Homegrowing from Seeds Part 3:
Planting and Growing
Hey folks! As the Canadian winter we all just endured teases its eventual end, it’s time for those of a gardening inclination to begin planting their gardens; filling them with beautiful flowers, lush vegetables and of course, cannabis. If you’ve been following along with our blog posts, you should be ready to take your germinated seeds and get those little lovelies into the grow medium you’ve chosen. If you have no idea what a germinated seed or a grow medium is, check out our other posts to get all caught up!
What you need
Aside from the seeds and planting medium, we’re going to want to make sure we’ve got everything we need to start our plant out right. That means procuring the right fertilizers to enrich the soil and bolster the plant while it’s in the vegetative stage (that’s the first stage after growing from it’s seed but before it begins flowering) and the right combination of nutrients to boost it’s trichome production and yield during the flowering stage.
What to do
This stage of home growing cannabis from seeds is simple. You’re going to take your seedlings and plant them in the grow medium you have selected, whether it be a pot filled with loam or your soil of choice or your garden. It is absolutely essential that you handle the seedlings with the delicacy of a golden retriever carrying an egg. Those little guys are super sensitive at this stage and very vulnerable to shock and distress. The outer shell has been compromised through the process of germination and won’t protect the little plant inside as effectively so it’s up to you to take extra precautions when moving the seed from its germination environment to your grow medium.To make a happy little home for your seeds, simply take your finger and make a hole in the middle of your grow medium. The hole should be about a quarter inch deep or so, deep enough to allow the root to take hold but not so deep that the little guy gets lost in there. With your hole made, carefully transfer the germinated seedling into the hole then cover it gently with a bit of soil from the grow medium.
Now what?
Now it’s time to play the waiting game and let nature take its course (with a little boost from our nutrients and soil boosting fertilizers). You’re going to want to keep a close eye on your plant to make sure it’s getting the appropriate amounts of nitrogen and other compounds that it’s going to need at different volumes throughout its life cycle. This is called the read and feed method, whereby your read what your plant needs based on different factors like color and adjust the levels of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus that you’re feeding it. This is the method used by gardeners and growers for a multitude of different plants, to best accommodate what the plant needs in the moment. For example, if your plants leaves are starting to look a bit white instead of the lush green color you’re aiming for during the vegetative stage, that means you need to use nutrients to bolster the amount of nitrogen that your plant is getting.You’re also going to want to make sure your plant is getting the water it needs; if you see the soil around the plants has dried out, give it a drink. Make sure to pay attention to the weather and other factors so that you can accommodate changes in your climate and surroundings. For example, if there isn’t enough rain (or too much) you compensate accordingly. However, if you see that the leaves on your plants have started to droop, that’s your indication that they’ve been overwatered.If all of this seems overwhelming and you’re not sure what path to follow and consider yourself plant illiterate, never fear! Many companies that produce fertilizers and nutrients for cannabis growing also provide detailed guides on when, and how to proceed with feeding your plants. Between that, the vast wealth of online tutorials and resources and your friendly budtenders at Circa 1818, you should have everything you need to bring your growing game to the next level.Check out our seeds and nutrients here!