10 Most Common Growing Marijuana Mistakes

Growing marijuana is not easy. It takes years of practice to be able to grow a potent sticky bud. However there are some common mistakes that majority of rookie as well as some experienced cannabis growers still make. We have put together a list of 10 common growing marijuana mistakes and advise how to avoid them. Are you guilty of any of them? Share below!

1. Don’t Over Water Your Marijuana Plant

Over watering kills marijuana plants. Water once the top few inches of the soil dry out.  Hydroponics is harder to over water because rockwool has such excellent drainage properties. As long as the rockwool cubes are not sitting in liquid it is virtually impossible to over water a hydroponic setup. A hydroponic setup could either be watered constantly as the drip method, or once to three times a day as in the flood and drain method.

2. Don’t Tell People You Grow Weed.

Seriously. Just don’t. Why? They will only be jealous. People love to feel important and that is why they will tell other people; because others will listen to them. Keep it to yourself. This is one of the most common reasons for being caught, so again – don’t tell anyone!

3. Touch/Kill Germinating Seeds

Please have some patience. It sometimes takes 10 days for a seed to sprout. The paper towel method is not recommended because you must handle the seeds when transferring them from the paper towel to your growing medium.

4. Grow Seeds From Seeded Marijuana

One of the greatest disappointments known to the growing man. 90% of what the final product will be is in the seed’s genetics and has little to do with the environment the plant is grown in. Many get their hands on the seed and think they have a gold mine. They will probably grow something like this: hermaphrodites, tall late flowering females coupled with early flowering males. This is because the only pollen that could have produced the seed was from a hermaphrodite or a very stunted and late flowering male the grower did not notice.

Unless you are prepared for possible disappointment don’t use “unknown” seeds. This is why people buy seeds from seedbanks.

5. Don’t Over Fertilize

Fertilize after first 2 spiked leaves appear. Follow the label. DON’T FERTILIZE EVERY TIME YOU WATER!!!

Start with 25% and work your way up! Leach the plants with lots of pure water every 2-4 weeks. Organic marijuana growing is recommended. It tastes better and burns much better. If the leaves suddenly twist or fold under, Leach and Spray with pure water for several days!

6. Don’t Under Fertilize

Under fertilizing is less common but it happens. If you are one of those people that likes to give the plant just enough nutrients make sure you use a organic soil mixture with blood meal and bone meal or some slow release fertilizer with micro nutrients.

7. Don’t Start With Clones

Start with seeds. Bugs are a pain, So are plant diseases. Many growers are able to grow indoors without pest problems for years. If they do get pests they are probably not enjoying the change from their usual diet to marijuana resin! But as soon as you come in contact with others grow material (cuttings) it is almost guaranteed that its from a long time grower that has many different pests all eating marijuana and bug spray (and surviving) for hundreds of generations!… Think about it.
(I personally don’t agree with this, I use clones and cuttings.)

8. Don’t Start Too Early Inside or Outdoors

For several reasons! If you are starting outdoors June 1 is perfect. But if I start earlier I will get bigger buds right? Probably Wrong!

It’s strange but usually true. Let me explain. Plants started in early spring will get big but they will take significantly longer to start flowering. This is because at the peak vegetative period they sense the light cycles getting longer and longer, until June 21. But they don’t realize that its time to flower yet. Finally in the middle of August the plant says “HEY, time to flower already” and it produces buds in August and September or later they will be tall as trees but thinner buds due to the fact that the sun is not as strong in September. Now if the ganja plants were put out later, as soon as they get a foot off the ground they say “what’s going on” I am just in early veggie and the light hours aren’t getting longer in fact SHORTER”. Then the plants go crazy and since the sun is so bright in July and August you get amazing 6 foot trees that are heavier than the plants started in April!!! In addition to finishing earlier the late started plants are not nearly as noticeable.

Indoors is the same for different reasons. The light cannot penetrate more than a foot or two. So flower when plants are a foot tall. If you wait longer because you want bigger yields, you will get smaller yields and wait longer for them.

9. Don’t Provide A Bad Environment

Always provide air circulation and fresh air even during the night cycle is fine. All the air indoors should be replaced every 5-10 minutes. Humidity between 30-70% temp aim for around 75-85′ Even seedlings need a gentle fan to strengthen the stems.

10. Don’t Harvest Too Early

I know it’s hard. You see the buds and resin forming at a rapid rate. The buds are potent and you feel tempted to chop’em down! The only problem is that another 25% of the weight will form in 2 more weeks. Wait until the plants have totally stopped growing and the white pistils are at least 50-75% brown.

*NOTE: Outdoors if security is a factor make your own call on when to sacrifice the fields. Also take buds continuously in case of thieves.