So you’re ready to start your first cannabis grow op, and you’re thinking to yourself, what could go wrong? Good for you for being so optimistic, but it’s completely unrealistic to think that your first grow will go smoothly without a hitch. It’s easy to make mistakes, especially for new growers who assume that nothing could go wrong.

The good news is that some of the most common grow room mistakes are easy to avoid – as long as you know about them. According to the 420expertadviser.com you should only buy cannabis seeds from reliable and legit Canadian seed bank!

Check out these 7 common mistakes made by new growers and steps for how to avoid them.

Overdoing It With Nutrients

One of the most common misconceptions about nutrients is that the phrase “the more the merrier” applies. It makes sense when you think about it, because why wouldn’t a plant get bigger and stronger with every dose of nutrients given?

As it turns out, this isn’t the case, and giving your crop too many nutrients can be more harmful than not giving enough. Overdoing it on the nutrients can cause a few different problems, but the main one is something called nutrient burn.

Nutrient burn is when the too-high levels of nutrients start to afflict the root systems. There’s such a buildup of nutrients that water flow is disrupted, and the plants are left with yellow or brown leaf tips that resemble burns.

How to Avoid It

The easiest way to avoid overdoing with nutrients is to, well, not overdo it with nutrients! A big part of the problem is that nutrient brands include a feeding schedule with their systems, and most of them recommend doses that are way too high. Start out slow with how much of a dose you give the crop, and definitely don’t give more than the label says.

Watering Too Frequently/Giving Too Much Water at a Time

Since most growers know that plants need sunshine and water for healthy growth, they assume that there’s no such thing as too much water. It is crucial to find the right balance of cannabis growing nutrients and follow the recommended dosage guidelines to ensure optimal growth and avoid nutrient-related issues. Overdoing it with water is just as common as overdoing it with nutrients, and it can be just as harmful.

When you overwater plants, whether it’s from watering too often or giving too much water each time, you’re essentially drowning the root system. Roots require oxygen and airflow, and when the soil is too saturated with water, they can’t get the oxygen they need.

How to Avoid It

The good news is that problems relating to too much water can usually be reversed, but the key is to just avoid overwatering from the get-go. To do this, only water the plants when the soil feels dry up to your first knuckle. Another sign that it’s time to water is a pot that feels overly light in weight.

High Grow Room Humidity

When the humidity levels in a grow room are too high, you might have to deal with problems like mold and mildew, and things can get so bad that the roots begin to rot. Of course, not enough moisture in the air can cause issues, but too much moisture is even worse.

How to Avoid It

The best way to prevent humidity problems is to invest in a humidity controller for grow room so that you can maintain the proper moisture levels at all times. Connect this controller with a dehumidifier/humidifier, and set it up so that the machine kicks on when humidity strays from the desired range. An Inkbird controller is great for this.

Ignoring pH

New growers have to deal with a lot and learn temperature, humidity, soil, and light basics as they go. This explains why so many of them are too overwhelmed to even think about pH. Monitoring and managing grow room pH levels is something that most new growers ignore, but this is a big mistake that can kill off a crop entirely if things get bad enough.

The pH of the soil and water you use for feeding your plants plays a major role in nutrient uptake. If the water/soil is too basic or too acidic, the roots won’t be able to drink up the nutrients, and the rest of the plant will suffer.

How to Avoid It

The easiest way to manage pH in a grow room is to invest in a pH testing kit or a pH-testing meter. Tools like these allow you to easily check the pH level of a solution in a matter of seconds, so you have no excuse to ignore pH.

When you test a garden’s pH levels, the best way to do it is to test the water runoff from the soil. Do this by watering a plant, lifting it up, and catching the water that runs through the soil and out through the bottom of the pot. Then using your pH tester, check to see that the pH is within the ideal range (between 6 and 7 for soil, between 5.5 and 6.5 for hydro).

Wrong Harvesting Time

Even if you’ve reached the end of the grow op with flying colors, there’s still one big mistake to avoid. Harvesting too early can mean that you did all that hard work for nothing. By cutting the plants down before they’re ready, you’ll reduce the effects and potency of the final product.

How to Avoid It

To harvest at the ideal time, you’ll need to pay close attention to a plant’s trichomes. These tiny hairs cover the buds and begin to change colors as it’s time to harvest. They start out as clear and glassy, then turn milky white, and finally take on an amber hue.

The buds are most potent when the trichomes are white in color. This is the sign that it’s time to harvest and enjoy that weed that you worked so hard to grow!