Spider mites are a common pest for marijuana growers, especially for those growing marijuana indoor or in greenhouses. Left unchecked, spider mites are capable of  decimating entire gardens. Luckily they are easy to control if you know how to keep them in check.
 
While there is no magic bullet product that kills all mites in one application, there are plenty of products on the market that work great if used properly. If a magic bullet did exist, it’s unlikely you would want to spray something that toxic on your cannabis. Spider mites must be dealt with methodically and with safe products because at the end of the day, you don’t want to be smoking spider mites or poison.

Simple Steps to Keep Your Grow Room Spider Mite Free

1. Quarantine incoming plants, even if they are from a reputable source
2. Inspect your plants regularly
3. Spray for mites as soon as they are detected if not before
4. Treat plants on 3 to 5 day intervals
5. Select several quality mite killing products with different active ingredients and rotate their use
6. Be sure at least one product is as an ovicide
7. Focus spray efforts on the undersides of leaves
8. Add a surfactant to your spray solution so it will coat the leaves evenly
9. While applying spray, use your other hand to massage spray solution into foliage
10. Decontaminate yourself and tools between gardens

Extra Credit: Dip small plants or clones into a basin of prepared solution to assure complete coverage
 
Deliberate effort was made here to avoid listing miticides. The truth is, most products with spider mites listed on their label actually work! The manner and frequency of application is the key.
 
As with many things in life, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and procrastination is a killer. Treat early. Treat regularly. Don’t let spider mites get the upper hand.

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I could go into the technical details of how a ballast works but the bottom line is that HID lights light HPS and MH require a ballast to provide the high voltage needed to ionize the gases in the bulb and then maintain steady voltage to keep the bulb glowing consistently.

There are two primary types of ballasts available for indoor grow lights but there is more than one term used. First there is magnetic ballasts, also known as core and coil ballasts. Second there is the group of ballasts referred to as electronic ballasts or digital ballasts. These are just different names for the same things but here are a few of the pros and cons of each.

Advantages of Magnetic Ballasts 

Cost of Ballast and Components 

The components in a magnetic ballast are simple and cheap which makes magnetic ballasts inexpensive both to buy and fix. They have also been around for a long time so there are plenty of suppliers to choose from and if you are on a tight budget, there are usually plenty of used ones on the market.

Ballast Lifespan

Magnetic ballasts are durable and usually run problem free for many years. You’re not going to take one out of the box only to discover it doesn’t work.

Ease of Maintenance and Repair

There are only a few components inside a magnetic ballast so if something breaks you can usually replace the part for cheap or if you are not particularly handy, most grow shops can do it for you in a few minutes. If you are running a lot of lights, you can stock spare parts so your lights are never down for long.

Disadvantages of Magnetic Ballasts 

Noise

Magnetic ballasts tend to make a buzzing sound which can give away the grow room if you are trying to keep it a secret. It can also be annoying if you are working in the grow room for long periods of time.

Heat

Magnetic ballasts are not super energy efficient so some of the energy they consume is wasted and just turned into heat. You really want this electricity turned into light since you’re paying the electric bill. Extra heat accumulates and often needs to be removed with fans or an AC unit. Now you’re paying for even more electricity.

Heavy/Bulky

Magnetic Ballasts are heavy and rather bulky. They take up space and can be awkward or difficult to mount on walls or ceiling without and extra pair of hands.

Advantages of Digital Ballasts 

Electrical Efficiency

Magnetic ballasts generally use between 1100-1200 watts of electricity to to run a light rated at 1000 but an electronic ballast should use only between about 1050-1100 watts. By wasting less electricity, you are getting more light for less utility bill.

Cooler Running Temperatures

Because less energy is wasted and turned to heat, electronic ballasts run cooler and won’t add nearly as much heat to the grow room.

No Ambient Noise

Electronics ballasts don’t produce the buzzing noise of magnetic ballasts, so, in many cases they can be installed outside of the grow room. By doing this, the heat they produce won’t need to be removed from the grow room with fans or AC which adds to overall efficiency.

Variable Bulb Types

Most electronic ballasts can automatically adjust themselves for use with both Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium bulbs. While some magnetic ballasts are “switchable”, and can run both bulb types, you will usually need to remove the cover and flip the switch manually. If you are running a lot of lights and switching bulb types during every cycle, this can be a lot of extra work.

Bulb and Wattage Versatility

Electronic ballasts usually have a built in dimmer switch allowing growers to run lower wattage. This can be handy for giving your plants an easier transition for the first few days after transplanting. Some electronic ballasts can actually run lower wattage lights as well. I’m sure you can see the advantage of a ballast that can automatically adjust for HPS and MH lights as well as run 400, 600 and 1000 watt bulbs.

Bulb Age Compensation

As bulbs age they tend to lose their strength. Eventually you’ll want to replace the bulb even if they haven’t burnt out. The hard part is knowing when to change the bulbs. Wait too long and your garden suffers but change them out too soon and you’re wasting money on bulbs. Electronic ballasts can compensate for the aging bulbs which makes them produce the same light output even as they get older.

Restrike Time

When a grow light has been on for some time and then turned off, it cannot be immediately turned back on. The arc tube must have a chance to cool down before the lamp is turned back on or the grow light will not restart. This period of time is called the restrike time. Because of their more advanced electronics, e ballasts are able to “restrike” or relight a hot bulb sooner. This can be a time saver when needing to turn lights off and back on.

Disadvantages of Digital Ballasts

Extra Cost

Because of their complexity, electronic/digital ballasts are considerably more expensive. While I’m sure there are exceptions you are probably going to spend at least twice as much for a quality digital ballast. For example, here is a high qualify Hydrofarm magnetic ballast for $97 and a high end Phantom digital ballast for $299. Both will run a 1000 watt light but if you are buying high quantities or on a tight budget, this is something to consider.

Bulb Compatibility Problems

Some digital ballasts just don’t like some bulbs. I’m not sure I fully understand the reason behind this but my experience as well as that of others suggest that some cheaper bulbs just don’t run well on electronic ballasts. That being said, I have never had trouble when using both a higher end bulb and a higher end ballast.

Ballast Lifespan

Electronic ballast die when they get too hot. While some do a great job at dissipating heat through the use of heat sinks, others rely on cooling fans. The problem with cooling fans is that they have moving parts and if the fan fails, the ballast dies.

Radio Frequency Interference

Electronic ballasts can create radio frequency interference which can cause problems for both the electronics in your home and those of nearby neighbors. If you are running an undercover grow room in an area with close neighbors, this can trigger a knock on the door from the cable company, or worse. Some brands have done a better job of RF shielding their units than others. While one ballast might not cause a problem, 10 of them together could be a big deal.

Pro Tip

You can test your grow room for a potential RFI problems yourself. While not exactly cheap, Multi-Field EMF Meters are readily available and are lot less expensive than posting bail. If it looks like your ballasts are causing and RFI problem, you can shield them with a nickel copper signal blocking fabric. While it may be too expensive to sheath your whole grow room, try creating a smaller space to house your ballasts and lining the area with the signal blocker.

We hope our thoughts on the topic will make choosing between magnetic and digital ballasts an easier decision. For more reading on setting up the grow lights in your grow room, check out Grow Light Intensity Principles and Light Cycles and Flowering Cannabis. 

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If I start my plants indoors in March and want to plant them outdoor in April or May, will I need supplemental light to keep them from flowering early?

A:

The short answer is yes but to give you a more useful answer we’ll need to consider the strain, if you are growing from seed or clone, your latitude, and the last day of frost in your area.

Strain

Different strains have different flowering thresholds. Generally cannabis plants from equatorial regions take longer to begin flowering and subsequently continue to grow longer into the season. Sativa dominant strains usually fall under this category. Indica dominant strains are faster to enter flowering and finish sooner. I recommend greater care with Indica strains when adjusting photo-periods as they can easily begin flowering even from minor changes. A few years ago we published a helpful article on the mechanism behind what makes cannabis plants flower.

Seed or Clone?

Clones are normally in vegetative environments with 18 to 24 hours of light. Moving them outside at almost any time of year will tip the more temperamental strains into flowering. This phenomenon can be capitalized on, if you are using a growing method I call the “no-pull-dep”. With clones, it’s important to slowly begin reducing light exposure until it matches the natural daylight schedule on the day they are moved outside. Seeds on the other hand generally do very well when started early and in my experience are more resilient to changes in the photoperiod.

Latitude

It’s helpful to know exactly how many hours of light to expect on your target transplanting day. This will change depending on your gardens distance from the equator. Don’t guess, look it up! In almost all cases you will be reducing the hours of light. Use the information from the linked website and match your supplemental light to the expected natural light.

Frost

Cannabis plants don’t like to be cold. In most cases the cold will slow growth and in some cases it will kill your plants overnight. If you are moving plants outside when there is still the potential for a late frost, make sure you are using some kind of frost proofing system to keep them warm.

Pro Tip

My favorite cheap and easy method is to pound 4 stakes in the ground around the plant creating a square or rectangle about the size of a shipping pallet. Then wrap the stakes with clear pallet wrap. It’s basically a thick stretchy saran wrap and will make 4 clear walls like a mini greenhouse. If the ground is too soft you can nail the stakes to a planter box. If you space the stakes correctly, you can cover it at night with a clear waterproof pallet cover. If you add a 60 watt incandescent light to the inside of the plastic, not only can the light help stretch out the length of your plants day, but the heat from the light will help keep you plants warm at night. Repeat for each plant and you won’t be caught off guard by sneaky old Jack.

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Colorado was the first state to decriminalize recreational use. This meant that any adult, either resident or visitor, could legally purchase and consume marijuana products. A great number of both recreational and medicinal marijuana users flocked to the Colorado to take advantage of legalization. This liberal piece of Colorado legislation put the centennial state on the map as a Mecca for forward thinking people and drug reform. Today, Colorado’s marijuana industry has grown to around $10 Billion annually.

In the wake of Colorado’s success came the west coast states. By the time California decriminalized recreational cannabis use, Oregon was already beginning to see a problem. Too much marijuana!

In most industries, as supply increases, the cost decreases both at the wholesale and retail level. Lower cost creates more use of the product as consumers substitute one product for another. For example, as the cost of Marijuana decreases people might switch from drinking alcohol to smoking weed for purely economic reasons. What prevents this with Marijuana is that high taxes result in a minimum cost that it can’t really fall below. This prevents consumers from simply smoking up the extra marijuana. Additionally, the legality and therefore cost is not uniform from market to market. Whenever there is a significant difference from one area to another, someone will step in to fill the demand. In this case it means moving legal weed from one market like California or Oregon to another state where it is not legal and the cost is much higher.

In 2017 more than 2,600 pounds of Oregon’s finest was seized as smugglers attempted to export it to other states. Who knows how much left undetected. Oregon currently has around 900 licensed growers and an additional 1100 application are pending approval. The state is simply producing more marijuana products than it can sell and consume within the state.

I don’t have a number for the amount of marijuana that is seized flowing out of California but the quantity is likely much larger. One expert says California produces 8 times the marijuana it consumes, while another source places the number at 12 fold. Despite the problems with legal overproduction in Oregon, commercial development in California moves forward undaunted. Do investors expect Colorado’s success to be echoed in the west coast states that already produce more than they can use?

With time and money on their side, large investors will probably still see ample returns but only because the laws continue to support industrial marijuana production. The cost of entry into legal production is already foreshadowing a sharp decline in legal mom and pop cannabusiness. At the same time, the eradication of illegal and unpermitted gardens continues.

It’s the end of an era. Move aside handcrafted artisan grade flowers, make way for the Walmart of Weed.

The post Walmart of Weed appeared first on Marijuana Growers HQ.

When Rambo published his Sous Vide Decarboxylization article we got a lot of comments. It made use (or possibly misuse) of a lesser known kitchen appliance. This sous vide water heater thingy also called an immersion circulator suited the needs of Rambo’s experiment perfectly and gave very exact control over temperature and heat exposure duration. That said, not everyone has one of these handy gadgets in their Cuisinart cabinet. If you do want one you can order yours at this link.

This is where one of our readers steps in. Dee, a Michigan State resident, Vietnam veteran, and medicinal marijuana patient emailed us his stove top decarboxylation method. Dee’s approach uses common kitchen items and a good helping of stone age technology. His process is outlined below.

Tools and Equipment Required

• Half pint canning jars, Mason or Ball brand preferred
• 15 grams leaf, flower or kief for each jar to undergo heat treatment
• Kitchen colander
• Large canning kettle
• A few smooth stones weighing between 130 to 200 grams per jar

Cannabis Preparation

Cannabis should be dried to an extreme degree. Dry to the point where it can be ground into a fine dust between thumb and forefinger. Cannabis should then be sifted using the kitchen colander. This assures that no undesired seed or stem makes it into the process. Very dry flowers should be easy to grind into a dust which can pass through the colander holes.

Jar Preparation

After the marijuana is prepared, Dee places around 15 grams in each jar. The jars could certainly hold more but he leaves room for the ballast rocks. Each jar should also receive a few hundred grams of pebbles to weight them down. The stones serve two purposes. They provide weight to keep the jars from floating around or tipping over and they help radiate the heat evenly within the jar much like a pizza stone. After the jars are filled with flower and stones, the lids should be screwed on tightly to assure a watertight seal

Boil

If you know anything about home canning, then you know how to boil jars. You may even own some of the specialized canning tongs or canning racks that fit inside your canning kettle. If not, that’s fine as well.

Arrange the jars in your canning kettle with their lids facing up. Fill the pot with hot tap water and  place over high heat. After boiling has been achieved set your kitchen timer for 2 hours.

Dee stresses the importance of the 2 hour bath, he doesn’t have lab results to validate the importance of this duration but he does have years of experience using this method.

Note: Cold jars can be immersed into hot water but NOT boiling water, please use common sense here!

Let Cool

After 2 hours, Dee removes the jars from the canning kettle and allows them to dry and cool enough to handle. After they cool enough he removes the stones from the jars to prevent further heat exposure to the product. The decarboxylated cannabis can be brushed from the stones, but use caution, the stones will hold heat longer than the glass.

Enjoy

Your freshly decarboxylated marijuana can now be added to your favorite recipes. Dee mentions adding this material to drinks like coffee and tea, however he also offers a caution stating that a little goes a long way.

With any luck you aspiring marijuana alchemists can locate the items needed for this process in your own kitchen and make use of Dee’s method. We think Dee’s method is a great hack and hope you will too. Happy canning!

The post Dee’s Simple Stove Top Decarboxylation appeared first on Marijuana Growers HQ.

Some say that micro-grows aren’t worth the effort, the risks are too high and the yields too low, but I say to hell with the naysayers. If done correctly, growing marijuana indoors with a micro grow setup can be both fun and fruitful. For small cabinet grows, grow tents, and stealth grow boxes, a successful harvest is often determined by a decision made before you even plant a seed. This decision is what strain of weed will you grow to produce the highest yield and quality. 

Many factors can influence cannabis strain selection but here are my top 6 points to consider.

Which Strain Family – Indica or Sativa

By their very nature, micro grows are limited by space so the height a plant will require is a big factor. My last grow provided less than 2 feet of space but it yielded quite nicely. If space is an issue in your growing area, Indica strains will often work out better than sativa strains. Sativa plants tend to be larger, taller and they have more spacing between branches and buds which leaves valuable growing area unused. This makes Sativa strains less than ideal for growing in the spaces offered by micro grow cabinets and cupboards.

Yield

For most micro growers the main factor to consider is yield. Completing a micro grow can take just as many months as growing in a larger tent or outdoor grow but with such a small space you really need to maximize the yield. Micro grows still require that you commit to having it grow inside your home or apartment for at least a few months. If you are going to go to that much trouble then you want to make sure you get the most bang for your buck.

Height

If you are growing outdoors height is not usually a concern. You can plant and hope it grows as tall and as strong as possible to produce the greatest amount of flowers. In an indoor micro grow the height is usually restricted. In some cases you might only have a few feet to work with. Plants that grow short and fat are the desired choice. As mentioned before, you’ll find Indica varieties more suited to this.

Flowering Cycle Length

Discretion is important for many people growing weed indoors. You’ve committed to love and care for this plant but that doesn’t mean you want it in your life forever. In most cases, for this reason, you will want a plant with a short flowering cycle. With a short flowering cycle you can set the light cycles to grow for a bit and then the cycle to flower for a couple of months. Some Indica strains will fully flower in an little at 50 days while some sativa strains can take up to 5 months.

Odor

This criteria is really optional and can be pretty far down the list of priorities for selecting a strain. If you live in an apartment building then low odor can seem important and I would never tell you the opposite. You don’t want nosy neighbors getting a whiff of your grow every time you open the door. I say it’s low priority because there are ways to minimize the smell. For that reason, I always select for high yield before low odor. The best way to combat the smell and keep it minimal is to ensure the fan in your grow setup utilizes a carbon filter. If run properly, a carbon filter will completely eliminate the smell of cannabis as long as the grow area is sealed.

Personal Preference

One important thing that trumps all else, your personal preference. If your only option is a micro grow and you love Sativa, then that is what you should grow. Try to choose a Sativa with high yields and the quickest flowering period possible. The satisfaction you get out of smoking your own weed is worth a few trade offs.

Bonus! My Personal Choice

My situation is perfectly suited to indoor micro growing. Space is limited and due to the legalities in Australia, discretion very important. While I have grown all different varieties I do focus on strains that produce high yield with low heights. For that reason my favorite strain is (drum roll) Northern Lights! This is a classic Indica strain with high yield, low height and a short flowering cycle.

There are so many strains that sometimes it seems impossible to choose but if you are going to grow indoors in a small space follow the outline above to guide your choice. Selecting the right strain can be the difference between flaming out or a bumper crop.

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Over the years I’ve tried to avoid making product recommendations, even when companies have offered to pay for them. Sure, there have been a few, but often I’ve made a deliberate attempt to speak in more general terms. My intent has been to inform our readers so that they might make an appropriate decision based on their own unique needs.

Now that we are hosting an open email, questions and answer feed, I’m seeing that many of our readers just aren’t there yet. Some of you are just getting started and the information can be overwhelming or just confusing. I’m making this fertilizer recommendation for beginning growers and seasoned gardeners alike. 

For the last two years we have had really great results with New Industry Products. Their “Simi’s Mix” products are offered in three flavors, Grow, Transition, and Bloom.

Simi’s Grow Formula is developed for aggressive vegetative growth and lives up to it’s claims.

Simi’s Transition was formulated for late veg through early bloom, I have also found that it makes a great general purpose fertilizer. The Transition formula also works great in early spring when low temperatures inhibit phosphorus uptake and following transplant.

Simi’s Bloom Formula, not just a simple P-K boost, this recipe contains soluble sea kelp and molasses for huge buds.

One thing that sets this fertilizer apart from other products is the inclusion of soluble kelp and soluble molasses. These products have undergone extensive field testing right here in northern California. I find the company easy to deal with and I appreciate that they are local. I’m able to get the fertilizers from my local distributor, but if your not so fortunate they do offer mail order at their web site.

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Indoor growers use light cycle manipulation to trigger cannabis plants to flower or stay in a state of vegetative growth. This is basic indoor growing 101 but growing cannabis indoor can be tricky and sometimes things go wrong.  If your light cycles are interrupted it can be disastrous and you need to know how to fix your mistakes when possible.

If you screw up and set a timer wrong, accidentally unplug a cord or a light bulb burns out, you and your plants could have a real problem. I’m sure you’ve never done such a thing but even the most careful grower can’t control power outages. I’ve experienced nasty winter storms that created power outages for days on end.

I don’t know about you but I can’t count how many times I’ve accidentally set my alarm clock for 6 p.m. instead of 6 a.m. Luckily I wake up on my own about 7 but cannabis plants don’t wake up on their own. Growing cannabis indoor requires following strict schedules of lights on and lights out. You are responsible for getting them to bed on time and up in the morning and you must be punctual. 

If you want your seedlings or clones to grow into strong healthy plants with huge bud producing potential, keep the lights on between 18 and 24 hours each day.

When your plants have grown enough that you are ready for them to start flowering and producing buds, change your grow light timer so your plants experience 12 hours of light and 12 hours of complete darkness for each 24 hour period.

For more details on light cycles and how they work check out “Light Cycles and Flowering Cannabis”

When your light cycles are interrupted, even just a little, it can cause big problems for your plants. This can potentially result in huge reductions in your harvest so you need to know how to minimize the damage.

Extra Hours of  Light in Vegetative Cycle = No Problem

Cannabis plants actually grow quite well with 24 hours of light and a little extra usually doesn’t hurt.  If you are running a veg cycle of 18 hour lights on and 6 hours lights off, it’s not the end of the world if they don’t turn off on time. When you notice your mistake wait until the time of day the lights are supposed to turn off and make the correction.

The only caveat is if you’re atmospheric control systems is not automated. Your equipment may not be set to run these extra hours and you could potentially have some serious overheating problems.

Pro Trip – Make sure the equipment that regulates temperature and humidity like vents and fans are always turned on by an atmospheric controller and not a timer.

Extra Hours of Darkness in Vegetative Cycle =  Problem

Cannabis plants are triggered to begin flowing when the hours of daylight begin to decrease or more specifically when the hours of darkness each night increase. This happens naturally outdoors because the sun sets earlier and the nights grow longer after the summer solstice. Long hours of darkness can happen all at once in a grow rooms. If the lights don’t come on as planned, your plants could be in for some trouble.

Prolonged periods of darkness signals plants that it is time to begin flowering. This can happen whether you are ready or not. If you are ready to begin flowering, then no problem, just move directly into a 12/12 light cycle. On the other hand, if your plants are still smaller than would be ideal, you could have problems.

Once you realize your mistake, get your lights back on as quickly as possible. Do not wait for the appropriate time of day to turn the lights back on. Leave the lights on until the timer would normally turn them off, assuming you had stuck to your light cycle. Now resume your original veg lighting cycles.

If there is a power outage, don’t wait for the power to come back on. Find a way to bring as much light as possible into the room. Most small generators probably won’t have enough power to run much of your grow room. Don’t try  to power your 1000 watt HPS lights and climate control systems. Substitute fluorescent bulbs or even a camping lantern if that is all that is available. You don’t need to provide enough light to make your plants grow, just enough to make it not dark.

What happens next really depending on the strain and how long the lights were off.

Your plants may simply return to their vegetative state or they may begin to flower. If they begin to flower it may be just enough to show their sex before they return to a vegetative state. In either case you might be in the clear.

There are also two worst case scenarios.

Scenario 1. Your plants may continue to flower for some time while putting on some vegetative growth. When you eventually switch to a flowering cycle the buds may not fill in but instead leave you with a small harvest of airy buds.

Scenario 2. It may appear to have weathered the storm when in fact your plants may have a surprise waiting for your down the road. Plant stress can be caused by light cycle interruptions and has the potential to turn your female plants into hermaphrodites that grow male flowers. If this goes undetected, as it often does in large garden, you could find yourself with a harvest of small seed filled buds. When accidentally smoked, well, we’ve all been there.

Pro Tip – Consider having a small generator and backup florescent lights already hanging in your grow room. You won’t need much power for climate control equipment because your emergency fluorescent lights don’t produce nearly as much heat.

Extra Hours of Light in Flowering Cycle = Problem

Flowering cannabis plants need their sleep. If the 12 hours of darkness is interrupted with light, the signal to flower is turned off. The sooner this can be corrected with 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness the better. Once a plant is fully in the flowering state it is very difficult to coax it back to fully vegetative growth but you can still cause plant stress which may lead to hermaphrodites and seedy buds.

Even just a little light leaking into a room through a vent or around a door frame can be enough to cause problems.

Pro Tip – To test a room for light leaks, close yourself in the room with the lights out. Wait for 10 minutes with your eyes open so they adjust to the darkness. If you can see your hand in front of your face you have a light leak that needs to be fixed.

Extra Hours of Darkness in Flowering Cycle = No Problem

Extra hours of darkness during the flowering stage should not hurt the plants as long as it doesn’t last for too long. 

In fact some growers give their plants a full 24 hours of darkness or more as they switch from veg to flowering. It’s possible this gives the plant a little extra signal to begin flowering. I haven’t done the research to see if this is really beneficial but from experience I can tell you it’s not necessary.

When you discover the problem, leave the plants in the dark until the light cycle would normally begin. This should be a least a full 12 hours of darkness.

Even when you know what you are doing, growing indoor can be complicated. One mistake can set you back months or destroy an entire cycle. Trust me, there are plenty of opportunities to make mistakes. Learning how to grow indoor is a journey. Learning the best way to run your particular grow room can take years. Learning to avoid mistakes and how to correct them when possible takes time. Nothing complicated is mastered overnight but I hope this information will help you.

The post Grow Room Light Cycle Interruptions appeared first on Marijuana Growers HQ.

In most cases drip irrigation systems are the most efficient way to water outdoor marijuana gardens. Drip systems save 30-50% of water usage, and with timers, you’ll never forget to water. Drip also work great with fertilizer injectors to meter soluble plant food or organic additives right through the drip lines. This makes evenly feeding your marijuana garden effortless.

I’ve personally installed dozens of drip irrigation systems in the last few years. While the work itself is easy, I haven’t always got it right on the first try. There is a lot of thought that goes into designing the ideal drip system so if you are not a pro, it can be a bit trial and error. Redoing a poorly designed drip system can be expensive so I’ve been on the lookout for a way to make the design simpler for new growers or even experienced growers with new gardens.

I’ve wasted hours just trying to chose the right emitters so the water and nutrients are delivered evenly over the root area. It’s not rocket science but hydrodynamics is not always as straightforward as one might guess. You have to get it right. Making sure you have enough pressure and flow is key to a successful drip system and these are not skills that most of us develop in our everyday lives.

In recent years large container outdoor gardens have become very popular. There are some great benefits to these system but they also present some challenges. Grow bags, smart pots, and other containers create a fertile plateau elevated a foot or so above ground level. Without the right system to control the flow of your irrigation, you’ll soon have water spilling over the container edge.

In drought years like California has recently experienced, water can be a huge expense and sometimes scarce. There are tons of emitter options to choose from but which type best suits your gardens needs?

You could hire an expensive consultant but luckily DripWorks has put together a fantastic solution. They now offer Cannabis specific bundled irrigation products that are specifically designed for cannabis gardens.

The DripWorks website is easy to use and offers several options that allow you to customize the system to your exact specifications. Several ideal emitter options are available as well as timers offered in both AC and DC depending on the power course available at your garden. DripWorks has thought of everything and their experience is unrivaled. They have been irrigating the Emerald Triangle’s largest cannabis gardens and other commercial farms for over 25 years.

What makes up a drip system?

Drip irrigation systems have several major components. Below is a brief explanation of what they are called and what they do.

Main Line

This is the line that supplies the water from the source to the system. It is almost never fitted directly with emitters, instead it carries the water to the garden area where the emitter grid is located.

Timers and Valves

Timers and valves are set on a programed schedule to open and close internal valves automatically. When open they allow water to flow through the system when needed.

With larger systems, you might not have enough pressure or flow to water the entire system at once. Instead, the system can be broken into several smaller sub-systems or circuits. Imagine you have a large 100 plant garden but the flow rate from your water source only provides enough to water for 20 plants worth of emitters. The drip system can be divided into 5 circuits so that each can be run at a separate time. This can be accomplished with 5 manual valves, 5 timers or 1 fancy timer.

Manifold

Multi-circuit systems should contain a manifold. The manifold is a hub where a single main line is divided into several mainlines. Often these diverging lines are gated with valves or timers. This approach usually requires the use of additional pipe but allows for the timers or valves to be centrally located. Manifolds for drip irrigation can be purchased in a variety of sizes or they can be made from pipe fittings and short sections of pipe.

Emitters

This the part of the system that puts the water to the ground. Emitters come in a kaleidoscope of options from slow weepy emitters that drip drip drip to sprayers that can throw water feet or yards. I can’t detail how how all of them work but one detail to keep an eye on is pressure compensation. Emitters equipped with a pressure compensation component make an attempt to deliver the same output throughout elevation variations with your garden.

Imagine you have a terraced garden with an upper tier and a lower tier. The lower tier has the benefit of gravity so logic dictates that this level will receive more water. Pressure compensating emitters are designed to defeat gravity and deliver the same amount of water to both upper and lower tiers.

Emitter Overview

As I mentioned the kit offers several emitter options. Here are some options and the best setting for each.

Emitter Tubing

This product closely resembles ½ inch mainline, and even uses the same fittings. The difference is that the tubing is cleverly designed with pressure regulating punctures at predetermined intervals that    allow water to seep through. Emitter tubing is probably most suited for row crops but can also be configured in spirals around planted holes or mounds. I personally find this an awkward option for most marijuana gardens, but others may disagree.

Soaker Line

This option will be the better choice for many cannabis gardens. In many ways it is similar to emitter tubing except that the tubing itself is ¼ inch in diameter. The smaller diameter makes it far easier to coil in concentric circles around plants. After the line has been routed appropriately, it’s held in place using short plastic stakes or ground staples. Soaker line is my go-to emitter solution for irrigating smart pots. I run a short section of regular ¼ inch line up from the main line to reach the elevation of the pot. This allows the main line to run straight and clean along the ground.

Shrubbler

The Shrubbler emitters come attached to plastic stakes and have pressure compensation built in. These emitters are great for spot irrigation and spray a good bit of water on the soil surface over a small area. There are several variations which are rated to directly irrigate an area from 7 to 14 inches. I’ve used shrubblers in the past but have since found other solutions I prefer. They have a tendency to leave dry spots between emitters.

Octa Bubbler

This interesting device caught my eye a few years ago. It’s a pressure regulating hub, mounted to a ½ inch riser that accommodates 8, ¼ inch lines. Think of it like power strip for drip irrigation. The ends of these 8 lines can then be fitted with emitters, or left open. They can can be run individually into separate containers using line weights or stakes. This works great for situations where there are a great number of small containers in a small space.

Well Earned Plug

Assembling a drip system can be a fun and easy or frustrating and time consuming. Having a good design and all the right parts makes the difference. Before I discovered the kits from DripWorks, I never seemed to complete a system without additional trips to the store for forgotten parts. The Cannabis Garden Kits from DripWorks are complete, easy to assemble and customize. If your unique garden requires a design from scratch, the DripWorks staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Give them a call at 1-800-522-3747 and let them help you plan your next drip system.

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Any recommendation for a brand of good proven potting soil for starting seeds. I’d prefer a light mixture and sterilized.

A:

There are two schools of thought on soils for starting seeds. Sterile can help assure that the young plants get off to a good start without disease, fungus or pathogen. Unfortunately though, sterile is a condition that’s impossible to sustain. The other route is to start in soil that is rich with beneficial fungus and bacteria. The idea is that the beneficial organisms will colonize the soil and prevent any of the bad guys from getting a foothold. Additionally, nitrogen fixing microbes can be used to enhance soil fertility while safeguarding the soil against harmful bacterial growth.

I am not a microbiologist but the major players in this process are well understood and documented.

Common Bad Fungus: Verticillium, pythium

Bad Bacteria: Too numerous to list

Good Fungus: Trichoderma (invasive), Bacillus Subtilis (found in Serenade spray), bacillus thuringiensis, mycorrhizae fungus particularity Glomus intraradices
Good Bacteria: Some strains of Streptomyces, Azospirillum brasilense (nitrogen fixing)

A good soil is alive and teeming with biology both macro and micro. Healthy soil is hard to find in bags because it can takes years to cultivate. Compost tea is a great product for introducing beneficial soil microorganisms into our growing medium.

My answer to your question:

Soil:

Pro-Mix HP, Pro-Mix HP +microbes, Happy Frog, Ocean Forest

Any premium potting soil that is available in your area and does not contain too much added fertilizer. Choose a soil that’s finely sifted and does not contain a lot of bark or shredded wood. Buy soils from a garden shop that stores their pallets indoors. Do not buy bagged soil that has been setting outdoors getting weathered.

Soil Alternates:

Rapid rooters, Rockwool, Oasis,

These are normally used to starting clones but these soil alternatives also work great for germinating seeds.

If you seeds are very high value, meaning you don’t have many or they were very expensive germinate the seeds before planting. Cover your seeds in moist paper towel or similar medium and allow them just enough time to crack their shell. Remove and plant before the roots emerge and become too delicate to handle. Tap water or distilled water can be used. Microbial products can be added to the water to inoculate the seed, use as directed.

After seeds are germinated plant them into soil or growing medium using delicate gloved hands, chopsticks or tweezers.

If your seeds are plentiful and or you are starting a great number of them I like to use 50 cell divided planters or an appropriate number of 6-packs to fill a standard “no-hole” garden tray. Plant the seeds in the soil and keep warm and moist but not waterlogged.

Cannibals is a very special plant but does not require any special conditions or treatment to thrive, there is no “Right way” to grow it.

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