Here’s How to Legally Grow Marijuana at Home

People use marijuana for a variety of reasons. Some use it for recreation, socializing, and to generally improve their quality of life. Others use it to manage mental and physical problems. Marijuana can be expensive to buy, so many people are considering growing it at home. Below are a few tips for growing marijuana at home.

Why Use Marijuana?

Marijuana, or cannabis, is used to treat a variety of medical conditions, and there is an increasing number of people who want to grow marijuana. Many people claim that it helps with nausea, anxiety, pain, insomnia, and muscle spasms. Cannabis can help treat cancer, arthritis, AIDS/HIV, multiple sclerosis, ADHD, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Sometimes, marijuana is more effective and has fewer side effects than traditional medications. 

Legalization of Marijuana

One of the most important facts to know before growing marijuana is the legality of growing marijuana in your state. Each state varies slightly in what it allows and does not allow, so be sure to check individual state laws. 

Needed Materials

Like most plants, marijuana needs light to grow. This can be through natural sunlight or grow lights. Marijuana plants also need moderate temperatures—not too hot and not too cold. The plants thrive when there is slight air movement and a good growing medium. Cannabis plants grow best when nutrients are added to the water or composted naturally. The plants also require regular watering.

Marijuana can be grown either indoors or outdoors. Growing indoors has benefits, such as growers being able to control the environment and the amount of water and nutrients added. Growing indoors also provides more privacy for growers. However, growing plants outdoors allows more space to grow more plants and may be less labor intense since the sun and rain can meet a lot of the plant’s natural needs. 

Growing Marijuana

First, it is necessary to germinate marijuana seeds. They can be placed in a starter cube and kept damp and warm. The seeds will start to sprout in three to seven days. Seeds can also be germinated by placing them between two moist paper towels.

Once the plant is germinated, it can be planted in the soil or growing medium where it can grow large and leafy. It will need 18 to 24 hours of light each day for maximum growth. 

The next stage is the flowering stage when the plant will begin to produce buds. Reduce the light now to just 12 hours a day. In about two weeks, the flowers will start to have buds that can be identified as either male or female. Take out the male plants, which are the ones with a pollen sac without any white hairs. White, wispy hairs are present with female plants, and these are the ones to keep. 

Once most of the hairs on the plants begin to turn brown and curly, it’s time to harvest them. Cut the glittery buds and hang them upside down in a cool, dark place with lots of air movement so they can dry properly. Once the buds are dried, they should be cured. For this process, fill a jar about 3/4 full with the dry buds. Open the jars once a day to introduce fresh air and release any moisture.

Keep the marijuana in a cool, dry place for long-term storage. It’s not as difficult as it seems at first. Follow these steps for a first, successful cannabis harvest.