Written by: Jessica Turner

Reviewed by: Ethan Cole  

Why Choose A Strain For Beginners?

When novice growers choose a strain, they usually pick something with a famous name, a variety that won first prize at the latest Cannabis Cup, or one that promises the highest yield, most potency, best flavor, strongest medical benefits, etc. However, while these strains might turn out to be a breeze to grow, they could also be a total nightmare in that regard. Instead, don’t focus on the rewards waiting for you at the finish line – first think about actually getting there. And to do this with the least amount of effort required, select one of the strains in the beginner-friendly category.

What Makes A Beginner-Friendly Strain?

Murphy's Law states that if something can go wrong, it will, and don’t think that your first time will be any different. You’ll probably make every mistake in the book, but an easy-to-grow strain will forgive them all:

• overwatering and overfeeding
• wrong pH levels
• unstable photoperiod or breaks in the dark period
• temperature and humidity fluctuations
• failure to control stretching and the resulting light and heat stress

Whatever you do of the above, a hardy strain should never stop growing and delivering.

Work Smart, Not Hard

The experience with easy-to-grow strains, most of which are feminized, starts on day zero. First comes the germination rate of close to 100% and the corresponding speed (in some cases, just 12 hours before the seeds pop). Then you’ll witness the vigorous vegetative growth, and when you switch to flowering, these feminized plants will develop buds at a steady pace, and without a single male flower rearing its ugly head as a reaction to stress.

Even more beginner-friendly would be autoflowers. With them, you won’t even have to change the light cycle – they’ll automatically start to flower in 3-4 weeks from seed. In outdoor cultivation, strains for beginners mean extra hardiness, tolerance of harsh weather, and resistance to pests, mold, bud rot and other diseases. For indoor gardeners, most easy-to-grow strains are Indicas or Indica-dominant hybrids that produce compact plants and never burst into out-of-control stretching.

Uncompromised Quality

The robustness and vigor of these strains are perfectly compatible with high yields, over-the-top THC levels and exceptional flavors. So, after a trouble-free grow, any newbie can easily reap the rewards that would make any seasoned veteran happy.