No pain no gain

- My personal experience growing cannabis

In my first year trying to grow some CBD oil I was just starting out with Cannabis. I started off small with a few friends and family members helping me out. The first couple weeks were hell, I could not even walk up stairs without feeling intense pain. You would think after doing this for almost 2 years now, I'd have gotten used to it. But no matter how much I tried to train myself to adjust, I still felt excruciating pain.

I went back to traditional methods using fertilizer. I bought a 4 gallon bucket, filled it half way with water, added a full bottle of Fish Emulsion (organic), and then mixed it around to get good coverage. I then put my plant in it, covered it loosely with plastic wrap, and waited to see what happened. After a week, I noticed that my plant had grown quite a bit taller than normal, and had a bunch of green buds. So I guess that's something right? Maybe...

The next day, I took the lid off the pot to see if anything happened, and to my surprise, my entire plant had been burned down. All of its stems were burnt black, and the rest of it looked completely damaged. All of the leaves where charred, and everything else seemed dry and withered. That night, I decided to just throw away the whole thing. I felt horrible about doing it, but at least I knew it wouldn't kill the plant anymore.

That same week, I went back to using the fish emulsion. I gave it another try, and ended up with the exact same results. By the end, I threw the whole thing out again. I couldn't handle the pain, and I didn't want to take any chances.

From that point forward, I haven't done any sort of cannabis growing since. I've stuck to THC strains for the last 6 years. Even though I never experienced cannabis growing pains before, I do know that they exist, and I would rather avoid them.

My advice to people who are looking to start their own cannabis garden is to keep it simple. Don't overdo it. Stick to a single strain of flower, and don't use more than 1/3 of the recommended amount of nutrients. Overfeeding will cause problems later on. Make sure to water your plants regularly, and check on them often. If you're going to use liquid fertlisers, make sure they stay in close proximity to your plants, and don't let them run away. If you're growing indoors, make sure you only need to look at your plant once per day.

Don't get discouraged! As long as you stick to these things, I promise you'll find that cannabis gardening is easier and less frustrating than you anticipated. Do not buy yourself into the idea that you have to grow a high yield variety. Your focus should always be on the health of your plants and what makes them happy.

Cannabis:

Cannabis is a species of flowering plant in the genus Cannabis, native to Central Asia. Most commonly known for its psychoactive effects, cannabis has many medical uses and may provide relief of symptoms associated with numerous conditions.

THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol):

THC is the primary active ingredient responsible for producing the high experienced by users after consumption. The chemical name for THC is delta9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, and it is a terpenoid. As with other terpenes, THC exists as a cis/trans mixture; these mixtures are difficult to separate using traditional means of separation and purification.

CBD (Cannabidiol):

CBD is a phytocannabinoid found in both marijuana and hemp. Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol does not produce any psychoactive effects and is therefore nonintoxicating. CBD has been found to reduce seizures in children with epilepsy and may have potential therapeutic benefit in treating schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease. Research suggests that CBD could reduce anxiety without causing physical dependence or harm to developing brains.

Terpenes:

Terpenes are aromatic organic compounds produced by plants to help them defend themselves against predators, parasites, pathogens, insects, and the environment. These oils are volatile and often give off strong smells that attract pollinators. Plants use these oils to attract beneficial insects, repel herbivores, protect their seeds, and make the air around them smell pleasant. Cannabis contains over 100 different types of terpenes, including myrcene, humulene, caryophyllene, limonene, pinene, fenchone, linalool, borneol, camphene, alpha-terpineol, beta-pinene, bornyl acetate, carvacrol, gamma-terpinene, thymol, etc. The type and amount of terpene present varies between strains of cannabis. Different strains of cannabis tend to have varying amounts of certain terpenes.

Cannabinoids:

The cannabinoids, cannabinoids, or cannabinoid acids are the group of chemicals that get the majority of attention from researchers. In recent years, there has been much research done on the medicinal properties of the cannabinoids and what they do inside the human body. There are two categories of cannabinoids: endogenous (produced naturally within the body) and exogenous (derived synthetically). Endogenous cannabinoids include anandamide, 2-AG, AEA, and N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anethole). Exogenous cannabinoids include THCa, CBDa, CBG, THCV, and CBLa.

Dosing:

Dosage refers to how much cannabis flower (i.e., buds) is consumed per day. Dosages vary widely depending on strain, desired effect, and tolerance level. Common dosage ranges are 1g – 5g per dose, although some people prefer lower dosages while others take larger doses. It should be noted that the effects of cannabis can last upwards of 12 hours or longer depending on the person, the strain, and the method of ingestion.

Tolerance:

Tolerance occurs when repeated use of a drug causes the individual to need increasing amounts of the substance to achieve the same effect. If cannabis is administered orally, tolerance develops within approximately three weeks. When cannabis is smoked, however, tolerance seems to develop more slowly compared to taking it orally. Even though tolerance develops gradually, cannabis users still experience euphoria, altered perception, and increased appetite.