By: Lawrence Yung
Growing your own cannabis is easier today than it has ever been. There is a wealth of information out there that can help aid you in the process. I recently moved to San Diego, and one of my goals was to learn horticulture to grow my own cannabis. Trust me when I say I am no expert. If you do your research and follow directions, it’s a relatively easy process. As a first time grower, here are a few things you may want to consider before you begin your horticulture journey.
One of the first things to consider is where you are going to grow. This is an important decision because where you grow impacts the yield of the plant. Are you going to grow indoors or outdoors? What’s your budget? How much space will you need for your grow? Are you going to set up more than one tent? Do you want to do a traditional soil grow? Conversely, do you want to do a hydroponic setup? These questions serve as a baseline for your grow but ultimately depend on your preference as a first-time grower.
Once you have selected where you want to grow, you will then want to decide the method of how you’re are going to grow. The Internet serves as an excellent resource differentiating traditional soil grows, and deep water culture or a hydroponic. As a first timer, there can be information overload as to which route to take. I found most of my information at growweedeasy.com. This is one of the best informational sources out there in my opinion. This site breaks down these options for a novice, like myself, to better understand what was best for my situation. I was able to educate myself on everything I needed for my grow for a successful start. This site provided great insights that I had not previously considered. For example, will the area have access to fresh air? It highlighted the pros and cons of each method, some of which had not crossed my mind. The site referenced some great stuff on there. I highly recommend it.
I’ll explain which route I took and why, and provide some examples of where to find the information. Growing can be financially straining. The acquisition of materials can be costly. Having a growing partner has its financial benefits. Lastly, what better bonding experience is there than to grow weed with a trustworthy friend to learn and grow with? In my opinion, this is a solid start to a successful grow. Winning all around!
You are probably wondering which route I took and why. Let me explain. We decided to do a hydroponic grow. We wanted to get a high yield but were limited with space. Many of us face this issue in small apartments. Networking with friends to see what materials you can borrow is beneficial as well. We were able to acquire pieces of equipment through friends. This alleviated the cost of buying other equipment that was necessary for our grow.
Like I said it’s all about preference and this method made the most sense for us. There was a sale at San Diego Hydro, where we were able to purchase what we needed at a great price. If you are local to the San Diego area, I would check these guys out. The staff was very knowledgeable and helpful and gave some great advice. We were going to use clear tubing in our hydro set up, and a guy suggested that we use solid tubing to avoid algae build up. Whether you have specific questions on your grow or you are a novice just entering the industry, San Diego Hydro is an excellent opportunity to speak with someone in person and walk away with tons knowledge setting you up for success.
Do you want a kit or do you want to purchase each part individually? You can easily find a kit online; it will have everything you need, and you don’t need to worry about compatibility. You can Google “grow kit”, or check good ol’ Amazon. However, this will probably cost a lot of money. Do not be fooled by price tags. A higher price tag of a product does not yield a more profitable product. In my experience, the cheaper products often times work just as well. I would lean toward researching what you need and acquiring the pieces individually. I think this is a good place to start.
