Ready, Set, Grow

Spring has hasn’t sprung out here in the Okanogan, but we are manifesting it nonetheless and that means it’s time to start sprouting seeds. If you’ve been wanting to grow your own cannabis, we would LOVE to help. But, before we jump in, it’s a good idea to check with your state and local laws to see if homegrowing is legal where you’re at, and the answer could be surprising. It’s still not legal in Washington (unless you’re a registered medical patient), although it’s been legal for capitalism and commerce for ten years now. There’s a homegrow bill that’s still alive in the legislature, so if you think like we do that the plant should be completely legal and not just for generating tax revenue, then contact your reps about it here.

So now that we got that out of the way, we’ll step off of our legalize it soapbox, and let’s get our hands in some dirt! The TL:DR is if you have a preferred method for popping pepper seeds for your garden, cannabis seeds are not much different than that.

Supplies

Trays

We love watching soil blocking Reels and TikToks just like the rest of you and they’re great for cutting down on waste and planting on a larger scale. To start small, you can grab dixie cups or any seed starting tray. We recommend these silicone, pop-out trays from Burpee. They come in 8, 16, or 36 cells and are commonly available at all the big box stores with a gardening department. We love that they’re reusable, easy-to-clean, and don’t require a monstrous amount of planting once you’re ready to up-pot everything.

Starting Mix

Now, what to fill it with? We like the Burpee Eco-Friendly Seed Starting Mix. Despite what it seems this is not Burpee sponcon, although, Burpee, if you’re reading this, we’d totally be down. We like this mix because it is also commonly available at all the big box stores with a gardening department, is eco-friendly and organic.

Seeds

Check out our more in-depth guide to seeds here. But the long and short of it is buy feminized seeds—regular (photoperiod) or auto flowers will do. Autos start flowering automatically after a few weeks, whereas photoperiod strains begin flowering a few weeks before the autumnal equinox. If you have a short summer season like us, where the average frost comes around the beginning of October, we’d recommend finding a stain that will be sure to finish by the first frost date in your region. Find your average first frost day here. If you need any help with finding seeds, email us and we can point you in the right direction.

Lights

You’ll need a light to start your cannabis seedlings indoors. The University of Minnesota has a great in-depth guide here and here’s a list of different types with recommendations. A cart is convenient and space saving, but a single LED lamp or bulb will work just fine. Make sure the bulb is a grow bulb. Seedlings shouldn’t be under 24 hours of light—between 12 and 18 hours will do so a timer also comes in handy.

Planting

Fill the cells with the medium, pressing down firmly. Your medium is most likely going to be super dry so you’ll need to prep it before planting any seeds. To do this, you’ll have to thoroughly wet it, making sure there are no dry pockets. Our favorite method is putting the whole tray in your sink and using the faucet sprayer to soak each cell. You might have to do this a few times.

Once your medium is wet, make a little half-inch deep hole in the center of each cell. If you see any dry patches while doing this, take your tray back to the sink and soak each cell again. Make sure you have each row labeled if you are planting multiple varieties (you think you’ll remember, but you won’t), and drop one seed into each hole and lightly cover with the medium. The medium should be wet enough that you don’t have to water after planting, but you can if you want to. Plain water works just fine, but our friends at Mikrobs have a great product to help your seeds germinate which can be used throughout the life of the plant to increase vigor and yields. Seedlings will emerge in two days to three weeks, depending on several factors including the age of the seed. Seedlings prefer temps in the mid-sixties to low-seventies and for the medium to be kept moist until the seedling sprouts. After you have your sprout, be sure not to overwater as that causes damping off. Remember, if you’re buying from a good breeder, germination and seedling care is not any different than your other garden plants.

We’ll talk transplanting and feeding in the coming weeks. In the meantime, if you have any questions about seed starting or see something we’ve missed, email us at hi at wildwood flower dot farm.