The Cannabis Thread

[theratman]

I hear you. I smoked cigs for 10 years, I only ever managed to truly kick them when I started smoking cannabis regularly. It totally cleansed my mind of them completely, it's really weird. I can't even stand the smell of a cigarette now. And if you want to mix that **** in my joint GTFO.

Yeah get your own, read up on a recipe. My mate makes some really nice oil using coconut oil. Again I don't like it as it gives me the shakes.

Have you considered a vape?

I had the opposite, stopped for 5 years and have started again due to stress etc. Can't stand my vape any more, hopefully kicking the habit at the end of the month. Damn stinkies.

 

[The_David]

The problem I found when starting out was enough was never enough until I went and bought proper lighting / tents etc. I wasted time and money on trying to grow using CFL's only to be really disappointed.

I'd say to anyone wanting to grow, get a tent, get a light (LED is a good option for beginners), get a fan and start there. You will learn the rest as you go.

Noob question but why not grow outside now?

 

[saor]

https://mybroadband.co.za/forum/threads/weed-growers-thread.880420/

 

[GoB]

Some people don't have a garden. Others want more control over their grow operation. If I am not mistaken you can get a higher yield with indoor grows because of the lighting used and nutrients that is given to the plant.

Besides not having a garden, the other arguments are wrong, unless you want to grow outside of summer.

The obsession with indoor growing is a remnant of it being illegal, even for commercial purposes.

Outside you can get the plant massive with minimal effort and cost.
The yield will be higher per plant - maybe even per square meter.

 

[smkungfu]

Besides not having a garden, the other arguments are wrong, unless you want to grow outside of summer.

The obsession with indoor growing is a remnant of it being illegal, even for commercial purposes.

Outside you can get the plant massive with minimal effort and cost.
The yield will be higher per plant - maybe even per square meter.

Yes but your plants grow faster indoors.

 

[Surv0]

Some people don't have a garden. Others want more control over their grow operation. If I am not mistaken you can get a higher yield with indoor grows because of the lighting used and nutrients that is given to the plant.

I have to disagree. Indoor growing is there for a few reasons, but higher yield is definitely not one of them. Outdoor will always produce bigger buds in comparison to an indoor grow. The natural elements are mostly removed from indoor environments so plants dont become as big and strong as they could be unless you try replicate this.

I grow indoors and out and way prefer outdoor growing. Plants even prefer it, indoor isnt natural and the light cannot mimic the sun. There is also no moon and plants can stretch to moon light.

I grow outdoors in a soil I put together with the right nutrients, and feed the right nutrients through the grow phases. Being outdoors shouldnt change this. Maybe you are referring to non organic growing in a soiless medium where you have to control the nutrients yourself... Not the best way imo.. organic for me is best.

 

[Surv0]

Yes but your plants grow faster indoors.

Only because you forcing 18-20hrs of light per day which isnt natural. So 3-4 month grown, but 1/4 the harvest amount.

 

[Surv0]

I wont lie though, properly grown indoor is a treat.. its just a ton of effort and its why that stuff costs a pretty penny.

 

[blah99]

Anyone tried the caps at shaddowjuice? The THC value is given as 845 per 30 caps. That translates to about 28mg THC per cap. Is it really this high?

 

[Batista]

The problem I found when starting out was enough was never enough until I went and bought proper lighting / tents etc. I wasted time and money on trying to grow using CFL's only to be really disappointed.

I'd say to anyone wanting to grow, get a tent, get a light (LED is a good option for beginners), get a fan and start there. You will learn the rest as you go.

I think that is a necessary part though.You learn alot about the plant and correct issues in subsequent grows.
I only really started dialling things in on my 3rd grow.But now im in a position whereby I know exactly what the plants need just by looking at them.
I have grown some steller stuff with 6 x 32 w cfls.Obviously the mass isnt there but quality was amazing.
Growing this way is a waste in terms of effort > harvest,But its not a waste when it comes to learning about this plant and the do's and donts.

 

[Batista]

Noob question but why not grow outside now?

Pros of growing indoors
Quality of product - Indoor is way cleaner.
Controlling flowering - can be done artificially inside , have to go by the seasons outside.
Potential males in the vicinity could fertilised your buds and start seed production which is something we dont want.
Better control of bugs and vermin.
Freak weather wont affect plants.

Cons of growing indoors
Electricity is expensive.
Rolling blackouts could potentially stress your plants if they are in the flowering period and cause hermies.
In a controlled environment you only need one fan, or 1 light to blow to cause severe disruptions to the perfect environment that you spent months creating.
Security would have been a problem in the past, now not so much.

 

[Surv0]

I think that is a necessary part though.You learn alot about the plant and correct issues in subsequent grows.
I only really started dialling things in on my 3rd grow.But now im in a position whereby I know exactly what the plants need just by looking at them.
I have grown some steller stuff with 6 x 32 w cfls.Obviously the mass isnt there but quality was amazing.
Growing this way is a waste in terms of effort > harvest,But its not a waste when it comes to learning about this plant and the do's and donts.

There is no shortcut to growing good weed, you need to put in the effort one way or another. I started the same way and only after a couple grows was everything running smoothly. You need that time to understand what the plants want, you also need to kill off a few (unintentionally) to understand how to fix a situation and learn.

Ive moved to preferring outdoors. All the points you mention are valid, but when growing like 10 plants, outdoors is just easier and they become monsters. A good IPO can keep the bugs away but there is always the animal hair and dust that collects. Not the end of the world though when you are growing for yourself.

 

[Batista]

There is no shortcut to growing good weed, you need to put in the effort one way or another. I started the same way and only after a couple grows was everything running smoothly. You need that time to understand what the plants want, you also need to kill off a few (unintentionally) to understand how to fix a situation and learn.

Ive moved to preferring outdoors. All the points you mention are valid, but when growing like 10 plants, outdoors is just easier and they become monsters. A good IPO can keep the bugs away but there is always the animal hair and dust that collects. Not the end of the world though when you are growing for yourself.

Well this is my very first outdoor grow.I constructed a little netted shade house for my plants, should help with my wind issues.Trying to keep things tidy so I potted them in about 15l pots.I dont want them to get too big because the purpose of this bagseed grow was to just get some strong females.Total 10 plants, I have already marked 6 of them as female and 4 as male and they dont even have a set of true leaves out yet!Lets see how well I know the plant LMAO

 

[Pineapple Smurf]

Pros of growing indoors
Quality of product - Indoor is way cleaner.
Controlling flowering - can be done artificially inside , have to go by the seasons outside.
Potential males in the vicinity could fertilised your buds and start seed production which is something we dont want.
Better control of bugs and vermin.
Freak weather wont affect plants.

Cons of growing indoors
Electricity is expensive.
Rolling blackouts could potentially stress your plants if they are in the flowering period and cause hermies.
In a controlled environment you only need one fan, or 1 light to blow to cause severe disruptions to the perfect environment that you spent months creating.
Security would have been a problem in the past, now not so much.

Pro: No theft

 

[Surv0]

Well this is my very first outdoor grow.I constructed a little netted shade house for my plants, should help with my wind issues.Trying to keep things tidy so I potted them in about 15l pots.I dont want them to get too big because the purpose of this bagseed grow was to just get some strong females.Total 10 plants, I have already marked 6 of them as female and 4 as male and they dont even have a set of true leaves out yet!Lets see how well I know the plant LMAO

No sweat, if your indoor is dialed, your outdoor should be easy...

 

[krieg]

For those forum members only having an indoor grow option and looking to get started with cannabis growing and asking about the costs etc perhaps the following will give you some idea as to what you will require. My situation will of course be different and there are of course different methods of growing but nonetheless hopefully it helps someone understand. So I wanted the cheapest grow room possible but also the best possible environment to grow in. One can go cheaper but your quality of bud will suffer. Here is a breakdown for what you will need for a basic minimum grow room to produce quality cannabis.

1) Grow room box/tent

You need somewhere to grow your plant that can be enclosed. In my situation I had a 2m x 1m U-shaped area which I wanted to enclose so I didn't go the grow room box / grow tent route. You can either construct a grow box or get a tent depending on your DIY level and access to material. The size will depend on your light output so keep that in mind if you are going to upgrade to bigger lights in the future. If one goes the DIY route I would definitely split the grow room to include a separate veg and flowering area completely enclosed. The reason for enclosing the grow room is simply to prevent light leaking in and controlling the day/night cycle. Lastly one needs to be able to raise your lights as the plants grow and also the trellis that one uses so remember a proper support beam on top that will carry the load.

2) Ballast/bulb

Lots of options here and probably the most important decision. You need between 100-150 watts minimum per plant.
CFL's - Perfect for the veg room side/clones but you using it for flowering is a waste in my opinion.
LED - If you work it out over a long term LED will probably have a cost benefit but high initial purchase price. I will only go for COB DIY rack type setup not anything from China.
HID - You need a ballast either magnetic or digital to power your bulb. Now from the internet the concensus it against magnetic and for digital, magnetic is noisy and gives off a lot of heat, digital is less noisy and gives off less heat and you can use different wattage bulbs. I have to say that the magnetic ballast I saw at Hydroponic seems to be a newer design and the sound level to me was a little louder than that of a desktop PC. Next you need to select wattage 250/400/600 and from that you will get your coverage area. 400 watt can cover 1m x 1m and 600 watt can cover 1.2m x 1.2m. HID's generate a lot of heat but are the most efficient. You will need a bulb every one to two grows as they loose their efficiency.

3) Reflector

You also need a reflector to put your light in, couple of option from the cheapest bird wing reflector to enclosed glass tubes that you can hook up to an extraction fan. One also needs to make sure all surfaces are reflective covered in Mylar or painted plain white.

4) Air movement

You need an extractor fan and some fans inside your tent to simulate wind and remove heat/stale air. If smell is an concern the extractor fan can be connected to a charcoal filter to remove the smell.

5) Pots and growing medium

I end up in 25 litre buckets but these material growing bags looks interesting. Get a proper growing medium not garden sand, something like Freedom Farms.

6) Instruments and tools

You will need at least a humidity meter, PH soil meter and a jeweller's loupe magnifier. Also when harvesting invest in some proper pruning scissors.

INITIAL COST OUTLAY

This is the minimum cost for a 600 watt magnetic ballast with birdwing reflector using a soil medium indoor grow:

600 watt magnetic ballast - R1400 (600 watt digital ballast - R2600)
600 watt Sunmaster dual spectrum bulb - R800
bird wing reflector - R400
Mylar reflecting material - R70 per sqm
Hydrometer - R225
Growing medium - R170 for 30dm
Electrical timer - R200

Initial equipment costs without grow room is between R3000 and R4000. Grow tent is about R2500+.

RUNNING COSTS

Next would be running costs, electricity and fertilizer, CO2 tablets.

1) Electricity

This will vary between your veg stage where the lights will be run 20+ hours per day and flowering stage where the lights will run 12 hours. The ballast and light bulb will draw around 650 watt plus whatever fans you go with so let's say 1 unit of electricity per hour to run your grow room. So veg will use 140 units per week and flowering 84 units per week in electricity. Different strains have different flowering times so each strain will have a different total cost but I would say 1 month pre-veg/2 months veg/2+ months for flowering would be a starting time frame.

Total electricity cost per grow at Cape Town prices comes to R5000.

2) Fertilizer

Food for the plant again lots of options, I would say during veg you can get away with say a kelp mixture that goes for R150 per litre that you just mix with water but during flowering you need to spend some money on special flowering/bloom mixtures which makes a big difference. CO2 tablets provide CO2 for indoor plants and costs about R5 each.

POSSIBLE YIELD

So how much cannabis can one expect? Again it depends on lots of factors such as the genetics of the plant, lights, grow method etc and here I would say grow method is most important for yield. Unfortunately no grow light will ever come close to the intensity of the sun and a cannabis plant's natural structure which is almost Christmas tree like is not going to yield so much indoor as only the top of the plant will receive adequate light. To maximize this limitation the most effective method is called screen of green (SCROG) which entail topping the cannabis plant causing the stem to split into two stems, this is done a couple of times effectively doubling the stems each topping. So instead of one main stem indoor growers often use topping to create many stems causing the cannabis plant's shape to now represent an upside down triangle with the base towards the light ensuring maximum light on a level plant basically. The plant is kept level by means of a trellis or screen which the grower uses to train the plant to fill all the remaining openings ensuring a full canopy of just flowers emerging through the top. Using the SCROG technique one can expect 1 gram per watt of light so with 600 watts that gives us 600 grams under optimum conditions.

If one were to have separate veg and flowering areas and having the next batch ready immediately after flowering and having a relative short flowering strain one can complete three grows in a year, using one room for veg and flowering and having a relative short flowering strain on can complete two grows in a year.

So for this particular scenario the costs is roughly:
Initial outlay is anything between R7000 and R15000 on the high side.
Electricity is about R5000 per grow and a bulb.

Roughly R10 per gram if we go on running costs only for a total yield of 600 grams.

 

[saor]

Yo, there's a thread for cannabis growing:
https://mybroadband.co.za/forum/threads/weed-growers-thread.880420/

 

[Rouxenator]

I'm new to all this. On Sunday I was walking across an empty plot in our street where builders recently dumped earth they dug up from another plot being developed. Long story short I noticed a dagga plant growing in this very hard clay based ground. I got a shovel and dug it up, planted it in a pot filled with potting soil.

Initially the plant experienced shock and did not look good but Monday morning it was looking good. However it was left outside and by the end of the day looked bad again. My wife moved it to the bedroom and it is looking much happier now.

Where do I go from here?

 

[TheTwo]

I upgraded my Saionara to top airflow with the titanium bucket. Last night I dabbed a half-pea sized amount of 420's shatter.... my god... I sat looking at the wall for 30 minutes and then went to do some chores. I ended up thinking I saw a snake and jumping sky high and hurting myself LOL ... It was actually part of a plant

I've been dabbing the same shatter off of coils, but this hit off a bucket was just insane! So yeah... the product, rig, temperature, and technique all make a huge difference.

Ha that was funny to read

 

[saor]

I'm new to all this. On Sunday I was walking across an empty plot in our street where builders recently dumped earth they dug up from another plot being developed. Long story short I noticed a dagga plant growing in this very hard clay based ground. I got a shovel and dug it up, planted it in a pot filled with potting soil.

Initially the plant experienced shock and did not look good but Monday morning it was looking good. However it was left outside and by the end of the day looked bad again. My wife moved it to the bedroom and it is looking much happier now.

Where do I go from here?

Dude...the very previous post before yours.
Ask in the weed growers thread:
https://mybroadband.co.za/forum/threads/weed-growers-thread.880420/