Here's something you might be interested in.
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed
Big Screen — Movie commentary
Blurt — Music's inside track
Booze News — San Diego spirits
Classical Music — Immortal beauty
Classifieds — Free and easy
Close to Home — What it’s like on the street where you live
Cover Stories — Front-page features
Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes
Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts
Feast! — Food & drink reviews
Feature Stories — Local news & stories
Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore
From the Archives — Spotlight on the past
Golden Dreams — Talk of the town
The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it
Letters — Our inbox
Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites
Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans
Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists
Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news
News Ticker — News & politics
Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated
Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna
Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated
Poetry — The old and the new
Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers
Reading — The hunt for intellectuals
Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails
San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds
SD on the QT — Almost factual news
Sheep and Goats — Places of worship
Special Issues — The best of
Street Style — San Diego streets have style
Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves
Theater — On stage in San Diego this week
Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative
Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work
Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego
Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads
Your Week — Daily event picks
The Largest Cannabis Plant Ever Grown — What They Did Differently
Cannabis plants can grow to impressive sizes under the right conditions
Some growers push the limits and cultivate massive plants that tower over the average home grow. While most indoor and outdoor cannabis remains within a manageable range, a few record-breaking specimens have stood out. Understanding what these growers did differently provides insight into how cannabis can reach its full potential.
How One Grower Achieved Unbelievable Growth
The largest recorded cannabis plants have consistently been grown outdoors, where they can stretch without space restrictions. In one documented case, a grower successfully cultivated cannabis that reached over 20 feet tall. Such extraordinary growth requires a combination of genetics, climate, soil preparation, and careful maintenance. Selecting the right strain was a crucial first step, as high-yielding sativas tend to grow taller than indica-dominant varieties.
Genetics play a key role in size potential, and growers who source seeds from Barney's Farm, USA often report vigorous growth due to the high-quality seeds. However, genetics alone are not enough. Several other critical factors contributed to this record-breaking plant’s massive height and weight.
What They Did Differently
1. Outdoor Growing with Optimal Sun Exposure
Cannabis thrives in direct sunlight, and plants grown outdoors under at least 12 hours of direct sunlight daily reach their maximum size. Unlike indoor setups where artificial lights have limits, outdoor plants benefit from the full power of the sun, which allows for faster photosynthesis and vigorous growth.
2. A Supercharged Soil Mix
The grower used an enriched soil mix packed with organic nutrients, microbes, and beneficial fungi to create a living soil environment. This allowed the plant to absorb a steady flow of nutrients without chemical fertilizers. Key components of the soil included:
Compost and worm castings for organic matter and microbes.
Bone meal and bat guano to supply slow-release phosphorus.
Kelp meal and wood ash for potassium to enhance root strength.
3. Extended Vegetative Phase
Unlike most growers who aim for a short vegetative stage to keep plants manageable, this grower allowed theirs to remain in vegetative growth for over six months before it started flowering. This extended time frame allowed for the development of a thick stalk, strong branches, and an expansive root system. Selecting high-quality genetics from a trusted marijuana seed bank ensured the plant had the resilience and vigor needed to sustain such an extended growth period, which led to impressive size and yield.
4. Deep Watering and Root Zone Expansion
Instead of shallow watering, deep irrigation methods ensured the plant’s roots stretched deep into the soil. This improved nutrient absorption and made it more drought-resistant. In warm climates, deep watering mimics the natural processes that trees and large plants use to survive and flourish.
5. Strategic Pruning and Training
Instead of allowing the plant to grow wild, the grower used low-stress training (LST) and strategic topping to encourage lateral growth. This allowed the cannabis to maximize its surface area and led to more bud sites and an overall increase in plant mass.
What Can Growers Learn from This Experiment?
While not every grower has the space or climate for a massive cannabis plant, the principles behind this experiment apply to all cultivation styles. Key takeaways include:
Genetics matter: Starting with high-quality seeds from a trusted source leads to better results.
Soil quality is essential: Organic nutrients and living soil promote sustained growth.
Time and patience pay off: Extending the vegetative phase leads to larger, more productive plants.
Watering strategy impacts root health: Deep, infrequent watering strengthens the plant’s foundation.
Pruning and training enhance growth: Controlled shaping results in better bud distribution.
Final Thoughts
Growing a record-breaking cannabis plant requires a combination of the right genetics, a perfect outdoor environment, and careful long-term cultivation strategies. While most home growers may not aim for 20-foot plants, the lessons from this experiment can be applied to improve overall health, yield, and quality. Proper soil preparation, extended vegetative growth, and strategic training allow growers to push their cannabis to their full potential.
Here's something you might be interested in.
The Largest Cannabis Plant Ever Grown — What They Did Differently
Cannabis plants can grow to impressive sizes under the right conditions
The Largest Cannabis Plant Ever Grown — What They Did Differently
Cannabis plants can grow to impressive sizes under the right conditions
Some growers push the limits and cultivate massive plants that tower over the average home grow. While most indoor and outdoor cannabis remains within a manageable range, a few record-breaking specimens have stood out. Understanding what these growers did differently provides insight into how cannabis can reach its full potential.
How One Grower Achieved Unbelievable Growth
The largest recorded cannabis plants have consistently been grown outdoors, where they can stretch without space restrictions. In one documented case, a grower successfully cultivated cannabis that reached over 20 feet tall. Such extraordinary growth requires a combination of genetics, climate, soil preparation, and careful maintenance. Selecting the right strain was a crucial first step, as high-yielding sativas tend to grow taller than indica-dominant varieties.
Genetics play a key role in size potential, and growers who source seeds from Barney's Farm, USA often report vigorous growth due to the high-quality seeds. However, genetics alone are not enough. Several other critical factors contributed to this record-breaking plant’s massive height and weight.
What They Did Differently
1. Outdoor Growing with Optimal Sun Exposure
Cannabis thrives in direct sunlight, and plants grown outdoors under at least 12 hours of direct sunlight daily reach their maximum size. Unlike indoor setups where artificial lights have limits, outdoor plants benefit from the full power of the sun, which allows for faster photosynthesis and vigorous growth.
2. A Supercharged Soil Mix
The grower used an enriched soil mix packed with organic nutrients, microbes, and beneficial fungi to create a living soil environment. This allowed the plant to absorb a steady flow of nutrients without chemical fertilizers. Key components of the soil included:
Compost and worm castings for organic matter and microbes.
Bone meal and bat guano to supply slow-release phosphorus.
Kelp meal and wood ash for potassium to enhance root strength.
3. Extended Vegetative Phase
Unlike most growers who aim for a short vegetative stage to keep plants manageable, this grower allowed theirs to remain in vegetative growth for over six months before it started flowering. This extended time frame allowed for the development of a thick stalk, strong branches, and an expansive root system. Selecting high-quality genetics from a trusted marijuana seed bank ensured the plant had the resilience and vigor needed to sustain such an extended growth period, which led to impressive size and yield.
4. Deep Watering and Root Zone Expansion
Instead of shallow watering, deep irrigation methods ensured the plant’s roots stretched deep into the soil. This improved nutrient absorption and made it more drought-resistant. In warm climates, deep watering mimics the natural processes that trees and large plants use to survive and flourish.
5. Strategic Pruning and Training
Instead of allowing the plant to grow wild, the grower used low-stress training (LST) and strategic topping to encourage lateral growth. This allowed the cannabis to maximize its surface area and led to more bud sites and an overall increase in plant mass.
What Can Growers Learn from This Experiment?
While not every grower has the space or climate for a massive cannabis plant, the principles behind this experiment apply to all cultivation styles. Key takeaways include:
Genetics matter: Starting with high-quality seeds from a trusted source leads to better results.
Soil quality is essential: Organic nutrients and living soil promote sustained growth.
Time and patience pay off: Extending the vegetative phase leads to larger, more productive plants.
Watering strategy impacts root health: Deep, infrequent watering strengthens the plant’s foundation.
Pruning and training enhance growth: Controlled shaping results in better bud distribution.
Final Thoughts
Growing a record-breaking cannabis plant requires a combination of the right genetics, a perfect outdoor environment, and careful long-term cultivation strategies. While most home growers may not aim for 20-foot plants, the lessons from this experiment can be applied to improve overall health, yield, and quality. Proper soil preparation, extended vegetative growth, and strategic training allow growers to push their cannabis to their full potential.
Comments
This article was submitted by a client of the San Diego Reader.