Growing Marijuana for Busy People: A Short Guide Not everyone can dedicate a lot of time in their garden. Today’s lifestyle is demanding and many of us are simply too busy to tend to our indoor marijuana crop as often as we’d like. If you want to pick up growing as a hobby, you may be asking yourself whether you actually have enough time to grow. The answer is yes! Even though marijuana will always need your attention and care, you can save a significant amount of time by making adjustments in key aspects of your grow. Use Nutrients Wisely (and Sparingly) Nutrients are an important part of every grow. Especially in hydroponic mediums, where plants are completely dependent on the grower for all of its essential nutrient intakes. There is a great selection of multi-functional nutrient mixes on the market, that claim to have beneficial effects. You will hear much about their effectiveness and it is true that many growers across the globe use them. However, when it comes to nutrient supplements, it is best to keep it simple. Ignore all-purpose products and stick to a basic line of cannabis-specialized products instead. Not only will you prevent possible nutrient burns, but you will also save a lot of time, not having to deal with elaborate product descriptions and bottles. Save your time for the things that really matter and don’t fall for the hype! You can read more about nutrients and their correct doses. Use a Growing Style that Suits your Needs There is more than one way to grow cannabis! In fact, there are several and each come with its own pros and cons. Nevertheless, our goal here is to save you some time so the choices are pretty clear. We will present them below, from quickest to most time consuming. 1. Deep Water Culture (DWC) Hydroponic methods are generally less time consuming and promote quicker plant growth. The only thing you have to do is add the necessary nutrients. DWC keeps the roots submerged in an oxygenated water/nutrient mixture. The system consists of an immersed vessel that holds the plant in place above the water level. The roots hang down into the oxygenated water, having complete access to nutrients and oxygen, which are dissolved in the water. This setup leads to faster growth and, since this method uses a container, you can save some time by not mixing nutrients as often as you would with any other hydro method. 2. Super Soil Soil-based grows are significantly less fast than hydroponics, but soil has the added benefit of growing more independent plants. If tended correctly, soil can save you a lot of time in the long run, eliminating the need of supplement nutrients. Super soil simulates your plants’ natural environment and makes them feel right at home! With no added “nutrient alchemy” required, you just have to water your plant, saving considerable chunks of time. There are two options when it comes to super soil: you can either make your own compost -not recommended for busy people! -, or you can simply buy a pre-made mixture. They are available in Home Depot and all similar stores. This is obviously more expensive, and after all, time is money! 3. Coco Coir Although plants grow quicker in coco than in soil, we ranked this as the most time consuming for a reason. Coconut fiber offers some of the cushioning capacity of soil, drains well, retains enough moisture to be useful, but has little nutrient content. This means that you will spend quite a lot of time mixing nutrients every day. Learn more about growing mediums. Use Quality Grow Lights Lighting is the most important component of your plant’s life and it makes sense to pick the ones suitable for your grow. The right choice becomes all the more important when time is also a factor. Every light type has its own benefits. CFLs are best suited to small grows, while HID lights (HPS, MH) are powerful enough to light up an airplane hangar! LEDs are much more versatile, but they are still new to the market. However, they have shown their capabilities and are trusted by an increasing number of growers. When it comes to saving time, you want a light that doesn’t need a lot of readjustment as time passes. Your plant is a growing entity and as time goes by, less powerful lights might prove impractical. CFLs, for example, have low light penetration, which means that light can’t get everywhere. You could solve this problem by training your plants to grow wider rather than higher, but this is also time-consuming. Also, having to re-adjust your lights every now and then is not very convenient as well. So, when it comes to saving time, it would be best to go with quality LED or HID lights. These setups need much less tinkering and they offer better results. Just make sure that your plants won’t grow directly onto them! We love grow lights! Check out our in-depth grow lights review! Use Genetics to Your Advantage Modern-day seedbanks have raised the stakes in producing quality strains. These days there is something for everyone on the market: whether you are looking for high THC or CBD cannabis, hybrids, or just plants with pretty colors, there is a great chance you will find something suitable. Needless to say, there are also strains that were engineered to grow at super-speeds (among other traits). The fastest possible choice is to go for an autoflowering strain. Contrary to their regular (photoperiod) counterparts, you don’t have to induce flowering by changing the light schedule. These seeds are “programmed” to start producing buds after less than a month and they are ready to harvest in roughly 8-12 weeks. Combined with some (or all) of the methods above, the right genetics can play a significant role in reducing the amount of time you spend in your garden. See our favorite seedbanks here! Popular Fast Growing Strains Strain Genetics Time Until Harvest Sweet Tooth Mainly Indica 8-9 Weeks LA Confidential Indica Dominant 7-8 Weeks Swiss Cheese Indica/Sativa 8 Weeks Afghani #1 Indica 7 Weeks Fruity Juice Sativa/Indica 7-9 Weeks Browse through our massive seeds database to find out a strain that suits your needs! Read, Learn, Grow! We can’t stress this enough: as eager as you may be, put some effort into researching before you do anything. It’s not nerdy, it’s not un-cool and you will save a lot of time in the long run. Read books, browse websites, and follow grow journals on the forums. Nobody was born an expert. Throwing money at overpriced equipment is not going to solve everything either. The key is to always know what you are doing and what you want to achieve; this way, you will me able to achieve more, with less time investment. Short Guide for Busy People We have prepared an even shorter version of our short guide, for people that are really busy! Here is the TL;DR version of the above article. Keep nutrient intake simple; Try growing in DWC or Super Soil; Get lights with high penetration; Choose a strain with the right genetics; Research!
