1. Do not tell anyone you’re growing cannabis
This first mistake may seem common sense, but it’s one of the most frequent ways that growers get caught or robbed. Don’t tell anyone that you’re growing marijuana. It sounds simple, but people commonly over-share when discussing growing cannabis plants. Word spreads, and suddenly, everyone knows that you are growing cannabis.
This may seem pretty innocent. You tell your friend because you are proud of your work and want to share. You may even want to bask in recognition of a job well done. Resist the urge to do so.
Consider the possible consequences of telling people about your crop. You could bring unwanted attention from thieves, local authorities, or neighbors. We all know there is nothing wrong with growing weed, but some people don’t feel that way. I have a friend who used to say, “No one needs to know your business.” In this case, it is a good idea.
Remember, the best way to keep a secret is to tell no one. When growing marijuana, the best way to avoid any problems or complications is to keep it a secret.
2. Pick the right strain
If you wanted to fly overseas, would you take a bicycle? If you wanted to play guitar, would you take drum lessons? Would you use a hammer to clean your windows? I hope the answer to these questions is “No.”
What is the point of all of this? Choose the right strain of marijuana for what you want, the climate of your grow space and avoid seeds with bad genetics. You don’t want to end up with a cannabis plant that is stunted because it is not suited to your climate. You don’t want to grow an Indica if you were trying to grow a Sativa.
3. Not doing your research
Let’s say you know someone who smokes Wedding Cake. You want to try growing it. Where do you start? You have to do the research. The problem is that there are so many articles on the internet you don’t know what’s good or bad. Maybe you are an absolute beginner and don’t know where to start.
It cannot be easy. But take heart: it’s not impossible. You have to start looking. Maybe get a book on cultivating cannabis. Maybe read an article on grow lights and the best ones for growing marijuana.
So what am I getting at here? There is a wealth of information available on growing weed. A ton of it can be found on the internet. Just open your favorite search engine (maybe use the private browser tab if you want to follow step 1) and start searching. Maybe look up some blog articles.
I know a great place to research growing marijuana: our blog. Check it out and start reading the articles. They are written to share as much knowledge as possible in one place. Research who you are buying from. It’s important to make sure you are buying from a reputable source, like AMS.
4. You did not check the gender of your seeds
Check the gender of your marijuana seed. But how, you ask. Well, this is a bit tougher than just going to the store and looking at the seed. It’s not like the gender is printed on the seed.
Instead, you have to find a reputable seed vendor and ensure the seeds are feminized.
feminized marijuana seeds are seeds that only carry female genes. This way, they should only produce female plants.
5. You used bag seeds
You don’t want to use bag seeds. Those are the marijuana seeds you find in the bottom of your bag of weed or in the buds you bought. Unfortunately, you can’t know what you are dealing with when you use bag seeds. If you don’t know what type of cannabis seeds you are dealing with, you will not be able to produce predictable (and good) results.
Often, these seeds are duds. They can be damaged, runts, hermaphroditic, or male seeds. All of these conditions are not good for growing marijuana. The plants which produce buds are females. If you have male seeds mixed in with females, you will need to remove them before they can pollinate the female plants.
Another thing you don’t want to have to worry about is the amount and time and money you spend working with those potentially bad cannabis seeds. Let’s say you have two people growing their favorite weed. One is growing from bag seeds, and the other is from seeds they purchased from a reputable source. Maybe you will get a decent crop. But chances are you are going to have issues.
6. You used the wrong fertilizer
Remember that time you went an entire year eating only cookies? No? What about when you only ate cake for a year; do you remember that? No? Well, I hope you don’t. I hope you don’t remember it because you didn’t do either of those things.
Fertilizer is the minerals and vitamins your cannabis needs to grow and be healthy. Much like the above examples, you must use fertilizer correctly. The wrong type of fertilizer can be bad for your cannabis plant. You want a fertilizer developed especially for use with cannabis.
You need nutrients in the soil. You want to make sure you have the right type. The same fertilizer that is good for tomatoes or basil may not be the best fertilizer for cannabis. It pays off to do some research. You can also check out our blog post on fertilizer and marijuana.
7. Nutrient burn
Nutrient burn happens to marijuana plants when you use too much fertilizer. It often happens when you fertilize every time you water. So you don’t want to burn your plants. So when do you fertilize to avoid this?
If you used organic soil, you shouldn’t need to fertilize until about a week after the plant sprouts. When you do, use a combination of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium at a ratio of (2:1:2). Around the 6th -8th week, consider Switching to a ratio of 10:5:7. Then do a 1:1:1 late in the growth.
It’s also a good idea to leach the plants with lots of pure water every few weeks. Luckily if you do over-fertilize, you can still save your plant, although the “nutrient burn” on the leaves will remain there for the rest of the plant’s life.
8. You were not prepared
You did your research. You found which strain you wanted to buy. You bought your seeds. You are ready to go. Right? Wrong. You need to prepare everything else involved with growing your marijuana plants before you start to grow.
Are you growing indoors or outdoors? They require a different process. You may not be worried about rabbits with your indoor growth, but insects can be a problem. What about if you are outside? You may not need to grow lights, but you will need something to keep random animals away from your plants.
You want everything you need set up ahead of time. You do not want to find that you desperately need something for your cannabis plants and you don’t have it. The old saying applies here: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Make sure you have everything you need before you start.
Expert growers plan well before the growing season, ensuring their crop will have the best chances of prosperity. Being prepared means researching what supplies you will need and acquiring them. You should also be aware of what your cannabis plant will need, including water, nutrients, light, pest prevention, and CO2.
Conclusion
We have reviewed rookie mistakes to ensure you can get the most from your marijuana plant. Stay clear of making these mistakes, and you will give your crop a good chance of prosperity.
