High Time to Start Growing Pot
Thu, Mar 26, 2009 2:46 pm
Source: Danny Danko Blog on Open Salon
Spring is the time to plant those seeds and begin the magical process of growing outdoor pot plants that will be "knee high in July" and result in heavy harvests come Autumn.
By Danny Danko, Senior Cultivation Editor, High Times Magazine
Recent events have placed marijuana use squarely into the public eye and never has the time been better suited to a real discussion of what legalization would entail and how we're gonna get there. This isn't the place for that however. This blog post will assume you already consider pot to be legal in your mind (or your state) and now need to grow some out for yourself.
Whether you're trying to save money, learn a trade or control the quality of your cannabis (or all of the above), growing your own comes with a few challenges and getting those seeds popped properly and at the right time is one of them.
This guide is specifically for the outdoor gardener with some space in their backyard or on a remote deck or rooftop. Outdoor pot plants will thrive when treated properly but will also die quickly if neglected. They need to go out strong and stay strong in order to fully acheive their potential.
Seeds should be planted in cups or trays of moist soil mix on a sunny, not drafty, windowsill. It doesn't hurt to put some clear plastic wrap over them until you see the seedling popping out of the top. Clones (cutting rooted from female mother plants) will save you time but can be hard to come by. Anyone can order seeds through the many online resources (Google it Holmes - I ain't doing all the work for you).
Once sprouted, the seedlings need at least 12 hours of direct light to thrive. If you don't get enough sun, you must supplement with some fluorescent lighting or low-wattage growlight (125 to 250-watt Metal Halide High-Pressure Sodium HPS lights work well for this).
After the threat of frost or crappy weather has subsided, the plants are ready to go outside. First you must transplant them into larger containers. Water them in and acclimate them slowly to the outdoors - a few hours at a time for a few days, then add more hours each day until they can stay out for the duration.
They're going to grow out vegetatively through the summer. This means the plant will continue growing new shoots and leaves. As it grows it will need more and more water and nutrients to feed it so adjust accordingly. I always recommend using a little less than recommended unless I see signs of deficiencies.
As summer turns to fall, the loss of daylight will trigger the plants to begin flowering. If you're growing from seeds, this is the time you will determine the sex of your plants and discard the males, keeping only the females through the rest of the flowering process. But that's a whole different blog...
In the meantime, check out my High Times Microsite at: Danny Danko's Get Growing Now. There's plenty of info there to get started, including six of my favorite beginner-oriented articles from past issues of HIGH TIMES as well as my favorite pot growing videos on youtube. Above all, stay safe and enjoy the process. Get growing today!











» add a comment
blaze
Mar 11 2010, 9:56 am
bd524
Jan 23 2010, 2:39 pm
drodro
Nov 12 2009, 4:15 pm
drodro
Nov 12 2009, 4:13 pm
sMokAloT
Oct 16 2009, 4:18 pm
jblaze
Oct 13 2009, 5:29 pm
wolf
Oct 7 2009, 5:43 pm
sMokAloT
Oct 7 2009, 12:58 pm
niles
Oct 6 2009, 10:33 pm
Mr nice guy x g-13
Oct 3 2009, 6:47 am
Thanks again,
Mr.Nice GuY
BOOSTER
Sep 25 2009, 4:26 pm
pat
Sep 22 2009, 6:33 pm
USC777
Sep 8 2009, 9:31 pm
mikes9977
Sep 2 2009, 9:10 am
anonymous
Aug 22 2009, 10:17 am
BiggyB420
Aug 18 2009, 1:23 am
I've used as low as a 150 HPS for the veg and at least a 750 HPS in a white box for flowering, and have had tremendous results. But now I'm using fertilizer instead of compost to see if there is any change in taste and aroma.
MrNobody
Aug 13 2009, 1:37 pm
BiggyB420
Aug 12 2009, 10:49 pm
grow stand
Aug 10 2009, 6:21 pm
twin2 chicago
Jul 28 2009, 5:20 am
anonymous
Jul 28 2009, 5:13 am
twin2
Jul 28 2009, 5:07 am
NE Ohio
Jul 26 2009, 9:07 pm
ps - their link is here on HT
WizKid
Jul 25 2009, 6:30 pm
A female plant has numerous little white hairs coming from the top of the branches and a male plant has pollen sacs(looks like little bananas) coming from inside the branches.
wolf
Jul 25 2009, 9:53 am
WizKid
Jul 22 2009, 10:44 pm
You could take a clipping from your plant and treat it as you would a clone. veg it for a little while, then force it to show its sex using the 12/12 light/dark cycle. This would tell you the sex of the plant before it's time to harvest it
The Joker
Jul 20 2009, 12:23 am
the newguy
Jul 11 2009, 11:34 am
DIZZLE
Jul 9 2009, 5:13 am
www.misshightimes.com/users/dizzle
Kinney
Jul 6 2009, 3:36 pm
I find this is the simplest way for beginners.
owly58
Jul 3 2009, 4:33 pm
With all the "starter kits" that are out there, my husband and I would like to know which is best?
We have trouble getting the seeds to germinate, keeping them alive and thriving is easy.
Could someone please tell us what to use for the germination process?
kingerr
Jul 2 2009, 9:15 pm
treehugger
Jul 1 2009, 2:16 pm
angel
Jun 28 2009, 2:38 pm
trehugger
Jun 27 2009, 10:22 am
I'm sure their 2 grow DVD's would prove invaluable too. But if you're a dedicated reader, you don't need the DVD's.
treehugger
Jun 27 2009, 10:17 am
But once they pop, go for the full 18 hours of flourescent or LED's.
treehugger
Jun 27 2009, 4:27 am
treehugger
Jun 25 2009, 5:36 pm
Don't you risk genetic mutations by doing that?
Or if you have very stable strains it's not a problem?
kenny in austin
Jun 23 2009, 7:10 pm
Question is at what point is it time to remove from the humidity dome and leave under flos.
JerseyDevil
Jun 21 2009, 8:14 pm
JerseyDevil
Jun 21 2009, 8:13 pm
sickofpaying
Jun 21 2009, 2:15 pm
Wolverine420
Jun 15 2009, 5:49 pm
kcn
Jun 14 2009, 1:40 pm
jon
Jun 7 2009, 6:58 am
if you want more info contact me at jonmeray@aol.com
thanks,jon
NWA
Jun 5 2009, 9:30 am
Dan .K
Jun 4 2009, 12:29 am
easygoing
May 28 2009, 2:20 am
420grower
May 27 2009, 8:04 pm
I usually grow my plants under 24hrs light for about 2 weeks then i turn the light to 12/12 until i have determined the sex of all the plants. this usually takes about a week, then i simply put them back under 24hrs light again until they are about 3 feet tall, then i flower them out.
treehugger
May 7 2009, 5:07 pm
treehugger
May 7 2009, 5:04 pm
Rootman
May 4 2009, 2:08 pm
I started using Mycorrhizal Inoculum on my plants a few years ago and the difference is unbelievable, really, I am serious! They have some proprietary blend that totally surpasses anything I have tried before.
They are a cool funky company from California that really know their shit. They spent tons of time with me helping straighten out my growing medium to accept the mycorrhizal hyphal mycellium growth.
Dude, the quality and quantity is way out there.
Check em out.
Rooty.
grasshugger
May 3 2009, 12:30 pm
hawkeye
Apr 15 2009, 8:36 pm
first timer
Apr 11 2009, 8:20 pm
erbgotti
Apr 9 2009, 7:39 pm
DEBBIE
Apr 8 2009, 2:39 pm
If any one has grow ideas indoor pot growing
DEBBIE
Apr 8 2009, 2:36 pm
G. Howie Phartz
Apr 6 2009, 9:02 pm
hightimes4life
Apr 3 2009, 6:58 pm
LOL
Mar 31 2009, 5:08 pm
stlab3
Mar 28 2009, 5:50 pm
Infinite Whisper
Mar 27 2009, 9:16 pm
Machete
Mar 27 2009, 2:28 pm
BIGJOE
Mar 16 2009, 11:54 am
msnbc-Al Roker
Mar 15 2009, 11:12 pm
interviewed was spouting nothing new but their own anti marijuana propaganda,that they paid researchers to find.
We are winning! And the establishment needs too get on board,or start hiring more prison guards and building more prisons. Over 100 million Americans have smoked pot and it's
time to stand up,or,rather kneel down and STOP the BUY
GROW YOUR OWN
ETC
Mar 15 2009, 9:06 pm
if you order seeds so you can grow exotic,some of the seed companies tell you when a strain is an easy grow or a hard to
grow strain. Anyone can get pictures and all the info they need from the internet,god bless Bill Gates.
STOP the BUY GROW YOUR OWN
anonymous
Mar 15 2009, 8:56 pm
which you'll see when comparing prices. But your biggest savings will be when you watch the video's at youtube.com and build your own hydro unit. Some of those hydro supplies are way too proud of plastic containers you can buy from walmart
for a few dollars,invest in a 3" hole saw for cutting good holes in the lid,insert baskets and your choice of grow medium
and put an ultrasonic fogger inside and an air stone to keep it stirred up,and you have a cutting edge hydro for about $50.
And
Mar 15 2009, 8:40 pm
using a 45 watt led grow panel with a 65 watt 2700 kelvin bulb
on 1 side and a 65 watt 2700 kelvin bulb on the other side won't raise anyones interest at the electric company and they
won't make a heat signature for the patrols looking for it.
And in the veg room. One 125 watt 6500 kelvin will vegetate your plants nicely,or two 65 watt 6500 kelvin bulbs. The 45 watt led covers a 5 square foot area,which is perfect for a closet grow. And before someone hollers,be sure that your
6500 kelvin bulbs are full spectrum bulbs.
gstlab3
Mar 15 2009, 8:26 pm
worth it
Mar 15 2009, 8:14 pm
money back. But now,with relatively cheap fluorescents and low wattage led grow lights,a person can,by searching the web carefully,put together a small hydro that will pay for itself
in 1 crop because of the savings of not buying the same quality weed from elsewhere. And being able to harvest every 2
months you can supply yourself quite nicely. You harvest every 2 months by starting new seeds when you turn the timer down to 12 hrs to start your first crop flowering and it's even quicker if you learn to clone. After your first crop,you will always have 1 crop in the flower chamber and 1 crop in the veg chamber.
jeffthebear
Mar 15 2009, 12:54 pm
Candu
Mar 15 2009, 11:42 am
Inquisitive minds
Mar 14 2009, 10:34 pm
grow room at night. Come on you closet biologists,inquisitive minds want to know.
Limits
Mar 14 2009, 7:54 pm
community effort
Mar 14 2009, 7:51 pm
but by the second or third crop,we'll have a whole country full grow guru's. And I wonder what a billion pot plants will do for the atmosphere? Need some ecologists too do some quick figuring and see if it's not also an ecological Plus.
SEEDs
Mar 14 2009, 7:39 pm
IN another year,there will be good seeds going for a lot cheaper than they are now,and if the seed companies go crazy on their prices,just coop up and learn too clone and grow your own seeds.
Duck you sucka
Mar 14 2009, 7:34 pm
B.too lazy to do anything that involves getting off the couch.
C.too cheap too hire an experienced grower too garden for you.
D.think dealing pot is the only way you can make a living
I'm sorry,and I hope your friends put up their stash when you drop by.
You lucky devils get too be the future customers of big business and government taxes.
plant day
Mar 14 2009, 7:19 pm
And yes,April Fools Day is a good day to start stopping the
buy,and that will be realized when everyone has their own
stash. When you remove the market,you remove the problem.
DECLARATION of PEACE
Mar 14 2009, 7:12 pm
We will either grow our own marijuana,or hire gardeners or skilled persons to maintain our own personal gardens,so that we can be 100% sure that our money is not going too any
terroristic or unlawful activities by anyone. We will donate
any excess too a local community pot bank for medical use.
We promise too spend the money we now spend on marijuana in the American economy. We believe this will do more for the economy than letting the government collect taxes and use it
responsibly, like they have now for so long,and we believe
it will help the economy more than if big business makes money from it and continues with their present practices
with money. We will BEAT the CARTELS,BEAT BIG BUSINESS and we will do it with a hoe and a water can.
STOP the BUY GROW YOUR OWN
If you can live with that pledge,copy/paste it too your federal and state reps,and yes,too OBAMA too.
Great
Mar 14 2009, 12:26 pm
use truth and facts. STOP the BUY GROW YOUR OWN
Freedom or Death
Mar 13 2009, 9:41 am
video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7886780711843120756
copy and paste that ^ and watch it with your family, friends, play it at your school, and MOST IMPORTANT BURN THEM TO DISK! The 2nd American Revolution is here!
Side lights
Mar 12 2009, 11:46 pm
from lowes or a feed supply,then buy the adapter that splits
the socket into 2 sockets,these fixtures are the clamp on type and try too get them caddy-corner from each other appx 1/2 the height of your plants,put
(2) 65 watt,BRIGHT EFFECTS bulbs,they are a spring cfl with a medium base and cost about $16 each ,but they are 2700 kelvin bulbs and perfect for flowering.
Put them on the same timer with your overheads. Then every day
turn either your plants,or your lower lights,1/4 turn back and forth too increase your yield. If your upper buds start growing into your lights,instead of cutting them off,or tying them down,put a separate timer on your overheads and side lights,and cut your overheads back too 8 hrs and leave your side lights on 12, this will cause your top buds too
grow toward the sides and slow the fast upward growth into
your lights.
good luck
Mar 12 2009, 10:35 pm
below ground level,stick to a regular water schedule and fertilizer schedule,and better too weak than too strong. There are some excellent grow articles and grow dvd's that you can get pics too help you spot problems. And most of the nutrients,organic and chemical have instructions to use those and the super additives outside as well as inside. STOP the BUY
GROW YOUR OWN
etc
Mar 12 2009, 10:19 pm
Duck you sucka
Mar 12 2009, 10:15 pm
big named grow guru's that say you have too wait longer than you actually have too in order too spot males. You can spot males and females after the third or fourth node,been doing it for years outdoors,but gonna try indoors also this year. And even if you wait till you flower too spot your males,you still have too watch your females,because sometimes,when they don't sense a male around,they will morph on you.
Baltimore Fred again
Mar 12 2009, 6:06 pm
Watts
Mar 12 2009, 5:12 pm
total indoor set up cost
Mar 12 2009, 5:09 pm
wow
Mar 12 2009, 4:19 pm
DUH
Mar 12 2009, 4:09 pm
hrs for the led's,figure the ready made @ $140 each would buy something that will actually pay for itself in electrical savings
ETC
Mar 12 2009, 4:04 pm
but I'm sure that a person could find them
mba1189
Mar 12 2009, 3:05 pm
And
Mar 12 2009, 2:06 pm
replacement bulb. 65 watt,2700k bulb,same place and about the same price,look for bright effects bulb w/ medium base. Flourex bulbs have mogul base.
pricey?
Mar 12 2009, 2:00 pm
cfl will equal appx 1000 watts in performance, costs appx
$300 to assemble this overhead light. be sure too get good
mix of colors on led's and does it with 155 watts. When you put in your flower chamber,be sure and use a 65 watt 2700k bulb.
bob
Mar 12 2009, 1:56 pm
not danny
Mar 12 2009, 9:37 am
Baltimore Fred
Mar 12 2009, 6:21 am
dk
Mar 12 2009, 4:04 am
2nd generation
Mar 12 2009, 3:42 am
420
Mar 11 2009, 11:30 pm
RE:indoor outdoor
Mar 11 2009, 9:20 pm
INDOOR VS OUTDOOR
Mar 11 2009, 5:33 pm
grow in the winter and you can't lay in your bed with your grow tent open at night and watch your plants grow instead of watching Fox news and getting all depressed.
Change
Mar 11 2009, 5:30 pm
distributing and consuming pot with the federal government not
busting them. As each state adopts new laws or decriminalize
their present marijuana laws,they no longer have too worry that the law they are passing is contrary to federal law when they allow medical pot in their state.
Along the border of Texas,N.M.,AZ,and CA,the locally based
cartels are committing atrocious,violent crimes on both sides of border and our gov't is gearing up to throw more of our money away trying too control them.
We are in the worst economic recession since the great depression in the 20's and we don't have the money to continue with the wars we already have going,much less a new one. We,the pot smokers of America,can defeat the cartels and organized crime and we don't need guns and gunships to
fight with,all we need is a hoe and the freedom to
STOP the BUY,GROW YOUR OWN
It is a viable,non-violent solution for a stagnant,violent
situation. STOP the BUY GROW YOUR OWN
Nigtmove
Mar 11 2009, 4:54 pm
Who are the best online seed brokers?
anonymous
Mar 11 2009, 4:29 pm
GanjaDave
Mar 11 2009, 1:44 pm
Clay
Mar 11 2009, 11:56 am
both. Pick a secluded spot or build one. April 1st is plant day,and we all win when we harvest enough pot so you don't have too buy any. STOP the BUY,GROW YOUR OWN
ALEX JONES
Mar 11 2009, 11:45 am
GET UP STAND UP, DON'T GIVE UP THE FIGHT!
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