Many plants, cannabis included, were biologically driven by nature to survive and thrive by growing taller and faster than their competition. This is why cannabis, when left to its own genetic devices, grows tall like a Christmas tree.

While this strategy works well in sunlight, a grow room is in fact a completely artificial environment, requiring you the grower to alter the plant to adapt it to its new indoor habitat. In this installment, I will give all you faithful indoor gardeners some tips that will help you get the most from your limited and expensive indoor spaces- after all, efficiency is the name of the game, right?

First, it’s important to remember that indoor light loses its intensity as the square of distance from the source, meaning that the light twice as far from the bulb is only one quarter as intense, not just half. For this reason, the optimum distance between too close and burning your plants and too far away and seeing them get spindly is often only a few inches! So how do you get optimum lighting to the entire plant instead of just the very top of it? Simple; use time honored training techniques borrowed from bonsai gardeners, tobacco farmers and fruit tree growers and adapt them to suit your purpose!

How To Help Your Crop Stay Alive and Thrive, Even in the Worst Summer Heat!

Welcome my cultivating compadres! After all the rain this year, people could be forgiven for forgetting that the season of extreme heat is upon us - and I for one can hardly wait!

Outdoor grilling, days at the lake, tubing down the river, waterskiing, windsurfing…funny how so many of our favorite summer pastimes involve some way of cooling off, but what about our precious little green friends? Once again, faithful growers, I bring you easy and effective tips to help keep you from frying your plants, and just in the nick of time!

First, it’s essential to know your local conditions - both in your town and in your grow room. Keep in mind that your growing area is its own little microclimate, affected by the inputs from your equipment, its location inside the building, even which side of the house it’s on.