Top 10 Common Mistakes Made By New High Potency Hemp Growers

As a new grower, you are probably excited to finally start growing your own cannabis. Beware though! Here are the top 10 common mistakes new growers make. If you avoid these pitfalls, it may help you stay out of trouble and save you some money in the process. Knowledge, as the adage goes, is a powerful weapon.

1. Improper Genetics Use

This first one is probably the most common mistake of new growers. Choosing genetics that are not suited to your growing area and conditions is a sure-fire way to get yourself into serious trouble fast. It won’t matter what you do as far as nutrients, backups, or environmental controls if your plants just don’t like living there. There’s only so much you can do without dealing with some kind of compromise. This is why it pays so well to pick out quality genetics from breeders who have proven themselves over time.

2. pH Balance Must Be Maintained

Leaving pH until the end or just testing it before watering your plants is a major mistake. Not only will adjusting pH be more difficult if you wait, but why would you want to put work into something when the result could have been avoided in the first place? Test and adjust 5-7 days before your feeding schedule. If you are using soil or soilless mixes, adjust with ground-up dolomite lime. The better way of achieving this for hydroponics is by ensuring that the water entering your system has come from an area where there are no iron salts (i.e. no rusty pipes).

3. Not Researching or Preparing Beforehand

This is less of a “mistake” and more of something that makes getting started easier. Do some research and be prepared to deal with problems that may arise during your first growth; if you don’t know the answers, you’ll need to find them before it’s too late. A first-time grower is very likely to run into a problem or two, and not knowing what those problems are can make things more challenging.

4. Using the Wrong Soil

This is another pretty common mistake. People either buy soil that is not suited to plants or they ignore the problems associated with coco coir, peat, worm castings, etc. Soil should be free of parasites and cannabis seeds (and it’s possible to sterilize your own), but peat moss may contain them unless you are certain about where it came from. Coco coir can cause excess salt build-up if you do not flush properly. Most beginner growers make one of these two mistakes when starting out – usually using the wrong soil/medium altogether or trying to use something other than what they need for their growing medium.

5. Overfeeding

This may seem obvious, but it’s a big problem for many new growers. If you are using the Top Feed method (feeding at top of medium), make sure to start off with only diluted nutrient strength until you understand your plant’s needs better. Otherwise, your plants will suffer from a nutrient burn or grow too fast and become very susceptible to diseases down the road. Giving nutrients every 1-2 days is enough until you are more experienced.

6. Overwatering

This is especially common in soil growers that have been scared by “drowning” their plants. The truth is, a plant will tell you when it’s drowning – the leaves go limp and begin to droop no matter how much water you give it. They can’t drown because they have taken up all the water they need from the soil so if your plant wants more, you have nothing to worry about. Top Feed or side-drip feed your plants to keep them consistently moist but not soggy. Short Photoperiod Plants are less likely to suffer from over-watering than Long Photoperiod Plants are.

7. Not Flushing

Flushing means thoroughly rinsing your soil or hydroponic medium to remove all fertilizers and salts before harvest. This will result in a better flavor and smoother smoke. If you do not, you run the risk of nutrient burn, which makes the smoke harsh and unpleasant tasting; it also shortens the life span of your plant (and smoking harsh buds can irritate throat tissue). The best way to avoid this is by using Top Feed, but if you use an automated system make sure that the flushing solution is being used. Flush for 2 weeks before harvesting; 6-8 weeks for hydroponics.

8. Harvesting Too Soon or Too Late

This is a common one for new growers. You want to make sure that your plant isn’t flowering until all the male plants have been removed from the area and the females are showing signs of flowering – these are just general guidelines, but generally speaking you don’t want to harvest too soon or too late. This will result in poor taste and low potency, as well as wasted time and money growing something that won’t get you high. In addition, if you harvest too early, seeds may form before it’s possible to remove them. If this happens, the calyxes become extremely tough and must be cut with a razor blade rather than clipped with scissors so they do not lose their green color.

9.  Disregarding Safety Issues

People get so caught up in growing their own medicine that it’s easy to be less than cautious about safety issues. There are several things you need to take into consideration when you’re growing your weed. Use only extension cords, never plug light directly into the wall and never touch any electrical components while they are plugged in. If high potency hemp is grown outside, make sure it’s not close to any foot traffic or areas where people will be engaging in outdoor activities.

10. Ignoring Security

If you live in an apartment complex, it’s not a good idea to grow cannabis in your window. Even if it is legal for you to do so, keep in mind that they may be illegal according to the building code and/or rental contract you agreed to. If growing outside, make sure there is an abundance of fencing and foliage around your plants – the fewer signs of high potency hemp being grown in the area, the better chance you have of avoiding theft.

Purchase Cannabis Seeds Today

We have a wide variety of high potency hemp seeds available from top quality breeders including Barney’s Farm, Soma Seeds, Dutch Passion, Green House Seeds, and Amsterdam Genetics. We also provide in-depth strain profiles to help growers pick the best strain for them.