The Art Of Germination: Unlocking The Secrets To Growing Pot Seeds

Growing cannabis from seed can seem daunting, but it's actually easier than growing a tomato plant. The first step is germination, which involves adding your seeds to a small container with purified room-temperature water and placing them in a dark and warm place for 24-48 hours. This helps to loosen the shell and activate the germination process. After this, you can plant your seeds in a small pot of your chosen medium, ensuring the roots don't stay soggy. You'll want to keep your seedlings in a warm place with medium light, and be careful not to overwater them. Once your seedlings have sprouted, you can begin the process of transplantation, which involves moving your seedlings to a bigger pot. From here, your plant will grow and branch out, and you'll need to meet its needs so that it can reach its full potential.

Germination

Germinating Your Cannabis Seed

To germinate cannabis seeds, start by placing them in a small container with purified room-temperature water. Leave the seeds in a dark and warm place for 24 to 48 hours. This allows the seeds to absorb water, activating the germination process physically and chemically. When the seeds sink to the bottom of the container, they are ready to be planted. Some seeds may even pop out a small taproot. Even if they don't, they can still be planted.

Note: Avoid using the paper towel method as paper towels dry out quickly, and removing the germinating seeds from them can be clumsy and damage the seedling.

Planting Your Weed Seed

Use seedling pellets made of compressed peat moss and coco husk. Soak the pellets in lukewarm water for 10 to 15 minutes to expand them. Gently squeeze out the excess water so that the growing medium is damp but not soaking wet. Dig a small hole, about a quarter of an inch deep, and place the seed inside with the root facing downwards. Cover it lightly with dirt, and your seed should sprout within two weeks.

Weed Seedling Sprouts

This is an exciting stage as your baby plant will emerge above the ground in 1 to 2 weeks, with an average time of 5 to 7 days. Leave the seed shell alone as it will fall off on its own within a few days. If the seed doesn't come above the ground after about two weeks, the chances of it being viable are greatly reduced, and you should try again.

Lighting for Your Cannabis Seedling

Provide your marijuana seedlings with a medium amount of light. Direct sunlight will cause the leaves to curl, while too little light will cause the seedling to stretch. If growing outdoors, ensure they receive direct light to prevent stretching. For indoor seedlings, place them on a sunny windowsill with more than half a day of sunlight, or 24 to 30 inches away from a grow light.

Watering Your Cannabis Seedling

Use bottled, distilled, or filtered water for your cannabis plants to avoid chlorine. If using tap water, let it sit for 48 to 96 hours before watering. Under normal conditions, the seedling pellet should contain enough moisture for the plant before it comes above the ground. Once it grows, provide about a shot glass worth of water per week to keep the medium damp, not soaking wet. Overwatering can be just as harmful as drying out.

First Cannabis Seedling Leaves & Hardening Off

The first set of leaves to emerge are called cotyledons. These will grow to about a quarter of an inch in size before falling off. The second set of leaves will be single blades with serrated edges, resembling regular pot leaves. As these grow, the first actual set of leaves, typically three blades, will appear. During this time, the plant will start to harden off, developing a thicker skin on the stem, and will be able to handle more direct sunlight.

Transplanting Cannabis Seedlings

About 10 days after germination, when the baby cannabis plant has hardened off and roots start emerging from the bottom of the seedling pellet, it's time to transplant into a bigger pot. Handle the seedling gently to avoid damaging the roots. Dig a small hole in the bigger pot, sprinkle some rooting booster at the bottom, and carefully plant the entire seedling pellet. Bury it so that the base of the stalk is level with the topsoil, then water it.

Tips for Successful Germination:

• Maintain a temperature of around 20-26°C (68-78°F) for germination.
• Ensure air humidity is between 70-90%.
• Avoid touching the seeds with your hands as much as possible.
• Avoid letting the germination medium dry out.
• Avoid planting seeds too deep in the medium, as this can deprive them of oxygen.
• Use feminized seeds to almost guarantee female plants, which produce buds.

Seedling

Lighting

Transplanting

After about 10 days, when the seedling has hardened off and roots start to emerge from the bottom of the seedling pellet, it is ready to be transplanted to a bigger pot. This should be done with care, as any stress will slow its growth. The seedling should be handled gently to avoid damaging the roots. A small hole should be dug in the bigger pot, and the seedling pellet placed inside. The seedling should be watered to set the roots in the ground, and then left until the pot feels light before watering again.

Watering

Leaves

The first set of leaves to emerge are called cotyledons. These will grow to about 1/4 inch in size before falling off. The second set of leaves will be single blades with serrated edges, and the third set will typically be three blades.

Vegetative

The vegetative stage is a period of growth where the cannabis plant focuses on getting big and strong. During this time, the plant will only grow stems and leaves – no buds yet! It’s an essential step in the life of a cannabis plant, setting the foundation for the rest of its life.

Indoor growers have the power to keep cannabis plants in the vegetative stage for as long or short as they want. All a grower needs to do is give plants 18+ hours of light a day and it will stay in the vegetative stage. This can be done by either leaving lights on 24 hours a day, or putting grow lights on a timer that gives the plants an 18/6 light schedule. Being able to shorten or extend the vegetative stage means that indoor growers have a lot of control over the final size and shape of their plant.

The vegetative stage is also when the plant is most resilient. Marijuana plants can be very fragile when they are seedlings, but during the vegetative stage, they grow fast and are tough.

During the vegetative stage, cannabis plants thrive in temperatures between 70-85 degrees Fahrenheit (20-30ºC). This is also the maximum temperature for marijuana grow tent use.

To keep your cannabis happy and healthy during the vegetative stage, you need to do the following:

• Provide water – Water plants when the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch. In containers, make sure water can drain freely out the bottom. In a hydro setup, there will always be plenty of water.
• Nutrients – if providing nutrients to your cannabis plants, start using the included nutrient schedule at ½ strength, and only raise to higher levels of nutrients if needed. Simply add the directed amount of nutrients to your water before giving it to plants or adding to the reservoir. Manage pH levels if using liquid nutrients.
• Provide light – Use your vegetative grow light as directed. Simply turn grow lights on and keep at the recommended distance from the top of your cannabis plants. Outdoors, plants will continue vegetating until days start growing shorter in late summer. Indoors, cannabis plants will stay in the vegetative stage as long as they’re getting 18+ hours of light a day.
• Not too cold, not too hot – Vegetative cannabis plants prefer a comfortable room temperature or slightly warmer. 70-85°F (20-30ºC) is great. Avoid low humidity (below 40% RH) in the vegetative stage if possible. Never allow plants to experience freezing temperatures.
• Air circulation – Make sure cannabis plants get a constant supply of fresh air so plants get the CO2 they need to grow, and keep air moving so there are no hot spots and leaves are always moving/rustling. In a smaller grow tent, you likely only need a single strong exhaust fan to get all the airflow you need. In a bigger grow tent, you will likely also need to add smaller fans within the grow space to help move the air around. Outdoors, you may want to put up windbreaks if it gets too windy so plants aren’t being waved around.

Flowering

Marijuana plants require different temperatures at different stages of their growth. During the flowering stage, the ideal temperature to grow marijuana plants is a little colder than in the vegetative stage. The temperature should be kept between 65-80°F (18-26°C). The second half of the flowering stage is when the temperature should be at its coolest. This helps your marijuana plants produce flowers with rich colour, as well as increased trichomes, denser buds, and a more potent smell.

If the temperature is above 85°F during the flowering stage, bud growth will be stunted, which may result in airy and loose buds. The potency and smell of your buds may also be reduced. Maintaining the right temperatures during the flowering stage is crucial if your goal is to produce densely packed buds and/or buds with high THC.

If you are growing marijuana in a grow room, keep in mind that the maximum temperature for marijuana grow tent success is 85°F. Temperatures higher than this will result in the plant's death. When the marijuana grow room temperature is above 85°F, photosynthesis will be affected; however, the plant will still produce sugar. For the sugars to be distributed throughout the plant, the plant temperature should be above 60°F. In the case of sugars, heat is a good thing. If the plant is not warm enough, the sugars will be stuck, and the plant will suffer. Once the plant is warm enough, the sugars will be distributed to their respective places.

When growing outdoors, the ideal temperature is a little cooler. Marijuana outdoor grow temperature is best when it is close to 60°F.

Harvesting

Saying goodbye is never easy. However, your cannabis plant knows when it’s her time. And your nose will too. As her buds finish developing, that classic scent that she is known for will come out in force.

It is time to harvest your weed when:

• The colour of the stigmas (the hair-like structures coming off the buds) you want these to be 80% or more to have turned from white to orange/red/brown
• The colour of the trichomes (the yummy crystals on the buds) you want these to turn from clear to milky/cloudy with just a few amber.

The most accurate judge of readiness to harvest are her trichomes. These yummy crystals are the key to it all but can only be seen with magnification. Peak THC is found when the trichomes are milky/cloudy in colour and have rounded, mushroom-shaped heads. When they get amber, THC is degrading to another cannabinoid, CBN.

Harvest by removing any remaining fan leaves, cutting down each branch, and hanging the branches upside down to dry in a dark place with a humidity of around 50%, and a temperature of around 65℉.

After Harvesting

After harvesting cannabis, the next crucial step is drying. The process typically involves hanging the plant upside down to dry for around 5-14 days in a dark, cool, and dry space with constant airflow. This method is known as hang drying and is preferred when the entire plant is harvested at once.

Alternatively, if you opt for dry trimming, the cut plants are hung up to dry for several days before trimming.

Curing Cannabis

When it comes to keeping your cannabis flowers fresh and potent, you’ve got two main paths: curing them indoors or outdoors.

To harvest weed Indoors, you’re the boss of humidity and temperature, making it simpler to hit that sweet spot. Aim to keep the humidity between 40% and 60% to keep your cannabis buds in prime condition. Too damp and you’ll lose flavour and potency. Too dry and your buds will get brittle.

Curing cannabis outside? To harvest outdoor weed, you’ve got to be a bit of a weather watcher. Too cold and your buds might take their sweet time to cure, possibly losing some kick. Too hot and they’ll dry out too fast, zapping away flavour and strength. Oh, and if you choose to cure outside, dodge that direct sunlight; it’s a fast track to dried-out, flavourless cannabis buds.

Storage

Once your buds are dry after you harvest cannabis, it’s time to stash them right. Grab a non-transparent jar, like those trusty glass or mason jars, to store your buds. Tuck them away in a cool, dark place to keep them fresh and potent for as long as possible.

Frequently asked questions