Lit Naturals

I’ve heard it asked many times; when should a cultivator ‘flip’ their cannabis plants into the flowering stage? The easy answer: any time! However, there are a lot of factors that could influence this decision. I won’t go into all the possible scenarios. Instead, let’s focus on your primary limiting factor – ceiling height.

Knowing how to force your cannabis to flower is the easy part. Simply use your timer to change to a 12hr/12hr (on/off) cycle for your light. Within 14 days you will see flowers form. Knowing when can take some initial calculations though because indoors we are limited in the height we can grow a plant. Artificial lights rarely penetrate more than 24 inches into a canopy either, so it doesn’t make sense to grow giant plants indoors. So how do we know?

The grower needs to figure out the tallest possible plant they can have. To do this, raise your lights as high as they’ll go and arrange the pots you wish to use under it. The light will hang a certain distance from the ceiling, measure and make a note of it. The manufacturer will suggest you keep the light a certain distance above your plants – make a note of this value. How tall is the top of the soil from the floor? Again, note the value. Now how tall are your ceilings? You got it, write that down too. Here’s what my notes look like:

Ceiling height from floor	8′
Light/ceiling hanging distance	-1.5′
Light/canopy separation	-.5′
Top of soil from floor	-2′
Maximum plant height	4′

You can see from this example that, once you subtract the measured distances from my ceiling height, my maximum plant height is 4 feet. Ok, so how does this help?

The next step is understanding your cultivarA cultivated variety, often mistakenly called a 'strain.' More. As cannabis plants enter their flowering stage they will go through ~14 days of what’s known as ‘the stretch.’ During this time they grow upward explosively. For example; my orange kush stretched 28″ inches in the first 14 days of flower. Then, as suddenly as it began, the stretch ceased and they didn’t grow any more at all after that time. The overall height did increase slightly, but only by the amount of bud that it packed on. This plant started at 20″ tall so I know for future grows that this particular cultivarA cultivated variety, often mistakenly called a 'strain.' More will stretch to 2.4x its starting height – wow!

The good news is that most cultivars aren’t so stretchy, and some of it has to do with my setup. The rule of thumb to use is 2.5x multiplier if you want to be safe, or 2x if you want to be optimistic. Let’s use 2x for simplicity sake.

You’ve calculated that you can have a 44″ tall cannabis plant. This means that when the tallest plant is 22″ you need to force flowering. If you can have a 5.5′ plant then I’m jealous and you should force flowering when the plant is 2.25′ tall. Make sense? As you get to know your cultivarA cultivated variety, often mistakenly called a 'strain.' More you can dial in this number better as they will tend to stretch similarly in subsequent grows.

All that being said, even those watching closely may miss that perfect time to induce flowering. Perhaps your plant has grown 6″ too tall? Don’t despair, simply use some string and tie the plant down. Be creative!

Stay tuned as we will explore plant training in the near future.

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

I’m not talking about a blonde Rastafarian, this is a reference to the fairy tale character. You know, she doesn’t like too much, or too little – she prefers it just right.

I believe that the top problems with home grows are over-watering, under-watering, and over-fertilization. The latter is a topic for another day. We’ll tackle these top problems by describing how a cultivator can achieve the perfect level of moisture for their cannabis crop. I believe this to be the number one top skill that a new cultivator should develop. This can be achieved with no special tools or equipment and is largely based on experience. I know, you don’t have much experience. That’ s ok!

The ‘lift method’ is a time tested process during which, a soil farmer will lift containers and, judging by the weight, determine when and how much to water. You see, water weighs over 8#/gallon and saturated soils will be a great deal heavier than dry soils. I highly recommend this method to all beginners.

Your first step is to develop a frame of reference. To do this you will need to gather a collection of pots that you will be using in your grow. You will also need a bag of the soil you intend to use as well. Optionally, this would be a good time to get out a bathroom scale and/or an analog soil moisture meter (~$10), both of which can take some of the guess work out of it early on.

Fill each sized pot with soil fresh out of the bag. Gently tap or agitate the pots to make sure no large air pockets exist (do not pack the soil). Now lift each pot and note the weight. They’re very light, aren’t they? Nearly all companies ship their mixed soils when dry. Water is heavy and costly to ship after all. Weigh each pot on with the bathroom scale and note the weight. Use your moisture meter if you have one, note that it is in the red (dry) zone? If you have plants in soil this dry, you have a problem and they are experiencing drought-stress – droopy and wilted.

Now water your soil from the bottom by placing each pot, or all pots, in a catch tray and filling the tray up with an inch or two of water. Be amazed (or not) as the water in the tray slowly disappears, soaking into the soil by what’s known as ‘capillary action.’ Keep adding water, an inch or two at a time. Wait until it nearly disappears before adding more. This will take quite some time for a first time hydration, but eventually the pot will refuse to soak up any more water. Empty the tray and water just a little from the top. Within a few minutes you should see most of it seep out of the bottom of the pot.

There’s a good chance, if you were patient enough, that you have perfectly moisturized your soil. Dig a hand into the center of the pot, is it evenly moist? It should be. Take out a fistful of the moist soil and squeeze it. It should release a few drops of water, but it shouldn’t be like wringing out a sponge (that’s too much water). If you were able to squeeze out a few drops of water and your moisture meter is in the green zone, this is perfectly moist soil.

Pick up each container and memorize that weight by feel. Weigh it on the scale and double check with your meter. This is what a well hydrated (field capacityThis refers to the water content of soil. The easiest way to... More) soil feels like.

NOTE: Always make sure your OLSOrganic Living Soil More is hydrated before transplanting into it, or placing seeds in it. It is also wise to hydrate OLSOrganic Living Soil More several days in advance of transplanting and then feeling the middle to see if it is heating up. If it does, keep watered and let sit until it cools. Hot soil will harm roots and/or starve plants for nutrients. Different formulations of soil can also vary a lot in weight so be mindful when/if you change soils.

How much and how often to water is a different matter entirely. When using OLSOrganic Living Soil More you should rarely water enough to have run-off from the drainage holes. You see, when you get run-off this also means that you are flushingthe act of rinsing nutrients from a medium as well as leechi... More nutrients out of your soil. OLSOrganic Living Soil More should never be flushed – so don’t water that much. However, it’s fine to water until just a little seeps out the bottom. This is a good way to know that you have hydrated the entire soil system to field capacityThis refers to the water content of soil. The easiest way to... More. Whatever you do, don’t wait until they wilt. This kills microbes and stresses out the plant. If they’re starting to feel light, go ahead and water.

How much and how often to water depends not only on the medium, but also on the pots used. For example: Sohum soils in fabric pots will require about a quart of water per day per cubic foot (7.5 gallons) of soil. Once a week you’ll need to water at least double that in order to see a bit of seepage out of the bottom. On the other hand, a moist DIY OLS mix would need about half that water. Sohum is almost 50% perlite which dries quickly and resists absorbing water in favor or retaining air – though it is ideal for bottom watering.

I do recommend watering until you see seepage once a week, particularly in fabric pots. Not run-off mind you, just a little seepage.

Again, refer to the weight to know when and how much to water. Take your time with it at first and make notes as well. As the mass of the plants grow the over-all weight will increase as well as their need for water. By the end of the plant’s life, your watering schedule will be routine.

Finally, I also recommend you experiment with watering from the bottom, as described above. It can be a great way to hydrate your soil without flushingthe act of rinsing nutrients from a medium as well as leechi... More nutrients and is the basis for the design of sub-irrigation planters. Your plants will love you if you can make it through their entire life without under or over watering them. Soon, you’ll be watering your weed like Goldilocks and your garden will reward you handsomely for it!

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

A more comprehensive guide from ilovegrowingmarijuana.com .

Everyone will need to transplant at one point or another. Transplanting new cuttings can be easy, while 3′ plants in fabric pots are challenging. For our purposes, we’ll assume it is a routine transplanting with a cannabis plant that is more than a handful and that you are transplanting from soil to soil. Most of the transplanting process is common sense, so we’ll stick to the finer points that give most people trouble.

Tip 1 – Transplant at the right time
For best results, you should transplant when the roots have developed enough to hold the dirt together, but long before they become root-boundwhen a plant has no more space available for the roots to gr... More. Using a clear container can help with this for sensitive young seedlings. In general, when the leaves are as wide as the container there’s a reasonable chance that the roots have encased the soil.

Tip 2 – Gather your materials
You don’t want to discover you need something after you have a plant upside down in your hand so gather your materials in advance. This includes any inoculate you want to use directly on the roots. You will also want to prepare the plant by pruning lower foliage if needed. It’s best if the plant is a little damp and neither wet nor dry. Too wet and it may make the process more difficult. Too dry and you’re just adding additional stress to the plant.

Tip 3 – Select a larger pot
New cultivators are often unsure of what size pot to use to flower in. Your absolute bare minimum is 1 gallon per 1′ of finished plant height. So a 3′ plant should get 3 gallons to live in. However, I suggest that, unless space is a big concern, use no less than a 5 gallon pot. The bigger, the better. I’ve yet to find an ‘excessively’ large container indoors and there is nothing like having 3 weeks still to go before harvest and noting signs that the plant is becoming root-boundwhen a plant has no more space available for the roots to gr... More.

Tip 4 – Prepare your soil
This includes the pot or wherever you plan to place your plant. Thoroughly moisten the new soil in advance, especially for small plants. If you are transplanting to a larger container you may elect to only add the soil needed in the bottom of the container, unless its big enough to dig a hole in.

Tip 5 – Use good technique
The tried and true method is to use your hand for support while flipping your cannabis upside down to remove the pot. The point here is that you do NOT want to pull on the stem. Follow along with the pictures and captions below.

At this point you are virtually home free. Just pack the soil lightly around the roots in order to remove large air pockets.

Tip 6 – Sock it in
I highly recommend a thorough watering after a transplant as this will help settle the soil around the roots. I like to make it rain on that initial watering especially. Drench the plant and the soil alike. This gives the plant easy access to water initially, but then you should let the soil dry for a few days. This prevents excess moisture but, more importantly, creates a situation where the plants roots need to ‘chase’ the moisture in the soil.

Tip 7 – Transplant as seldom as possible
Each time a cannabis plant is transplanted you will set the plant back at least two days in growth. Despite your best efforts, the plant will suffer from transplant shock. If you’ve done it well you’ll only lose those two days, but a botched transplant could leave the plant in shock for a week. The point here is that if you transplant perfectly 3x in a cannabis plant’s life, you will be waiting an extra 6-8 days for harvest. If you can find success in starting the seed in the last pot it will ever need, do it!

We hope you’ve found this to be useful. Do you have any techniques that will be helpful to a new grower?

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

Discussing water in a cannabis growing forum is like talking about oil in a motorcycle forum. Everyone has an opinion on the subject and you’ll earn piles of information, good and bad. At the end of the day, hydroponically grown cannabis will be much more sensitive to pHa measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution More as compared to soil-grown cannabis. You also want to be aware of the total dissolved solids (TDStotal dissolved solids More) of water. A TDStotal dissolved solids More that’s too high makes hydro nutrient schemes very difficult. Let’s take a look at the options.

Softened water
If you take nothing else away from this article, take this: NEVER use “soft” water created in home water softener systems. It will sicken or kill plants of all kinds, plain an simple.

Distilled water
Store bought distilled water, by the gallon, is probably the most expensive of options. It’s usually great water to start with regardless of how you are growing, but you’ll pay for it – literally. That said, you might be able to save some money if you buy it in bulk (5 gallons) with reusable containers.

Reverse osmosis (RO) water
A main stay for many growers, a small RO unit can provide enough pure water for a small grow. They are relatively easy to install and will quickly pay for themselves if compared strictly to purchasing distilled water.

Rain water
Apart from the collection setup, rain water is nearly free and falls from the sky in a condition great for use in a home grow. Painted steel and painted aluminum roofing makes for reasonably good water, though you should be aware that any dust, pollen, and other sediments that collect on your roof will also show up in your reservoir. Additionally, using a rusty galvanized roof or composite shingle roof are terrible ideas. Iron-oxide and/or the petroleum bases of the composite shingles contaminate water and shouldn’t be used.

Activated charcoal-filtered water
Brita pitches and the like use a small activated charcoal filter than can do an admirable job of removing chlorine, flouride, minerals, and other dissolved solids from water prior to use. It also tends to bring most water toward neutral (pHa measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution More 7.0). If you choose to use this option you should change your charcoal filter as recommended because an old filter will fail miserably at purification. This can be an affordable solution and a clever DIY home grower can easily make their own activated charcoal filter.

Tap water
Along with well water, this is probably the most commonly available and least expensive of all water sources. A call to your local water provider will easily result in water quality tests that they must provide upon request. Most public utility tap water in Missouri will be alkaline (pHa measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution More ~8.0) and have 200-400 PPMparts per million More TDStotal dissolved solids More. Although this is a difficult starting point for hydroponics, organic living soils (OLSOrganic Living Soil More) are much more tolerant and you can grow some fine medicine without any treatment of the water what-so-ever. Bear in mind that use of tap water will likely shorten the lifespan of OLSOrganic Living Soil More and, over the course of a year, may spoil your soil due to accumulation of solids like calcium carbonate.

We hope you have already determined that the choice of a source for water is driven by your choice in cultivation methods. This article only brushes the surface in regards to water and water quality, but the reader should know that water quality can be absolutely critical – particularly for hydroponic growing.

Have you had success using one or more of these methods? We’d love to hear about it. We don’t mind hearing about the failures either.

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

My first ever grow was a bare-bones setup. I’m not selling anything, but I will explain what I believe to be the lowest cost setup that can grow good medicine, and you should be able to produce an ounce or two per month. Since seeds can cost as much as the rest of the setup in this case, they are not included in the $150 price tag. This setup only really works during the winter months, but we’ll come back to that.

Your big ticket item here, as usual, is your light. $100 should get you a T5 bulb rig that will fit nicely in a 2’x4′ space (closet). These lights run fairly cool and shouldn’t overload any circuit. Add a few extra bucks to get enough ornamental chain and hooks to hang the light. This is more of a pain but will save you $15 -v- pulley/gear style light hangers. When running these light you want to keep them about a foot above seedlings, then keep them an inch away from the plant for the rest of its life. For that same $100 you should be able to pick up a cheap timer as well.

You’ll spend the remaining $50 on soil, 5 gallon fabric pot, and a shallow storage container (often cheaper than trays) to put under your pot. Go ahead, buy that $35 bag of water-only soil. You will need it, because you won’t have money for nutrients. I personally know that Sohum has worked for me from seed to harvest without anything other than untreated tap-water, and so has KIS Organics version of water-only soil. I’ve heard good things about Build-a-Soil water-only but can’t vouch for them personally. You could squeak by with Miracle grow, but I really don’t like the taste. Your plants will be healthier with a soil designed for it.

As mentioned, this will only really work in the winter because you’ll rely on the cool and dry winter weather to help moderate the environment in your grow. That said, you’ll want to quickly save up another $40 for an inline fan to ventilate your space and a small fan to circulate the air within the space. It won’t be long before the humidity will rise enough to make some nasty molds/mildews. Add another $30 to this and you can make a DIY carbon scrubber that can remove odors from your exhaust air.

In all, you will have spent less than $250 on the whole setup and, in a few months, will have a few ounces to show for it. I don’t need to remind many that $250 is a pretty good price for an ounce of good pot on the streets. But I’d rather keep it off the streets and in my stash.

Remember, if the grow space feels nice to you, it’s nice for the plants too. If it feels too hot or humid for you, then it is.

Please share your own minimalist setups!

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

This article outlines my method for starting seeds destined for organic living soil. There are 100 perfectly fine ways to go about it, and mine is only one example. However, this method is just about as simple as you can get and avoids the use of tweezers and fine motor control that I have lost due to my condition. I’ll start by outlining the schedule, and then we’ll dig into each step along the way.

• Day 0: Gather materials
• Day 1: Prep soil and freeze seeds
• Day 2: Soak seeds
• Day 3: Plant the seeds
• Days 4-10: Wait and hydrate
• Days 11-14: Harden off and lower humidity
• Days 15+: Entering the vegetative state

Day 0: Gather materials
You will need a small container to use to start the seeds. A 9oz clear plastic cup is perfect for me as they are short and don’t topple as easy as a larger plastic cup. The clear plastic also allows me to see the roots which enables me to transplant at the perfect time. Just nip the bottom edges with scissors to create drain holes.

Your choice of soil should include a variety that doesn’t include a lot of nutrients. You may use a nutrient filled soil as long as it is established living soil. Those microbes will help the young plant and it will tolerate rich soil with that help. I prefer to set aside a small amount of my DIY [dry] soil mix before I mix in the nutrients.

• Seeds
• 9oz clear plastic cups
• Scissors
• Distilled [pure] water
• Small spray bottle
• Soil
• Seed starting dome
• Labels or placards
• Sanitary gloves
• Mycos (or other source of mycorrhizal fungi)

Day 1: Prep soil and freeze seeds
Optionally, you may elect to freeze seeds for 12 hours the day before germination. Simply put the seeds in the freezer overnight, then take the seeds back out in the morning. This process will striate the seeds, creating tiny cracks in the husk. This step is only needed if seeds are expected to be stubborn.

You will also prep your soil this day. The important part here is that the soil is loaded into the starter cups and very thoroughly moistened. Overly moistened is fine because we’ll let the soil sit for a day before applying seeds and the seeds will need lots of moisture to germinate. It will be almost a week before you water this soil again and, if you’re using a quality soil, it will be impossible to over-water unless you allow the cup to sit in standing water.

Day 2: Soak seeds
Pour a couple ounces of distilled water into cups, one for each cultivarA cultivated variety, often mistakenly called a 'strain.' More you decide to grow. There only need be enough water to cover the seeds. 12 hours of soaking should be sufficient. Viable seeds will germinate (husks crack and root emerges) quickly, and we want to have the seeds in soil before that happens.

Optionally, you may add a splash of hydrogen peroxide to your water. It will quickly break down into it’s constituent parts of water and oxygen. Before it breaks down it will help decontaminate the seeds of any potential bacteria or virus present.

Step 3: Plant the seeds
Place your prepared soil and containers into the seed starter dome. Don your sanitary gloves and carefully transfer the soaked seeds from the cups of water to the center of the prepared soil. If seeds are already germinating be very careful not to damage the very fragile root that is emerging. After placing the seed, sprinkle just a little of mycorhizzal fungi powder (spores) directly on the seed.

Gently cover with a very thin layer of soil and use your spray bottle to thoroughly moisten the top layer of soil with pure water. Moisture retention is the purpose of this thin soil covering and will allow the seed/root to be surrounded by moist soil. Should that emerging root dry, it will die. Spray the inside of the dome and all parts generously and seal the dome, ensuring that the vents are closed. This will raise the humidity inside the dome. 85%+ humidity is desired in this stage.

Don’t forget to label the containers as you go so you don’t mix up your seeds. Also, the ideal germination temperature is somewhere in the high 70’s. If your temperatures seem cool, you might look into getting a seedling heat mat. It helps.

Days 4-10: Wait and Hydrate
On a daily basis, moisten the inside of the dome and surface of the cups of soil religiously with your spray bottle and pure water. If you are using viable seeds they will start ‘popping’ up pretty quickly. Because we use loose soil you should not need to manipulate these fragile seedlings what-so-ever.

Some dim lighting overhead will be useful at this point so that the seedling knows which way is up. Apart from that, avoid using very intense light as it will destroy a young seedling.

As seedlings emerge, you will notice the seed husks still holding on to the first set of leaves. Continue to spray with pure water to keep the husks pliable and the seedling will shed it eventually. Resist the urge to fiddle with it unless the husk has clamped both leaves together (which prevents photosynthesis). 90% of the time, if you keep the husk moist, the seedling will free itself within a couple days. Don’t worry, the seed comes packed with enough energy to get through several days without starting photosynthesis.

You may see seedlings fall over or do other strange things during this stage. Again, resist the urge to fiddle with them. They will surprise you over the first few days and will stand up straight and tall. Some won’t, but will begin life none-the-less, no matter how crooked the stem is.

Do NOT pour water into the soil at this point. That tiny bit of hydrolic pressure may completely uproot your fragile seedling. This can be a nightmare to correct and should be avoided. Hence the need to fully hydrate the soil before seeds are placed in it. Use your spray bottle for all hydration purposes.

Days 11-14: Harden off and lower humidity
This process may start before day 11. You should kick this off about 3-4 days after your first seed ‘pops’ and starts rising toward the light. Yes, I know some of your seeds haven’t germinated, but if you wait much longer you risk a bloom of fusaria, or other pathogens, which will kill your seedlings in short order. Having a second dome for hardening is handy. This will allow you to continue to keep moisture/humidity high for seeds that haven’t sprouted yet.

You may continue to spray the top of the soil in the containers daily, but cease spraying the inside of the dome. For the first day, open the dome vents 50%. On the second day open them all the way. On the third day remove the dome. Don’t be overly concerned if leaves show slight curling or other signs of stress. Whatever you do, do NOT fertilize yet.

You may soon need to start watering. Although we now want to moisture above the soil to be much less, the soil itself must be kept moist at all times. Even a few hours of overly dry soil will kill a seedling at this point.

Water from the bottom! I can’t stress this enough. Simply place your containers (they do have drain holes, right?) in a tray of shallow water and watch with amazement as the capillary action of water defies gravity as the water climbs from the tray upward into the soil. With a good soil, it is nearly impossible to over-water using this method. This method can be used throughout all phases of growth. The primary benefit at this stage is that this method does not disturb the soil, and therefore the fragile roots as well. Provided enough water, even the top of the soil in the small container will be moist within 10-15 minutes.

Days 15+: Entering the vegetative phase
You can debate when a seedling passes properly into the vegetative state. I believe this occurs as the plant sprouts its second and third lobed set of leaves. You should slowly start increasing the intensity of light now and may add some very weak fertilizer. However, its better to add no fertilizer until after the first transplant in my opinion.

Continue to keep the soil moist. The clear containers will make this obvious as moist soil will probably show some condensation on the inside of the cups. At the least you can tell what color the soil is and you should be picking up the small containers from time to time. They will be lighter when the need water. Continue to water from the bottom!

When the new roots have fully encased the soil, it is time for the first transplant. The clear containers will allow you to see clearly (pun intended) when this happens. This is also a good time to celebrate, because the most precarious time in the plants life is behind it now. We’ll cover transplanting in a future article.

I do want to stress that this is only one of many, many ways to start seeds. I’ve had 98% survival rate of seedlings and nearly the same rate of germination using this method. It is also very easy given the dexterity issues I have with my hands.

Do you have any tips for starting seeds? Please share in the comments.

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —