Both new and experienced cannabis growers are always searching for ways to boost their yield and make their plants as potent as possible. Techniques such as high-quality genetics, proper lighting, and harvesting at the right time can go a long way and help growers produce potent buds.
Seek Out High-Quality Genetics
Source your marijuana seeds from reputable breeders who have a history of producing potent, high-yielding strains. Once you have your seeds, follow recommended instructions. For example, topping, lollipopping, and pruning work well with the jet fuel strain as well as many others.
Speaking of genetics, growing experts recommend that you use feminized seeds. They result in the best use of space and time, and produce the best yields. Feminized seeds grow into lovely female flowering plants, and gardeners don’t have to waste time plucking out male plants.
Male plants do not grow flowers and develop hardly any THC. They basically amount to a waste of nutrients, light, and space. They also spread pollen to find female plants to mix their DNA with. Reproduction leads to even more male plants wasting resources in the space you have set up.
If you find male plants, you probably should kill them. One exception is if you want to experiment with breeding marijuana plants.
Get Help From Experienced Gardeners
Marijuana is fairly easy to grow at home, but experienced gardeners can give you a huge head start. They can cut down on the mistakes you make in areas such as topping, lollipopping, and pruning.
Topping can maximize plants’ exposure to light and coax them into becoming bushier. It involves removing the top of the plant and can be intimidating to new gardeners.
Lollipopping often leads to higher yields, emphasizing a focus on fewer buds for increased strength and yield volume. However, if done incorrectly, it can reduce yield. Pruning is a way to trim your crop to promote higher-quality growth and get access to buds in the top sections of the plant.
Train and Prune
Training cannabis plants means you get to control their final shape. For example, they can be short, wide, or anywhere in between to fit the space you are working with. Experienced gardeners can help you learn the ropes with healthy training, pruning, topping, defoliating, and other techniques, or you can experiment as you go along. Whatever you do, though, these techniques do produce more bud sites and better-quality buds.
Refrain from overdoing the training and pruning, or risk lower potency and reduced yield.
Optimize the Growing Environment
Many people grow indoors and use grow rooms or tents. Proper ventilation is critical and includes a consistent supply of fresh air and temperatures and humidity levels in certain ranges.
High-quality grow lights provide the right spectrum and intensity of light for your plants. Carbon dioxide (CO2) supplements also help your plants grow faster and stronger.
Provide the Correct Nutrients
Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium are among the nutrients that help marijuana plants grow strong. You can buy premixed fertilizers and supplements, and remember to feed your plants in the dosages that match their growing cycle.
Some gardeners prefer organic or natural fertilizers so chemicals do not build up in their soil or hydroponic system.
Use Trellising
Plants that struggle to grow might be too weak to support themselves. Trellises or similar wooden, bamboo, or metal structures are a way to help cannabis plants bear their weight and flourish. You can use a mesh arrangement or simple supportive rods as your “trellis.”
Increase Container Size
More production can mean more yield, so it may help to expand your container size. You don’t necessarily need to take on more plants, either. For example, if a plant has been growing in a three-gallon container, it can produce better yields growing in a container twice that size.
Speaking of pots, most serious growers opt for air or smart pots. These pots are highly breathable and give the roots plenty of space for robust growth.
Of course, always run the numbers first before changing container sizes and gardening techniques, and buying more equipment. Budgeting is an important part of growing cannabis.
Harvest When the Time Is Right
You get the best yield and potency when you harvest at the correct times. Bud size and density and the color of the trichomes are ways to tell when a good time to harvest is. Look for mostly cloudy or amber trichomes (depending on the effects you want from the plants). Dry and cure the buds correctly so you keep their flavor and potency.
Maximizing your cannabis yield typically requires combining genetics, environment, nutrients, and certain harvesting techniques. You can get a huge head start under the tutelage of an experienced grower, too. Over time, as you learn more techniques and experiment with more confidence, you can expect bountiful yields of high-quality buds.
