100 Watt CFL Grow / Update#2: What Should A Marijuana Plant Look Like At 2 Weeks Old?
One of the most common questions asked by novice growers is “What should my plants look like at x days/weeks old?”
Naturally, anyone putting their time and effort into a project wants to have a point of reference against which to judge their own progress (or that of their pants, in this case). The answer is:
Plants will vary in size and appearance depending on a variety of factors: Genetics, soil, lighting, nutrients, temperature, handling, and the elusive “green thumb” factor. As you can imagine, a plant growing outdoors under full sun in June (northern hemisphere) will be a lot bigger at 2 weeks old than a plant growing in a converted computer case running 50 watts of lighting!
In any case, cannabis plants do tend to develop certain physical characteristics at certain times in their life span (first true leaves after 3 – 4 days, alternating nodes after 30+ days of vegetative growth, calyxes and pistils after a week of flowering light schedule, for example). Barring any problems, after two weeks of vegetative growth, you can expect to see a plant with several sets of leaves, and are likely to be able to smell that characteristic “mary jane” smell on your fingers after gently rubbing the leaves.
Don’t be surprised if your plants leaves alternate between “reaching up” towards the light and “sloping downwards” towards the ground – this is normal. Leaf color will range from an intense, deep green to a light yellow-green or “lime” color. What isn’t normal is yellow leaves with stunted-looking new growth, patches of brown or browned edges, dark spots or a mottled look to the leaves, or leaves curling up into a sort of “taco” shape.
Here are some shots from our current 100 Watt CFL grow. A two-week old Dinafem Critical + plant. She’s (yes, “she” – this is the only feminized seed in this grow) looking quite healthy and of good size for the humble 100Watt grow. She’s ready for transplantation into the larger final grow pot.
Next is a picture of a 10-day-old “Royal Queen Seeds Automatic x Double Gum” cross Read More…
100 Watt CFL Grow / Update #1: In The Nursery – Marijuana Seeding Care
[Note: This post is a part of our 100 watt grow journal. See the first post here. Subscribe to follow this grow step-by-step, with tips and tricks along the way. The varieties growing are Dinafem Critical+, and our own house-bred crosses; AK x DG, and RQSAuto x DG. For details on their heritage, see the first post.]
In The Nursery / Under 6500k CFL Bulbs
Just two days after the previous post, the then-sprouting hybrid seeds are enjoying a “sun”bath in 6500k CFL lighting and are now showing their first true leaves. Three 25watt 6500k CFL bulbs are shown in the picture, and one more was moved out of the way for the picture – in total they will be under 100 watts for this grow.
This is a good chance to give you a few more seedling care tips that have occurred to me since the previous post on the topic. I like to start seedlings in soil, rather than in rockwool, special sponge pads, etc. I have had better luck in the past transplanting them into soil when they were started in soil.
In this case, I used some flower potting soil I had handy – which is usually a no-no! Read More…
100 Watt CFL Grow / Dinafem Critical+ And Our Own Hybrids!
(NOTE: This post is the beginning of a series following our 100 Watt CFL demonstration grow from start to finish – seed to harvest. Bookmark or subscribe, and check back for weekly updates. This post is stickied to the home page for the time being, and each update will appear right below this introduction. Thanks for joining us!)
It’s time to show you some step-by-step results from one of the techniques I recommend to home growers in our “How To Grow Cannabis At Home: A Guide To Indoor Medical Marijuana Growing” eBook – a 100 Watt grow using CFL bulbs on just two plants to keep the grow size manageable yet produce enough cannabis for personal use.
Cadets In Training For A 100W CFL Grow.
Growing with 100 Watts of CFL (Compact Florescent Lighting) may not provide you with heaps of buds at the end of the grow, but should be more than enough for your own use for quite some time. Beyond that Read More…
Pineapple Express Grow Problem – What Is Wrong and How To Help.
In a previous post, we mentioned helping a grower who had over-fertilized their Pineapple Express Autoflowering plant. By flushing the soil with plain, room-temperature water, we managed to get the “nutrient burn” under control, and the plant seemed on the way to recovery. Well, we got another call that the plant was not looking well, and this is what we found:
Nutrient-burned and Overheated Pineapple Express Plant
[Writer Glenn Panik’s “How To Grow Cannabis At Home: A Guide To Indoor Medical Marijuana Growing”, is available on iBooks here, for the Amazon Kindle or via Smashwords here. You can also order the ‘stealth title’ of our information-packed ebook for the Kindle here.]
Perhaps you’re here reading this post because this looks familiar to you? The crispy-taco shaped leaves, and general plant malaise?
What is the problem, and how can you save your poor plant? Read More…
Wild Ruderalis Marijuana Plants Grown Indoors – Cannabis Ruderalis
- Wild Cannabis Ruderalis Plant Grown Indoors
[Writer Glenn Panik’s “How To Grow Cannabis At Home: A Guide To Indoor Medical Marijuana Growing”, is available on iBooks here, for the Amazon Kindle or via Smashwords here. You can also order the ‘stealth title’ of our information-packed ebook for the Kindle here.]
Last fall, we collected seeds from wild C. Ruderalis marijuana plants growing along roadsides and in fallow land (see the post here). We planted them early last month, Read More…
Are There Male Autoflowering Marijuana Plants? Can I Make Autoflowering Seeds?
If you are interested in autoflowering marijuana varieties, you have probably noticed that all commercially available seeds are not only autoflowering, but feminized as well. Often referred to as “autofem” varieties, these fast-flowering plants not only provide an easy grow for beginning green-thumbs; they are fast flowering, there’s no danger of messing up Read More…
How To Tell If Marijuana Is Flowering
For first time growers, the most anticipated point in the process of growing your own marijuana is the begin of flowering. During your first grow, you will probably be checking every day to see if you’ve entered the home stretch and can anticipate your first harvest. This post is aimed at first-time growers who are eager to see their first results, and nervous as to whether everything is going the way it should!
The appearance of the fine, white pistils are the first recognizable sign that a marijuana plant has begun flowering – click on the image above to enlarge it and see the pistils in closer detail. The plant in the picture is a feminized, autoflowering “Pineapple Express” plant, and is approximately 5 days into flowering.
7 Marijuana Seedling Grow Tips
Two Day Old AutoBlueberry Seedling
Spring is here in the northern hemisphere and, for home outdoor growers, it’s time to pop those seeds and get this year’s first grow started.
Novice growers should keep a few things in mind to ensure success during the delicate seedling stage. This short article will all but guarantee that your newly-sprouted seeds will soon be on their way to becoming healthy, happy adults. Here’s a list of 7 important tips to get your plants started right: Read More…
High CBD Strains 2013 – Choosing a High CBD Marijuana Strain
[Writer Glenn Panik’s “How To Grow Cannabis At Home: A Guide To Indoor Medical Marijuana Growing”, is available on iTunes here, for the Amazon Kindle or via Smashwords here. You can also order the ‘stealth title’ of our information-packed ebook for the Kindle here.]
As the legalization of medical marijuana makes headway into many states in the USA, the medical use of cannabis is finally gaining understanding and acceptance in both the public eye and the medical community. Finally, patients suffering from sleep and eating disorders, nausea, IBD, Crohns Disease, and a variety of nerve and gastrointestinal disorders can gain comfort in a very natural and balanced way. That is, if they can get the right variety of medical marijuana to treat their symptoms. THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) is only one useful compound in the cannabis plant, and medical research is finding that CBD (cannabidiol) is more useful in treating gastrointestinal discomfort and sleep disorders, for example, than THC. Read More…
How To Make Marijuana Tincture (Decarboxylation & Alcohol Extraction of THC and CBD)
[Writer Glenn Panik’s “How To Grow Cannabis At Home: A Guide To Indoor Medical Marijuana Growing”, is available on iTunes here, for the Amazon Kindle or via Smashwords here. You can also order the ‘stealth title’ of our information-packed ebook for the Kindle here.]
For a variety of reasons, cannabis consumers may prefer not to smoke (or even vaporize) their marijuana in order to consume THC/CBD. The most obvious reason might be a breathing condition, such as asthma, but others may simply not enjoy the taste or smell of marijuana smoke, or may want to avoid smoking out of consideration for a roommate, family member, or pet!
Although baked goods are an excellent alternative for those who would rather hide the taste of cannabis completely while still enjoying all the benefits of THC & CBD, your stash will have a limited shelf life when baked into brownies or oatmeal cookies. Even chocolates will only remain fresh in flavor for a few weeks (although they may still be edible).
Enter extraction. By extracting the THC & CBD from your marijuana, you can create a tincture that will hold for a relatively long time – Read More…
Cannabis Growing 