Growing weed is pretty easy, but some strains can be trickier to grow than others. Some are delicate and need a lot of attention or are prone to disease or mold, while others are sturdy and can handle missing a watering for a day or two. Also, certain strains have adapted to specific climates, so it might not make sense to grow one suited to warm weather if you live in a cold place.
So here are five strains that are easy to grow for beginners: they grow strong, yield high, can grow in many different climates, and have a forgiving margin of error.
And to make things even easier, you may want to check out feminized or autoflower versions of them—feminized seeds don’t need to be sexed out to identify and get rid of pesky male plants; with autoflowers, you don’t have to worry about light changing, and you can harvest plants 2-3 months after seeds sprout.
Blue Dream
Tried-and-true, Blue Dream is a classic and one of the most popular strains, for both consumers and growers. This cross of Blueberry and Haze originated in Northern California and is a dream to grow—it usually grows big and strong and has high yields of buds, likely a result of its sativa-dominant genetics. Be sure to scrog it to maximize yields.
Its sturdiness gives it a large margin of error when growing, in case you forget to water or give it nutrients, or give it too many nutrients for that matter. Blue Dream grows well in many different climates, both indoors and outdoors and can handle cold nights.
Wedding Cake
A relative newcomer to the strain world, Wedding Cake is a Cookies cross that launched a whole new family of cake strains, such as Ice Cream Cake, LA Kush Cake, Cake Batter, and so much more.
Its indica-dominant genetics means it usually grows short and stout, but it still gets solid yields and has dense buds. You’ll want to be sure to prune and top Wedding Cake to get rid of some of its foliage, for fear of it developing mold. This frosty strain is covered in trichomes and will be a sticky one in your garden, but its sweet citrusy smells with hints of vanilla make it a pleasure to grow.
Super Lemon Haze
This cross of legendary Super Silver Haze and Lemon Skunk will definitely bring some lemon scents to your garden. Super Lemon Haze has some strong sativa in its genetics, so it likes slightly warmer climates with a little more humidity, but it is still versatile and can thrive in most places.
This is a strong, sturdy plant that doesn’t need much attention, but be sure to give it plenty of space to stretch out—it grows tall, like parent Lemon Skunk. Scrogging always helps, but you’ll likely get solid yields even without it. SLH usually takes a little longer to flower, around nine weeks, another sign of its sativa roots, so you may need to be a little patient when waiting to harvest this one.
GMO Cookies
Another relatively new strain, GMO Cookies will smell like nothing you’ve ever grown before—its nickname is “Garlic Cookies.” Crossing two classic strains, GSC and Chemdog, GMO has dense, sticky, light green buds with orange hairs and is a high yielder. Its trichome levels make it a good one for pressing your own hash.
This strain can handle many climates, both indoors and outdoors, but it can take a long time to flower—more like nine or ten weeks. Regardless, GMO Cookies is a new standard that packs a punch and brings some great savory scents to your garden.
Sour OG
Sour OG is a great strain for beginners looking to grow something a little different. This OG Kush and Sour Diesel cross has a complex mix of scents—skunk, spice, and of course fuel, with some hints of pine and lemon.
The OG Kush genes come out in its dense buds, but it can take more humidity and does well when trellised or scrogged. Its got a moderate flowering time—about 8 weeks—yields well, and is a tough plant. If you’re looking for something a little more potent and with a unique flavor profile, Sour OG may be for you.
