Here’s more tips on “growing your own.” Our little girls are getting ready for a transplant to bigger pots. Below are some helpful hints on how we did it.
#1: You can tell when your plants need repotting if they get dried out really fast. These plants you are looking at in their original paper cups got dry quickly which is a sign they need to be transplanted into a bigger container.
#2: Always use new organic soil and amendments (compost, earthworm castings, & manure). This creates a fully fortified grow medium which makes your plants very happy. There are a lot of great organic soil options to buy at your local garden center or online. One reliable company is FoxFarm. We went with Happy Frog soil which is an excellent all-in-one option. Because cannabis is such a heavy feeding plant, we decided to add extra earthworm castings and perlite. This adds crucial nitrogen and aeration to the root zone.
#3: We decided to use a 3-gallon “Fabric Pot” which promotes healthy air-flow to the root zone of the plant. This is one of the “not-so-known” factors in growing a cannabis plant to its full potential. Getting enough air into the soil is key. Mix all the contents you are adding to your soil in the pot you will plant them in. We decided to do this part in our bathtub since we live in a city with no place to mix the soils. Make sure to cover the drain in the bathtub with tape, fill the containers with the soil mix and vacuum out any extra soil that spilled in the tub. Once the tub is cleaned of the loose soil, remove tape from the drain and turn the shower on with cold water. Let the shower hit each pot until you see water coming out the bottom of the container. Or you can water/moisten the pots until they feel heavy.
#4: When transplanting try not to disturb the fragile white roots of your plants. One great tip is to make your hole for transplanting the same exact size of the cup you used to grow the seedling. Take the seedling out of the small paper cup carefully. Place the root ball loosely into the hole you made in the soil in your larger pot. Do not compact the soil around the young plant. Let it stay loose to avoid compacting the soil.
#5: Now that your plants have been transplanted – do not water. Your soil has been pre-moistened and will have adequate water for at least a week. Best way to tell when to water is the weight of the container. If you pick up the pot and it’s extremely light it’s time to water. Keep in mind cannabis grows best when its soil is allowed to dry out. The most common mistakes new cannabis growers make is they over-water and over-fertilize their plants. If you do it right your plants will look like ours in no time. We are doing this in a small apartment in New York City.
You can get more tips and read more about how to Grow Your Own in New York City HERE.