Here we are going to have a look at what happens when you grow different strains of cannabis in the same room. You might be wondering why this is a problem at all – do growers not always grow different strains in the same room? The answer is usually no. Growing one strain on its own is definitely the easiest way to grow, but perhaps you need more than one strain.
The biggest issue with growing different types of cannabis all together is when they will be fully mature. If you search you might be able to find different strains that have similar flowering times. But, if you want a wide variety, chances are they won’t be ready to cut all at the same time.
First, let’s talk about flowering or finish times. Once a cannabis plant is put into ‘flower’ mode by changing its light, it then takes anything from 7 weeks to over 12 weeks for the flowers to fully develop and for the plant to be ‘finished’.
Having plants finishing at different times is not a good use of your grow room resources, so another approach is needed.
If you choose to grow different strains, other issues can arise as well, such as different nutrient or watering requirements. Things can get quite complicated quite quickly, which is why many people choose to grow only one strain at a time so they have a nice even canopy (the very top part of the grow where the buds are is known as the canopy) and the needs of the plants remain similar throughout the grow.
Obviously there are some great advantages to growing different strains. When harvest comes around, you won’t be limited to smoking just one strain that you’ll soon build up a tolerance to. You’ll have your other strain to fall back on. From our experience, it’s much easier to stay very stoned if you have a couple of different types of weed around, this is without doubt. If that’s what you want to do.
Similar Flowering Times
To save yourself a heck of a lot of work, we recommend growing strains that have the same flowering times. This means you’ll have a much easier time looking after the plants. It’s well within your abilities to pick a couple of similarly sized strains you like the look of that have the same flowering schedule. We’ve even come up with some pairs for you so you can consider growing these together.
Also, you should look for strains that have similar horizontal and vertical growth so that one of the varieties does not go a bit crazy and start hogging all the light, which is entirely possible with the wrong pairs of plants.
Choosing that right pair of plants can create that perfect cannabis combination and even complement each other in the growing process.
Maintaining control
If you don’t manage to find some matching pairs and one plant grows much higher than another, there are many way to control the height of the plant.
Topping – just literally taking the top of the plant off will limit growth and increase bushiness when done correctly. Normally carried out once the plants has grown 3-5 internodes or sets of true leaves.
Bending – you can bend the branches of cannabis plants without causing them too much damage. Pick your bending site carefully and rub the branch in-between your fingers first then gently shape it the way that you want it to go. You can even give it a gentle twist, breaking the inner core and let it hang down. As long as you don’t break the outside of the stem, it’ll start to reach for the light within days.
Tying down – You can pull a plant downwards with string and peg it down making it grow wherever you want to. Pay attention to the areas where the string touches the plant and ensure that no damage is being caused by the fastening. Depending on what type of strap you use, you may need to protect the plant’s branches.
The 12/12 From The Start Method
One other way of growing multiple strains without too much bother that is utilised by some growers is the straight 12/12 room system. Believe it or not, it is possible to grow cannabis without any veg period whatsoever, just setting the plant straight into flower. This obviously does not grow huge plants. They are much smaller so larger plant numbers are required. You just end up with a main cola (large main top bud) but you can have many many of them.
One of the main things to be aware of using this method is getting the correct amount of light and water to each plant. With larger plant numbers, watering can become an issue if not managed properly.
Some growers like to use a massive soil pot with many different types of seed. Planting directly into the large pot, males can very easily be identified, and when a plant is finished, it can be removed and replaced with another seed. Every few months, the soil can be recycled and used again.
It’s possible to grow 40 plants under one light using this method, so even with reduced yields, you can see how growing this way can make for a quick turnover of varied cannabis, delivering a multitude of strains to you every 10 weeks or so. Remember, no veg period. Some strains will do better than others this way, but it’s a sure fire way to test out all kinds of different plants.
If you go with pots, coco is best suited to a system like this made up of many small pots as it won’t affect the plants yield too adversely. So again, you can use many pots under one light and reap the rewards in no time at all.
Using very small pots with a soil grow will not yield impressive results hence the ‘one-pot’ method is more likely to yield better when growing using this technique.
The only down side to this method is that if you do have a lot of very dense buds in a small amount of space, you need to watch out for moisture issues and sometimes powdery mildew may occur, so one must keep an eagle eye on your plants. Don’t over water and clean up all spills promptly.
Autoflowering Plants Method
Another way to grow if you want to grow multiple strains together without too much trouble would be to grow autoflowering varieties. For a lot of autoflowering strains, they will have more in common with each other as regards to flowering times, heights and even feeding than their feminized cousins.
16 plants under one light is not crazy, and using coco, small pots and autos you can quite happily grow 4 of each variety, leading to a nicely varied harvest every 10 weeks or so.
This way of growing means you can guarantee the height of your canopy and grow several different strains in a small area with ease.
Take a look in our autoflowerting section and see if you can find a couple of well matched pairs for your grow today!
In the UK it is an offence to germinate cannabis seeds or grow cannabis. Gorilla Seed Bank sells cannabis seeds as collectable genetic preservation souvenirs only. This means you can collect rare cannabis genetics in seed form and preserve them for the future in case the laws might change! Remember don’t grow cannabis – it’s against the law and the Gorilla doesn’t encourage anyone to engage in illegal activity! Please note that the readble content on this blog, product descriptions and related literature is all for information purposes only! If you are from overseas then you must check the law’s in your own country before making an order! If we suspect someone is likely to break the law then we will not sell to them!
