How Do I Keep Cannabis Plants Healthy?

• Cannabis plants need a few key things to grow successfully: water, light, pest control, nutrients, and pruning.
• You can grow cannabis plants either inside or outside; both have benefits and drawbacks. It’s generally recommended to grow cannabis plants in pots and use all-natural pesticides and plant nutrients.
• It’s important to note that it’s not legal to grow cannabis in every state. Not every state that allows marijuana consumption allows home growing.

It’s legal to grow recreational or medical cannabis in the following states:

• Alaska
• California
• Colorado
• Maine
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Nevada
• Oregon
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• Washington D.C.

In addition, it’s legal to grow medical cannabis in the following states:

• Arizona
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Maryland
• Missouri
• Montana
• New Hampshire
• New Mexico
• Oklahoma
• Rhode Island
• South Dakota
• Utah

Growing cannabis at home can be labor-intensive, and your first attempt may not even produce a successful crop. It’s something of an art.

However, a few tips from the pros might be a game-changer for your first (or second, or third) attempt at growing marijuana at home. Paying attention to watering, light exposure, pest control, nutrients, and pruning can all help you keep your cannabis plants happy and healthy.

But what about indoor vs. outdoor growing? Can you plant cannabis straight into the ground, or do you need pots? Do you have to use nutrients and pesticides?

In this guide, we’ll explore five major tips for newcomers to cannabis cultivation and touch on some common questions from amateur horticulturists.

A Note on Legality

Take a look at our lists at the top of the article to make sure it’s legal to grow cannabis in your state.

Unfortunately, it’s not legal to grow cannabis containing a non-negligible concentration of THC in Louisiana, TeleLeaf’s home state. We’re sure you have questions, like:

• Can I apply for a license? – While you could apply for a license to grow cannabis in Louisiana, it’s very unlikely that you’ll be granted one. There are currently very few authorized growers in the state, and the current licensees are large-scale cultivators.
• Can I grow hemp instead? – Louisiana does have an industrial hemp program in accordance with the 2018 Farm Bill (a federal law allowing states to grow low-THC, high-THC strains of cannabis called hemp). The key word here? Industrial. You can certainly apply for a license to grow hemp, but it likely doesn’t make financial sense to apply for such a license if you can only grow on a small scale.
• What happens if I break the law? – At TeleLeaf, we strongly recommend that everyone follow their state’s laws. While you should take legal questions to an attorney, suffice it to say that there are legal consequences if you’re caught growing cannabis in Louisiana.

Tips for Growing Healthy, Bountiful Cannabis Plants

If you live in a state that allows home growing, you may be interested in producing your own crop of medical cannabis. What should you do to increase your chances of raising a healthy crop?

Water Religiously

Cannabis plants need ample water to thrive, especially before they start budding. The exact amount of water you need will depend on many factors, like:

• Your local climate and weather conditions
• Whether you’re growing indoors or outdoors
• Whether your plants are in pots or in-ground

Experts generally agree that there are two ways to tell if your cannabis plant needs water:

• The finger test – Stick your finger approximately two inches into the soil. If the dirt is dry, you need to water; if the dirt is wet or damp, check again later or wait a day before watering.
• The pot weight test – You can also tell whether or not your plants need watering by weighing your pots. After watering, pick up your pot to get a feel for its weight after a watering. If your pots are significantly lighter than they are after watering, it might be time to sprinkle them.

Maintain Ample Light

In addition to watering, light exposure is a major factor when it comes to growing cannabis plants. Let’s break our tips down based on growing environment:

• Outdoor growers won’t need any artificial lights (unless you want to experiment with supplementing different colors across the spectrum, but this is an advanced practice). Since the sun produces the full spectrum of light, all you’ll need to do is place your pots (or plant your plot) in an area that gets at least 12 hours of direct sunlight each day.
• Indoor growers will need an artificial light specifically designed for growing plants—“grow lights.” Your grow light should be encased in glass (to prevent overheating), ventilated, and connected to a remote or timer for easy tinkering. Before your plant begins budding, leave your lights on for as many hours each day as possible—you can even leave them on for 24 hours a day. Once budding begins, you can cut back to a normal 12-hour light cycle.

Prevent Pest Growth

Even if you’re growing inside, pests have the potential to destroy your plants and sabotage your crop.

You’ll need to take steps to mitigate both:

• Insects – Bugs can feast upon your cannabis plants, but you can prevent this by using pesticides and maintaining ample airflow (the latter step is especially important for indoor growers).
• Small mammals and birds – Rabbits, chipmunks, deer, and birds may all wreak havoc on your garden (your cannabis plants included). By encasing your plants in chicken wire or landscape fencing, you can keep critters out.

Use Plant Nutrients

Like other crops, cannabis plants need multiple essential nutrients to grow strong and start budding:

• Nitrogen
• Phosphorus
• Potassium
• Magnesium
• Calcium
• Carbon
• Oxygen
• Hydrogen

While your plants will get the last three from air and water, you’ll likely need to supplement the others using fertilizers.

We know what you’re thinking—you want to grow your cannabis plants completely naturally. You can, and there are a number of all-natural and organic fertilizers available on today’s market.

Prune As Needed

Like other plants, your cannabis plant may need occasional pruning. Pruning is relatively simple—all you need to do is cut any leaves or stems that are:

• Brown
• Dry
• Drooping
• Rotten
• Dead

You don’t need to prune every day; checking for less-than-healthy leaves and stems once per week will do the trick.

While you can get special pruning shears, you can also prune with kitchen shears or pocket knives.

Frequently Asked Questions About Growing Medical Marijuana at Home

What else should you know on your growing journey? Let’s touch on a few common questions from fellow cannabis cultivators.

Should I Grow Inside or Outside?

While you can grow cannabis both indoors and outdoors, your options may be limited by your local weather, climate, and living conditions.

• If you live in a climate with extreme temperatures (hot or cold), your cannabis plants may be more likely to thrive inside where you can carefully control their climate with cooling and heating units and ventilation.
• If you get heavy or limited rainfall, indoor growing might be ideal for you. Too much water and your cannabis plants could develop root rot. Not enough water and your plants might dry up.
• If you live in a temperate climate with moderate humidity, regular rainfall, and comfortable temperatures, outdoor growing could be an option for you.

You may also need to grow indoors if you don’t have ample outdoor space, live in a big city, face significant pest problems, or have nosy neighbors.

Should I Use Pots or Plant Cannabis into the Ground?

While it’s possible to grow cannabis plants in the ground, there are a few benefits to choosing pots instead:

• More control over soil and water – When you opt for pots, you can more easily fine-tune your soil nutrients and water content.
• Portability – Whether you need to move your plants indoors during a heat wave or you want to stow your plants in the garage while you have company over, pots are easy to move.
• Elevated growing – To increase comfort, you can place pots on an elevated surface—no need to stoop down to plant seeds, prune, or water.

Are There All-Natural Nutrients and Pesticides Available?

Most growers recommend using both pesticides and nutrient supplements when cultivating cannabis. However, if you’re committed to all-natural growing, you might be tempted to brush off these suggestions.

Luckily, there are ample options for both pesticides and fertilizers derived from all-natural sources. You may even be able to DIY some formulas to support healthy growth.

TeleLeaf: Your Connection to Medical Cannabis Care

While growing cannabis can be a fun experiment (or become a career) in some states, Louisianians aren’t so lucky—medical marijuana patients in TeleLeaf’s home state almost always have to rely on cannabis pharmacies to source their plant medicines.

But how do you get access to a marijuana pharmacy or dispensaries? First, you’ll need a recommendation from a licensed healthcare provider. TeleLeaf connects patients with licensed providers who are knowledgeable about cannabis—clinicians who can help you get access to medical cannabis.

Ready to start the medical card process? Schedule an appointment with TeleLeaf.

Sources:

Growealth. Where Is It Legal to Grow Weed in the US?.
https://growealth.com/

Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. Industrial Hemp.
https://www.ldaf.la.gov/plants/industrial-hemp

NORML. Louisiana Laws and Penalties.
https://norml.org

SunMed Growers. Cannabis Watering Guide [2024]: How to Prevent Problems.
https://www.sunmedgrowers.com/

Royal Queen Seeds. The Indoor Marijuana Grower’s Guide to Artificial Lights.
https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/us/blog-cannabis-cultivation-tips-how-to-set-up-indoor-grow-lights-n670

MedicGrow. What Nutrients Are Required for Growing Cannabis?.
https://medicgrow.com/