Once sprouted, the marijuana plant starts vegetative growth. This means the marijuana plant will be photosynthesizing as much as possible to grow tall and start many grow tips at each pair of marijuana leaves. A grow tip is the part that can be cloned or propagated a-sexually. They are located at the top of the marijuana plant and every major internode. If you "top" the marijuana plant, it then has two grow tips at the top. If you top each of these, you will have four grow tips at the top of the marijuana plant. [Since it takes time for the marijuana plant to heal and recover from the trauma of being pruned, it faster to grow four smaller marijuana plants and not top them at all. Or grow two marijuana plants and "train" them to fill the same space. Most growers find]. All marijuana plants have a vegetative stage where they are growing as fast as possible after the marijuana plant first germinates from seed. It is possible to grow cannabis plants with no dark period and increase the speed at which they grow. Marijuana plants can be grown vegetatively indefinitely. It is up to the gardener to decide when to force the marijuana plant to flower.
A marijuana plant can grow from 12 inch to 12 feet | 30 cm to 3.6 m before being forced to flower, so there is a lot of latitude here for each gardener to manage the garden based on goals and space available. A solution of 20 | 20 | 20 with trace minerals is used for both hydroponic and soil gardening when growing continuously under lights. Miracle Gro patio or Formula Flora plant food is good for this. A high Phosphorus [P] plant food is used for blooming and fruiting marijuana plants when beginning 12 hour days. Epsom salts [1 tablespoon] should be used in the solution for Magnesium [Mg] and Sulfur [S] minerals. Trace minerals are needed too, if your food does not include them. Miracle Gro patio or Formula Flora plant food includes these trace elements and is highly recommended. Keep lights on continuously for sprouts, since they require no darkness period like older marijuana plants. You will not need a timer unless you want to keep the lamps off during a certain time each day. Try to light the marijuana plants for 18 hours or more, or continuously at this point. Bend a young cannabis plant's stem back and forth to force it to be very thick and strong. Spindly stems can not support heavy flowering growth. An internal oscillating fan will reduce humidity on the leave's stomata and improve the stem strength as well. The importance of internal air circulation can not be stressed enough. It will exercise the marijuana plants and make them grow stronger, while reducing many hazards that could ruin your crop.
Hydroponic vegetative solution
- [per gallon | 3.5 liter]
- Miracle Gro patio | 1 teaspoon [contains trace elements]
- Epsom salts | ½ teaspoon
- Human Urine | ¼ cup [optional - may create odors indoors]
- Oxygen Plus Plant Food | 1 teaspoon [optional]
This mixture will insure your marijuana plants are getting all major and minor nutrients in solution and will also be treating your marijuana plants with oxygen for good root growth and potassium [K] nitrate for good burning qualities. Another good growth phase mix is ¼ tablespoon 20|20|20 fertilizer per gallon | 3.5 liter of water, with trace elements and oxygen added, or fish emulsion. Fish emulsion is great in the greenhouse or outdoors, where smells are not an issue, but is not recommended for indoors, due to its strong odor.
