Bucket Challenge experiment - Can just dirt and plain water grow cannabis?
2 months ago, I put a Reclining Buddha cannabis seed into a bucket of dirt, and gave it tapwater every few days. THIS happened!
Wow.
Note: I don't have several bucket plants going, so that I can show you the best one. I've posted regular updates of this exact plant, from the moment it was a seed two months ago. No camera trickery, no second chances, no takesie backsies. All or nothing! I claimed you can grow cannabis in a bucket with nothing but dirt and water, and I challenged myself to prove it. I put my money where my mouth is, in the most public way possible - on the blockchain!
And the result? A lush, thriving, healthy cannabis bush. It's ready to flip into flower, which means (assuming it is female) in another couple months I'll have some amazing medicine.
The entire process has been documented on the Hive/WeedCash blockchain! Previous snapshots:
Here are a few more new photos to give you a better feel for the plant as it is today:
To create the form you see here, I cut the top of the plant off about a month ago, then cut off the two tops that emerged a week later. Aside from that (and about 10 waterings) I haven't had to do anything for this plant.
It now has 4 active growing stems, each producing lush 7 fingered leaves:
Okay, so maybe you're convinced... it's possible to grow a large and healthy cannabis plant with nothing but a little soil and technique. Alright. But I bet you're wondering if flowers can be produced, especially without any additional nutrients. After all, that's really the test! Stems and leaves are great, but it's the flowers that really get the glory!
Fair enough! :) I invite you to follow along over the next 2 months, as I take this plant through its flowering phase, using nothing but plain water. We're all going to find out exactly what happens!
Grow in peace.
DRutter
It does in the Kush mountains! :)
Is it 40c in the kush mountains? ....whoa
It's enjoying that water!
Yeah, very strong looking stems, and full leaves.
But will the bucket have enough nutrients to carry it through the stretch, and then produce flowers and cannabinoids?
How is your watering policy? Do you let the soil get very dry before watering, or do you constantly add?
Excellent question.
This is my first bucket plant (thanks to the #5gallonchallenge), so I had to figure it out as I went. No transplanting means starting in the largest possible container (bucket), especially doing it the way I do it (never adding anything except water) because the container has to begin with all the nutrients that will ultimately end up in the plant and flowers.
When it was just a little seed (and then a tiny sprout), I didn't want to water the entire bucket, so I just gave the seedling the amount I thought it needed. As the roots grew downward, I estimated how much water the plant needed each time, hoping to get the roots wet, but not drench the entire bucket. At this point, I assume the roots are pretty much all through the soil, so I'm giving it deeper waterings. Yes, generally I let the soil surface get almost totally dry before watering again. Because the plant is so lush now, it's shading the soil from most direct light, which means it isn't evaporating as quickly. That's good, but I'm watching for mold. So far so good. In two months it has had about 10 waterings. When it was smaller I misted it occasionally but I don't think it needs that now.
I don't know if I recommend growing in buckets, but it's definitely interesting, and providing me with learning experiences so that's great. And hey, sometimes all you've got is a bucket! Might as well know how to grow in one :)
Damn she's (hopefully) looking good
That might be the biggest plant I’ve seen you grow! Nice work
Yeah, you think it's going to stretch a bit from here? Should be 4 nice flowers on there in a few weeks! I think I will flip tomorrow. :)
Looking healthy man 😉
Thanks bud, hopefully the flowers will look as healthy as the stems and leaves, hahaha! (And hopefully they're mostly females!)
I love the idea of starting something even in a little way. Good one
WOW is right! I think this is the greenest cannabis plant I have ever seen.
I also perform this method to bush out the plant and keep the canopy low in a small area :)
I'll go ahead and predict the future on this. I think not only will it produce flowers, it will produce some very fat and dense flowers. Not much of a doubt in my mind.
Great job, many new growers can learn a lot from these excellent information packed posts you create. Looking forward to seeing more!
Thanks bro! Appreciate the feedback, and vote of confidence :D
Most of my bud isn't all that dense in terms of plant matter, but does tend to be pretty high cannabinoid content. As for fat, I will certainly try! I believe I will flip them in the next day or so. We're in the middle of a MASSIVE heat wave here in BC, temps we never see like 44C (not much lower than the all time highest temp in the world)... people up here aren't used to that. 35, yeah, but 40+ is silly. Humans can't tolerate that. But yeah, with all the sunlight pouring through the closed curtains, the plants sense what's up! But we're passed solstice, so the days are slowly beginning to get shorter, and they'll notice that too. I think it's about the right time to send them into flower mode :))