5 Best Strains to Grow for Beginners

When choosing a weed strain, most growers are drawn by the best strains that are more challenging to raise. This is because cannabis responds well to effort – the more blood, sweat, and tears growers pour into growing a difficult strain, the better their yield becomes.

But that’s not always an ideal method of marijuana production, especially for first-time growers who don’t fully understand the various ins and outs of everything that goes into raising quality weed. This is why breeders have specifically created a wide range of easy-to-grow strains perfect for beginners. These beginner strains are some of the best marijuana strains for growers of all experience levels and can produce a quality crop of buds once they’re ready for harvest. 

Good weed is just good weed, and the growing process doesn’t have to be complicated to produce stellar results!

To see how the plant types differ, read our guide to indica, sativa and ruderalis.

Below, we have compiled a shortlist of 5 of these best weed strains that are safe and easy to raise for aspiring growers, from the best Sativa strains to the best Indica strains that you can safely grow for recreational or medical purposes. Also included in this article are a range of recommendations for complete grow kits provided by the home-growing cannabis experts here at a Pot for Pot. Each kit contains all the essentials that you’ll need to help ensure you produce a healthy harvest of quality buds.

a Pot for Pot offers several specialized grow kits to meet the needs of individuals looking to produce some quality weed from the comfort of their own homes. They range from mini to large, along with a +1 Expansion Pot Grow Kit for those who discover a passion for the craft and want to expand their growing operations. They also offer a wide selection of additional grow accessories, including a top-quality Single Pot 75 Watt LED Grow Light.

Related: Grow Weed Starting From Seed

What is the Best Strain of Weed for Beginners?

When it comes to trying your hand at home-growing marijuana, several strains can serve as a fantastic starting point. While there are many that we could talk about in great detail within this article, our experts have decided to provide information on only the best of the best to help give first-time growers the most promising chance at finding success when growing their first weed crop.

Please continue to learn about the five best weed strains for beginning growers and consider investing in one of our quality starter kits today. And for even more information on growing a quality weed crop at home, please also consider exploring our range of expertly written educational blog articles.

Blue Dream

The Blue Dream is a popular Sativa-dominant hybrid strain made by crossing the relaxation-inducing and high THC Blueberry with the high-energy providing and sweet citrusy flavored Haze. The resulting Sativa strain took on both of its parents’ best traits, becoming one of the best weed strains among first-timers and experienced growers.

Its popularity among first-time growers has something to do with the fact that it is resistant to powdery mildew and root rot – two of the most common problems that any grower will face when it comes to raising cannabis; powdery mildew and root rot.

Powdery mildew (not the same as downy mildew, a different disease) is one of the easiest diseases to spot on the leaves of a marijuana plant. However, it can impact the plant long before apparent signs become visible. This fungal disease negatively affects the plant’s ability to absorb nutrients, causing its foliage to discolor and wilt. It typically appears as a white powder on the plant’s leaves that looks similar to baking soda. Sadly, once the visible signs of the disease appear, the entire plant has become fully infected and usually can’t be healed.

Root rot is less specific than powdery mildew and refers to a wide variety of diseases that negatively affect the root system of cannabis plants. The most commonly seen condition is Pythium, a water mold that spreads quickly and turns the plant’s roots from a healthy white to a darker brown color. This disease makes the roots unable to absorb nutrients from the soil properly and will stunt the plant’s growth and ability to flower.

These diseases are some of the most common issues faced by novice marijuana growers and can be very disheartening since they are challenging to treat if they’re not noticed right away. The Blue Dream marijuana strain is highly favored among beginners and expert growers alike for its resistance to these problematic conditions. But these are far from the only advantages that this particular marijuana has to offer home-growers.

Besides giving you an easy experience in growing the Blue Dream’s yield also gives you an easy experience in the form of a full-body relaxation high with a calming stimulation that  when paired together makes the it the best strain for pain relief.

And its enticing berry flavor with the addition of its high THC (18%) puts the Blue Dream as one of the best Sativa strains simply from its taste alone. But, what really sets the Blue Dream apart from the other best marijuana strains is its high yield that requires little effort on the grower’s part.

This is also why experienced growers also use a beginner strain like the Blue Dream and why they recommend it as one of the best strains for beginners.

Because of this, many experienced growers also like utilizing the Blue Dream strain and highly recommend it, even though it’s often marketed as a strain for beginner growers. That, in itself, is one of the best parts of deciding to grow marijuana. Whether you have no experience under your belt or years of growing knowledge to rely on, you can still produce a quality harvest of excellent buds using the most basic strains. 

Green Crack

Also more fondly known as Green Cush by marijuana growers and users alike, this Sativa-dominant strain is a mix of Skunk #1 and an unknown sweet leaf Indica strain. The cross between these two marijuana types resulted in a highly-effective Sativa strain that can grow indoors and outdoors (like its Skunk #1 parent) with an improved yield and shorter flowering period.

Unfortunately, in return, this strain is more prone to developing powdery mildew, unlike its more mold and mildew resistant parent. However, the Green Cush makes up for it by having a range of positive effects with a complex taste that many consumers love. As long as you can diligently prevent powdery mildew from taking hold of the plant, you’re likely to be rewarded with a quality harvest of highly-effective buds.

This strain offers several positive effects on users and stimulates the consumer to feel energetic, happy, and euphoric. These factors make it perfect for dealing with stress, depression, and fatigue. Green Cush is also one of the best strains to help treat issues related to anxiety because of these uplifting effects. In addition to all of that, Green Cush has a complex flavor profile that many take a liking to. Its tangy and mango-like flavor is a hit even amongst experienced growers.

Outside of flavor, the other benefit of growing Green Cush is its improved yield. A good harvest can get a grower as much as 18 ounces indoors and 20 outdoors– and if you apply any growing techniques such as Scrogging, those numbers will increase.

 

GG4 Strain

The GG4 is a unique hybrid strain, being that instead of just having two parents, it has three: Chems Sister, Sour Dubble, and Chocolate Diesel. By its traits alone, we can confidently say that GG4 has taken all the best characteristics of its three parents without any of the bad. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been able to win multiple Cannabis Cups in 2014 and 2015.

Even now, the GG4 is still widely regarded as one of the best OG strains– and is also considered one of the best hybrid strains that more experienced growers would recommend to aspiring growers. This is because of how flexible it is since it can be raised indoors and outdoors. It’s also reasonably resilient, as it can flourish even in sunny, warm climates.

If you plan to grow some quality weed indoors, the GG4 is an excellent plant to test out a ScrOG growing method (scrOG standing for “screen of green”) since it’s an exceptionally tall plant. Scrogging is a way of training marijuana plants to get higher yields by stretching the branches out into a screen to form a more even canopy, allowing light to hit more branches, and increasing airflow to reduce the presence of mold and pests. 

This method also ensures that branches are more supported and won’t be weighed down or snapped by heavy buds while also providing the advantage of being easier to work on because the branches are more spread out. Additionally, scrogging will let you take advantage of the strain’s brief flowering period that it received from its Sour Dubb parent.

Speaking of inherited characteristics, the Sour Dubb and the Chocolate Diesel are the two strains responsible for much of the GG4’s flavor- an earthy, woody taste with a hint of coffee and a chocolate aftertaste. These two strains are also responsible for the high THC content of GG4.

GG4- an acronym for Gorilla Glue #4- gets its name because of how sticky the yield is and how consuming it would leave you stuck to your couch for the day. Besides leaving you relaxed on your couch, this strain also helps with anxiety and depression, but it also works just as well with chronic pain.

Related: Why Cannabis Leaves Wilt, Sag, or Droop Down

Dutch Treat

As its name proudly suggests, this strain is an absolute treat to grow. Most growers- both beginners and veterans alike- enjoy how easy the Dutch Treat is to raise and love its dense and sticky buds like the GG4.

Dutch Treat is widely considered a classic strain with mysterious roots. Still, this hybrid strain has made a scene in both Amsterdam and the Pacific Northwest, where it grew in popularity because of its fruity, sweet flavor that has a hint of pine and blueberry.

Growing Dutch Treats doesn’t require much effort, making it a trendy staple among aspiring growers. A significant part of its popularity stems from its overall resilience towards different climate conditions and high resistance to diseases, making it one of the safest plants to start with.

Given that the Dutch Treat is an Indica-dominant hybrid, it’s natural to prefer indoor hydroponics setups to increase their overall yield. Still, it should be noted that this sweet treat prefers a warm and dry climate to thrive. And with such a short flowering period, it’s a great strain to raise if you want a quick harvest.

Dutch Treats have a particular candy-like aroma to them which complements the effects they have on the consumer- giving them some relief from pain and helping them with depression and stress by relaxing the body and making the smoker feel elated and euphoric.

Cinex Strain

A highly regarded superstar Sativa, the Cinex Strain was born from a cross between the high-yielding and high THC Cinderella 99 and the intense euphoria giving and stress relieving Vortex strain. The Cinex is the perfect combination of its two parents, giving consumers the familiar feel-good qualities from the Cindy 99 and the medical benefits of the Vortex- making the Cinex one of the best strains on the market to help induce a quality night’s sleep. But for us, the most critical factor is how easy it is to grow this particular strain.

Despite having parents that require medium to experienced levels of growing knowledge, the Cinex ended up being a strain that not only took on its parents’ best traits but is also relatively hassle-free to raise.

This is partly due to its flexibility regarding its preferred climate, wherein it can comfortably grow in dry and warm climates while also withstanding cooler temperatures. It also took on its parents’ high resistance to various common diseases, making this strain resilient to harmful microorganisms and disease-ridden pests that frequently harm and kill other common types of marijuana strains. 

To achieve the best yield possible from the Cinex strain, it’s typically best to keep it in an indoor setup. If you ever find that the yield isn’t as much compared to the Cindy 99, then fear not, as you can apply growing techniques like scrOG, especially if you’re looking for a yield as high as possible. It’s highly recommended that you utilize scrogging if you want to maximize the yield with the space they’re growing in.

Related: When To Plant Cannabis Outside: A State By State Guide

Final Thoughts for First-Time Growers

Growing marijuana can be as straightforward or as complex as you’d like it to be. Still, it’s generally recommended that beginners stick to easier-to-grow strains that are more flexible to different climate types and that are generally resistant to various types of common diseases. It can be easy to get ahead of yourself and start with strains that are more difficult to grow in the hopes of producing a better yield, but as the old saying goes, “you need to know how to crawl before you can walk.”

If you’re genuinely interested in starting to grow weed at home, try to avoid diving too deep and start by learning the ropes on some easier, more resilient strains. You’ll get some quality growing experience and create a good educational foundation to rely on for future growing projects.

Related: Most hyped strains for home growers

Start Your Growing Journey Today With Our Outdoor 35 Gallon Grow Kit 

Grow the Best Marijuana with a Pot for Pot

The Indoor 2 Gallon Grow Kit is an essential purchase for aspiring growers who have no idea what to properly give their plants. It has all the things you will need to ensure the healthy development of your weed and guarantee you a good harvest at the end.

It contains a grow guide and a 2-gallon fabric pot with a pot drain saucer for your plants.  The fabric pot is a wonderful thing as it’s like the in-between of plastic pots and ceramic pots – wherein it has the aeration of plastic pots with half the strength of ceramics.

And in addition to all of that, it also comes with germination kits, specialty blended Superb Soil, and rooting boosters to help with your weed’s root development.

If you’re eager to try growing some stellar pot from the comfort of your living room or backyard, please don’t hesitate to invest in one of our top-quality home-growing cannabis kits today at a Pot for Pot. They’ll help ensure you can grow a quality cannabis crop as soon as possible.

 

Sources

• Utah State University Extension – Hemp Powdery Mildew
• NC State Extension – Pythium Root and Crown Rot of Industrial Hemp