Easy, Experienced or Expert?

[felis]

Been reading through various seed catalogs and looking at the many, many different strains. Most of the strains state a level of growing ease, or difficulty included in their descriptions. But that is where the *details* end.
Aside from reading every grow journal ever submitted on a particular strain, how do we discern between "easy" and "expert" growing challenges? Is there an industry standard [ that I've never seen ]?


Why is one strain rated as expert, and another rated as moderate? Is it simply a subjective characterization?

 

[Konks Dirt Empire]

As a grower who started my first seeds this spring, I will jump in and take a swing as a newbie.
People as a gigantic generalization think weed is dope and dopes grow it. You can toss seeds in dirt and they'll grow with light and water, but if you feed, nurish and meet their needs optimally you could potentially grow that same tossed seed into a gigantic tree.
This information is here and available

How to Grow Marijuana Everything You Need to Know

How to Grow Marijuana Growing cannabis made easy with our guides and tutorials to help you grow like a pro from room design, medium and lighting to feeding, harvesting, drying and curing your buds. Getting Started & Selecting Your Genetics Should I Start My Grow From Clones or Seeds? Do Roots...

www.420magazine.com

if you mine it and really aim to culivate there are enless tips making those described levels of difficulty tangible. Also, some plants show deficiencies that are harder to recover from the premadonna strain, if you will.That is my take after 5 months of jumping in with both feet.
Someone will give us actual facts, but there is my two cents.

 

[MochaBud]

Welcome to the forum @felis

Been reading through various seed catalogs and looking at the many, many different strains. Most of the strains state a level of growing ease, or difficulty included in their descriptions. But that is where the *details* end.
Aside from reading every grow journal ever submitted on a particular strain, how do we discern between "easy" and "expert" growing challenges? Is there an industry standard [ that I've never seen ]?


Why is one strain rated as expert, and another rated as moderate? Is it simply a subjective characterization?

Some strains are picky. They want one thing this week, and another the next. And it takes an experienced eye to catch some things.

 

[MochaBud]

Some strains, from certain seed vendors will tell you that it's difficult to grow. And they will give you proven recommendations on how to grow those strains ...for example...

Nor For Beginners, But Those Who Master It Will Be Rewarded
Pineapple Chunk from Barney’s Farm is an 80% Indica-dominant hybrid cannabis strain, a cross between Pineapple, Skunk #1, and Cheese and is one of the most potent strains coming from their catalog. Not the easiest strain to grow, but those that master it will be rewarded profusely.

The strain will generally grow one main big and long cola that goes from top to bottom, but can handle any type of training technique or method you choose. Height will be about 90-100 cm and it will grow hard, dense, and large buds, which can easily be affected by mold or mildew, so providing a less humid environment during flowering will ensure a healthy harvest. It usually finishes in 8-9 weeks indoors and by the end of September outdoors. It can be a bit peculiar and tricky at times, so some experience and knowledge are recommended before you plant these seeds, that said, you will reap yields of 600g/m2 or up to 500g/plant.

• Recommended Nutrients: Advanced Nutrients.
• Recommended Techniques: Will respond well to topping and defoliation to increase production of her already vigorous cola growth.
• Lighting: LED 150W during vegetation and rising to LED 250 during flowering is suggested.
• Usually testing at ~25% THC and 1-2% CBD.
• 12 plants/m2 are recommended in SoG.

 

[Konks Dirt Empire]

Some strains, from certain seed vendors will tell you that it's a difficult to grow. And they will give you proven recommendations on how to grow those strains ...for example...

Nor For Beginners, But Those Who Master It Will Be Rewarded
Pineapple Chunk from Barney’s Farm is an 80% Indica-dominant hybrid cannabis strain, a cross between Pineapple, Skunk #1, and Cheese and is one of the most potent strains coming from their catalog. Not the easiest strain to grow, but those that master it will be rewarded profusely.

The strain will generally grow one main big and long cola that goes from top to bottom, but can handle any type of training technique or method you choose. Height will be about 90-100 cm and it will grow hard, dense, and large buds, which can easily be affected by mold or mildew, so providing a less humid environment during flowering will ensure a healthy harvest. It usually finishes in 8-9 weeks indoors and by the end of September outdoors. It can be a bit peculiar and tricky at times, so some experience and knowledge are recommended before you plant these seeds, that said, you will reap yields of 600g/m2 or up to 500g/plant.

• Recommended Nutrients: Advanced Nutrients.
• Recommended Techniques: Will respond well to topping and defoliation to increase production of her already vigorous cola growth.
• Lighting: LED 150W during vegetation and rising to LED 250 during flowering is suggested.
• Usually testing at ~25% THC and 1-2% CBD.
• 12 plants/m2 are recommended in SoG.

^ thanks, "someone". Good to see I am following along, sincerely!

 

[Justin Goody]

Strains with big yields in a short time are probably going to be easier. Try a Northern Lights x Big Bud or something along those lines for an easy growing good producing plant that isn't really picky.
The harder strains may produce less, but be of higher potency/quality. They may also take longer which gives more time to be stricken with disease or pest issues. Some of them will have very specific pH or nutrient needs, and may require a more stable environment. Some will grow in a a cup of sand while being ignored, and some will die without constant attention.
Like mentioned above it has a lot to do with being able to read what the plant needs and deliver it quickly.
My current Purple Lemonade plant has instructions (from the breeder) to feed little or no nutrients. The last one I grew on the regular feeding schedule and it ended up not producing as intended. Now I'm growing the same plant on 1/3 the nutrients and it's 3 times the size of the last one.
They will all require something slightly different, depending on the region they originated in, and the genetics that have been bred into them.
Try something easy first, it's still going to be pretty good, and you'll have a lot less chance of disappointment.

 

[Konks Dirt Empire]

Strains with big yields in a short time are probably going to be easier. Try a Northern Lights x Big Bud or something along those lines for an easy growing good producing plant that isn't really picky.
The harder strains may produce less, but be of higher potency/quality. They may also take longer which gives more time to be stricken with disease or pest issues. Some of them will have very specific pH or nutrient needs, and may require a more stable environment. Some will grow in a a cup of sand while being ignored, and some will die without constant attention.
Like mentioned above it has a lot to do with being able to read what the plant needs and deliver it quickly.
My current Purple Lemonade plant has instructions (from the breeder) to feed little or no nutrients. The last one I grew on the regular feeding schedule and it ended up not producing as intended. Now I'm growing the same plant on 1/3 the nutrients and it's 3 times the size of the last one.
They will all require something slightly different, depending on the region they originated in, and the genetics that have been bred into them.
Try something easy first, it's still going to be pretty good, and you'll have a lot less chance of disappointment.

^nice, thanks goody!

 

[TorturedSoul]

Why is one strain rated as expert, and another rated as moderate?

Some strains are able to still do well (or at least survive their harsh life until harvest day) even if the grower is a lazy, untutored, inexperienced idiot. Those would be the "beginner" strains. Other strains may not handle stress well and produce opposite-sex flowers if subjected to it. Some may have special nutritional requirements; certain African landrace sativa strains, for example, evolved to grow in soil with little nutritional value - and attempting to keep them one step short of a nitrogen overdose could really screw them up (if they survived).

So it's not exactly a subjective thing. There's some of that, too, though. Some folks consider a strain that has a 16-week flowering period to automatically be an "expert strain" just because it's stretch phase (first 40% or so of the flowering period, during which it continues to grow vertically) is around 45 days, when that aspect of the strain really only requires a bit of common sense, a little forethought, and some decent planning.

A person can grow a strain that is considered to be an "expert" strain in their very first cannabis garden, and it's possible to do well with it. But that is going to require some work - and a lot of that work would be best done before planting the seed. . . .

 

[BeanTownFan420]

Been reading through various seed catalogs and looking at the many, many different strains. Most of the strains state a level of growing ease, or difficulty included in their descriptions. But that is where the *details* end.
Aside from reading every grow journal ever submitted on a particular strain, how do we discern between "easy" and "expert" growing challenges? Is there an industry standard [ that I've never seen ]?


Why is one strain rated as expert, and another rated as moderate? Is it simply a subjective characterization?

Exactly it is all relatively the same every cultivar I have grown I grew the same way with no issues.

 

[felis]

Good thoughts guys, thank you.

To date, I haven't grown any strains that are rated as expert or master.....by the seed vendor. I may wish to one day though.
It appears that new strains are coming out every day, and surely, they are not all tried / true and tested strains regarding ease of growing or not. So researching the success of others is not always an option. I was just wondering how experienced growers meet this challenge. It would appear that effectively reading the plants needs are at the top of the list as to achieving optimum success.

 

[Cornercat]

I've been thinking about this concept lately because I just realized 1 plant from my last grow was way more tolerant than any of the other ~20 strains I've grown. Every grow, all my plants lose lower leaves as they flower, sometimes losing every fan leaf before finishing. I have not quite figured out how to eliminate that problem. But this last grow I had 1 Hibernate plant and it did not lose a single leaf! It was subjected to the same temp, humidity, ph, and ppm swings that nearly killed the rest of the strains in the tent. I measured its ppm at over 2,000 at one point - no signs of burn. It grew as if it was totally oblivious to my environment and was on its own mission.

If growing weed was this easy from the start, I'd have had way more success by now. I'd highly recommend the "easy" strains if you're a new grower. There is way too much to know and screw up when growing good weed, that you apparently don't need to know if you get lucky with an invincible strain.

20200926_124538.jpg

• Cornercat
• Oct 11, 2020

Hibenate plant

 

[Jackalope]

A lot of the strains they say are for experienced growers are going to require extra feeding or care that may be hard to diagnose. These plants can be finicky about what you feed them and when. Some others are going to require extra feeding while others want micro nutrients. More experienced growers can spot the little indicators easier.

Beginner strains can handle damn near anything you throw at them. They recover or never notice mistakes that are made along the way. I have grown a long time and still prefer easy strains. In most case's the easy strains are just as good as the hard ones. On the bright side. A hard strain to grow is only hard the first time or 2. Once you get them figured out they become easier.

I have grown Mr Nice, Super Silver Haze it is considered a hard to grow strain. I thought I had it made till mid flower when everything went down hill. I managed to get them finished and the weed is pretty damn good. I will never know what I left on the table with them till I grow it again. Next time I will know to bump up the nuits in flower.

 

[TorturedSoul]

A grow journal thread is like a cheat code; halfway to the next level, lol.

A lot of the strains they say are for experienced growers are going to require extra feeding or care that may be hard to diagnose. These plants can be finicky about what you feed them and when. Some others are going to require extra feeding while others want micro nutrients. More experienced growers can spot the little indicators easier.

Beginner strains can handle damn near anything you throw at them. They recover or never notice mistakes that are made along the way. I have grown a long time and still prefer easy strains. In most case's the easy strains are just as good as the hard ones. On the bright side. A hard strain to grow is only hard the first time or 2. Once you get them figured out they become easier.

I have grown Mr Nice, Super Silver Haze it is considered a hard to grow strain. I thought I had it made till mid flower when everything went down hill. I managed to get them finished and the weed is pretty damn good. I will never know what I left on the table with them till I grow it again. Next time I will know to bump up the nuits in flower.

 

[Cornercat]

Grow journal threads are a joke, sorry to say. Especially the ones that can't decide how to end it so they just let it go 250 pages. How is anyone supposed to learn anything from that? I'm sure it's full of information but it's like someone stuffed it all into a blender and shook it around then smashed the blender on the ground. Picking through the pieces is beyond bearable.

 

[Konks Dirt Empire]

Grow journal threads are a joke, sorry to say. Especially the ones that can't decide how to end it so they just let it go 250 pages. How is anyone supposed to learn anything from that? I'm sure it's full of information but it's like someone stuffed it all into a blender and shook it around then smashed the blender on the ground. Picking through the pieces is beyond bearable.

Been here less than a month, are 20 posts deep and decided that already...
Have you tried the search feature for specific information or the thread below for just about anything?

How to Grow Marijuana Everything You Need to Know

How to Grow Marijuana Growing cannabis made easy with our guides and tutorials to help you grow like a pro from room design, medium and lighting to feeding, harvesting, drying and curing your buds. Getting Started & Selecting Your Genetics Should I Start My Grow From Clones or Seeds? Do Roots...

www.420magazine.com

 

[Cornercat]

Not trying to ruffle feathers. Just when compared to different ways it could be done, a journal in thread format is really inefficient for the reader's time. I do search with specific questions in mind. But sometimes I just want to see how someone grew their strain and don't know which questions to ask - then it's like sifting for gold trying to find the relevant bits. Or I'm just looking for fun but the scroll to fun ratio is like 10:1
Not trying to plug other websites but check this format for comparison to see what I mean: growdiaries.com
I guess I just wish the commentary was more easily separated from the journals. Grow discussions are great but it chops the journals into a million pieces.

 

[Konks Dirt Empire]

Not trying to ruffle feathers. Just when compared to different ways it could be done, a journal in thread format is really inefficient for the reader's time. I do search with specific questions in mind. But sometimes I just want to see how someone grew their strain and don't know which questions to ask - then it's like sifting for gold trying to find the relevant bits. Or I'm just looking for fun but the scroll to fun ratio is like 10:1
Not trying to plug other websites but check this format for comparison to see what I mean: growdiaries.com
I guess I just wish the commentary was more easily separated from the journals. Grow discussions are great but it chops the journals into a million pieces.

It is like sifting for gold
The members who have been around have compiled some incredible information and if you mine for it is gold!

Did you do an intro or start a journal, the community of growers bit is true. If you ask it, they will come and answer.

to the forum!

 

[Jackalope]

Grow journal threads are a joke, sorry to say. Especially the ones that can't decide how to end it so they just let it go 250 pages. How is anyone supposed to learn anything from that? I'm sure it's full of information but it's like someone stuffed it all into a blender and shook it around then smashed the blender on the ground. Picking through the pieces is beyond bearable.

Thanks for noticing. That is exactly my journal. Except the 250 pages I am not that popular LMAO.

I have to agree with you. My first journals sucked. Some where never finished, the others I couldn't figure out how to end. Now I just post pictures and run my mouth. Which works for me. I hope people can learn from it. It was never meant to track growth or to teach others. Not that I don't like to help, I do. My journal is just something to do with my extra time. I spend a fair amount of time on my pictures which is fun. Not sure if they are worthy of all the time I spend on them LOL. I have figured lots of things out for myself while typing my thoughts. In the end I think my journal helps me more than it does others.

 

[Herby Paisley]

To the O.P. .....I think big corprate has gotten involved too much in the industry trying to main stream everything so the lazy person (sheeple) can grow weed and big corporate can take their money and sell them over priced crap they don't need and saturate them with grow info to make them think they actually need the crap their selling to grow good pot.