients
Mistake 6: Trying Advanced Techniques Too Soon
There are some growing techniques that growers can try out on their first grow if they’re feeling adventurous enough. These simple plant training techniques (such as topping and low-stress training) are easy, have low time requirements, and are low risk. That means new growers can try them out without much consequence if things don’t go right.
On the other hand, there are techniques like Manifolding, ScrOG, and defoliation. These techniques can be tough to do, they carry a higher risk for your plants, and they can add days or weeks to your total grow time if done the wrong way.
Never try any new techniques if your plant is sick!
Although those advanced techniques are extremely rewarding in the right conditions, they should only be employed when the grower feels comfortable with growing cannabis without training. You also don’t want to use training techniques when they aren’t needed. Some people can grow untrained plants and still grow more weed than they can use.
For example, a grower could start a ScrOG setup and end up having to spend additional hours each week making sure the ScrOG net is being utilized correctly. Conversely, if that grower doesn’t need a lot of weed, they could be using a much simpler setup and still grow much more bud than they could use.
In short, keep it simple until you know you’re ready for something more advanced.
Mistake 7: Setting Yourself Up for Failure (with a bad setup)
Getting your grow area set up is fun, but it comes with a cost that can quickly get out of control. There is a lot of money in selling growing equipment, especially since home cannabis cultivation isn’t fully mainstream yet, and the prices for some stuff is unbelievably high!
As a result, there is an overwhelming amount of choices when it comes to getting your equipment. Luckily, one of our greatest strengths as humans makes for a simple solution to this issue: our sociability!
What kind of cannabis grow setup should you get?
If you’re thinking about buying a particular product, make sure to do a little research before you buy it. Reviews can give you insights into products that you normally would have to purchase to find out. I’ve also learned a great deal of valuable information from the people who work at my local hydroponic stores. In fact, my first real setup was almost entirely comprised of suggestions from knowledgeable growers in my local hydro stores. They saved me the time of trying out products that could have potentially disappointed me, and instead helped me get gear so good I can’t leave it behind!
Don’t have anyone to ask in person?
Or check out our free forum to talk to other cannabis growers!
Save yourself heartache with these resources: Pick good LEDs for growing weed, use a cannabis-specific set up, learn easy ways to fix sick plants, get suitable cannabis nutrients, and know where to get good seeds.
What were some mistakes you made as a new cannabis grower? What information would you impart on new growers to help save them some time and make their grows better? Did I miss a big one? Let us know!
Jump to…
10-Step Quick Start to Growing Cannabis
Plant Training Techniques to Increase Yields
Where can I order seeds online?
7 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I First Started Growing Weed
