Marijuana Grower's Handbook

by Ed Rosenthal

  •Dust that has accumulated on leaves can affect the efficiency of the plants ability to photosynthesize and should be removed. It may block light and clog the stomata through which plants exchange gasses.

  Photo: SUBCOOL

  YOUR GOALS

  Marijuana is one of the most useful plants on the planet. I speculate that it fascinates and intrigues us mainly due to its enjoyable effect on our consciousness and its gentle nature as a medicine. Many view it through anthropomorphic filters as an ally because of its unique characteristics.

  A flowering marijuana plant’s life span is about 70 days; the life span of humans is about 70 years. You might say that each day of a plant’s life is the equivalent of a year in a human life. Cannabis, like humans, grows better, healthier, bigger and stronger with careful nurturing, proper nourishment and a rich quality of life. Its health is a product of its environment as well as its genetics.

  Cannabis is the only annual plant that is dioecious. A plant has only one sex, and like humans you can usually tell the difference. In both species the female form is considered the more beautiful. Other annuals are monoecious—sometimes growing separate flowers for each sex on the same plant or else having both sexes contained in the same flower.

  Finally like humans, cannabis easily adapts. First it traveled around the world from its origins in the Himalayas. Then it moved indoors and became higher yielding and easier to grow.

  That’s why gardeners often name individual plants, refer to them by gender, and think of their plants as good friends, although risky ones to hang with (the kind you don’t take home to mother). Don’t you just love this plant?

  We choose to grow marijuana for many reasons. The majority of us grow marijuana because we want the satisfaction of smoking the fruits of our own labor.

  Some gardeners are interested in experiencing new varieties and new ranges of aromas, tastes and highs.

  Medical patients want to maintain a fresh supply of bud with specific qualities to treat specific illnesses. In areas where there are no legal dispensaries, patients are simply stuck with what they can get. Growing your own allows you to be strain-specific.

  Patients often grow their medicine because they require a large supply. If they have financial constraints, a personal garden is less expensive than buying.

  Some patients require medicine with specific qualities to treat a condition. For example, patients often treat chronic pain or inflammation with indica varieties that offer pain relieving, sedating highs. Anxiety and depression is often treated using a sativa.

  Many people have never grown plants that they then consumed, nor have they seen up close a vital, productive garden that is used to feed people.

  Creating your own produce, whether indoors or out, is a fascinating, awe-inspiring experience. Think of plants as a totally alien life form that help form a portion of gaia—the living planet. After incorporating portions of photosynthesizing bacteria into their cells, plants transformed most of the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide to oxygen. They developed co-habitational relationships with animals, which are almost totally dependent on them for food. Without plants, no animals.

  The most fascinating part for me is how plants adapt to their environment. Animals have a nervous system to sense the environment and mobility to deal with danger. Plants are dependent on a different set of bio-chemical and electrical cues to sense the environment and react to it. One might find it hard to relate to them as living beings, but their reaction to environmental cues can be as instantaneous as our reaction to pain. As you tend the garden, step back once in a while to watch the plants and feel the vibrancy of their life and existence.

  Caregivers cultivate for their patients. Their gardens should be designed to accommodate multiple strains to meet each of their patient’s needs.

  Another good reason to begin a garden is just for the joy of gardening. People who buy most of their produce at a grocery store may also have a kitchen garden. You may choose to add marijuana to the plant selection. It might be small, on a windowsill or balcony or larger in a backyard or indoor garden. This garden may not meet all your needs and is not grown out of necessity, but as a hobby. Like gardeners who grow their own produce, you may discover that homegrown is the best.

  Once you are growing you may wish to experiment. Marijuana is fun to use because it responds quickly to environmental changes and has separate sexes. By regulating the light cycle to force flowering earlier you can also regulate the plant’s growth so it fits better in your garden.

  You may live in places where it is extremely risky to grow a cannabis garden. In some states, it is legal to use marijuana as medicine but it is still illegal to grow or dispense it.

  In other states, it is illegal to cultivate, possess or use marijuana. You should consider whether you wish to risk the possibility of being arrested. Is the reward worth the risk? If your goal is to provide others with quality medical marijuana, you must consider the risk of this new set of parameters. Are you prepared to cope with a worst case scenario?

  You may wish to garden in order to breed your own strains. Developing something new and different is always a thrill.

  Whether you are growing a few small plants or contemplating a large garden, think about the repercussions of what you are doing and make sure you really want to proceed.

  Before you design your garden decide your goal: How much marijuana do you want to or are you planning to grow? The answer to this question determines the size of the garden and the time, effort and labor required.

  Separate your fantasies from a realistic assessment of your situation:

  •Do you have the time/interest/finances to set up?

  •Is the location secure?

  •Is your life together enough to care for new dependents, the plants?

  •How about the risk/reward ratio? Is it in your favor or in the red zone?

  •Test your goals in your mind and investigate the situation around you to make sure they are realistic. Then, continue with caution. Keep your eyes open and tune your antennae to its sensitive mode.

  In the preceding chapters, the factors affecting plant growth were described and methods of meeting plant and garden needs were discussed. It’s time to put it all together and to give the garden life.

  "If Mary wanna play around, She likes to spread her love and turn your head around."

  Lyrics: Rick James, "Mary Jane"

  LIGHT, SPACE AND YIELD

  Once you have decided on your goals you can begin to design your garden. Yield is based on the convergence of the genetic potential of the plant and the environmental conditions the plant experiences.

  Indoors, all the limiting factors—light, nutrients, water, temperature and carbon dioxide—are under your control and each plays a part in determining yield. In indoor gardens light, CO2 and temperature are the main variables in determining yield.

  Using modern varieties that ripen in 7-9 weeks, gardeners can expect yields in the described range. The wide range is the result of the large variation in yield of different varieties, differences in the productivity of growing methods, and the plants’ environment.

  Each watt of HPS light input produces a yield of between 3⁄8 and one gram of bud.

  •A 150w lamp produces a yield of 50-135 grams. This lamp is not as efficient as larger watt lamps, resulting in lower yield.

  •A 250w lamp produces a yield of 85-225 grams. This lamp is not as efficient as larger watt lamps, resulting in lower yield.

  •A 400w lamp produces a yield of between 130-350 grams, that is, a little less per gram than a 1000w lamp because they do not produce as much light per watt as the larger lamps.

  •A 600w lamp produces a yield of about 250-660 grams. The 600w is the most efficient of the HPS lamps.

  •A 1000w lamp produces a yield of about 375-1000 grams.

  Metal halide lamps are not as efficient as HPS lamps and yield about 10% less bud than HPS lamps of equivalent wattage. However, metal halides emit some
UVB light, which increases potency.

  CFL lamps emit about 35-25% less light per watt than HPS lamps.

  T-5 fluorescents emit about 25% less light per watt than HPS lamps. They may have better spectrums and definitely have more even light distribution but can only be placed four per linear foot (12 per meter) using commercial fixtures.

  T-8 fluorescents emit about 30% less light per watt than HPS lamps. Their width prohibits their use at more than two tubes per foot (0.3 m) of width.

  OUTDOORS

  Outdoors in full sun you can expect between 1⁄3 and one ounce per sq ft of canopy. The area of the space that is covered with vegetation is the main determinant of yield. The height of the plants doesn’t matter: light does not penetrate the canopy. Whether the light is hitting a level surface or meeting the surface at differing heights, it covers the same amount of surface area.

  GARDEN SIZE: LIGHTING & YIELD

  With an indoor garden it is unlikely that nutrients or water will be a limiting factor. That leaves CO2, light and temperature. Since it is easy to control temperature, and with many small gardens it is easy to provide at least ambient CO2 levels by simply opening a door, that leaves light as a variable factor. The calculations in the last column are based on the amount of light that the plants receive and the variability of the varieties and growing methods. (The low figure is calculated as one-quarter gram per watt of the lowest wattage advised. The high figure is based on one gram per watt of the highest wattage). With some setups you may use a combination of HPS lamps and fluorescents or LEDs, see LEDs.

  There are a number of reasons for the variability of yield:

  •VARIETIES: Varieties differ in their yields. Some produce a moderate yield, some are high yielders.

  •LIGHT: The amount of light that your plants receive can also affect yield, and this varies by region.

  •WEATHER: Local conditions affect light as well. Sunny areas receive more light than areas with cloud cover.

  •SHADE: Plants that are partially shaded get less light. Gardens in autumn are more likely to be shaded.

  •TEMPERATURE: Cold (less than 70˚ F (20˚ C)) and hot (greater than 85-90˚ F (32˚ C)) weather inhibit growth by slowing photosynthesis and stressing the plant.

  •WATER STRESS: Too little water slows growth. Even though a plant might have enough water to never wilt, a slight deficiency slows growth by costing the plant more energy to draw it up as the soil clings tighter to the water molecules.

  •OTHER FACTORS: Soil, nutrients and gardening techniques.

  LIGHTING THE 25 SQ FT (2.3 SQ M) GARDEN

  In California individuals are allowed to grow an indoor garden of 25 sq ft (2.3 sq m). There are several ways that this can be configured. Each of these configurations has its advantages and disadvantages, but all of them can be used to grow productive marijuana gardens.

  Sativa plants require about 66 watts per sq ft (700 watts per sq m).

  Sativa-indica hybrids do best at 60 watts per sq ft (640 watts per sq m) but grow well at about 50 watts per sq ft (535 watts per sq m).

  Indicas grow well on 40-45 watts per sq ft (425-480 watts per sq m). They grow bigger, tighter buds at a higher wattage.

  GARDEN SHAPES AND LIGHTING

  A SQUARE: 5’ x 5’ (152 x 152 cm)

  A RECTANGLE: 6’ x 4’ (183 x 122 cm) Same lighting as the square. Any combination of HPS lamps using light movers that travel back and forth about one foot (30 cm), use three or four 400 watt lamps.

  A RECTANGLE: 12’ x 2’ (366 x 61 cm), Use three or four 400 watt stationary lamps stationary, or two 600w or 750w lamps that each traverse a 6' (182 cm) distance back and forth using light movers.

  A CIRCLE: Diameter 5.5' (168 cm) (The size of many inexpensive hard plastic kiddie pools). Any combination of HPS lamps.

  PLANT SIZE & NUMBER: GROWING IN THE LIMITS

  In the discussion of yield in the previous chapter the main determinants of yield were neither the amount of space nor the number of plants. The reason for this is that whether plants are grown in a smaller or larger space given the same amount of light, they will produce approximately the same yield. A single plant that covers the canopy or a group of plants covering the same area produce approximately the same yield.

  Nevertheless, plant count and area are the two measurements that are used to regulate legal medical and civilly regulated cannabis cultivation. The federal government uses plant count in determining the severity of the crime and punishment.

  These laws and regulations have no scientific basis. They were concocted by cops and law enforcement types rather than by horticulturists, botanists, medical doctors or anyone else who might have expertise or technical information to lend.

  The inherent unscientific nature of these two measurement systems is obvious to the experienced marijuana gardener. A plant can be forced to flower at any time by regulating the lighting regime. Therefore, a very small plant that has just germinated and a plant that has grown vegetatively for six months are each counted as single plants. Yet one plant might yield a quarter ounce and the other more than a pound (7g-0.5 k).

  The same objections can be made regarding area measurements. No matter whether a space is lit by a few fluorescents or several 1000w HPS lamps, only the area is measured. Yet one garden has the potential to yield considerably more than the other.

  The only regulations that would pass scientific scrutiny would consider the wattage of the indoor garden and plant variety. Outdoors, the average amount of light and the size of the garden canopy would have to be taken into account. Unfortunately, we must deal with the regulations as they are written.

  Various state laws allow patients to grow six, eight, or ten plants. Other laws permit a garden of only 32 or 100 sq ft (10 or 30 sq m).

  Laws and regulations sometimes also include provisions regarding how much ready-to-use medicine you are allowed to possess. Usually these limits are low. This limits the strategies available to the gardener.

  The federal government has a 99-plant cut-off. Mandatory 5-year sentences are imposed for growing 100 or more plants.

  PLANT LIMIT GROWING STRATEGIES

  Most restrictions determined by plant count allow between six and ten plants. Sometimes the regulations also limit the amount of marijuana that the patient or gardener is allowed to possess.

  The solution to plant limits is to grow very large plants that produce heavy yields. If there are also limits on the amount that can be possessed at a time, then the plants should be harvested consecutively, one at a time. Ripe plants are removed and new plants placed into the flowering room.

  Since marijuana flowering is regulated by the light regimen, plants can be forced to flower at any size. To harvest large plants they must grow vegetatively until they get to a suitable size. With the appropriate variety you can grow very large plants.

  A garden that is being grown under a six plant regulatory process with nominal possession limits requires some strategizing. Since the number of plants allowed is limited, yield is dependent on the size and ultimately the productivity of each plant.

  This is accomplished by keeping the plant growing in the vegetative stage for several months. It shares a 1000w HPS with three other plants growing vegetatively until it grows a canopy with a three foot (0.9 m) diameter, which takes about three months. At this point the plant is large enough to be placed under its own 600w HPS and to be forced to flower by changing the light regimen to 12 hours of light/12 of darkness. The plant continues to grow during the first few weeks of flowering and fills out a space with a diameter of 4 feet (1.21 m) or more. If feasible, during the last month of flowering it is placed under a 1000w lamp.

  The yield from a garden like this, between one and one and a half pounds (0.45-0.68 k) a month may be more medicine than you require. The easiest way of cutting back the size of the plants is to eliminate some of the time plants stay in the vegetative stage. Because yield is directly related to the size of the plant at initiation of flowering, larger plan
ts yield more bud.

  When there are legal constraints on space but not plant counts, consider growing many small plants. They spend less time in the vegetative cycle so they yield faster, with less effort.

  This system requires three lights. A 1000 watt for vegetative a 600 watt for the first month of flowering and another 600 watt or a 1000 watt for the last month of flowering.

  A system growing smaller plants and resulting in a smaller yield can be powered by either a 400 or 600 watt lamp for vegetative growth and a 600 watt or preferably a 1000 watt lamp for flowering. Plants are kept in vegetative growth until they cover a canopy of about 4 sq ft (0.4 sq m), an area of 2' x 2' (0.6 x 0.6 m). Then they are moved to the flowering section. The flowering room holds two plants that were placed in the section a month apart. One plant ripens each month. Expect a yield of one half to one pound (0.25-0.5 k).

  A yield of one half to one pound (0.25-0.5 k) a month may exceed your needs. You can downsize the garden once more. Use a 250w HPS lamp or a bank of four T-5 fluorescent lights to grow the plants vegetatively. Keep four plants in the vegetative section. Keep two plants in the flowering section under a 400 watt lamp. The yield for this garden is 4-6 ounces (113-170 g) a month.

  (For smaller gardens, see Designing the Space.)

  With this ten-plant garden one or two plants are harvested each month. If you use the same lights and the same amount of power, you will find that the two plant harvests are 10-20% higher than the single plant yields. To increase the yield further increase the number of lights in the finishing stages so the plants can spread out for increased yield.