12 Mistakes Almost Every First-Time Grower Makes

The list

• Overwatering — learn the pot-weight method instead of a schedule
• Overfeeding — start at half the bottle's recommendation
• Ignoring pH — a $15 pen prevents most 'deficiencies'
• Buying too weak a light — the number one cause of airy buds
• Undersizing ventilation — heat and mold follow
• Harvesting too early — the last two weeks add real weight
• Drying too fast — 10-14 days at 60/60, not three days in a closet
• Skipping the cure — two weeks minimum, six is better
• Changing five variables at once — you learn nothing
• Not checking for light leaks before flowering
• Growing too many plants for the space and the legal limit
• Not writing anything down

The meta-mistake

Doing too much. Plants are resilient and mostly want to be left alone in stable conditions. Most damage in a first grow is inflicted by an anxious grower, not by neglect.