Indoor or Outdoor? Now that the US has given us a guide on Hemp (see our post on the USDA) effective March 22, 2021. For those who would like to try their hand at Hemp, remember now we should follow the instruction of law. Aside from that, what is a good process to get going?
The very first thing you’ll need to do is decide if you want to grow your plants inside or outside.
Of course, indoor grown CBD flowers will be of superior quality, but it takes more work and a larger initial investment.
Choosing to grow inside also depends largely on if you have enough space to pull it off. A nice sized closet would work, where you can hook up some lights and the plants will have enough room to grow both in height and width, but be mindful of your electric use outside the growroom, as your utility bills will go up significantly.
If you plan to grow outside, you’ll want to get familiar with your gardening zone, this will help you determine when to plant your crop for best results. Gardening zones in the United States are listed as 1-9, with 1 being the coldest and 9 being the hottest. Typically, somewhere between zones 6 and 8 will be optimal, but you can grow quite a bit in zone 9 if you have an adequate watering source.
Some areas might not be suitable for growing CBD Flowers outside at all, so bear that in mind when doing your research. Another option that’s becoming increasing popular is growing CBD hemp flowers in a greenhouse. Greenhouses replicate the atmosphere of an indoor grow, to an extent, and will save you a lot of money in energy costs. They allow for year-round cultivation in a climate controlled environment where you can regulate the sunlight exposure as you wish.
If I were to choose an option, I’d personally go with the greenhouse.
Once you’ve settled on where you want to grow your plants, you’ll need to get everything set up. That starts with deciding what strain/s you want to grow. Cultivation methods for CBD hemp flowers can vary depending on the strain you’re growing. Do you want a regular strain or an autoflowering strain? Indica, sativa, or hybrid?
Any specific strains you like better than others? Let’s take a quick look at how each of these options might impact your grow-op or your final product.
Picking a Strain
We’ll start with regular strains vs autoflowering. With CBD flower plants, there are 2 main stages of the growing cycle: the vegetative stage and the flowering stage. The transition from one stage to the next requires changes in the plant’s light cycle. When growing outside, you’ll need to make sure you plant in the correct season, so your plants go into the vegetative stage when time “springs forward”.
If you’re growing inside, you’ll need different colored light bulbs to replicate the changes. With autoflowering strains, well, they switch to the flowering stage automatically without any assistance from external light sources.
These strains are typically more user-friendly and would be ideal for the novice grower, but generally speaking, the quality of the buds is not quite as good as with regular strains. The next step is to pick an actual strain.
You’ll need to decide if you want indica, sativa, or hybrid – although let’s be honest, these days, nearly all strains are hybrids; but more on that another time. Also, do you want a specific CBD hemp flower strain or are you O.K. with something random and new? This is the easy part since it really all boils down to personal preference.
For the record, a few easy to grow strains are Blue Dream, Green Crack, and Harlequin.
Getting Set Up Seeds or Clones? Seeds have more options but much more difficult. Clones are easier to grow but can be harder to find and sketchy to transport depending on where you live.
If you choose to start from seed, the first thing you will need to do is get your plant sprouted. If you’re buying good quality seeds from a trusted seedbank, you can go ahead and put the seeds straight into the soil and let them do their thing.
If you receive some seeds and want to test their viability before putting planting them directly, you can germinate the seed by putting in a damp paper towel, in a warm place with indirect sunlight.
I use a window where there is an overhang from the roof. Direct sunlight is often too strong for germinating seeds and even for young, barely sprouted plants.
Now when it comes to actual growing equipment, that will vary based on the growing method you choose (indoor, outdoor, soil, hydro, aeroponic, etc.), or the climate you live in if you choose to grow outdoors.
That said, here are a few basic items you will likely need no matter where or how you plan on growing: Growing tent (with built in ventilation system) Lights (with different color and wattage bulbs to for the flower stage)
Soil, coco coir, or another planting medium, Filtration fixtures
Timers, Thermometer, Hydrometer Pots and other basic gardening tools
You can get all of these items for about $500 to $750, again, depending on your geographic location as well as what exactly you need.
If you’re growing inside, you’ll need to account for the higher utility bills as well.
This all might sound a bit pricey, but keep in mind, this is just the initial investment.
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In the long run, you will save money not having to buy flower and you will have much more control over the final product. After getting the initial items together, we are now ready to move forward and find that seed that will satisfy the government regulations and your foot in the soil.
