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Cannabis Grow Guide Australia

We’ve consolidated over 30 years experience growing Cannabis into a simple to use guide we would actually use ourselves.   

This guide has been developed over many years of trial and error and is written for beginner to intermediate growers.  It’s split into 2 parts so you can start with the basics and then level up as needed.   

Beginner Grow Guide
Detailed Grow Guide

Disclaimer

Cannabis seeds are sold as souvenirs for body care, genetic preservation or collective purposes only unless your local laws permit germination and cultivation.  Users of this website are aware that some information, products and services of this website may be prohibited by law in some states of Australia.   As such, our customers are obliged to inform themselves and comply with the laws in their state.   CG Australia cannot be held responsible for any illegal activity conducted by it’s customers.  We reserve the right to refuse the purchase or cancel the order if any actions from customers are to the contrary of this disclaimer.

Beginners Grow Guide

Simplified for the corporate hippy

small cannabis leaf with blurry background

What's on this page?

  1. Legal Note
  2. Gardening Basics
  3. Auto Flower vs Photo Period
  4. Picking Your Strain & Variety
  5. Germination & Seedling Stage
  6. First Few Weeks & Transplanting
  7. Vegetative Stage & Feeding
  8. Flowering Phase
  9. Knowing When to Harvest
  10. Drying and Curing

1. Legal Note

Cannabis Laws are changing rapidly in Australia.  While cultivation and possession of up to 50 grams of cannabis is legal in the ACT , small quantities of Cannabis are ‘decriminalized’ in South Australia and Northern Territory and in other states, minor possession or small scale growing (under 3 plants) without a doctors note, is more likened to a warning, small fine or weekend drug prevention course.

Overseas, entire countries like Canada and many states in the  US are legalizing Cannabis at an astounding rate.  The writing is on the wall.  The taboo has lifted and slowly but surely the trend in Australia is strongly towards legalization.  

That said, anyone utilizing this grow guide must ensure they are in compliance with their local state laws.  This guide is written strictly for ACT residents at this time.   For more information, here is a detailed overview of the Cannabis Laws in Australia State by State  or Cannabis Legalization World Wide to ensure you are in compliance.

2. Gardening Basics

Before we go too deep, it’s worth covering a few gardening fundamentals.    We’re assuming you already know this stuff, but juuuust in case…..

Full sun & circulation
Cannabis loves lots of light/sun.  4-8 hours of direct sun per day is optimal to get quality buds.  Air flow is also essential to reduce mould issues (bud rot)

Understand the seasons
Different vegetables grow better in different temperatures and climates.  E.g. Tomatoes, Capsicum & Zucchini need warm temperature.  Broccoli, Kale & Cauliflower need cooler temperature.   Cannabis loves the summer months, but can be grown in cooler climate with some care.   More details about this are in this beginner grow guide so read on. 

Water often
We’ll cover this further, but it goes without saying that you must deliver water to your plants often and it’s best to deliver in small regular feeds as opposed to a single heavy feed.

Quality nutrition / growing medium & good draineage
We’ll also cover this further, but it’s fundamental to know that the growing medium (ie. the soil) is where the magic happens.   You want a medium that is porous so it does not get water logged, yet will retain moisture and has the full spectrum of nutrient required for optimal plant growth.

Tend to your plants
With clean hands, comb your hands through your plants often and pick away the dying leaves.  This immediately transfers energy used by the plant to the right areas.   You can pick up a lot about a plant’s health this way.   Does it bounce back nicely when you touch it?  Are there any pest and disease issues?  Get up close and personal with your plants and you will be rewarded at harvest time.

3. Photo Period vs Auto's vs Seasons

Marijuana is a fast growing and forgiving plant that is suitable for indoor or outdoor growing.  For this guide, we’re going to focus mainly on outdoor growing.  If you want to grow indoors, checkout the detailed grow guide.  Growing indoors is much more involved and should be considered an intermediate to advanced technique.  

OK, so when growing outdoors you need to understand the seasons.   Marijuana prefers warm, sub tropical climate.    This means you can grow all year round from South-East Queensland and up, and then mainly Spring/Summer for the rest of the country.

Most growers will plant photo period’s in late September/October for a large harvest in February/March.  This is the standard ‘photo period’ grow.   The plant spends up to 2 months in the vegetative growth phase, and once it senses the sun shifting in the sky (Normally after summer solstice 21DEC), the plant quickly switches it’s energy into production of flower.  (Cannabis Flower).  As the plant has already grown in size and strength, it has more support for larger flowers and greater yields.

Other growers will plant Auto Flowering plants early September for a December harvest (total 70-80 day timeline) and then again in Dec for a Mar harvest, and then another in March for a June harvest!  Auto’s allow you to get multiple smaller crops p/season as opposed to a single or double larger harvest (photo periods)

Further Reading

4. Picking your strain and variety

The next step is to pick your strain.   We’re often asked what are your most recommended strains?   Each of these strains are high yielding,  fast growing, super high quality and adaptable to most regions of Australia.  These are our top pics for most growers;
Northern Lights
Gorilla Glue
Bruce Banner

For a more detailed overview of the recommended strains by region, see below

Hot & Humid Region

Key Issue : Mould & Bud Rot

  • Best Strains – Any Sativa Dominant Strain (see below)
  • Sativa varieties are more airy than Indica and therefore slightly less susceptible to mould issues
  • In Far North QLD, harvest before November wet season.  Plant July-August for October harvest.
  • In Sth East QLD, plant Sep/Oct for Feb harvest or Auto’s early Sep / Dec / Mar

Best Strains for this region

Product Carousel Tabs

Hot & Humid Region

Extreme heat (35-45°C), very low rainfall

  • Best Strains – Indica Dominant Strains with thicker leaves and slightly smaller overall plant growth can be more drought tolerant
  • Indica dominant varieties may be more adapted to hot dry conditions
  • Heat protection tips: Use shade cloth during peak heat (12pm-4pm) and use a heavy mulch to help retain moisture. Ensure water source nearby if outdoors

Best Strains for This Region

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Temperate Region

Unpredictable weather, potential late-season rains in March-April. Temperature too low from May – Sep

  • Both Indica and Sativa Dominant Strains are well suited 
  • Plant photoperiods in late Sep/early Oct for Feb/March harvest
  • Auto’s start early Sep for 3 successive harvests be care of cooler temps

Best Strains for this region

Product Carousel Tabs

Temperate Region

Short summer (Dec-Feb), early frost risk (late March), cool nights.

  • Choose fast growing strains like Northern Lights (Super fast)
  • Both Indica and Sativa Dominant Strains are well suited
  • Plant photoperiods early Sep for Feb/March harvest
  • Auto’s start early Sep for Nov harvest then again for Feb/Mar harvest

Best Strains for this region

Product Carousel Tabs

5. Germination & Seedling Stage

Seeds are organic living biological material.  Expecting every single seed to germinate in every situation isn’t realistic.  Luckily, there is a tried and tested method that ensures the seed is visible the entire time so you know what’s actually going on and when to transplant it.  Just follow this simple method for best results

Step 1: Germination Setup

  • Use a clean paper towel, moistened web but not soaking/dripping) with rainwater of distilled/filtered water (Important* try not to use tap water as the PH and chlorine can affect the bio activeness of the seed in many ways!)
  • Place seeds on paper towel approx 50mm apart
  • Fold paper towel loosely around the seeds (do not compress)
  • Place inside a clean ziplock bag (Seal the bag, no need to remove air)
  • Store in a dark drawer or cupboard (ideal temperature between 20-25 degrees)
  • Leave for 2–4 days, or until the taproot (germ) reaches 20–30mm
Paper towel germination method

Step 2: Transplanting

  • Carefully transfer germinated seeds into a small pot (be sure to have clean hands, or use clean tweezers)
  • Use either:
    • Coco/perlite mix (80/20), or
    • Coco Coir / Coir Peat etc
      *Note we do not support using soil during the germination stage as it get’s too water logged.  
  • Position seed taproot down
  • Ensure the seed shell or green tip is slightly exposed at the surface. When it senses the light it will take off immediately.

Step 3: Watering Method (Important)

  • Place pot in a drip tray with a thin film of clean water  (rain water or distilled/filtered is best) at the bottom of the tray
  • Do not water from above, simply add a small bead of water to the drip tray
  • Allow moisture to wick up from below and keep a small amount of  water in the tray at all times. 
  • Water must be low EC (below 0.5) 

Step 4: Environment

  • Keep in a warm, low-light position
  • It’s important to use the right pot size.  Do not place a new seedling in a large pot.  Ever.   The seedlings roots need to find their home within the pot.  
  • Avoid:
    • Direct sunlight or overheating
    • Hot windowsills
    • Avoid over watering.  A thin film at the bottom of the tray only.  No other watering from above is needed

First 7 Days from Germination

  • If using the recommended coco/perlite blend, this does not contain any nutrient, so you can start with a very mild fertilization either with hydroponic nutrient (added to your water) or peletized nutrient (sprinkled on the coco)
  • Less is more at this stage, resist the temptation to over fertilize!  (EC under 0.5 max)
  • Resist the temptation to over water!   Over watering your plants is the most common cause of issue in the first 7 days
  • Watch the leaf tips, if the tips look scratchy and course, back off the nutrient.  You want a clean edges and same color as the rest of the plant
  • If using potting mix
    • (not recommended as it tends to get water logged)
    • Be very careful not to have too much water in the tray.  In fact you may not even want to see any water in the tray if using soil.)
    • It will contain the necessary nutrient to support the plant, no need for extra nutrients required at this stage

 

Further Reading

Cannabis plants 7 days growth using coco/perlite CG Australia germination method

Quick Tip

If the following issue is happening to your seedlings, the cause is almost certainly, over watering.  Your grow medium should never be fully saturated.   That’s why we use coco/perlite!  It’s very porous and does not get water logged like soil.

6. first few weeks & transplanting

Freshly transplanted - 3 weeks old

Above, these plants are 3 weeks old with 4 nodes (branch sites) and freshly transplanted into their final container. Each container holds 15L of coco/perlite mix.

Approx 1 week after transplanting

Above, these plants are approx 4 weeks old and really starting to take off in the vegetative stage.  Now is the time to up the fertilization

Approx 2 weeks after transplanting

Above, these plants (Gelato Fem) are approx 4 weeks old and really starting to take off in the vegetative stage.  Now is the time to up the fertilization

Further Reading

  • (Coming Soon) Nutrient Deficiency and what to do

Approx 3 weeks from germination

Knowing when to transplant your seedlings into it’s final pot is not necessarily a timing thing, but for most growers, around the 3 week mark is a good gauge or once the plant has at least 3 nodes.   

During this period, while maintaining the method described in point 4 above (ie. EC below 0.5 and thin film of water) you’ll notice the plants growth is becoming more robust and faster.   You’ll notice the drip tray is becoming dry faster and you’ll see the plant roots extending from the bottom of the pot, that’s a good sign it’s time to transplant.  

The process is generally the same for photo period and auto, for photos you may want to think about a larger pot (although you can always transplant again if it outgrows the pot in due course)

Best Grow Containers

In terms of containers, the simplest and best method are grow bags.   They are cheap and offer superior air flow compared to plastic pots.    For Auto’s, min 15L p/plant and photos min 40L per plant.   The only problem with this method is you need to manually water your plants!    Click here if you want our recommended automated hydroponic set-up

container vs grow bag analysis

How to transplant safely

7. Vegetative Phase & Feeding

The vegetative stage follows the seedling stage and will take around 3 to 16 weeks (or 2 to 3 weeks for auto-flowers). This stage is also known as the growth period, it is where the plant really takes off!  

In terms of feeding, the main consideration is you want nutrients that are high in Nitrogen and lower in Phosphorus & Potassium and Phosphorus.  ie (NPK) Nitrogen is responsible for strong development of roots, stems and leaves. 

You should start noticing the difference in the spaces of the nodes (where the stem meets the smaller branches). An indica plant will stay short with dense leaves, whilst a sativa will grow much taller, with less complex leaves and branches.

Later into the vegetative stage, the plant will start showing it’s sex.   This is important as if you see any male plants, they must be removed immediately.    It’s normal for the plant to show it’s sex early in to the veg phase (especially for auto’s) and while it is a sign the plant is starting to shift it’s energy into flower production instead of leaf and stem, it doesn’t mean the plant is going full on into flowering mode quite yet.   

If your plant is female, you may begin to see very fine, wispy white hairs.  This is a welcome sign!

Here’s how the male and female parts of the plant will show themselves in the very early stages of development

Male Pre-Flower

Cannabis_Male
If you see this, you need to remove the plant

Female Pre-Flower

Cannabis_female
White pistols emerging from the plant stem/nodes is a great sign!

Further Reading

  • (Coming Soon) Nutrient basics & Recommendations
  • (Coming Soon) Unwanted early flowering and how to fix it
  • (Coming Soon) Hermaphorites, what are the causes and solutions

8. Flowering Phase & Feeding

The flowering stage is where your female plant starts shifting all of it’s energy into production of flowers.   You will see bud sites emerging white pistols.  During this phase it’s better to use a nutrient mix that has less nitrogen and more phosphorus and potassium.   

In photoperiod plants flowering will begin once you reduce the period of light from 18-24 hours each day to around 12 hours or less each day.

In outdoor cannabis plants, they should naturally flower once the days begin to shorten. The plant will recognise that the hours of darkness have increased and signal to the plant to start the flowering process. This will depend on the climate and environment and  some strains can take longer to start flowering than others. 

The flowering stage will last for around 8 to 12 weeks. It is important to pay attention to your pants during this stage, as they will find it hard to recover from any problems, unlike in the vegetative stage, where they are a bit more forgiving.

For auto flowers, you do not need a change in the light schedule as they will flower automatically. 

The following image provides a view of all the key considerations for the flowering phase

Further Reading

  • (Coming Soon) Flowering additives, tips & tricks

9. Knowing When to Harvest

It can be tricky determining when best to harvest your marijuana plant. Harvest too soon and the buds will not be potent enough and have smaller amounts of THC and CBD (the good stuff), harvest too late and the buds will be too potent and could create a sleepy effect.

Easy General Rule of Thumb
Harvest when approx 70% of the pistols have turned red

While the 70% pistol trick works very well, it’s not the tride and tested way.  The best harvesting time is actually based on the resin glands maturity.  The resin on the buds will become darker and start to brown in colour. 

It is also a good idea to take a closer look at the trichomes under a microscope (these are the small hair-like outgrowths). They will initially start as clear and transparent and then turn to a milky white colour. You can harvest when it gets to this stage for a ‘higher’ or uplifting effect (the levels of THC are at their highest). Waiting a couple more weeks for the trichomes to turn an amber colour will produce a more relaxed effect (this will have slightly lower levels of THC).

Just before you harvest (around 1 to 2 weeks before), it is a good idea to ‘flush’ your cannabis plants. The flushing technique is used to get rid of any salt or nutrient residue in the plant. This involves running clean water through your soil or hydro system and improves the quality of your buds. 

Another important tip (especially for large outdoor plants) is to harvest the plant in 1-2 week stages starting from the top (mature parts of the plant).  If you notice the bottom buds have less resin than the top, just harvest the top and let the bottom part of the plant mature in the sun for as long as needed.

10. Drying & Curing

Drying your buds properly will give them the best flavor, smoothness and potency.  Buds that are dried too quickly will end up tasting quite bitter with the tarpene profile not fully expressed.

Before you hang your plants, you need to trim all the broad leaf and bud leaf off off all the buds.   This is a long an detailed process, but it’s such a fun experience.  (Best to wear gloves so you’r hands do not get too sticky!)

With your buds clean and trimmed, you want your buds to dry out slowly with the right level of humidity, airflow and good distance between the plants to prevent mold issues.

During the drying phase, you will want to make sure you do everything right, in order to get a great tasting bud. Not drying for long enough means the chlorophyll content would not have enough time to change into glucose, leaving a bitter taste. You also need to allow time to activate the THC.

The target is a slow dry at 15–18°C and 55–60% humidity over 10–14 days in a dark room with good airflow.   Simply hang your plants on a wire using zip ties or any twine.

The plants are properly dried when the stem breaks.   Grab a stem and try to snap it.   If it folds without snapping, there is still too much moisture in the bud.   

Once the bud is dry,  cure in sealed jars with daily burping for the first two weeks, and then another 2-4 weeks in the jar, burping every couple days.  

-Drying_Cannabis_Buds

About the author:

As a passionate grower of all plants,  CG advocates for moderation and reverence of Cannabis as an ancient and powerful natural medicine. As the taboo is finally lifting worldwide, rational free thinking adults can experience the joy and wonder of growing a marijuana plant and we’re so thank-full to our members and the growing community for sharing responsibly.  Thank-you everyone.

Detailed Grow Guide (Coming Soon)

For those starting out who want the detailed version, this guide covers all the most important things you need to know in a bit more detail.     This content is in development, we expect this detailed guide to drop before 31MAY26, so check back soon!  🙂

cannabis leaf

All About Cannabis Overview

CONTENT IN PROGRESS - CHECK BACK SOON!

  • What Actually is Cannabis?
  • History of Cannabis
  • All about Sativa strains
  • All about Indica strains
  • Auto Flower vs Photo Period
  • Feminized vs regular seeds
  • Cannabis Strains
  • Cannabis Legalization
  • Glossary of Terms

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    Cannabis Growing Overview

    CONTENT IN PROGRESS - CHECK BACK SOON!

  • CG's Simplified Beginner Grow Guide
  • Starting out
  • Stages of growth
  • Grow mediums
  • Temperature
  • Growing methods overview
  • Harvesting
  • Drying & Curing

    • Indoor_cannabis_plants

    Indoor Growing

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  • Why grow indoors?
  • Overview of indoor set-ups
  • Recommended methods
  • Indoor grow schedules
  • Indoor Lighting
  • Ventilation
  • Security
  • Glossary of Terms

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    Outdoor Growing

    CONTENT IN PROGRESS - CHECK BACK SOON!

  • Starting out
  • Stages of growth
  • Sunlight
  • Australian Grow Calendar
  • Recommended Methods
  • Harvesting

    • Superior blend bulk hydroponic nutrient 4kg part A B

    Nutrients

    CONTENT IN PROGRESS - CHECK BACK SOON!

  • Nutrient Delivery
  • Best Nutrient Options
  • All about hydroponic nutrients
  • NPK Basics
  • EC, PH & PPM

    • best hydroponic system for growing marijuana

    Growing Systems

    CONTENT IN PROGRESS - CHECK BACK SOON!

  • Traditional Methods
  • Hydroponic Methods Overview
  • NFT
  • Drip Systems
  • Flood & Drain
  • Aeroponic
  • Vertical Garden Systems