Get rid of spider mites! Getting rid of spider mites, is something all marijuana cultivator's must do, at one time or another. The first tip for getting rid of spider mites is: DON'T GET SPIDER MITES! Spider mites can, and will, destroy your garden - sometimes even before you notice them. Let's first take a look at exactly what a spider mite is. Spider mites are part of the Acari/arachnid family, and are less than 1 millimeter in size, making them very difficult to see with the naked eye. Spider mites DO spin webs, which is the reason they are called spider mites in the first place. These webs are used as protection from predators, and usually can be a sign of a pretty heavy infestation. Spider mites may live in the soil around your plants, but they will also be found under the leaves of your marijuana plant, where they feed. Spider mites will hang out on the under-side of the leaves, and feed by puncturing the leaves and feeding off of them. Spider mites reproduce VERY QUICKLY! A single female spider mite, can be responsible for producing a million spider mites in less than 1 month! This makes searching out spider mites, and eradicating them quickly, a necessity. Prevent spider ...  Read the rest of the entry...

Howto re-flower a marijuana plant: I was recently asked how to re-flower a marijuana plant that had produced some really good quality buds. The grower was pretty depressed when he thought he would have to give up this great medical strain, and start all over again with an unknown strain of cannabis. In a case like this, you have a couple options. take clones from the flowering marijuana plant. (fairly difficult, low success rate) re-vegetate, take clones from, and then re-flower your marijuana plant. (not too difficult, but time consuming) Taking clones from a flowering marijuana plant, is an option if you really want to save the strain, however; it is very difficult to get a flowering clone to take up new roots. When in flower, a marijuana plant needs different nutrients, and the hormones in the plant are not the same as when it is rooting, or in vegetation. Taking clones from flowering plants can be done, but due to difficulty, it is not the easiest way to preserve a strain. The other method we will talk about today is, re-vegetating a marijuana plant, and then re-flowering it. Let's say you just got done flowering out a plant and it produced some kick ass buds. You don't have anymore ...  Read the rest of the entry...

Using T5 and CFL Grow Lights for Growing Marijuana Indoors T5's and CFL's (compact florescent light's) are great sources of light for growing marijuana indoors during the beginning stages of life for the young marijuana plant. Specially made T5 and CFL grow lights will usually fit the correct light spectrum needed for marijuana seedlings, clones and young vegetative plants to thrive. The 2 foot T5 "Jumpstart" grow light system from Hydrofarm (pictured below) is an excellent starter light system for the personal marijuana grower who doesn't want to invest a ton on expensive lighting. Whether you will be growing marijuana from seed or clone, this grow light system will provide you with a great deal of light that is perfect for growing marijuana. T5's and CFL's also make great supplemental lighting for the flowering light cycle. Many marijuana growers believe that a mixed spectrum of light, such as adding a T5 or two to your HPS (high pressure sodium) light during the flowering light cycle will bring on bigger and better buds. So there you have it, CFL's and T5's for starting your seeds and clones, then add a couple to your flower room as supplemental light while budding. Remember - with CFL and T5 lights, you can get the lights ...  Read the rest of the entry...

There are several reasons why a marijuana plant has trichomes (resin glands). The trichomes are where many of the cannabinoids are found including the ones responsible for the medical and recreational effects. In nature, a marijuana plant produces resins as a chemical defense against predators like insects that may eat the precious flowers. These resin glands, or trichomes, also make up much of the unique smell and taste you may find from strain to strain. As a marijuana plant blooms and it's flowers are formed the trichomes will begin to grow and ripen. During this time the trichomes will change from clear, to milky-white, to amber colored. Many cannabis growers will harvest their marijuana when the trichomes have turned either all milky white, or just beginning to turn amber. About 30% amber/ 70% milky white is ideal for many strains. Generally, a marijuana grower will use these resin glands/trichomes as a way to tell when their medical marijuana is at it's peak potency and highest medical value. Great care should be taken not to crush the trichomes on the precious buds. Once crushed or "popped", trichomes will begin to lose potency. Growing marijuana is easy when you learn the right information. The best information about ...  Read the rest of the entry...

Once your marijuana is properly dried and cured, you will want to store it in an air-tight container, in a cool, dark environment. Colored glass jars make great storage jars for your marijuana since they don't let in a lot of light. When storing a small amount, place your sealed, air-tight jars in the refrigerator. A bottom drawer that gets little if any light is ideal. Avoid storing your marijuana in the freezer. This is a common mistake. When you freeze plant material of any kind, it changes - period. Ever notice how fresh veggies taste good and "fresh" and frozen ones don't? The same concept applies here and just like the frozen veggies lose vitamins, your frozen marijuana buds may lose potency and flavor once you draw the moisture out by freezing them. Only store your marijuana in the refrigerator if it is in an air-tight container. This is very important, as the refrigerator has a higher level of humidity than you want for your buds. This humidity will get in if the container/jar is not AIR-TIGHT. If you are dealing with several jars, or just don't want to store your marijuana in the refrigerator, then a basement corner ...  Read the rest of the entry...

Most marijuana growers have heard from a fellow grower, or read in a book, that you should hang your marijuana plants upside down when you harvest in order to trim and dry your plants properly. There are many theories about why you should hang your marijuana plants upside down including one that says the THC drains to the top of the plant from the bottom when it is hanging. This is not true at all! THC does not move about the marijuana plant from place to place like water. THC is produced throughout the plant, but it simply does not flow through the stem and roots like some people think. The reason many marijuana growers hang their plants upside down during harvest is; it's a hell of a lot easier to trim the leaves and buds off the stems when the plant is upside down and the stems are fully exposed. Also, at every junction that a branch connects to the main stem, you have a natural spot to hang the plant from. Hanging a plant right side up would be very difficult and would make it very hard to trim since you would not have easy access to the stems and undersides of the ...  Read the rest of the entry...

Cloning a marijuana plant is an easy method of propagating a new plant, from an existing mother plant. When you "clone" a marijuana plant, you are basically just taking a clipping and placing it in the proper conditions for it to form roots. After rooting, which usually takes 1.5-3 weeks, the rooted "clone" is ready to begin vegetative growth and is now a plant itself. At the very beginning of the vegetative stage for a cloned marijuana plant, it is essentially the same as a young seedling, with a few exceptions. A seedling, or plant grown from seed, has a taproot that is basically a central root that grows in a downward position and is very strong and helps to hold the young seedling in place by holding onto the soil or other growing medium. A clone does not have a taproot but instead has many, many smaller roots that grow from the sides of the stem in an outward direction. This can sometimes lead to a clone being "loose" in the growing medium. Adding rocks or hydroponic rocks to your growing medium will give your young clones roots something extra to hold onto, making your young marijuana clone stronger and less likely to be uprooted.     Read the rest of the entry...

Now this is a great resource about mother plants. Every grower could use a little extra space in their grow room right? Well this article talks about making a marijuana "bonsai" style mother plants. Now if you are into growing anything at all, bonsai has to of grabbed your attention at some time or another. Combine the bonsai style of growing, with cultivating marijuana, and it looks like you may just increase the capacity of your grow room. "Tired of huge unwieldy mothers that take up too much space? As I've shown before, a fully established bonsai mum only takes 8 inches x 8 inches." This bonsai mother, if well fed, produce 10 to 30 good cuttings every 14 days under an HID or every 20 days under fluorescent shop light. This means a 4 ft x 2 ft shoplight with 18 Mums, could produce an output of over 9500 cuttings a year." via ALL ABOUT BONSAI MOMS/MUMS - International Cannagraphic Magazine Forums. Now just think, a marijuana mother plant that only takes up an 8X8" area, but can produce 10-30 clones in 2 weeks time? This sounds like a winning method of keeping a mother plant if you ask me.   Read the rest of the entry...

A mother plant refers to a fully mature female marijuana plant that is used for taking clippings from. These clippings are then rooted into clones and grown out into full grown plants. Marijuana growers usually grow out several seeds and select the best of the resulting seedlings/plants to be their "mother plant" based on several traits. A fully mature female plant at least 4-6 months old, should be selected as a mother plant. Once a marijuana plant has reached 4-6 months old it is at it's maximum maturity. Any clones taken will have the same maturity level as the mother plant they are taken from. This means the older the mother plant, the more THC and cannabinoids the clones will produce when flowered out.   Read the rest of the entry...

Clones may be taken (propagated) from a marijuana plant at any time however; plants that have not reached sexual maturity will not produce the best quality of clones. Since the clones will be the same age genetically, as the mother plant taken from, you should always let your mother plant reach sexual maturity, before taking clones from it. Older "mother plants" that have reached sexual maturity, will produce higher quality, higher THC producing clones. While clones taken from a 2 month old "mother plant" may get the job done, try to keep a mother plant that is at least 4-6 months old for best results.   Read the rest of the entry...