Cannabis is a genus of three species of flowering plants distributed worldwide. Cannabis indica and Cannabis sativa are the two most well known species. The third, Cannabis ruderalis, serves a vital role in breeding autoflower cultivars.

Most cannabis cultivars, or strains, will grow from seedling to harvest-ready flowers in 2-3 months. Some fast-growing strains are ready for harvest in under 2 months. Growers may choose to give their plants a longer growth cycle to produce higher-quality yield. Most cannabis seed packages will indicate time from planting to harvest. As with all things plant-related, conditions determine everything.

Cannabis indica and Cannabis sativa are photoperiodic plants, meaning they change stages in their lifecycle based on a change in duration of sunlight. Growers of photoperiodic or photoperiod cannabis will provide their plants more hours of light than darkness during the first stage of the plant’s growth. At this stage, known as vegetative or “veg” stage, the plant establishes roots, elongates, branches, and flushes leaves. For the veg stage, the typical schedule is 18 hours of growing light to 6 hours of darkness. Once the grower is satisfied with the plant’s vegetative growth, typically at 1.5 months, they will adjust the light cycle to 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. This causes the plant to shift into the reproductive or flowering stage. From here the light cycle usually remains at 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness until harvest.

Autoflowering cannabis is very popular with home growers, especially beginners. While indica and sativa are photoperiodic species of cannabis, ruderalis is a day-neutral or autoflowering form of cannabis. Ruderalis will initiate flower development at a certain plant age rather than upon a change in daylight. Sativa and/or indica are bred with ruderalis, producing autoflower cannabis strains. This cannabis can be grown entirely in one light schedule.

Because ruderalis is a smaller species than either indica or sativa, autoflower strains yield less than photoperiodic strains. The size of autoflowering strains may be advantageous to home growers who may not have space for full-sized plants. Cuttings or clones from autoflower plants are the same “age” as the mother plant and will not typically have the lifespan needed to grow a sizable yield.

Cannabis is a sexually dimorphic plant, meaning it grows in both male and female forms. Because male plants do not produce useful flowers, they are not desirable for cultivation. Seeds are frequently advertised as "feminized" which means they will only produce female plants. All of the seeds sold by Tonkadale are feminized.

Well-draining media is ideal for cannabis. Tonkadale offers several media options well-suited to cannabis cultivation.

Seeds can be directly sown into containers, or germinated and planted shortly afterwards. Avoid transplanting autoflower plants multiple times to avoid delayed development. Like all seeds, cannabis seeds need constant moisture to germinate. Cuttings or "clones" are not presently available for retail sale in MN.

Cannabis requires long hours of very bright light. Cannabis grown indoors requires a grow light to produce good yields.

Grow tents, similar to miniture greenhouses, are very popular with home cannabis growers.

Because quality grow lights are exceedingly bright, a tent helps contain this brightness. During the flowering phase of photoperiodic strains, cannabis must remain under a strict lighting schedule. Ambient light such as that from windows or lamps can disrupt the plant's flowering process. Tents are useful for sealing out this distruptive light and ensuring the plants only receive light during the scheduled time.

Tents also allow for better control of growing conditions; grow lights will raise the temperature of the tent above the outside room temperature and generally give the plants the required temperature for fast growth. Humidity is also better managed inside of a tent. Additionally, because cannabis usually develops a strong odor during flowering, most modern tents will include a ventilation and filtration system which not only allow for good airflow inside of the tent, but odor control for the surrounding room. Tents usually have a sealed base, which will contain excess water and plant debris.

As with any plant, water quality is very important for production of healthy cannabis. Water pH should be in the range of 5.8-6.5. Home growers will frequently use pH meters to test their irrigation water. If the pH falls outside of this range, usually this happens on the higher side, growers can use small amounts of pH up(acid) or pH down(a base) to adjust the pH of their irrigation water into the optimum range. A water pH outside of this range will cause some nutrients to become insoluble and therefore unavailable to the plant.

Growers will typically water cannabis with neutral water without fertilizer in the last two weeks before harvest. Excess salts can give a chemical taste to finished cannabis product.

Similar to annual vegetables, cannabis requires moderate to heavy nutrients to produce optimum yields. While many specialty products and fertilizers for cannabis are available, a quality conventional or organic fertilizer at the recommended dose is sufficient to grow a good crop.

Thrips, spider mites, bacterial spot, and botrytis are among the most common pests affecting cannabis.

The EPA has not registered products for pest control on cannabis. The EPA has, however, registered around 100 products for use on hemp. Typically, states which legalize cannabis will adopt part or all of this list, for use on cannabis. At present, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture has not approved any products for use on cannabis.

In other states, typical pest control products used on cannabis are neem oil, horticultural oil, and insecticidal soaps. Micronized sulfur is also used to suppress fungal diseases. Keeping a clean tent or grow area, scouting for pests with a hand lens and hanging sticky cards are the best ways to grow pest-free cannabis.

Cannabis is usually considered harvest-ready when the trichomes, or resin glands, of the flowers are mostly milky in color. Initially these trichomes appear clear, gradually becoming milky, before growing amber in the last stages of the plant's life. Trichome color is crucial in determining when to harvest. Once the trichomes are of the desired color, plants and branches can then be cut down and hung to dry in a cool, dark location. Drying takes anywhere from two days to two weeks; a cannabis plant is considered "dried" when the stem snaps from being bent gently. Leaves and stems are carefully trimmed from the plant, leaving only the flowers. Cannabis is best trimmed after drying, but can also be trimmed before drying.

From here, the cannabis is cured for anywhere from a few days to several weeks. Usually done in a mason jar or other glass container, curing allows the flavor of the flower to develop further. Use of plastic containers is not advised, as the plastic may impart a taste to the curing flower. Containers should be filled 3/4s full and opened daily for the first week of curing, to refresh the air inside of the container. Gently turning the container to shift the flowers inside is also useful during the first week of curing.