Grow cannabis at home in South Africa: High quality grow equipment & resources

Yes. As per the landmark cannabis judgement in 2018, citizen’s can grow and use cannabis recreationally or for medicinal purposes within the privacy of their own home without fear of prosecution. 

There are limits on the amount of plants you can grow and have in your possession. 

South Africa allows individuals to have up to four flowering plants per person and 600g of dried cannabis if you live alone. 

Selling or buying cannabis is still illegal and can result in a fine or even jail time. 

A cannabis strain is a variety of cannabis plant that is either a pure, hybrid or ruderalis. Strains are named for a variety of reasons, most notably to denote crosses between strains of cannabis, as well as the generation of the plant and/or its seed (F1, F2, F3, S1, S2, S3 and so on). 

Cannabis varieties are often given exotic names to capture market attention and stand out from other types of cannabis genetics.

A typical flowering cycle for cannabis can take from 5-8 weeks, prior to vegetative phase lasting anywhere from 3-16 weeks depending on the strain being grown and its genetics as they relate to cultivation.

The outdoor cannabis grow season starts in spring in South Africa and generally ends in Autumn when plants are harvested. It is also possible to start growing cannabis plants during the Summer months but you might receive a more limited yield as a result of the shorter vegetative growth period. 

Soil based, as the name suggests, contain soil which is a medium best used for outdoor grows, and with the right mix, most of the work is done for you and it may require less attention than other types of growing mediums. 

Soilless cannabis grows, or hydroponics, are mediums that don’t contain soil and are made from coco husks (like coco peat or coco coir), rockwool (a mineral fibre insulation consisting of basalt and recycled slag), vermiculite (a growing medium often used with coco peat or coir, or in compost mixes).

A hydroponic grow setup broadly refers to systems in which plants are growing using a nutrient rich solution and no soil. 

Types of hydroponic systems including NFT, DWC, and cultivation using coco coir, coco peat, and other alternative, soilless mediums. 

The right relative humidity (RH) for growing cannabis ranges from 40-50% during the flowering phase, and cannabis seedlings generally enjoy an environment with 60-70% humidity levels. 

Maintaining the right RH (relative humidity) a cannabis plant may have more vigorous growth, a better structure and produce higher quality buds that are free from mold, or rot come harvest-time. 

Drying cannabis can take anywhere from a few days to up to two weeks depending on your environmental controls. A common way to check if your cannabis buds are ready is to see if the stem of the plant is brittle enough to snap when bending it (not too far). If it doesn’t break easily, your buds are unlikely to be ready for the trimming and curing phase. 

Cannabis curing times are hotly debated in the marijuana industry. Some home growers will tell you that it takes anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks to cure buds and get a good quality experience, while the industry standard may range from 2-3 months or even up to 6 months for the curing phase to be considered completed (depending on the producer’s preference).