Cannabis Growing Guides

For most first grows, an autoflower rated Easy. Autoflowers start flowering on their own as they age, so there is no light schedule to change, and most beginner picks are listed at about 8 to 13 weeks from seed to harvest. See our best autoflower strains for beginners or browse all easy-to-grow strains.

There is no fixed schedule. For a seedling, keep the mix lightly moist, not wet: give a small pour in a ring around the seedling rather than soaking the whole pot. Once the plant is established, water when the pot feels light and the top inch or two (2.5–5 cm) of the mix is dry to the knuckle. Our watering guide shows how to read the pot weight and how watering changes through the grow.

Yes, indoors you need a dedicated grow light. When you compare lights, look at how much light actually reaches the plants (PPFD, from the maker's PPFD map at your hanging height), not the wattage: real wattage tells you what a light costs to run, not how bright it is at the canopy, and the big "equivalent" wattage on cheap panels tells you neither. Our light intensity guide gives targets for each stage, and LED vs HPS compares the two main light types.

Go by the trichomes, not the calendar. Most growers aim for mostly cloudy trichomes with a little amber; mostly amber means you have waited too long. Some growers wait for more amber for what they believe is a heavier effect, but that is grower experience, not something the studies measured. A 30× loupe or a pocket microscope lets you see them; check the trichomes on the buds, not on the small sugar leaves, where they can turn amber early. Full guide: when to harvest cannabis.

Feminized seeds are bred to grow female plants; our feminized (photoperiod) strains start flowering when nights get long, so indoors you switch the lights to 12 hours on, 12 off. Autoflowers start flowering on their own as they age, finish sooner and usually yield less per plant. All of our autoflowers are feminized too. Feminized seed means almost never a male, not never, and any female can turn hermie, so keep checking your plants through flower. Full comparison: autoflower vs feminized seeds.

In most provinces, yes. Quebec bans home growing. Manitoba allows it only indoors, and Newfoundland and Labrador only inside the home or an enclosed building or structure on the property; some provinces, such as New Brunswick and PEI, require outdoor plants to sit behind a locked enclosure. Most of Canada gets its last spring frost in May and its first fall frost between mid-September and mid-October, so choose strains that finish inside that window. Start photoperiod seeds indoors in late March or April; sow autoflowers straight outside after the last frost. Province-by-province details: growing cannabis outdoors in Canada.