I have only done about half a dozen crops in the past few decades, but here are some things to note/watch for.
1. What type of effect are you looking for? If you know strains that you already like, try to find seeds for those specific strains. If you are not familiar, a general guideline is that indica can be a very mind numbing, can't do anything type of effect (sometimes jockingly refereed to as indicouch as in, you will just sit on the couch). Sativa's are generally considered a more "up" effect. Lot's of energy and creative juices flowing. I personally LOVE sativas for this reason, but it is hard to find pure strains of either these days as everyone is selling hybrids for the most part (supposedly best of both worlds).
2. If you are going to grow in a natural environment after they are of a certain size, keep the following in mind.
- Growing outdoors, you have 3 ways to lose your crop. Thieves, law enforcement and mother nature (bugs, animals, storms, high winds, etc.). Yes, with it being legal now, law should not be the problem, but I have been telling this to people for decades and it still stands. Law enforcement might be taking on the role of thieves at times so they can still a threat even in a world of "legal".
- Growing indoors, you have complete control over the environment and are a lot less prone to the loss factors above, but will likely have lower yields and it will cost more due to electricity and other factors. Generally indoor grows however have stronger flavors.
- Depending on what strains you opt for, once in budding/flowering cycle and after a rain, you may want to shake the plants to fight against any mold forming deep inside the buds. The more thick and dense the buds/flowers are, the more you have to think about this. With the really thick and dense buds, water can get trapped inside those flowers and end up helping mold to spread. There are strains that are more mold resistant than others, but if you pay attention and are able to shake them a bit after a rain, you should be able to fend off any issues like that. In general, Indica is thicker denser buds, Sativa thinner less dense, but there are of course exceptions.
3. It is my understanding that potency is 90% dictated by the strain and not your growing methods. The yield of your grow will be affected by your methods as will taste, but the actual potency will not change much from what I understand.
4. Drying and trimming are real jobs. My last grow was 10 plants and I spent about 20 hours on trimming alone, and these were not huge plants. It is for this and the other time factors involved with doing my own crop(s) that I let a friend do it and he gives me very good prices (plus he has been doing it professionally since 1996 when California passed it's first medical usage law and he is really good at it). Right now, I am in a trade program with him where I give him fresh eggs from our laying hens and he gives me my medicine (I am a medical user).
5. I picked up some seeds a few years ago that I have not yet planted that are 100% Sativa known as Dr. Grinspoon. It is a very odd looking variety with popcorn like small buds, but it is very mold resistant and 100% Sativa. I need mold resistant as my world is very humid year round.
Kudos to Deutschland on backing off the draconian laws the world enacted in the 20th century! Enjoy ;~))
