Each to his own, By Psy-23

From some of the biggest names in the industry to new boutique offerings to first-time growers getting set up at home, the range of individuals never ceases to amaze me. What's more, everyone is so passionate about cannabis that it makes it an absolute joy to share in their passion. After seeing some photos and chatting with a few independent growers I got talking to a guy called JonBoiGrows about his recent experiences.

Over the past few months, I'd seen his posts on herbclub.co.uk about the progress of his current grow. I asked him why he chose Amsterdam Genetics Milkshake Kush and he said, "To be honest with you, it's because it sounded nice and I had heard good things about them, so I decided to take a shot." He explained that he took three plants through to germination from five initial seeds.

"I chose autos as I wanted them to be reasonably straight forward. In all honesty, I wish I had gone for photos (photoperiod) instead because you have much more control over your cycles and can pick and choose what works for you. I popped the seeds into a moist towel for about 18-36 hours to get them all to start their journey off and left it in a warm cupboard with a heating pipe that ran through it which came on occasionally and kept the temperature at a steady state.

"Once they had a good few mm showing he put them straight into 5 gallon tubs with BioBizz All-Mix as it meant he didn't have to "add any extra nutrients for the first three weeks. Also planting straight into the final pots, which reduces any excess stress on the plants. The perlite in the mix is a good bonus too.

"In terms of lighting and temperatures, he aimed for a balance of light and humidity as the light was on 100% brightness for an 18/6 cycle and he used a Mars Hydro TSW2000 LED light (300 True Watt). "I had to be careful as the light on full power increased the chance of algae developing in that high humidity environment.

The level of light mixed with high humidity caused a perfect breeding ground; a crust formed on the top layer which made the distribution of water uneven and sometimes made things more difficult.

I think I was so worried about things being 'perfect' that I probably caused more issues than I should, and Google is not always your friend when things go wrong. He went on to explain that he is an avid member of some online groups and went on to say that he's "fortunate enough to be part of a great community on Discord, ran by Head Sensei Rasta Greenthumb, who have helped me along the way.

I always find myself saying 'we' solved an issue instead of 'I' solved it because I couldn't do it without the support of some incredible people from the all over the US, New Zealand, Australia, everywhere. I'm in contact with people all over the world.

It's such a brilliant thing to have people working virtually alongside of you every step of the way."Week 3 saw the addition of dry nutrients, which he watered-in in accordance with the supplier instructions. He explained that he is very much 'by the book' when he first tries a strain and always tries to follow their instructions to the letter unless he notices some sign of issue. On reflection, he believes he probably over-watered in the first few weeks, but soon adjusted it as he could see it was beginning to have a negative impact.

In response to this he reduced the amount of water he was using to about 2 liters per plant for each watering and until run off when adding dry amendments. He explained that he "decided to grow what I would call the 'American way'. This is basically because much of what I have picked up comes from what I have learned from growmies online who grow mainly in the US.

I saw so many using dry amendments with impressive results and there was no need for constantly monitoring the ppms unless I saw something concerning. I didn't pay too much attention to the instructions after the water issue."For the most part it was pretty straightforward, and he also decided to regularly defoliate throughout the grow, about every two weeks but he was generally looking at any leaves that were pointing inwards because they don’t really offer any benefit to the developing buds. It helps with lights getting to the bud, improves airflow and helps with keeping an eye on any signs of pests. During the flower stretch some of the plants actually doubled in size and he ended up with some nice thick candelabra-esque plants.

As time went on, he had a couple of learning points to take in and it wasn't always smooth-sailing. He focused on trying to read the plants carefully each morning and noting any changes. "It's amazing," he explained, "every single day there's something to note and they often look like completely different plants from one day to the next." He used his knowledge and instincts to look at when it was time to move between the phases in terms of feeding, flushing etc.. For future reference, he reflected that "I will always try to follow my gut and instincts instead of trying to follow the instructions too closely.

Sometimes it can seem easier to do as you’re told but every grow is different and you have to deal with things as they come up."He continued: "Anybody can grow, but not everybody can grow dank buds. It's a very fine line and I'm always studying and learning about issues that I haven't even encountered personally.

You never stop learning when it comes to the plants. I'm pretty old school, I don't use all the meters etc. because you have to learn to read the plant and as long as you are dedicated you can often diagnose without going to meters as a first point of call.

If you see rusting on the leaves then you are obviously going to get it sorted as quickly as you can, but is better to be pro active rather than reactive. When it comes to the harvest time, choosing when to crop is key and sometimes you'll find that impatience is the biggest enemy. Waiting a couple of days can make a real difference."

Some people grow for profit, but that's not for JonBoi. "I want to have a relationship with my plants and whatever they need, they're going to get. Hitting all the organic BioBizz range is expensive but was totally worth it, when you grow a crop for your own personal consumption. It's also important to remember that people always have opinions on the 'right and 'wrong' ways to do things, but they way I see it is, if it works for you, your grow and your environment and your situation, then how can it be wrong?"In the end, he was more than happy with the results.

In terms of personal satisfaction he felt like he gained a lot of experience that he put into preparing for the plants he now has on the go. "I don't always weigh, per se, but I reckon I had about 6 dry ounces in total off the three plants.

That's enough to keep me going until the next ones come through! It's terpy as hell with awesome sweet aromas and once I'd cured it I was more than happy with the results. Currently, I'm in the early stages of growing out Barney's Farm Wedding Cake and I can't wait to see how it turns out. I watch a lot of people on YouTube etc. and there's a huge amount that you can learn and there's so many 'right' ways of doing things that it's impossible to really know what's the 'best' way to do it.

Ultimately, you have to do what feels right and be flexible. After that I'm looking into doing some fun stuff like breeding. From what I've been reading and been told, it's possible to adjust so many aspects of the final plant in terms of the branching, leaf size and, of course, the end results. It's pretty crazy and I'm only just starting to get my head round it to be honest, but I can't wait to see what I learn on my next adventure."

We wish him all the best on his ventures and he wanted to give a shout-out to all his friends around the world including a special thanks to @RastaGreenThumb and @QueenCityCreationz for all their support and the 'Grow From Your Heart' podcast for all the knowledge and inspiration.