3 Techniques For Growing Cannabis

Enhance Your Cannabis Growing Success with These Fantastic Growing Techniques

The primary principle of various growing methods is that there’s no set rulebook. You might have 10 discussions with different cannabis growers and receive 10 diverse opinions about the top techniques for cultivating cannabis.

What’s effective for them might not be effective for you, and your success will come from experimenting and learning through trial and error. Nonetheless, it’s always a good idea to try various cannabis growing techniques since that’s how you’ll discover what suits you best!

This article offers guidance on the finest indoor and outdoor techniques for growing cannabis and provides solutions for optimizing your outdoor growing setup.

• LST (Low Stress Training)

• SCROG (Screen of Green)

• SOG (Sea of Green)

Unless otherwise indicated, the guidance is geared towards plants cultivated from photoperiod feminized cannabis seeds. If you’re a grower keen on diverse approaches for cultivating autoflowering plants, refer to this instructional article for autoflower seeds.

This article also addresses the various mediums commonly employed by both indoor and outdoor cannabis cultivators:

• Growing with soil

• Growing with hydroponics

• Growing with aeroponics

The Widely Used and Successful Methods for Cannabis Cultivation

Many beginners in the world of indoor cannabis cultivation begin by adopting the traditional approach. In this ‘traditional’ method, you simply plant the cannabis seed or seedling and allow it to grow upward. This mirrors the plant’s natural growth pattern but comes with its own drawbacks:

• Managing the plant’s height is challenging, especially when dealing with limited growing space.

• While the top buds get all the light, the buds on the branches are less grown.

• Managing numerous plants within a growing area can be a challenge.

As growers gain experience and become more confident, they often begin to experiment in order to discover the most effective indoor cannabis cultivation methods that can optimize their growing space and result in improved yields.

Growing Cannabis with SOG

SOG stands for Sea of Green. It’s an indoor cannabis growing method that focuses on populating the grow room with numerous small plants.

The main goal is to shorten the plant’s vegetative stage and prompt them to grow to a uniform, relatively low height during flowering.

This consistent look form above is what gives the technique its name, resembling a green sea when viewed from above.

What Benefits Does the SOG Technique Offer for Growing Cannabis?

• The growth cycle is faster, allowing for potential harvesting every 8-9 weeks.

• There is less electricity used.

• Reduced plant waste is achieved by maintaining smaller plants and emphasizing bud growth.

What are the drawbacks associated with using the SOG method for cultivating cannabis?

• Managing plants and preforming tasks like watering can become challenging when the grow room is overly crowded.

• Dense spacing can lead to air circulation issues and increase the risk of mold problems, particularly when plants come into contact with the walls.

For individuals exploring optimal cultivation methods, discover the advantages of employing the Sea of Green approach for cannabis.

For indoor cultivators intending to implement the Sea of Green method in their growing environment, here are crucial tips to optimize yield potential and prevent common errors.

Best Royal King Seeds strains suitable for Sea of Green include White Berry, White Widow, Norther Lights and Critical Plus.

Growing Cannabis with SCROG

SCROG stands for Screen of Green, a method akin to the SOG approach in cannabis cultivation, but it employs a screen or wide-mesh net suspended above the cannabis plants.

As the plants extend beyond the screen, they are strategically trained to encourage lateral growth by weaving the stems through the mesh.

The objective is to establish a canopy of flowering buds in the cannabis flowering stage, guaranteeing that all bud sites receive optimal light exposure.

The SCROG technique includes shaping the plant, mainly during the vegetative stage, using the LST (Low-Stress Training) technique, which is detailed below.

Additionally, it involves selective pruning, employing the lollipop technique, to eliminate lower branches and channel the plant’s energy towards bud development.

What benefits does the SCROG cannabis cultivation technique offer?

• By employing the SCROG technique, growers can attain favorable outcomes while cultivating a reduced number of plants.

• The SCROG method enhances light exposure for a greater number of bud sites.

• Utilizing SCROG will result in improved air circulation within the grow room, which serves as an effective defense against mold growth.

• Good Royal King Seeds varieties to use for SCROG include Green Crack, Blue Dream, Fruity Pebbles and Durga Mata.

What drawbacks come with the SCROG cannabis cultivating technique?

• The SCROG cultivation method demands increased management efforts, translating to a higher workload, as it necessitates ongoing plant training and weaving through the mesh.

Growers interested in experimenting with this cannabis cultivation method should refer to this comprehensive step-by-step guide for valuable SCROG insights.

Utilizing LST and HST Methods for Cannabis Cultivation

The SCROG approach for achieving abundant growth encompasses the concept of “training” the cannabis plant, which can be divided into two distinct categories:

• LST (Low stress training)

• HST (High stress training)

Low-Stress Training (LST) gets its name because, despite the manipulation of the plant’s branches, the grower induces minimal stress. During the vegetative stage, cannabis plants are highly flexible, allowing them to be twisted and repositioned with little adverse impact on their overall health.

High-Stress Training (HST) is a more advanced training technique that can be highly effective but comes with some associated risks. This is because HST requires starting with robust plants and necessitates a sufficient recovery period.

Due to those considerations, techniques such as fimming, topping, and super cropping are not recommended for beginners. However, in the hands of a more experienced grower, these methods for cannabis cultivation can yield highly effective results and enhance overall yields.

Optimal Methods for Indoor and Outdoor Cannabis Cultivation Setups.

Determining the most suitable technique for your growing space hinges on the cultivator’s specific intentions, whether it’s for indoor cultivating or to maximize the potential of an outdoor growing setup.

Best techniques for indoor growing cannabis

• Traditional

• SOG

• SCROG

• LST

• HST

Best techniques to grow cannabis in an outdoor grow setup

• Traditional

• SCROG

• LST

• HST

Various Indoor Cannabis Cultivation Systems

Apart from the array of grow techniques available, there are several distinct cultivation systems employed for cannabis cultivation. The most commonly used mediums include:

Growing cannabis with soil

Employing soil for cannabis cultivation is the oldest and most traditional method, with a history spanning thousands of years. It remains the prevalent approach today and is utilized for both indoor and outdoor cultivation setups.

The process commences with germinating cannabis seeds, followed by their placement in soil. This soil is typically specially prepared, either though the use of a purchased soil mix or a custom blend prepared at home. As the cannabis plant advances through its various growth stages, nutrients are typically introduced to enhance growth and yield.

Growing cannabis with hydroponics

Utilizing hydroponics for cannabis cultivation entails growing the plants in a nutrient-rich water solution rather than soil. This method, primarily employed for indoor growing, facilitates faster growth and enhanced yields but may involve a more intricate and costly setup.

The process of growing cannabis with hydroponics entails germinating the cannabis seed and cultivating it in a substrate like rock wool. For a comprehensive understanding of this technique for cannabis cultivation, please refer to a comprehensive hydroponics guide.

Growing cannabis with aeroponics

Aeroponic cultivation is a type of hydroponic growth method where cannabis plants are suspended in the air and nourished by a nutrient-rich water mist. It offers faster growth rates compared to soil-based cultivation and the potential for larger yields.

As implied by its name, oxygen plays a significant role in this system, distinguishing it from traditional hydroponics. The timing is carefully orchestrated, allowing the roots to receive nutrient solution spray cycles ranging from as short as 30 seconds to as long as 15 minutes. During intervals between the spraying, the open chamber space fosters an environment where the roots can dangle freely, promoting air pruning and a distinctive fishbone-like effect.

Growing cannabis with aquaponics

There is another method for cultivating cannabis, which is perhaps the least commonly employed among cannabis growing techniques, yet it remains one of the more intriguing ones!

Aquaponic systems enable the roots of cannabis plants to remain continuously submerged in the reservoir. Similar to their use in aquaponics and deep water culture systems, plastic net pots filled with hydroton clay balls are employed in aquaponics as well. Since the roots thrive in the aquatic environment, the size of the net pot doesn’t have to exceed 6-8 inches, and even smaller net pots can accommodate smaller cannabis plants.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the quest for the most effective cannabis cultivation techniques hinges on what suits the grower’s unique circumstances and growing conditions.

Amidst the various myths surrounding cannabis cultivation methods, there are well-established approaches that are favored for indoor cultivation and offer excellent outdoor setup choices.

Keep in mind that learning involves having the confidence to explore and experiment!