8 Tips for Growing the Headband Marijuana Strain [Ultimate Guide]

Before you read our growing guide for the Headband marijuana strain, here’s a quick overview. Headband is a cross of OG Kush and Sour Diesel. It reportedly gets its name due to the feeling of pressure it causes around the user’s forehead as its effects kick in. Some people think the sensation feels like wearing a headband.

There is some dispute over the Headband strain’s origins. Some people claim that Colorado’s Reserva Privada breeders created it, while others suggest it was created in California’s Humboldt County.

What we do know is Headband is indica-dominant (60%), and its THC content ranges from 20% to 27%! It provides a long-lasting high that can last for up to three hours.

Apart from its effects, the Headband strain has an enticing aroma and a mouth-watering taste.

Apart from its effects, the Headband strain has an enticing aroma and a mouth-watering taste. The sweet lemon scent is something to behold, as is the creamy and citrusy flavor.

As well as being an enjoyable recreational strain, Headband is also a popular medicinal option. MMJ users consume Headband to address a wide range of conditions, including; mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression, as well as stress, pain, and insomnia.

Keep reading this growing guide to discover eight tips that will help you from seed to harvest.

1 – Is Headband Better Suited to Indoor or Outdoor Growing?

Many cannabis cultivators consider Headband easy to grow. If you’re fortunate enough to live in the warm climate that this plant thrives in, you can grow it outdoors. It can yield a staggering 21 ounces per plant and is usually ready for harvest in mid-October. Outdoors, keep it sheltered from rain and protected from frost.

Headband flourishes indoors when exposed to the right amount of light. Its flowering time is 9-10 weeks, and it is capable of producing up to 18 ounces per square meter. As this strain is known for its tiny buds, you should consider training the plant to boost the yield. The Screen of Green training method is ideal, and Headband also fares particularly well using a hydroponic setup.

2 – Germinating Your Seeds the Easy Way

When you hold a Headband seed in your hand, it is hard to believe that this plant could grow up to 80 inches tall! We’re assuming that you’re using feminized seeds that are ready to use right out of the packet. When germinating seeds, the most important words to remember are warmth, moisture, and darkness.

When you provide moisture to the seed, the tiny root curled inside begins to grow and starts looking for additional moisture. A root can pop out after 12 – 26 hours of exposure to moisture.

The simplest method of germinating your seeds is the kitchen towel method. All you need is two clean plates, paper towels, and your Headband seeds. Begin by soaking four of the paper towels in water. Please make sure they are damp but not wet to the point where water is dripping off. Place two of the wet towels on one of the plates and put the seeds on top. Make sure there is around one inch of space between each seed.

Cover the seeds with the other wet paper towels. Put the other plate on top of the seeds to create darkness. Ideally, the room temperature will be between 70 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. All you need to do is wait! Roots could appear in as little as 12 hours, or you may have to wait closer to three days. When the taproot (the root that initially sprouts out of the seed) appears, the seed has germinated.

3 – Transplanting Your Headband Seeds

This is arguably the most important step when growing marijuana. If you don’t carry out the transplantation process correctly, you will shock the seedling and possibly kill it. Make sure you have enough two-inch pots filled with the growing medium of your choice ready. If you’re using soil, make sure it is loose and airy; poke a hole about 1cm down with a pencil.

Transfer the seed using a pair of tweezers to pick it up gently. Drop it carefully into the hole you have created and lightly cover it with soil. A spray bottle is the best method of watering your seedlings at this stage. Be aware that if you overwater them, you could suffocate and kill them. Within a week or so, a seedling should emerge from the soil.

4 – Taking Care of Your Seedlings

Marijuana plants are at their most vulnerable during the first couple of weeks after germination. Rodents, insects, and other pests can destroy your crop at this stage. We recommend adding a transparent dome cover to protect them if possible. A cheap and easy method is to create domes from plastic bottles. Cut a bottle in half and place the lower half over the seedling (make sure there is enough ventilation.)

It is all too easy to overwater your seedlings. Dropping leaves is one of the most common symptoms of overwatering. As for nutrients, it is unnecessary to add any if your seedlings are already in nutrient-rich soil. High-quality potting mixes should be more than enough in the first couple of weeks.

Try and keep Headband seedlings in a room with a temperature of 73 degrees Fahrenheit. If the room temperature is too high, the leaves will begin to curl up.

At this stage of their growth cycle, marijuana seedlings need 18 hours of light and 6 hours of darkness per day. Fluorescent lighting is energy efficient, and you can place these lights within four inches of your seedlings. If they don’t get enough light, your seedlings will start to grow taller and skinnier. This is a problem because they need strong stems to grow during the vegetative stage.

5 – Helping Headband Grow Strong During the Vegetative Stage

You can’t expect to have a robust flowering phase if the crop doesn’t have a good vegetative growth phase. The plants must have healthy foliage, a robust structure to cope with heavy buds, and a strong root system. As your plants get bigger, they will need more nutrients and water. Since Headband comes with OG-lineage, you need to stay on top of your plants’ feeding schedule.

Keep an eye out for curling or yellowing in the leaves, as this is a sign of dehydration or possibly a nutrient deficiency. Most growers like to use metal halide lamps at this point. You can keep your plants exposed to light 24 hours a day if you wish. However, the 18 hours light, 6 hours dark schedule still works.

Keep the growing room’s temperature between 68 and 78 degrees, although the roots’ temperature should be 65 degrees. Humidity is another vital consideration – keep it between 50% and 70% during the vegetative stage. The plants require lots of nitrogen at this stage of their growth; however, be wary of overdoing it.

6 – How to Determine Gender

Why purchase regular seeds when there is a 50% chance you will end up with a male plant? If you mix male and female plants, the males will pollinate the females and ruin your crop. Remember, only female plants will produce buds that contain cannabinoids like THC. If you purchase feminized seeds or clones from a female plant, you don’t have to worry about male plants.

There are two widely used methods to determine gender. The first involves an examination of the fifth series of leaves on the plant. Make sure you perform the check right before the plant flowers. As Headband is a hybrid with indica genetics, it will display its sex between the plant’s leaves before flowering.

Trying to spot the small developed sex organs on a plant is tricky.

You need to look out for a tiny white fiber, as this shows you have a female plant. Male plants will have a tiny ball instead. Although it is a quick method, it isn’t completely reliable. Trying to spot the small developed sex organs on a plant is tricky.

A better method involves taking cuttings of your plants while they are in the vegetative stage. Root these cuttings in a separate room and expose them to 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness per day. This should help them flower in a few days. If any are male, make sure to remove them immediately from the grow room before you proceed any further.

7 – How to Force Your Plants Into the Flowering Stage

The next step is to ensure your crop is ready for the flowering stage. Double-check to ensure there are no signs of lack of growth due to insufficient light exposure. You can help your chances of enjoying a good yield by keeping the plants spaced apart. It is also essential to check the roots to see if every plant has enough space beneath the soil’s surface.

There is a possibility that you’ll need to transplant your marijuana plants because their root systems have become too big. Do this before flowering. If you allow a plant to grow in a container that is too small for it, then it could suffocate. At best, it won’t get enough nutrients to power through the final phase of growth.

When growing cannabis indoors, all you need to do to force flowering is mimic one season, changing to the next. Alter the light schedule to 12 hours light, 12 hours dark. It is a good idea to invest in a lighting system that comes with an automatic switch. All it takes is exposure to light when it should be in the dark to slow down the transition.

If this happens, your plant will become stressed and produce a much lower yield than anticipated. It will take a couple of weeks, so be patient! The vegetative stage is relatively straightforward for experienced growers. However, once your plants enter the flowering stage, it gets a little trickier.

8 – Finish In Style With a Powerful Flowering Stage

Your Headband crop grows much differently at this point than it did during the vegetative stage. There is little room for error during flowering. Depending on the strain, the flowering stage could take anywhere between 8 and 12 weeks. It is generally 9-10 weeks for Headband.

The marijuana plant transitions into flowering mode when exposed to a change of light. Once the strain meets its darkness threshold, it will start growing upwards at a lightning pace. Don’t be shocked if your Headband plant doubles in height in the space of a fortnight.

Your plants produce new leaves and stems for up to three more weeks. Although, ultimately, all the growth is focused on the buds. Any problems faced by the plant during these crucial weeks could harm your yield.

The spaces between the leaves (internodes) reduce during flowering. While overall growth also diminishes, your plants should continue growing upwards.

The vegetative stage was all about nitrogen, but flowering is all about phosphorus and potassium. Be sure to check your crop regularly because pests and diseases could ruin it at this late stage. Ideally, your Headband plants will be lush, green, and full when they begin to grow buds. If you spot discolored leaves or any other signs of distress, find the cause and nurse your plant back to health ASAP.

Don’t panic if your plants shed a few leaves as harvest time approaches – this is normal. Humidity levels should be down to 30-40%, and the grow room temperature needs to be between 68 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit. In the final weeks before harvest, reduce the plant’s nutrient intake.

In the last week or so before harvesting, cease nutrient feeding and only give your plants water. Otherwise, you may need to perform a flush of the soil.

How to Tell When It’s Time to Harvest

There are two methods of determining when your plants are ready for harvest. With the pistil method, you need approximately 70% of the pistils to change to a reddish-brown color. The trichome method is more accurate but requires a magnifying glass. If the trichomes are a milky white or cloudy color, your plants are ready for harvesting. If they are transparent, it means you have to wait. You may also see a mushroom head on trichomes when your plants are ready to be harvested.