Five top tips to grow massive cannabis flowers

1) The grow space

Before you start your indoor grow, the first thing you need to do is find a grow space that meets a number of requirements. It is vital that the space is clean, sanitised and functional, with no signs of previous insanitary conditions (poor structure, recurring issues related to pests and/or pathogens, electrical installations in bad shape, etc).

Make sure the overall state of your chosen space allows you to work in good ergonomic conditions, and that all the equipment can be operated safely. It is paramount that everything works perfectly so you can focus on your objective. It is essential to have a forward-looking approach to prevent setbacks that can slow down or even hinder the success of your project.

2) Choosing the strain

You need to choose a strain with the right yield potential. Best opt for a 100% Indica variety, such as Purple Afghan Kush, or an Indica-dominant hybrid like Critical +, Critical 2.0, Big Kush, Blue Cheese, Critical Cheese, Remo Chemo, Sweet Deep Grapefruit, White Siberian, or White Widow. This applies to both indoor and outdoor grows.

If you choose one of these strains, you'll definitely be off to a good start in reaching your goal. That's why it's really important to reflect on this before making a decision, and to find out about the growth potential and yield capacity of the strain that you've chosen, to fully consider the project's viability.

This information is vital to learn what strain is best suited to your grow space, and to clearly know how and when to act.

Evidently, the more technical information you gather, the more guarantee of success you'll have.

3) Growing methods, trimming and topping

Investing time in compiling precise information about the strains that you're interested in is crucial. This will help you learn in detail about the growing conditions required, as well as the different results you can expect depending on the growing medium selected (substrate, soil, hydroponics, coco coir, or aeroponics).

You will also need to find out about the trimming techniques most suited to your grow. The range of possibilities is immense: SCROG (Screen Of Green), SOG (Sea Of Green), LST (Low Stress Training), FIM (Fuck I Missed!), etc. Depending on the chosen strain, you'll also be able to apply techniques such as Schwazzzz, Supercropping, defoliation, etc.

Before applying these techniques, you need to make sure that you've chosen the right one for your strain. It is always helpful to confirm this with someone you trust who has good experience of the subject. Another option is to run a test on a small part of the plant and see how it reacts. This is a helpful procedure that leads to reliable conclusions.

The aim of this type of technique is to stimulate the plants' phytohormones, particularly auxins and cytokinins, which are responsible for growth. For instance, both topping and pruning the lower leaves guarantee good results with most cannabis strains. That's why it's best to start with these proven techniques, that are often successful, thereby preventing irreversible mistakes.

The topping technique leads to a homogeneous reproduction of new shoots on the top part of the plant, and pruning the lower branches also promotes uniform and abundant production of flowers on the top. These two pruning techniques are simple but very effective and offer satisfactory results in most cases.

Other techniques are a bit more complex, with some leading to extraordinary results but not in all cases. That's why tests need to be run on the same strain with different techniques in advance. This is the only way to ensure their versatility and guarantee reliable data. Otherwise you take the risk of ending up with nasty surprises.

Related post

How to grow giant cannabis plants in pure US style

Read now »

4) Feeding

Knowing the nutritional needs of your plants is another key factor to achieve a successful harvest. And on top of a balanced nutrient supply, a homogeneous substrate as well as good oxygenation, the quality of the irrigation water is also highly important.

Watering is quite an art that you acquire with time. If you have no experience and want to be sure about your choice, choose a traditional fertiliser range. The only way of closely analysing the needs and reactions of your grow, is by watching what happens in your garden on a daily basis. Never forget that excellence is the sum of many factors.

5) Growing equipment

Lighting

The choice of lighting will depend on the design of your installation, but if your structure allows for it, we advise you to use 400W, 600W, or 1000W HPS lamps. These use less energy, generate less heat, and are incredibly efficient for both the growth and flowering phases. There are also some outstanding LED fixtures that guarantee great results, but their real efficiency is more random and you need to inform yourself in advance to be completely sure.

Ventilation

If what you're looking for is a prize-winning crop, then spare no means as far as ventilation is concerned. It is vital to use equipment that promotes good air renewal and circulation. If you stick to this you'll obtain compact, heavy cannabis buds whilst preventing the appearance of pests and diseases. Saving money at this point would therefore be a bad decision as it could have counterproductive effects.

Pots

We advise you to use textile pots as they provide the substrate with greater aeration and oxygenation, and reduce root heating when temperatures are extremely high. And remember: it's always a wise move to take into account the importance of the interrelation and synergy between the different factors and elements present in your growing space.