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S_Caldwell

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  • Gender
    Female
  • Location
    Lansing, Michigan
  • Interests
    Yoga, movies, and painting

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Newbie (1/3)

  1. Last year was a big year for me – I graduated from college and shortly after my mom was diagnosed with lymphoma (advanced). They started her on chemo treatments right away. Despite the nausea medicine, she has little to no appetite, throws up a lot and is really tired. I have been talking with her doctors and doing some research online and from what I can understand, people who are undergoing chemo seem to benefit from smoking marijuana. My mom is “old school” and is afraid of trying it, but I have finally convinced her it’s okay and won’t hurt her and may actually help! I thought maybe I could grow it for her so she can have a constant supply and we know what she’ll be consuming because I’m growing it. She agreed. So I’ve made it my mission to learn as much about growing marijuana as I can so I can grow for her at our house. I’ve been researching every day for about a month. At the beginning I knew nothing about growing medicinal marijuana or even gardening. The first time I sat down to research I seriously typed “how to grow marijuana” into the search bar. To say I was overwhelmed with the amount of information would be an understatement. But, I am finally sorting through the weeds, so to speak, and I wanted to share with you guys what I have learned. Maybe this info will help other newbies. First things first: Where you live greatly determines what you can grow. Stop! Before you go buy your seeds and clear out some space in your backyard – first you must educate yourself on medical marijuana legislation in your area. Medical marijuana is currently legal in 20 states, but rules vary from state-to-state and even from city-to-city. In Michigan where I live, caregivers can only grow 12 plants per patient. But luckily we are allowed to grow both indoors and outdoors. Next, set a good foundation. Begin with the end result in mind. Every decision you make will greatly impact the overall production of your plant. So why not start from the beginning, using the best products and creating the most optimal growing environment. Marijuana cultivation is fairly easy but it takes dedication, time and energy to grow a quality plant. Your root system is the beginning stage of marijuana cultivation and the most important. If your plant gets off to a bad start, then it’s only downhill from there. To create a good root system remember the three S’: seeds, soil and setup. I know what you’re thinking. “Good soil? Can’t you just get dirt from your backyard?” Not even close! What you grow your plant in is called a growing medium and there’s an insane amount of them on the market that all serve different purposes. To find a product that is good for you, think about where you are growing and what you are looking for in a medium. It took me months of research, but I finally decided on PRO-MIX HP because it has Mychorrhizae, which stimulates root growth and helps the plant absorb more nutrients. Since I’m growing indoors I went with a soil-less mix. I found PRO-MIX HP at the Home Depot close to my house. This product also has 4-5x more perlite than other mediums, which helps with plant drainage – especially important for me as I tend to over water all plants! So you can recognize it easily, there’s a tomato plant photo on the package. But just because a product worked for someone else, doesn’t mean it will work for you. There are tons of different methods to growing marijuana. Look through grow journals on forums and you’ll see there are many recipes for how to grow a healthy plant with high yield. With recent medical marijuana legislation, the marijuana community has grown into a large sub-culture. There are websites, forums and groups dedicated to the discussion of medical marijuana growing, use and legislation. Community members even have their own language, like nutes means nutrients and myco for Mycorrhizae. I found this great glossary of terms I reference whenever I come across a word I’ve never seen before. A group of forum members compiled the list of most used terms. Check it out:Vocabulary of Growing Terms + Slang - Indoor Medical Marijuana Growing But even with the growing acceptance of medical marijuana use, people are still afraid to talk openly about it and most of the nurseries or retailers carrying products don’t fully understand the cultivation process. If you go to your local nursery or home improvement store you won’t see a “marijuana growing” section, but after a little research I learned growing tomato plants and marijuana are very similar. Both plants are water-sensitive, flourish in warm temperatures and need similar levels of fertilizer. As I said earlier, when looking on packaging, products with tomatoes (primarily green) can also be beneficial if you are growing marijuana. One of my mom’s hesitations about using marijuana is the common notion smoking marijuana is bad for you and people will think badly of you if they know you have smoked it. For my mom and I, we have found the online communities a great place to be able to talk openly and a great resource for finding out what works and what doesn’t. There are discussion topics on just about anything. Whatever problem you are having with your plant, there is someone who has gone through it, found a solution, and is willing to help you out. Alright, that’s what I’ve learned so far. I hope this post has taught you something. Stay tuned to hear more about my journey.
  2. Wow, I had no idea coco was that helpful! Thanks for the info I will keep it in mind
  3. As you all know I am a newbie, growing medical marijuana for my mom who has lymphoma. Because I am growing for my mom, who is already hesitant to use medical marijuana, I wanted to make sure I grow it properly and obtain a high yield. Researching medical marijuana cultivation these past few months I have learned there are a lot of factors to being a successful, high yield grower. Specifically, I’ve read a lot about how the balance between too little and too much water plays a major role in the growth and development of your plant. Although both extremes are unhealthy for your plant, over-watering is a more common problem among newbies, primarily because newbies are unaware of the signs an over-saturated plant shows and that too much of a good thing can ultimately be harmful to your plant’s health. So in my journey to high yield I thought if I did enough research and took everyone’s advice on the forums I could avoid making the typical newbie mistake of over-watering. This is what I’ve learned so far about over-watering, I hope that you’ll learn something and will also share with me what you know as well. Too much or too little? That is the question. Since starting my research I’ve realized that I am more knowledgeable about gardening than I thought I was. I’ve always known that plants need light, water and air to survive, we’ve been taught that since kindergarten when our teachers had us put seeds in a plastic cup and sit it by the window. So when we’re feeding our plants, why not give it what we know it loves? We must remember sometimes too much of a good thing is not good at all and that everything is better in moderation. When a plant receives too much water it becomes deprived of oxygen due to the stagnant water that blocks fresh oxygen from reaching the plant’s roots. Stagnant water is also a breeding ground for root diseases and plant pathogens. On the other side of the spectrum is under-watering which results in an oxygen deprived plant because it is not supplied with adequate nutrient levels. As you can see, both under watering and over-watering have devastating consequences for your plant and you must find the balance between them. Signs of an over-watered plant. Now we know what over-watering is, there are several ways how to identify when your plant has had too much. This involves getting in touch with your “feelings”. Cheesy, I know. But it really is the best way. The first method that I use is to simply feel the soil. If the soil is wet to the touch and saturated more than two inches into the soil then it does not need further watering. Another method is the lift technique. This method involves lifting the plant and assessing its weight. An over-watered plant will feel heavier than normal. To practice this method successfully you must first learn how heavy your plant should be, which is considered a master-level technique so newbies beware. Another indicator of an over-watered plant is simply its appearance. If your plant looks droopy, it’s overwatered. Another sign of over-watering is yellowing at the tips of the plant’s leaves, which is called Chlorosis. How do you salvage your plant after over-watering? If you happen to over-water your plant, don’t get discouraged because often times you can save your plant. There is still hope in having a successful yield! The most efficient way to heal your plan by giving it time - it’s a waiting game. If you have a proper setup, the excess water in your soil will drain. Like I mentioned in my last blog post I use PRO-MIX HP, a soilless mix that has perlite as an ingredient. The perlite improves aeration in your soil, creating space so that water can easily flow through and drain. So far, the biggest lesson I have learned is to not be afraid to make mistakes, because that is the best way to learn. What advice do you have for newbies trying to master watering techniques?
  4. As the 6th week of my grow efforts come to a close I thought I would share some of the highs and lows of my experience thus far. A few weeks ago I made my first mistake as a new grower- that’s right- overwatering. My tiny leaves turned yellow and began to droop, sending me into an all-out panic. Luckily, after a little bit of research, I was able to save my seedlings and correct the overwatering issue. This weekend I encountered my second hurdle as a new grower- nutrient burn. Nutrient burn occurs when the roots are pulling in more nutrient than the plant can use, resulting in brown or yellow “burns” on the tip or edges of your leaves. A number of things can result in nutrient burn (soil with high levels of nutrients aka “Hot Soil”, and nutrient additives are common culprits); I have been adding bottled nutrients to my grow and I thought it would provide the extra oomph that my plants needed. I followed the instruction perfectly, but after doing some research I discovered how difficult it can be to add the correct amount of nutrients- following the instructions on the bottle may be more than enough. Lesson learned! More is better, right? At least, that’s what I used to think. Plants need nutrients to grow bigger and stronger, but plants also need light! Nutrient burn decreases the leaves’ surface area which decreases the amount of photosynthesis occurring in your plant. An overabundance of nutrients affects your plants’ ability to process light for energy to grow (photosynthesis), and it can ultimately have an effect on the overall yield. Your plant is less likely to spend energy replacing a sick leaf if it is experiencing nutrient burn during the flowering stage. Instead it will conserve its’ energy for the production and thickening of buds; which, if left untreated, can affect the taste of your buds- adding a chemical-like taste. Luckily, if you notice any yellow or brown, dry spots on the edges or tips of your leaves early enough, fixing the problem is relatively easy. All you need is pH’ed water (if you’re growing in soil)! This process is called flushing. Step 1: Place the plant (which should still be in its’ container) over a sink, or in an area that has appropriate drainage abilities. Step 2: Begin pouring your nutrient-free water onto the soil until water begins draining out of the planters’ drainage holes. The fluid draining from the pot will have a yellow/brown hue, this is normal when your plant is experiencing nutrient burn. Step 3: Continue pouring the nutrient-free water onto the soil until the fluid being drained looks clear. Once the water draining from your plant looks clear, stop pouring water and let your plant sit over the bucket or drain for approximately an hour (as it will continue to drain the water in the soil). Personally, my plants stopped draining water after approximately 30 minutes, but that may be due to the high porosity of my growing medium. After successfully flushing your plants, place them back in your grow room and wait a few days before adding nutrients to your water (if you decide to resume adding nutrients be sure to only add ½ the dose of nutes). It is important to note, signs of nutrient burn won’t go away after flushing your plants. If your leaves were showing signs of nute burn before flushing (yellow/brown spots, dry brown or yellow edges, etc.) then you may consider trimming them if the majority of the leaf is affected. This is one of the reasons why it is critical to recognize nutrient burn in its’ early stages. I hope this helps and encourages other newbie growers, feel free to ask questions or leave advice as I continue my journey!
  5. Hey grassmatch... I've heard a lot about PRO-MIX so I did some research and read that their new HP product can be used as a stand alone. I've decided to give it a try! Is this product you are using also? goo.gl/UZDCo4
  6. Thanks all for the warm welcome! Mind if I ask what growing mediums you all use?
  7. I've never grown before and new to gardening in general, but I'm a caregiver for my mom who has lymphoma. I'm here to learn about basics of growing and any help is much appreciated!
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