Growing your own in Hawaii (Intro)

This is the first in a series of blogs on growing marijuana in Hawaii. This first blog is a very basic introduction about marijuana plants in general. In order to grow your own in Hawaii you must first obtain a "329 Card" which is a medical marijuana card. This card is good for 1 year and is necessary if you wish to buy and possess marijuana legally in Hawaii. With a 329 card you are allowed to grow up to 10 plants for your own consumption and possess up to 4 ounces of marijuana buds. You can obtain a 329 card by visiting 329MJRX.com. After registering with Hawaii state, Dr. Louis Mandris will provide a telemedicine consult to determine if you qualify for $97. If you qualify, Dr. Mandris will certify your card which you can then download and print, all without having to physically travel to a doctor's office.

Growing your own

Marijuana growing 101 (The very basics)

SEX: Marijuana is a rare plant that exists as two very distinct sexes. The flowers (buds) of the female plant contain most of the chemical compounds that are useful as medicine. The rest of the plant, leaves, stems, and roots, have very little THC and CBD, the two most important chemicals that you want to harvest. The ultimate goal is to grow female buds. If the female flowers are not pollinated, they will grow larger with time, until ripe for harvest. If pollinated, the buds will stop growing and put all their energy into making seeds, which you do not want. Therefore, you do not want male plants anywhere near your female plants if you want large rich buds. Most seed dispensaries only sell female (feminized) seeds, so you usually don't have to worry about removing male plants from you garden.

Breeds: There are 3 breeds of Cannabis. Cannabis Sativa, Cannabis Indica, and Cannabis Ruderalis. Sativa is a taller plant and is generally known for it's uplifting and energizing effects. Indica is a shorter plant known for having somewhat more sedating, relaxing effects. Most marijuana that you purchase at a dispensary is a hybrid of Indica and Sativa. Ruderalis is a rapid growing plant with low THC. Ruderalis is usually bred with Sativa or Indica to create autoflowering plants that do not depend on photoperiod for initiation of blooming.

Photoperiod: The marijuana plant grows in two very distinct phases. The first phase is the growth phase which starts as a seedling and progresses to the second phase, the bloom phase. Marijuana grows rapidly during the growth phase (allegedly second only to bamboo in growth rate). The bloom phase is triggered when the period of light is reduced to a particular threshold. If you are growing outdoors, as the days get shorter in the fall, the marijuana plant will eventually start to bloom when the days get short enough. Because Hawaii is close to the equator and the difference between the longest days and shortest days is small, it is difficult to grow Sativa/Indica outdoors in Hawaii! So if you want to grow Sativa/Indica in Hawaii, you will have to at least grow the plants in their growth phase indoors where you can adjust the light schedule. Hemp (which is marijuana with very little THC but much CBD) growers in Hawaii have to use outdoor lights to achieve a workable photoperiod schedule to get the plants to bloom. So if you are growing your plants indoors with LED lighting, you would grow your plants with 18 hours of light and 6 hours of darkness until your plants are the ideal size to start blooming. Then you would change the schedule to 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness to initiate the bloom phase. In Hawaii, you could grow your plants indoors for the grow phase and then grow them outside for the bloom phase as an option, without resorting to outdoor lighting. If you want to grow plants outdoors in Hawaii, your only real option is to grow autoflowering plants which do not depend on photoperiods. Autoflowering plants grow much quicker and bloom sooner than photoperiod plants, but are also much smaller with much smaller yields. If you have no room to grow your plants indoors, autoflowering plants are your best option in Hawaii.

In my next blog, I will discuss growing techniques. Remember, you need a 329 card to legally grow your own in Hawaii. Go to 329MJRX.com to get started.

Louis Mandris M.D. 4-20-26