Patience is a beautiful thing. Yet it is not required when it comes to growing good weed. Some growers have the luxury of lovingly tending their plants for months at a time. Others simply don’t have the time. Whether you’re trying to avoid the authorities or are simply dealing with a short growing season, here’s how to harvest as quickly as possible.
SELECTION OF PLANTS
Choosing the right plant is crucial when it comes to harvest time. Some cannabis plants flower extremely quickly. So these varieties are the best choice if you’re in a hurry.
CHOOSE A FAST-FLOWERING PHOTOPERIODIC STRAIN
A photoperiodic strain will flower when the number of light hours decreases. This natural change takes place as summer turns into autumn. Sativas have a longer flowering period in this regard and their effect is generally stimulating and cerebral. They also grow larger and generate a higher harvest weight than indicas. The flowering period of Indicas is shorter and this makes them more suitable if a quick harvest is your goal. Discreet and impatient growers therefore often prefer an indica strain. These plants are smaller than sativas and often develop a bushy shape. The effects of indicas are mainly soothing and relaxing. It is also possible to train them. Thanks to such training techniques, they take up minimal space while you benefit from a quick and satisfying yield.
CHOOSE AUTOFLOWERS
Autoflowering strains do not require a change in the light cycle for flowering. Instead, they flower after a genetically determined period of time. Autoflowers are ideal when fast results are important. They usually develop into a mature plant within 8 weeks. In addition, autoflowers rarely exceed a height of 100cm. So you grow them with ease in small, hidden spaces. Guerrilla growers and small-scale home growers love autoflowers because of these discrete properties. Autoflowers were not very popular before, due to their moderate production and low THC percentage. However, modern autoflowering strains are able to compete with many photoperiod strains when it comes to yield and potency. SeedfinderClick here
HOW TO SHORTEN YOUR TOTAL GROWING TIME?
Choosing fast-flowering plants is not the only way to shorten your grow time. There are also other ways to give your cannabis plants a boost. Below are several tips and tricks to speed things up.
REDUCE THE NUMBER OF LIGHT HOURS PER DAY
The growth cycle of photoperiodic species can be considerably accelerated by providing them with 10-11 hours of light daily. You fool the plants into thinking that autumn is just around the corner. Because plants are smart life forms, they will flower in an attempt to reproduce before it gets too cold. Growers can take advantage of this phenomenon and skip the entire vegetative phase. You won’t get high-yielding skyscrapers, but you will harvest within weeks, instead of months.
FORCING FLOWERING ON OUTDOOR CANNABIS PLANTS
Are you an outdoor grower? Then you’re probably rolling your eyes at the idea of less light. Yet this technique is not exclusively for the indoor grower; as an outdoor grower, it is also possible to influence the light cycle by covering the plants and limiting the number of light hours to 10-11 hours. Make a wooden frame and cover it with light-proof material. You can cover each plant individually or build a large frame for several plants. This makes it possible from the seedling stage onwards to reduce the number of light hours in order to harvest as quickly as possible. One small drawback is that your plants will slip back into the vegetative phase if you forget to cover them. So be careful about this!
INDOOR GROWING
Indoor growers have almost complete control over the growing environment. Indoor growing means no drought, no heat waves and no heavy rain. Controlling the lighting is also easy with a switch. While outdoor growers have no control over the sun, indoor growers can simply use a timer to ensure their plants receive the desired amount of light. This makes it very easy to make your cannabis plants believe that it is night, even when the sun is still shining outside. Such control over environmental factors makes it easier to achieve quick results.
USE CLONES
A clone is a cutting from a mother plant. Clones are often first put in plugs to encourage the formation of roots. After this you put them in soil or a hydro setup. The advantage of cloning is that you skip the germination and seedling phase. Once a clone is in a pot, you start your grow with a young, vegetating plant instead of a seed. What remains is to wait until your little plant is big enough to induce flowering.
CHOOSE HYDROPONICS
In hydroponics, plants grow in a medium without soil. They are located above a water reservoir. The roots grow directly into the water, where they can easily absorb nutrients. Plants in hydro often grow faster and are usually more productive. If you want to harvest quickly, we definitely recommend hydroponics because it speeds up the vegetative phase considerably. When you decide to induce flowering, you will already have large, lively plants.
MORE LIGHT DURING THE VEGETATIVE PHASE
The vegetative phase is characterized by explosive growth. During this period plants try to grow as big as possible to develop as many buds as possible. The larger the plant, the greater the yield (usually). It is important to provide your vegetating plants with a consistent, powerful light source at this stage. If you can manage the energy costs, opt for 24-hour light to optimize growth. Your plants will convert these powerful rays of light into an abundant supply of important sugars. In this way, it is possible to induce flowering early, without sacrificing size or harvest weight. Choosing the right lighting is sometimes quite complicated. There are various systems that all have their advantages and disadvantages.
USE NUTRIENTS IN THE RIGHT WAY
Cannabis plants require various nutrients. These minerals are important for many physiological functions. Without nutrients, your plants will become deficient, affecting their harvest weight. Autoflowers are less demanding, but photoperiodic strains definitely suffer from a lack of important minerals. These plants require different proportions at various stages of growth. So follow the instructions on your plant food carefully and avoid deficiencies or growth stagnation.
