So, you’ve started growing cannabis inside your home. You may have even had a couple successful grows. Now you’re looking to branch out. What’s next? Growing multiple strains of cannabis at the same time, of course. After all, it is more fun to have variety in your harvest.
Choose Compatible Strains
The best way to make your life simpler when growing multiple strains of weed is to choose similar plants. Different strains can have different final heights, different harvest times, and different preferences for light intensity and humidity. Do your research and choose strains that are similar in growth requirements. This will help you keep your plants happy throughout the grow, and help you maximize your harvest.
Be cautious with mixing Indica and Sativa strains in the same grow. Since Sativa plants tend to be taller and slimmer, they can overshadow the shorter and bushier Indica strains. Indica strains, on the other hand, can sometimes crowd out shorter Sativa strains. It’s best to stay with strains that are similar mixes, to keep plants from harming each other.
Some examples of strains that are easy to grow together are:
- Grapefruit and Sour Diesel
- First Lady and American Dream
- Critical Kush and Hubble Bubble
- Chunky Cheese and Royal Dwarf
Prepare Your Space
You grow room setup is key to having a successful harvest, no matter how many strains you’re growing. No matter what strains you choose, you need to make sure your indoor grow setup is able to handle the plants you want. Growing multiple strains doesn’t mean you can fit twice as many plants into the same space, after all.
Make sure all your plants will have adequate airflow, water, and light. This means that you keep bushier plants spaced a little further apart, and that you consider training tall strains for a more even canopy.
You also want to make sure you can inspect all plants without damaging any. Ideally, you should be able to walk all the way around your grow room setup. If that doesn’t work, keep your plants only two or three rows deep, so you can reach all the way to the last plant without moving the plants in front. Your plants may react to the same conditions differently, and you don’t want a problem festering in a back corner where you can’t see it.
Be Prepared for More Work
No matter how compatible the strains you chose are, they probably won’t mature at exactly the same rate. They also won’t be exactly the same height, or grow exactly the same way. These differences cause the unique tastes and effects of various strains, but make more work for the grower.
When growing multiple cannabis strains at the same time, you need to keep an eye on the different plants. If one strain starts to shadow a different strain, then you can face a serious difference in growth in just a few weeks. You may also see one strain fighting a problem like powdery mildew that the other strain isn’t. It will take more effort to make sure all your plants are happy and healthy in the same grow environment.
Growing a single strain of cannabis is the simplest way to start out, but once you understand how the plants work, it’s not that much more difficult to grow several strains in the same room. Whether you’re growing for yourself or others, having a variety of bud is almost always a good thing!