Kushka answers all your questions about cannabis growing

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Kushka - 14/05/2020
3 min

Every day we receive lots of questions from growers from all around the globe.
We really appreciate your feedback and we’re really happy to help resolve your queries about the cultivation of our Dinagirls.
In this post we’ll have a look at some of those questions and help you get the most out of our strains.

I want to grow autoflowerings outdoors using homemade organic fertilisers. What would you recommend?
Hi! Could you tell me what’s the best way to preserve the flowers after harvesting?
Hi, Kushka! Can cannabis plants be grown outdoors in winter? Thanks!
Good morning! I’d like to know what the main factor is to get the flowers nice and thick. Is it light or the nutrients?
My plants have been infested by aphids. What’s the best way to get rid of them?
I’d like to know how characteristics are passed on when you cross different varieties. What do the parent plants provide to the new strain?

Cannabis growing is an art that you'll never stop learning. Even those of us who have been in the cannabis world for quite some time are still fascinated by how much there is to learn about this millennial plant. So don't hesitate to share your questions about growing, or any other cannabis-related topic, via email or through our social media. We'll be delighted to help you out!

Here are some of the questions that you've asked us in the last few days:

Worm castings are one of the best organic fertilisers that you can use for your plants. They're super rich in essential nutrients for the optimum growth and development of cannabis, and they don't cause any over-fertilisation problems. You can also make worm castings at home using Californian redworms. Compost is also a great organic substrate that you can easily make at home and will complete the feeding regime of your plants.

Hi! Could you tell me what's the best way to preserve the flowers after harvesting?

In hermetically sealed glass jars. You can cure the buds at the same time by opening the jars for one hour each day. The jars must be kept away from the light because light has oxidising properties, just like air. It is vital that the temperature in the storage area ranges between 18-20°C, and that the humidity levels are around 50-55%. These two parameters need to be stable, as variations may alter the quality and properties of your weed.

Hi, Kushka! Can cannabis plants be grown outdoors in winter? Thanks!

Not usually. If you want to get a decent crop, your cannabis plants need a temperature between 20 and 25 degrees during the day , and which should never drop below 15 degrees at night. This is unattainable in the winter, unless you live in the tropics. You can recreate these conditions in a greenhouse, though, but then we wouldn't be talking about outdoor growing per se. So the answer is no. But don't forget that you can always resort to indoor growing during the winter.

Good morning! I'd like to know what the main factor is to get the flowers nice and thick. Is it light or the nutrients?

The main factor for bud density is genetics. Some strains develop 'thicker' buds than others. Strains like Bubba Kush or Remo Chemo produce really dense buds. Regarding nutrition, calcium and silica can help with this. Another element used indoors by some growers is CO2: an abundant amount of CO2 in the air enhances photosynthesis, which translates into increased plant growth. Essentially the plants grow more quickly and deliver thicker buds in a shorter time. So CO2 just makes everything go faster. But if you want to use this technique you need to learn a lot about how it works, because CO2 in concentrations higher than 2% can be toxic, or even deadly, for humans. So you need to make sure that the carbon dioxide levels in your grow never exceed 0.15%.

Light intensity and good aeration are also vital factors that can contribute to this. Lastly, Plant Growth Regulators (or PGRs) can also contribute to increasing flower density, but it is really important NOT to use synthetic PGRs as they can be harmful to humans. I only recommend organic ones such as chitosan or triacontanol.

My plants have been infested by aphids. What's the best way to get rid of them?

Aphids can cause serious damage to your cannabis plants, and you can use different methods to fight them. Get rid of them naturally: introduce predatory species like Chrysoperla or lacewings, Aphidius matricariae (parasitic wasp), ladybirds, or Verticillium lecanii (a type of fungi). Or spray your plants with pyrethrum two to three times every 5-10 days.

I'd like to know how characteristics are passed on when you cross different varieties. What do the parent plants provide to the new strain?

That depends on each cross. Breeders make crosses based on their predictions, hoping to put together features that they think may be interesting. But mother nature also does its part, so the crosses result in different plants with different characteristics, which might not be the ones the breeder was hoping for. This is where a good selection process comes in after the crossing process, followed by some stabilisation techniques.