Kevin Oliver - Idiots Guides: Growing Marijuana

Growing Marijuana

by Kevin Oliver and Chadd McKeen

A member of Penguin Random House LLC

Publisher: Mike Sanders

Associate Publisher: Billy Fields

Acquisitions Editor: Nathalie Mornu

Development Editor: Kayla Dugger

Cover and Book Designer: Rebecca Batchelor

Photographer: Allie Beckett

Illustrator: Laura Robbins

Prepress Technician: Brian Massey

Proofreader: Laura Caddell

Indexer: Heather McNeill

PRODUCTION, LONDON

Digital Producer: Alex Valizadeh

Senior Digital Producer: Miguel Cunha

DIGITAL OPERATIONS, DELHI

Head of Digital Operations: Manjari Hooda

Producer: Rahul Kumar

Assistant Editor: Etika Kapil

Operations Assistant: Tauhid Nasir

First American Edition, 2016
Published in the United States by DK Publishing
6081 E. 82nd Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46250

Copyright 2016 Dorling Kindersley Limited

A Penguin Random House Company

16 17 18 19 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

001290475June/2016

All rights reserved.

Without limiting the rights under the copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

Published in the United States by Dorling Kindersley Limited.

IDIOTS GUIDES and Design are trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC

eISBN: 9781465450562

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 20155954790

Note : This book contains information on marijuana, a controlled substance in much of North America and across the world. The possession, use, and cultivation of marijuana can carry heavy penalties. The publisher does not condone the use of any illegal substance. Readers should educate themselves about the laws in their jurisdictions before employing this scheduled substance. The authors and publisher specifically disclaim any responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.

This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its authors. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the authors and publisher are not engaged in rendering professional services in the book. If the reader requires personal assistance or advice, a competent professional should be consulted.

Trademarks : All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be or are suspected of being trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized. Alpha Books, DK, and Penguin Random House LLC cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark.

DK books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk for sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, or educational use. For details, contact:
DK Publishing Special Markets, 345 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014
or SpecialSales@dk.com.

Printed and bound in the United States

idiotsguides.com

Introduction

Marijuana has been cultivated for use by humans for thousands of years. However, its only recently that marijuana growing has been legalized in certain states and countries. This has led many people to become interested in how to grow their own marijuana crop.

In this book, well teach you how to grow and maintain a small marijuana garden for your own noncommercial use. Well cover the full spectrum of options available for growing marijuana for personal usefrom indoor, climate-controlled systems; to open-air outdoor growing; to grow structuresas well as the entire growth cycle of the marijuana plant. Youll also receive both time-tested and modern methods for strain selection, disease and pest prevention, and proper plant nutrition. If you follow these tips and guidelines, youll be well on your way to growing healthy, potent marijuana plants for personal use by responsible adults.

Disclaimer

Growing marijuana legally for personal use has been a long-sought-after but only recently earned rightand only in some jurisdictions. We advise you to educate yourself about the laws regarding personal, adult-use marijuana growingand the number of plants allowedin your state or country. Links to laws for U.S. states can be found at ncsl.org/research/health/state-medical-marijuana-laws.aspx and at NORML.org.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to the following organizations and individuals, without whose advice, guidance, cooperation, and efforts this book would not have been written: the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) for its ongoing mission to legalize marijuana for use by responsible adults; Alison Holcomb of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for helping to lead the way in a new approach to marijuana policy; editor Nathalie Mornu of Alpha Books for keeping us on task; Allie Beckett for her talented work as a photographer; Ray Kinney for his technical expertise and advice in the writing of this book; and Josh Zaretsky and Daniel Harrington for their facilities demonstrations.

Kevin would also like to thank Washington State Liquor & Cannabis Board (WSLCB) licensed marijuana producers for their time, facilities, and production tours; Dogtown Pioneers; Kush Comfort Farms; Washingtons Finest Cannabis; and his wife and partner, Crystal, for her generosity of time and patience, as well as for sharing this pioneering adventure into a new industry with him.

Finally, many thanks to the individuals who have grown marijuana over the millennia for both their perseverance during times of prohibition and the resultant preservation of the marijuana gene pool, as well as for their continuing contribution to marijuana horticulture.

To one and all, we raise a jointsmoke em if youve got em.

Special Thanks to the Technical Reviewer

Idiots Guides: Growing Marijuana was reviewed by an expert who double-checked the accuracy of whats presented here to help us ensure learning about growing marijuana is as easy as it gets. Special thanks are extended to Daniel Vinkovetsky.

No one likes a know-it-all. Most of us realize theres no such thinghow could there be? The world is far too complicated for someone to understand everything there is to know. So when you come across a know-it-all, you smile to yourself as they ramble on because you know better.

You understand that the quest for knowledge is a never-ending one, and youre okay with that. You have no desire to know everything, just the next thing. You know what you dont know, youre confident enough to admit it, and youre motivated to do something about it.

At Idiots Guides, we, too, know what we dont know, and we make it our business to find out. We find really smart people who are experts in their fields and then we roll up our sleeves and get to work, asking lots of questions and thinking long and hard about how best to pass along their knowledge to you in the easiest, most-accessible way possible.