So your plant managed to survive the first two weeks. Good job, you just might be a natural born grower! Now your aim is to get her through vegetative stage with as little stress as possible
Once cannabis hits 3rd node of leaves, the root system starts expanding rapidly getting deeper and wider while scouting the soil for water and nutrients. The trick in this stage is to provide enough of both for the plant to thrive without going overboard.
For this reason you should grow your plant in a balanced medium, which has low phosphorus and potassium content and only slightly more nitrogen (1-1-2), but is rich in calcium/magnesium. Optimally you should reach 80% base saturation of these both cations with 7:1 calcium to magnesium ratio.
Additionally, your medium should have enough silica, iron, molybdenum, manganese, zinc, copper, boron, sulphur, nickel and chlorine, which all perform essential metabolic functions. And there's a simple way to find out what's in your soil by TESTING IT in a lab!
If you don't know what's in it, and unfortunately many producers don't put this ESSENTIAL information on the label, you're asking for trouble, which 90% of the time shows up via nutrient lockout or burn (take my word for it).
But let's assume, that your soil is good, and your plant grows well. Keep the RH up to 70% if you grow your plant indoor, and proper air flow. If your RH is on the low side, mist your plants twice a day with pure water.
As far as watering schedule is concerned, you should use wet-dry cycle in veg, which means you water your plant abundantly, and then wait until the medium is so dry, that she starts drooping. Outdoor, cannabis can go without water in veg for as long as three weeks, but indoor it's usually between 5 and 10 days.
This stimulates root growth, and no tricks will give you bigger and healthier root than this!
For this reason you should also put your plant in a biggest pot possible just after she's done with her solo cup or starter pot. This'll allow you to bypass a common problem, which is getting root-bound, that can often masquerade as nitrogen or potassium deficiency.
Around early/mid veg you can also start training your plant if you grow her in limited space, if she responds very well to it, or if she yields better this way. For topping/fimming you should usually wait until 4th or 5th node, the same for LST.
Fertilization is optional in veg, which means you can do it, but it's not necessary if your soil has been well prepared and tested. Occasional shots of nitrogen, potassium, silica, calcium, magnesium and micro-elements are useful for some plants, while others get by without them, which you can only find out by your own experience.
In general, you should be shooting for the healthiest, strongest and most vigorous plant possible by the end of veg, which can enter flowering without any nutrient or pest problems. And if you got it, you just might have a real knack for it.
I recommend at least 8 weeks of vegetative stage indoor for optimal yield, and at least 20 weeks outdoor!
Stay tuned for the next bit, and support @canna-curate by upvoting and resteeming this post 🌿
Written by: @conradino23
Photos by: @jonyoudyer, @bluntsmasha, @conradino23
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