September 8, 2017

10 Tips for Growing Top Shelf Weed in a Grow Tent

At least once, you must have come across a friend who brags about his/her quality of cannabis. The one that grows the dank. Out of curiosity, you may have even tried to check their honesty level. Top-shelf weed is hard to come by, but you will know it when you smoke it.

Now, it’s time for you to brag about your cannabis. Why? Smart Grow Tents is revealing the top 10 secrets of growing prime quality top-shelf weeds, right at home. So, where are the secrets?

It’s in the genetics of the strain:

Expecting a prime quality after sowing a mediocre one? As you sow so shall you reap. The seeds that you sow should pass certain tests to qualify as top shelf weed.

All seeds should be feminized

Check for its potency of THC

No clones, no bag seeds. Only seeds from trusted seed banks

Understand the combination of other chemicals: cannabinoids and terpenoids, for example

It’s in the soil and associated nutrients

Over fertilizing or adding too many nutrients to the soil can harm your cannabis plant resulting in delicate leaves and poor-quality weed. Prepare your soil well in advance in the Autumn, before the planned season of growth. Make sure you give it ample time to fertilize on its own using natural biodegradables and compost. If possible, test the soil before planting cannabis seeds. You’ll want to measure nutrients and PH levels.

It’s in the terpenes

Smoking weed is as much about the aroma therapeutic experience as well as some of the varying “feelings” of being high. The unique combination of terpenes contributes to the unique flavor and layered experiences. Limonene gives you a happy, upper-type effect. Myrcene creates a more relaxed high. While some strains come rich with terpenes, others do not. To obtain a strong smell and taste to your cannabis; you need to increase the terpene content in your plant by artificially adding it.

Recent technology allows scientists to extract the terpenes and suspend them in oils. You can apply these oils after harvest. Limonene comes from citrus. Linalool is derived from lavender. Myrcene is from mangos. Humulene comes from hops.  However, if you use extracted terpenes, know that you will be adding additional terpenes that are not native to cannabis.

It’s in the pH

Moderately acidic pH helps cannabis plant grow. Try to maintain the water pH between 5.5 to 6.5. Do not forget to regularly check the pH as it will keep changing as the plant metabolizes the nutrients. If the levels rise above 7.5, the roots cannot process the available boron ions, copper, iron, manganese, and zinc. If the pH drops below 6, often the roots cannot fully process calcium, magnesium, or phosphoric acid.

It’s in the humidity

Humidity at different levels in different stages helps to enhance the cannabis growth as follows:

  • Vegetative stage: 60%
  • Flowering stage (initial days): 45%
  • Flowering stage (final days): 34%

Since you have to keep decreasing the humidity at various levels, a dehumidifier could prove to be very handy.

It’s in the environment

An adequate amount of air and light (especially during the entire flowering stage) significantly increases the size and density of your buds. Cannabis is wind-pollinated in the wild. Therefore, a good exhaust system, blowing fans, and lights will strengthen and make the buds more viable.

Also, you need to remember that the temperature during the night should be 3 degrees cooler (compared to in the day in order to simulate wild growth. However, the temperature gradation depends on various factors. Always place your thermometer in the shade, and in various locations around the room to give an accurate reading.

It’s in the harvesting

Only harvest the buds a few at a time as they mature. This helps you get the best quality from each bud. White pistils are the first indication that the THC in the buds have matured.

For more accuracy, it’s more than looking at the pistils. If you are looking with your bare eyes, you’ll want to wait until 60-70% of hairs darken. For a more relaxing strain, wait until 70-90% of hairs darken.

When using a magnifier, you’ll want to look at the trichomes, which look like mushroom-shaped crystals. When the weed is optimal for harvest, the trichomes will appear more milky, and less transparent.

It’s in the curing

Curing is the process of removing moisture from the bud. The longer you allow it to cure, the stronger it is, and the better it tastes.

Optimally, you want to maintain the harvested cannabis a humidity between 45-55% and a temperature between 60 and 70°F. The slow, mild curing process converts non-psychoactive cannabinoids to THCA. As a result, your cannabis increases in potency. If you dry the crop too rapidly, it can degrade the quality and quantity of terpenes.

It’s in the technique

A lot of factors like nutrients deficiency or over supply, heat stress, irregular water supply, lack of supplements like bloom boosters, etc. can affect the bud quality. Neglecting the post-harvest period is harmful too. Monitor your temperatures, humidity, nutrients, and pH levels often inform your decisions about growing and harvesting top-shelf weed. For more in depth tips on the different stages on growing and harvest, you can also sign up for Smart Grow Tents blog updates.  

If it isn’t possible for you to focus on all the above points, set a plan to improve your quality point-by-point. Select all the aspects that are feasible to you, and work on perfecting those. Eventually, you find your own techniques to grow the best quality with some trials and errors. That’s how you learn to grow the best weed. If you are facing any difficulties or have any queries regarding the process, let us know in the comments below.

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