The Decision to Grow Medical Marijuana

The Decision to Grow Your Own Medical Marijuana

The decision to grow your own medical marijuana is a unique opportunity for patients wishing to defray medical expense for their treatment of an ailment. In California, (please check your State laws regarding medical marijuana) a qualified patient may cultivate 6 mature plants/ 12 immature plants, and have 8 ounces of dried marijuana on hand. Once you have obtained relative State information on growing medical marijuana, issues of indoor or outdoor cultivation, security, seeds, excess marijuana, and resources – need to be addressed.

First, the outdoor growing environment in California is just about the best on this planet! Take a look around at all of the beautiful natural plant growth and foliage. The thriving fruit, vegetable, and plant industry in California is a testament to the botanical wonders of the state. Any wine lover could vouch for the Cali vineyards and their legendary wines.

A 10x10 patch of earth in your sunny backyard will do equally as well. Remember, marijuana is a weed, hence the nick name, and we’ve all seen how well weeds do even without any assistance. With southern exposure, or at least 5 hours of sunlight, you’ll be amazed at your harvest. A few seeds planted the day before a spring rain in April, gets you out the gate. Periodic watering and weeding will lead you to a Thanksgiving harvest. Intercropping, or mixing plants and vegetation in and around your marijuana plants helps avoid detection. You may also make a cheap grow house with 2x4’s wrapped in that wavy plastic you see on top of swimming pool fences, corrugated filon.

The indoor garden requires a bit more effort. You will need to brush up on hydroponics, grow lights, fertilizers, pest control, and energy requirements. The biggest advantage to an indoor set-up is security. You will not have to deal with nosey neighbors. The disadvantage would be a high light bill, depending on the source you select. Some 2x2’s wrapped with reflective foil in an eight by eight area should get you started. One 1000 watt light is enough artificial light though for that size, especially with the Indica or skunk strain of marijuana.

This leads us to the seeds situation. Hopefully you’ve saved seeds from the past, or can obtain some from friends. Many people throw away seeds, not realizing their potential. Even seeds from a dirt bag of weed, could turn into a fabulously potent plant, given the conditions you provide during growth. Cannabis Indica is a short bushy plant, Cannabis Sativa grows very tall, and some strains are a cross of the two. Indica, or “skunk�? has a knock-out high, as opposed to the Sativa “Up�? or soaring high. If you have trouble obtaining seeds, some online sites like Amsterdam Marijuana Seeds could assist you. Don’t worry about automatic flowering. Feminized or other specialty seeds.

Unfortunately, there are some low life people out there who would rather take your crop than tend to one of their own. There isn’t anything more disheartening than a ripped off crop, right before harvest. For this reason I recommend a good canine, preferably a female German Sheppard from the pound. Many dogs have an affinity for the plants, so chain them or keep their direct access to the plants restricted. The excitement of growing marijuana will cause you to talk about your venture, don’t. This is a clandestine, stealth, James Bond type operation. Do not allow anyone to become aware of your garden. A fully matured crop is worth a lot in dollars, effort, and product. Don’t let your loose lips sink the operation.

You would think that excess pot would be the least of your worries, but it isn’t. More pot, more problems! Cali only allows for 8ozs. of dried medical marijuana. Depending on your strain, you may produce 3 times that or more.  Just like a sudden lottery winner sometimes finds misery with the wealth, you may be tempted with the “dark side.�? What will you do with the excess? I don’t know,  good-luck with that one.

Finally, if this info still has you perplexed, there are several resources from my experienced crew that conduct forums from time to time, the library, and online DVD’s.

Make sure you never guess about a problem, as your mistake could ruin your crop. Most of the time people destroy their crops by trying to do too much! Too much watering, too much fertilizer, too much talking, not enough reading or research – can lead to disaster. If you really struggle with growing medical marijuana, look for me online, I’m not hard to find.