Marijuana, which would grow so easily on a windowsill or in a garden, must be hidden from unfriendly eyes. Still, people want to try their hand growing this plant Human ingenuity is a wonderful thing. So is cannabis’ ability to adapt to unusual growing conditions. Here are some novel ways that marijuana has been grown.
- Training to a fence. Marijuana can be controlled so that it does not have much of a 3 dimensional shape by tying the branches to a fence. Here is a typical example. A gardener had a space which was 30" x 15" and 9 feet high between two shelves in a storage area. The walls were covered with aluminum foil. Chicken wire with two inch holes was stretched to a frame of 1" x 2"s on one of the lengthwise wall. Six 8 foot fluorescents were placed vertically on the other side of the garden so that the light was coming to the plants from the side. Three shelves were built to hold two foot long window boxes.
As the plants grew, their stems were gently spread and tied to the fence with metal twist-ties. The third dimension was almost entirely eliminated. Since the plants configuration was well controlled, the gardener controlled the spacing and helped light to reach all plant parts. - Some growers build training stakes for their plants. These are actually wooden stakes with cross stakes attached. Growers tie the plants to the guides as they grow. The stakes are configured for maximum exposure to the light. Excess growth is trimmed so that the plant conforms to the pattern set by the stakes.
- Horizontalizing. Marijuana uses gravity to sense which direction is "up" and then grows that way. When a plant which has been growing normally is placed on its side new growth reorients itself and starts growing up. Growers with short spaces can sometimes maximize the space in their garden by taking a plant and placing it horizontally.
- Selective Pruning. Marijuana grows branches in four directions, first in opposite pairs and then alternating. By pruning two opposite sides of the plant, it grows flat naturally. The branches can be tied down a bit so that branches of two plants can be alternated.
- A space was only 2½ feet high, 13" wide and 5 ft long. A four tube flat fluorescent unit, designed for ceiling installation, was placed against one wall. The other wall was lined with a single row of 6 inch containers.
