The Basics That Every Cannabis Grower Needs
With relaxed laws and restrictions in many places across the United States, more people are growing cannabis than ever. If you’re interested in getting in on the cannabis-growing craze, check out our guide to the basics every grower needs to get started.
Seeds
Naturally, you can’t grow anything without seeds! Most cannabis growers purchase their seeds from seed banks or vendors specializing in cannabis seeds.
For beginners, starting with auto-flowering seeds is typically recommended—they’re much easier to manage as growers don’t have to worry about whether they’re male or female and when to change the photoperiod conditions. Auto-flowering cannabis seeds develop faster than most strains due to their shorter life cycles.
Lights
As we all know, plants need light to grow, so next on your list is to purchase some indoor lights—assuming you’re growing the cannabis indoors. Fluorescent lights are the least expensive option, so many growers start with those before upgrading to better-quality lights.
High-intensity discharge grow lights are the most popular lights and generally produce the best yields. But these lights are expensive, so it’s better to purchase them once you know exactly what type of lights you need for coverage and area.
Pro Tip:
LED lights are also increasing in popularity among cannabis growers as a compromise between the affordability of fluorescents and the quality of grow lights.
Ventilation
Cannabis needs a room with constant airflow to grow healthy. The best option is to install an HVAC system with adjustable atmosphere conditions like temperature, humidity, and CO2 levels.
As the plants progress from one growing period to another, their ideal conditions for growth and health change, so these systems can be significantly beneficial to creating abundant yields. However, such a system is a significant investment, so you may want to choose a simple setup like an exhaust fan on top of the grow tent to let air passively enter.
Water
Of course, one of the prime basics that every cannabis grower needs is a reliable and healthy water source. In most cases, tap water works just fine for cannabis plants, but it’s wise to do a quick pH check to ensure it doesn’t have a high concentration of minerals.
Ideally, the pH level for the water going into the cannabis soil should be between six and seven. If the pH of the tap water is higher than that, you’ll want to consider finding another water source.
Testing Equipment
Before using any home-grown cannabis, it’s highly recommended to get some testing equipment to ensure it’s safe for consumption. It’s important to test cannabis for heavy metals as they can easily contaminate plants and cause illness in consumers in high enough concentrations.
Also, if you plan on selling any of the cannabis commercially, you’ll need to label it with the potency level, so you’ll need testing equipment to determine how potent the plant is.