If you are growing cannabis for the first time, you will possibly have many questions. Don’t despair! Know that even the most experienced growers did not acquire their knowledge overnight. To make your life easier and help increase your chances for a successful grow, follow these essential tips.

10. Don’t Make It Too Complicated

New cannabis growers often tend to overcomplicate things. When you’re excited about your first grow, you might be tempted to go overboard with everything from setting up your grow room to watering and feeding nutrients. The best advice for you as a new grower is to keep things simple and straightforward. The old rule of “less is more” applies. Do not risk loving your plants to death by overwatering and overfeeding, the two most commonly made mistakes!

9. Do Your Research

Success with cannabis growing rarely comes overnight. If you are unsure about something and have questions, there are plenty of detailed resources readily available for research. It is likely that you will get an answer on any of the numerous marijuana growing blogs or forums on the internet. Likewise, any good bookstore today should carry books and DVDs with helpful guides and courses on growing. When it comes to growing, knowledge is power!

8. Stick to the Advice of an Experienced Grower

On your quest to become an indoor cannabis growing expert, it is likely that you will come across many different opinions, especially if you do your research online. Do not presume that everyone who gives advice knows what they are doing. The professed “growing expert” you come across may not know any more than you do and give you the wrong advice altogether. The best thing you can do is when you stick to the advice of one experienced grower. Look for people who have been growing for years and look back over the work they document on forums. If someone like this is offering advice, you can assume that he or she must know what they are doing. This is when you should listen carefully!

7. Use Quality Products

If you want to grow successfully, you don’t have to go crazy with your spending. Even if some product vendors tell you otherwise, you will not need a plethora of expensive accessories and supplements for successful growing. On the other hand, cannabis growing is also not a hobby that you should pinch pennies with either. If you spend more money on quality core products, such as on a good, proven brand of nutrients or grow lighting, the investment will normally payoff. Don’t make the mistake and invest all that time and effort in your grow but risk failure because you tried to save money in the wrong place.

6. Don’t Underestimate the Sound and Smell of an Indoor Grow

When it comes to keeping your indoor grow hidden and stealthy, never underestimate sound and smell! Be aware that exhaust fans make noise, having lights on all the time can look suspicious, and that flowering cannabis produces a pungent smell. They could well draw someone’s unwanted attention. Always have these things in mind when you plan your indoor grow, and how you are going to combat them. There are ways; for example, a carbon filter can help eliminate smell, a muffler can quite a fan, and blackout blinds and careful room selection can keep light leaks to a minimum.

5. Don’t Rush, Be Patient

As a novice, it can be easy to get impatient. Don’t get discouraged if things don't seem to be happening as fast as they should. Sometimes it might seem as if your seedlings will take forever just to grow an inch. What you need to know is that patience can go a long way when it comes to cannabis growing. If you rush things and panic, there is a bigger chance to make mistakes that you might regret later on. The best thing you can do keep your cool and stay patient and relaxed. Let me assure you, your plants will know and reward you in time!

4. Flush Your Cannabis Plants at the End of Your Grow

Many first time growers don’t know about the importance of flushing at the end of a grow. Flushing can significantly improve the quality and taste of your bud. When you flush, your smoke will turn out smooth rather than harsh and irritating. How do you flush your plants? Flushing means that you only give plain ph-ed water (without nutrients) to your plants to get rid of (“flush”) any accumulated salts in the soil. Most growers start flushing 2 weeks before harvest.

3. Timing Is Everything When Harvesting

For most growers, harvest is the most exciting part of the entire grow. At harvest time, all your hard work and patience will finally pay off! You certainly don’t want to make a mistake with your harvest, as this would mean that you wasted a whole lot of time and effort. Timing is everything when harvesting. You don’t want to harvest your bud too early or too late.

2. Start with Good Genetics!

By using the right lighting, quality cannabis nutrients, and additives, growers normally have plenty of control over how their grow will ultimately turn out. Yet, one of the most important factors for growing successfully is good strain genetics. It is often a particular strain’s genetics that can mean all the difference between excellent results or a failed grow. This is because low-quality genetics only have so much potential. No matter your skill, you cannot push a seed past its genetic limit. Good quality genetics will ensure that the ceiling is high, giving novices all the room they need to learn and experiment. Novices who use low-quality genetics often fall into the trap of having a bad grow and presuming it is their skill when it is, in fact, the seeds.

Always do some research and purchase seeds produced by a reputable seed bank.

1. Don’t Tell Anyone!

It is understandable to get excited once you start to see the first results of your grow. You may feel tempted to let anyone know about what you achieved with your hard work and dedication. Here is one golden rule that you should always follow: Don’t Tell Anyone! And yes, “anyone” means including your best friends and close relatives. It is very simple: The more people know about your grow, the bigger your risk. Experienced indoor growers know that keeping the risk low is one of the most important things before anything else. Telling someone is the biggest reason hobby growers get caught. Sure your friends may not rat on you, but what about their girlfriends, boyfriends, colleagues or family that they may accidentally let slip to?

If you follow the above tips, you can greatly increase your chances for a successful grow. Keep in mind that one of the most exciting things about growing cannabis can be when we face challenges and learn how to overcome them. Growing cannabis is an art and takes time, patience and the willingness to learn. If you fall, pick yourself up again and learn from it! This is how you become a true expert grower ! Happy Growing!