At optimum growth in mid summer plants can grow several inches a day. In order to keep up to and facilitate this fast growth you need to keep them well feed. I feed them the same fertilizers I would use in an indoor garden however the fast metabolism requires more fertilizer than indoor gardens during this period. I prefer to grow the plants in containers in a soil less mix (peatmoss/perlite) the same as my indoor plants.

  I keep the plants well fertilized during the summer vegitive period and I flush them very well during the last half of the flowering period. This ensures a very smooth tasting, clean burning smoke. Due to growing many different strains in one greenhouse I always hand water. Some strains uptake fertilizer at different rates and finish flowering later than others. When you hand water each individual plant can get the exact attention it needs. It takes longer to water than an automated watering system, but your plants will appreciate the extra care.

 For growers who want to maximize efficiently and make the most out of there greenhouse there are ways to get 2 or even 3 crops a year. By building a shading system you can induce flowering whenever you want. This can be made with anything that blocks out the light, black plastic is the cheapest and most available. Remember that in spring the light hours outside are adequate for budding plants.

   If you start some plants indoors under lights in February or March, get them growing healthy and put them in the greenhouse mid April they will automatically start budding. With most strains these plants will finish budding the last week of May. After you harvest these buds you can plant another round of plants immediately, let them grow under the natural light until June 20. That’s when you induce flowering by shading the greenhouse so it only gets about 12 hours of light per day. Continue shading until at least august 5, these plants will be done by august 10. Once again you need more plants to put in after you chop these. The last harvest comes down mid October.

   This method of farming cannabis is used by a lot of professionals and creative gardeners. For 2 crops you can try most strains with success, however growing 3 crops per year makes having the right strain very important. A fast stretching strain that also matures very quickly is needed. It needs the fast stretch of a sativa and the fast maturing qualities of the Indica. Some strains that have worked great in this aspect are: Diablo, Dynamite, Romulan Max, Grapefruit Diesel, and Burmese.

  If you are just starting out just remember keep it simple, concentrate on the basics. There is no need for a large investment if doing a small backyard or balcony greenhouse. And for those of you who want to farm big, this is a great way to grow. Successful crops can come from simple farming like planting straight into the ground under a plastic cover. Even better crops can come in a professional greenhouse. But in the end it comes down to the ability of the grower to care for the plants and be aware of there needs.