Fungus gnats are black in color, with long legs and gray and transparent wings, and between 3 to 5 millimeters in length. You may notice a Y-shaped vein near each wing’s tip. Fungus gnats are weak fliers, so they tend to walk around the soil and fly in short spurts. They hatch larvae that have black heads and a clear body. They are found down at the bottom portions of the cannabis plant, and even in the soil.Adult females can lay up to 200 eggs in a single area or in various crevices of the soil. The larvae that the females lay burrow down below the soil level about 1 to 3 inches. The adult fungus gnat does not eat at all, and instead live only to breed. The little baby gnats feed on the soil and roots and can over time cause a weakening of the strength of the plant. They are very ...
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Carbon Dioxide Enrichment
Most cannabis growers are looking for the best and biggest buds possible. There are numerous factors involved when trying to get better yields from your cannabis crops. In this article we will take a look at carbon dioxide and how it can help get better yields in a cannabis garden. We will give a briefly examine some methods to increase CO2 in a cannabis environment.
Closed Loop Versus Open Loop Environment
An open loop system draws fresh air from outside the grow environment into the grow area and exhausts the spent heated air back outside. A closed loop system filters the air exhausted from the grow area and directs it back into the grow area for use. Because plants need both air and carbon dioxide to grow in a closed loop system, the need to add ...Read More
Cannabis Nutrient Disorders
Cannabis nutrient disorders are extremely common with marijuana gardens. Indoor cannabis gardens are more commonly affected by nutrient disorders than outdoor gardens are. There are three macronutrients that must be considered when growing marijuana, (N) Nitrogen, (P) Phosphorus, and (K) Potassium. During the different growth phases of the cannabis life cycle the plants require different concentrations of these macronutrients. During vegetative growth it is best to have high nitrogen content and low phosphorus content, but during flowering it is best to have high phosphorus content and low nitrogen content.There are also a number of micronutrients needed for proper growth that must be present. Most fertilizers for soil do not contain these micronutrients because they assume it will be ...
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Marijuana Growing Soils
One of the most common questions for any cannabis grower is “What should I grow my plants with?” Let's take a look at some marijuana growing soils and other options for growing marijuana.There are many options to grow with, and many different types of marijuana growing soils and products of which one is best. One of the fun things about growing cannabis is experimenting with different techniques and finding the one you feel most comfortable with.Some ways of growing cannabis can be messy, like if you use soil indoors. If you are the type of person who doesn't want dirt under your fingernails, then using soil may not be your best grow medium to use.There are numerous choices when it comes to what to grow cannabis in as you will see when you visit your local hydroponic ...
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Best Lighting for Cannabis Growing
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Let's take a look at the best lighting for cannabis.There are 2 Types of High Intensity Discharge Lights (HID)
High Pressure Sodium (HPS)HPS lights are great for flowering. They have a lifespan of around 18,000 hours, or 12 to 18 months. HPS lights give off a lot of heat. Small HPS bulbs, 100 and 250 watts should be hung about 2 to 3 feet above the cannabis plants to avoid burning. Medium sized HPS bulbs, such as 400W and 600W should be hung about 4 feet above the cannabis plants, while large HPS bulbs, 1000W and up, should be hung about 4 to 6 feet above the plants. HPS lights lack in the blue color of the spectrum, so they are not very good for the vegetative growth period.Some of the best HPS lights for cannabis growing are ...Read More
Thrips and Marijuana
Thrips and marijuana are two things that unfortunately go together all too well. When growing marijuana it is important to know as much as you can about pests that like to invade the beautiful green leaves on cannabis plants. Thrips and marijuana have been two words that go together for many thousands of years. Thrips are tiny little pests, about 1.5 millimeters long. They have wings but can barely fly. They are big enough to see with the naked eye. The wind and fans help move them around since they have very little flying ability. They are usually yellow or brown in color. Thrips like to live on the top surface of leaves. Thrips prefer the buds of flowers as their home. When growing cannabis indoors it is important to look closely at the leaves for any signs of ...
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Hydroponic Grow Systems
There are numerous ways to grow cannabis. Many cannabis growers choose hydroponic systems as their way to grow cannabis indoors.Hydroponics is a method of growing using nutrient solutions in water, without the use of soil. Plants can be grown with their roots n the mineral nutrient solution only or in an inert medium, such as perlite, Rockwool, or gravel.Here we will give you a look at some of the more popular hydroponic grow systems for growing marijuana.
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Ebb & Flow
Also referred to as Flood & Drain, is a popular form of Hydroponics because it is easy to use, reliable and forgiving. Ebb & Flow grow systems use an inert medium to anchor the roots and support the plants. The plants receive water and required nutrients from an aerated ...Read More
Setting up your Indoor Grow Room
Now that you understand the cannabis plant, its needs, and phases of life, you are ready to set up your room so you can get growing soon. There are many different places that people grow cannabis indoors, including;basements bedrooms closets garages greenhouses atticsWith the right planning your indoor grow room can be used to harvest buds 3 to 5 different times in a year, as compared to the 1 time it takes place in the wild outdoors.
10 Things to Keep in Mind
The room needs to be able to be in complete darkness with no light leaks to initiate the flowering process. The room should be near a water outlet, or at least have a garden hose that can comfortably reach it. Fresh air should be able to circulate in and out of the room. A ...Read More
Powdery Mildew & Cannabis
Powdery mildew is extremely common for both indoor and outdoor cannabis growers. It is a fungal disease that spreads in on spores on people’s clothing, pets, through the air, or on cuttings from other plants. Spores can seem like they are gone, but in fact they are often lying dormant and waiting for the conditions to get back to their optimal range.Powdery mildew is most common in areas with moderate temperature, high humidity, and low light intensity. It often attacks young cannabis plants that are only a few weeks old. Powdery mildew will spread to all parts of the plant, including stems, buds, leaves, and stalks.Powdery mildew hinders photosynthesis and cripples the harvest. The first signs of powdery mildew are raised surfaces on the top of the leaves. The plants ...
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Aphids and Marijuana
Aphids are a commonly found insect in cannabis gardens. They are small and pear-shaped. Aphids are usually about 1 to 3 millimeters long. Although there are many varieties of aphids with different characteristics, they all have a thorn-like structure that extends from their abdomen.They range in color from black and brown, to green and yellow. Aphids like to set up shop on the undersides of leaves. Aphids, like spider mites, live by sucking the juices from plants leaves, branches, and stems. Aphid’s mouths act like a straw, sucking up the juices from the plant. They excrete a sugar solution from the plant and leave it on the leaves. This is sometimes called “honeydew”. The honeydew in turn attracts ants that form a herd around the aphids and help protect them from other ...
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Cannabis Growing Mistakes
Anyone just starting out with growing their own cannabis is likely to have some ups and downs with the experience. Like anything else, time and practice make you better at the craft. In this article we will give you a little advantage over the other newbies by pointing out 5 of the most common cannabis growing mistakes made by new cannabis growers. Hopefully this will save you some time and headaches.
#5 Killing the Germinating Seeds
A lot of young growers make the mistake of handling the seeds too much when they are trying to germinate them and accidentally killing them before they even had a chance to sprout. Be gentle with seeds when they are in water and try not to touch them very often during this stage. Seeds can at times take as long as 10 days to sprout. Be ...Read More
Cannabis Root Disease
Plants need a healthy root system to survive and prosper. Plants need a healthy root system to survive and prosper. Pathogens can attack roots and rapidly spread throughout the garden. There are three common variations of cannabis root disease that often cripple cannabis gardens.
Fusarium
There are a wide variety of species of fusarium. Fusarium inhabits soil. It is often used to destroy cannabis and coco plants by governments.The damage is most evident on the stems and leaves of the marijuana plant. It affects the roots first and then makes it way up the plant.Growers often notice curled leaf tips, dark spots on lower leaves, and wilted and dry looking leaves. The stems will turn yellow at first and eventually become brown. Once they are brown they will soon ...Read More
Marijuana Mold
Gray Mold & Brown Mold (Bud Rot) & Marijuana
Gray mold is a very common fungal disease that cannabis growers deal with. (Botrytis) It is able to germinate on plants that have moisture on them, and only when temperatures are in the 55-70 degrees Fahrenheit (13-21 degrees Celsius) range.Gray mold likes to spread on cannabis plants that have been weakened by pests or damaged from weather. The spores from molds like to hop on clothing from people.They also travel in the air, rain, and tap water.The areas on the plants that are not receiving as much light are usually the parts where mold first appears. During the flowering period, gray mold can spread to the flowering stalks and buds and do severe damage to the plants.Mold can spread throughout ...Read More
3 Main Varieties of Cannabis
All cannabis technically originated from the “Cannabis Sativa” species, although it is widely accepted that there are 3 main varieties of cannabis species.1. Cannabis Sativa2. Cannabis Indica3. Cannabis RuderalisEach is quite different from one another.
Cannabis Sativa
Grows tall, anywhere from 5 to 25 feet high.They are easily recognized by their long, serrated, pointy, light green leaves.Sativa plants also have long internode spacing between their branches, usually three to six inches apart. Sativa plants usually have a high level of THC in them, which often results in a cerebral and energetic feeling for the user.Once flowering has begun, sativa strains can take between 9 to 16 weeks to reach full maturation. Because Sativa plants grow tall and take ...Read More
Needs for Growing Marijuana
There are 6 essential needs for growing marijuana.1. Light (must be the right amount, and the right spectrum or spectrums)2. Air (oxygen and carbon dioxide)3. Nutrients (needs to be adequate and the right sort)4. Water (must have enough, but not too much)5. Warmth (must be the right temperature range)6. Grow Medium (what you will be growing in)These 6 things are essential for all plant growth, not just cannabis. If you’re lacking in one of these 6 things, your plants will suffer. Let’s take a deeper look at these 6 necessary areas:
Light
Plants need light to form carbohydrates for building and repairing their tissue. In nature, the sun gives a mix of all spectrums of light.Indoors, when growing cannabis, the plants use mainly blue and red colors ...Read More
