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V. 26.7c UPDATED 10/25/2026

How to Grow Weed in Soil

Interactive cheat sheet and video guide

Before You Start

FOR REGULAR/FEMINIZED SEEDS (Non-Autos) using the General Hydroponics Trio

BASED ON HAPPY FROG SOIL & TEMPS AT 78°F
HOW MUCH DO I FEED?FEED GENERATOR

Hover on desktop or hold on mobile for details. Tap the info button anytime. Text links still open the original resources.

Week-by-week feed schedule

MEASUREMENTS BELOW ARE ML PER GALLON

Swipe left for next week, right for previous. Or use the arrows or week menu.

Week-by-week feed schedule. MEASUREMENTS BELOW ARE ML PER GALLON
WEEKHumidityFan SpeedLighting (PPFD)Light (hours)Cal MagF. MicroF. GrowF. BloompH (at end)
Week 1VEG Humidity80% (DOME)Fan Speed1Lighting (PPFD)Dim, 250Light (hours)18Cal Mag0F. Micro0F. Grow0F. Bloom0pH (at end)6.2
Week 2VEG Humidity80% (DOME)Fan Speed1Lighting (PPFD)Dim, 275Light (hours)18Cal Mag0F. Micro0F. Grow0F. Bloom0pH (at end)6.2
Week 3VEG Humidity~70%Fan Speed2Lighting (PPFD)Light, 300Light (hours)18Cal Mag1F. Micro2F. Grow1F. Bloom1pH (at end)6.3
Week 4VEG Humidity~70%Fan Speed3Lighting (PPFD)Light, 350Light (hours)18Cal Mag1F. Micro4F. Grow1F. Bloom2pH (at end)6.3
PRIME TIME TO TOP/CUT TOP
Week 5VEG Humidity~60%Fan Speed4Lighting (PPFD)Med, 400Light (hours)18Cal Mag1F. Micro5F. Grow1F. Bloom3pH (at end)6.3
Week 6VEG Humidity~60%Fan Speed4Lighting (PPFD)Med, 500Light (hours)18Cal Mag1F. Micro6F. Grow1F. Bloom3pH (at end)6.4
Before moving on Veg Week 6

WEEK 6 IS EXTENDED UNTIL PLANT REACHES DESIRED SIZE

Watch: When to Flip Your Plants
Flip Preparation

Chart placement: after Week 6

Week 1Total week 7FLOWER Humidity~55%Fan Speed5Lighting (PPFD)Med, 600Light (hours)12Cal Mag1F. Micro5F. Grow2F. Bloom5pH (at end)6.4
Week 2Total week 8FLOWER Humidity~55%Fan Speed6Lighting (PPFD)Med, 700Light (hours)12Cal Mag1F. Micro4F. Grow3F. Bloom6pH (at end)6.5
PRIME TIME TO SEX/DESTROY MALES
ALSO PRIME TIME TO CLONE
Week 3Total week 9FLOWER Humidity~50%Fan Speed7Lighting (PPFD)Bright, 750Light (hours)12Cal Mag1F. Micro4F. Grow4F. Bloom7pH (at end)6.5
Week 4Total week 10FLOWER Humidity~45%Fan Speed8Lighting (PPFD)Bright, 800Light (hours)12Cal Mag1F. Micro4F. Grow3F. Bloom9pH (at end)6.4
Before moving on Flower Week 4

WEEK 4 IS EXTENDED FOR ~ 4-7 WEEKS UNTIL TRICHOMES ARE DESIRED COLOR, JUST FOLLOW SAME FEED/LIGHTING

Watch: When to Harvest Your Plants
NO NITROGEN MIXHumidity~45Fan Speed8Lighting (PPFD)Bright, 800Light (hours)12Cal Mag1F. Micro0F. Grow3F. Bloom9pH (at end)6.4
How to Read Leaves

Lighting (PPFD)

  • Seedling – week 2 of Veg: 30% 20 inches above top of plant, place all plants centered directly underneath light
  • Week 3-5 of veg: 40% 20 inches, as centered as can be
  • Week 5 to Flip: 50% 22 inches as centered as can be
  • Flip to Week 2 Bloom: 70% 20 inches, sprawl the plants out under the light for the rest of the grow
  • Week 3-5 Bloom: 80% 18 inches
  • Week 6-8 Bloom – 90% 18 inches
  • Week 9 Bloom to Chop – 80% 20 inches
Open original resource

HOW MUCH DO I FEED?

  • ALWAYS FEED MORNINGS (AS SOON AS LIGHTS TURN ON)
  • Premoistened soil: No scheduled water for the first 6 days.
  • Veg weeks 1–2: 1 cup when finger tip dry, then 2–3 cups; check about every 4–6 days.
  • Veg weeks 3–4: 4–6 cups every 6–8 days.
  • Veg weeks 5–6: About 6–9 cups every 3–5 days.
  • Veg week 7 to Flip: 10–11 cups every 4–5 days.
  • Flip through Bloom week 2: 11–14 cups every 4–5 days.
  • Bloom weeks 3–5: 12–16 cups every 3–4 days.
  • Bloom weeks 6–8: 13–17 cups every 3–4 days.
  • Bloom week 9 to chop: Every other day: 9 cups.

Start Here: Let’s Make Growing Simple

Six years of hands-on experience, packed into one walkthrough. I’ll explain how to read the chart, use the video pop-outs, and follow along from your first seed through harvest. We cover the setup, watering, nutrients and lighting, with extra tutorials built in whenever you need a closer look. There’s even an option to automate your watering.

A full written guide is also available below:
Read the full written guide

How to Add Nutrients Using this Cheat Sheet

This is a more detailed, step-by-step guide to how the nutrient values are used in this video. Remember to shake your bottles and mix thoroughly before adding the next nutrient. Work from left to right, starting with CalMag.

English captions are automatically generated and may contain errors.

How to Dechlorinate Water

Read article

Most U.S. households have chlorine added to their water to kill bad germs. The problem is that chlorine also kills the beneficial microbes in Happy Frog soil. Hydrogen peroxide reacts with chlorine. Let the water sit for 24 hours. Tap water can contain chloramine, which does not evaporate. To find out whether your water contains chloramine, open the related article.

English captions are automatically generated and may contain errors.

How to Germinate Seeds EASY

Advanced Mode

This is the easiest way to sprout seeds without all the noise. By premoistening the soil and using your tent as a humidity dome and heat container, you optimize the environment necessary for germination. More advanced methods of germination are discussed in the related article along with a 7 way comparison case study.

English captions are automatically generated, with obvious transcription errors corrected.

How to Set Up Drip Irrigation

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With this tutorial, you can automate feeds and feed remotely. This has proven to be the absolute easiest way to grow.

English captions are automatically generated and may contain errors.

How to Top/FIM Your Plants

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Topping allows your plant to have more main bud sites, which will improve yields and overall quality. Without topping, your plant will look like a Christmas tree with one main cola. The problem is that lower bud sites will not get as much light, making them less dense. Ideally, you want a flat canopy, and topping can help you achieve that. Watch the video for more information.

Captions reused from the linked article.

When to Flip Your Plants

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Flipping is the process of transitioning your photoperiod plants from the vegetative phase to the flowering or bloom phase. This is done by reducing the hours of light. (The prefix "photo" means light, and "period" refers to an amount of time. The amount of light time, get it?) Knowing when to flip depends on the size of your tent. As long as you follow the light and fan suggestions, these plants should not be lanky. Check the linked article for more information.

Captions reused from the linked article.

How to Defoliate Your Plants in Preparation for Bloom

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If you grow plants as they are, they will have leaves at the bottom that never receive direct light. Excess foliage can trap stagnant air and create pockets of humidity. Light deprivation and inadequate light intensity will create "larfy," airy buds that are susceptible to mold in these conditions. The top 20 inches are really all that matters when it comes to foliage. Your plant will stretch by 50-100% of its height, so you really want only 5-10 inches of vertical foliage. Watch the video for more information.

Captions reused from the linked article.

How to Visibly Identify a Male

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This video shows what most new growers confuse with balls, so it is important to understand what to look for. Check the linked article for more photos.

Captions reused from the linked article.

When to Harvest Your Plants

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Milky trichomes are the goal, and this video shows you when to harvest based on your preferences. A jeweler's loupe or a modern phone with a good macro camera is recommended. Check the linked article for more helpful tips.

Captions reused from the linked article.

Signs of Nutrient Burn and When to Flush

Neon, fluorescent leaf tips can indicate a high concentration of nutrient salts. This video explains the guide's approach: skip one nutrient feed and use plain water instead.

English captions are automatically generated, with obvious transcription errors corrected.

Signs of Nutrient Deficiency and How to Fix It

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Yellowing that affects only the lower leaves can be a sign of nutrient deficiency. Mobile nutrients can be relocated from older leaves to newer growth. This video explains how Flora Micro is used in this guide to address the problem.

English captions are automatically generated, with obvious transcription errors corrected.

The Effects of Chlorophyll on Curing

Very green leaves near harvest can be associated with greater chlorophyll content and nitrogen availability. In this video, HWGrow discusses his experience with nitrogen and curing. Research supports a link between nitrogen supply and leaf pigments, but it does not establish that greener flowers always take longer to cure or produce harsher smoke. View the no-nitrogen mix chart

English captions are automatically generated, with obvious transcription errors corrected.

How to Set Light Hours

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If your light doesn't have built-in on/off controls, use an outlet timer, a surge protector with a timer, or a smart outlet. Set it to the light hours shown on the chart.

English captions are automatically generated and may contain errors.

How to Adjust pH

Plants need the right pH range to take up different nutrients. The chart shows the target pH for each stage of the plant's life. Always adjust pH last. Dilute pH Up (usually the one you'll need) or pH Down with water first. Use 5 mL per cup of water as a starting dilution, then add the diluted solution to your feed water a little at a time while the pH meter remains submerged.

English captions are automatically generated and may contain errors.

How to Dry Cannabis

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Once you chop, the work is not complete. You still need to air-dry the plants slowly and steadily to prepare your buds for curing and long-term storage. Slow and steady always wins.

English captions available.

How to Trim Buds

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Trimming is highly subjective. Realistically, it comes down to the end user's preference. For my own buds, I keep all the sugar leaves because that's where I find the value.

English captions available.

How to Make an Automatic Cure Tub

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This automated cure tub helps maintain a controlled climate as you prepare your buds for long-term storage. The bin needs to be completely sealed, so cut a hole for the power cord and tape it shut around the cord. For exact instructions, go to the linked article at the top right.

English captions available.

HOW TO TRELLIS PLANTS

Read article

A trellis helps spread crowded branches into open spaces for a flatter canopy with more even access to light and air. It can also support heavy branches. As the article explains, a net organizes growth but does not guarantee a larger harvest.

English captions available.

How to Add Nutrients Using this Cheat Sheet

This is a more detailed, step-by-step guide to how the nutrient values are used in this video. Remember to shake your bottles and mix thoroughly before adding the next nutrient. Work from left to right, starting with CalMag.

English captions are automatically generated and may contain errors.

NO NITROGEN MIX

NO NITROGEN MIX
Humidity~45
Fan Speed8
Lighting (PPFD)Bright, 800
Light (hours)12
Cal Mag1
F. Micro0
F. Grow3
F. Bloom9
pH (at end)6.4

Quick answer: how to use this soil cheat sheet

Pick the week you are in, match the water, light, humidity, fan and feed settings shown for that week, and watch the short video for each task. It covers every step of growing weed in soil, from germination through veg, flower, harvest, drying and curing. Prefer it written out step by step? Read the complete 2026/2027 guide to growing weed at home, or watch the full video walkthrough of this cheat sheet.

Soil cheat sheet FAQ

What is this soil cheat sheet?

It is a free interactive week-by-week reference for growing weed in soil at home. For each week from seedling to harvest it shows water, light, humidity, fan speed, feed amounts in ml per gallon and pH, with short videos for the main tasks.

How long does it take to grow weed in soil?

About 4 months from seed to harvest: roughly 4 days to germinate, 6 weeks of veg and 8 to 11 weeks of bloom, which is 14 to 17 weeks from sprout to chop. Drying and curing add several more weeks.

When do I switch to flower?

After about 6 weeks of veg under 18 hours of light a day, switch the light to 12 hours a day to start flowering.

What nutrients does the feed schedule use?

It uses General Hydroponics CaliMagic and the Flora Trio (FloraMicro, FloraGro and FloraBloom), measured in ml per gallon. The first two weeks are plain water with no nutrients.

What pH should my water be?

Adjust your water to a pH of 6.2 to 6.5 for soil, as the last step after all nutrients are added.

How much should I feed?

Each week lists the ml per gallon for CaliMagic and each Flora part. Use the feed calculator to convert those numbers for your total water volume and number of plants.

Can I use the cheat sheet on my phone?

Yes. It is best viewed on a computer, but it works on mobile, and the videos open in pop-outs.

Is there a full written guide?

Yes. The complete step-by-step guide to growing weed at home covers equipment, seeds, soil, feeding, germination, veg, bloom, harvest, drying and curing.