Seed Storage

We recommend storing seeds in the fridge, as opposed to the freezer. The freeze/thaw cycles that can happen in a freezer due to power outages are detrimental to long-term germination rates.

Planting Autoflowers

When germinating autoflowers, we highly recommend that you plant them directly in their final pot.  Transplanting autos can result in stunted plants and smaller yields.  This is because autos have a unique trait:  When their taproot is disturbed or reaches the bottom of a container, it triggers the plant to begin flowering.  We recommend that you plant autos in their final pot because their root systems are so sensitive, and so that their taproot can grow undisturbed.

When growing regular (m/f) autoflowers outdoors, we recommend planting 4 seeds in a single 20 gallon pot  and culling the males when they begin to flower.

Leggy Seedlings

This is usually a sign that your seedlings need more light.  Most of the time, a windowsill will not be enough light to support a young seedling.

Female and Male Plants

Female cannabis plants produce the flower you are expecting to harvest and smoke.  Male plants produce pollen, and unless your goal is to make seeds they should be culled immediately.  You don’t want to pollinate your females because the cannabis you harvest will be of lower quality.

Examining pre-flowers is a reliable method of determining the sex of your plants.  Pre-flowers grow at branch internodes and can be seen with the naked eye.  They can be found in early August outdoors, or 1-2 weeks after the switch to a 12/12 light schedule.  Males develop small, round pollen sacs that will start shedding pollen in about ten days.  Females will develop a pair of white, fuzzy, thread-like projections called stigmas (often incorrectly called pistils).

Re-Vegging

Selecting keeper plants, or pheno-hunting, can be challenging with Canada’s ‘four plants per household’ law.  One technique to help with this limitation is the re-veg.  Re-vegging a plant is when you change the light schedule from 12/12 back to 18 or 24 hours of light.  Eventually, a growth shoot will emerge from a bud and you can take a clone to keep as your mother plant.

Leaf Anatomy

It’s helpful to use the same terminology when discussing cannabis.  It makes it easier to diagnose nutrient deficiencies or pest problems you might eventually run into.