Ready to change your perspective on cannabis? You can try the upside down or inverted cultivation, a method that has been used effectively for years in many crops, including tomatoes (which grow similarly to hemp). Upside-down cultivation, as the name suggests, involves the roots of the plant extending upwards while the stem and leaves extend downwards. This method is used for maximize space, keep parasites away and for improve yields. Want to learn how to grow cannabis upside down? Read on.

Equipment needed for upside down cultivation

To grow hemp upside down you will need a few essentials instruments:

• Sturdy pots that can support the weight of the soil and the plant
• Sturdy hooks for hanging pots
• High quality soil
• Cannabis seeds
• Drill
• Drip irrigation system (alternative to manual irrigation)
• Lamps if you grow indoors

How to grow cannabis upside down

To grow hemp using the inverted method you must first let it germinate normally, and then proceed to hang the seedlings upside down. Let's see all the steps:

• Drill holes in the bottom of the potsThe hole should be large enough to wrap around the stem of a mature plant.
• Fill the pots with soil high quality.
• Insert the germinated seedlings so that the leaves hang downwards and the roots sink into the soil of the pot through the hole you made previously.
• Fix the vases in mid-air helping yourself with the hooks and let your seedlings hang upside down.
• Set the lighting: if you use vertical lamps, you will simply need to position them around the vases, while if you use classic hanging lamps, you will need to position them on the ground, facing upwards.
• Install a drip irrigation system or water manually. If you choose the latter option, make sure that the pots are at a suitable height to lift the watering can without too much effort.
• As the plants grow, be sure to support them with poles or trellises to avoid breaking the stems.

Apart from the particular procedure adopted initially – turning the cannabis plants upside down – the rest of the cultivation will proceed normally according to all the standards that are used for “straight” plants. As you have seen, the upside down cultivation method is quite simple and suitable even for those who do not have particular technological tools, but what are the advantages that can be obtained from it?

The advantages and disadvantages of upside down cultivation

Upside down farming has several potentials advantages, the first of which is efficiency in terms of space. The plants, being hung, can grow even in narrow spaces and the cultivation can develop in height rather than in width. The fact that the plants are hung can also make harvesting easier, making it so that you do not have to bend down continuously.

But most of all, upside down growing is great for fight fungi, mold and parasites: with plants that hang downwards the air circulation is better and this reduces the risk of developing unpleasant harmful microorganisms; the fact that the leaves hang downwards also makes attacks by insects that live on the ground more difficult, because they will have more difficulty moving and attacking the plants.

Plants hanging upside down, finally, enjoy more distributed lighting between the various tops and this can help them grow better, stronger and more abundant in terms of harvest.

The disadvantages of this growing method consist mainly in the difficulty of installing the pots and in the fact that the plants may require additional supports to avoid breaking, since they are forced to grow in an unnatural way. In addition, irrigation and fertilization can be more complicated.

Conclusions

Growing cannabis with the inverted method is a technique that is based on hanging the seedlings "upside down" by planting them at the bottom of the pots, through a previously made hole. This method, although a little laborious at the beginning, guarantees better aeration of the plants, a more distributed light and therefore a potentially better yield. It is recommended to try this method for those who have space problems because it allows you to extend the cultivation in height rather than in width.