8 Tips for Growing Alien OG Marijuana [Grower’s Guide]

Breeders at Cali Connection created Alien OG by crossing Tahoe OG Kush with Alien Kush. It is a balanced hybrid with a THC content that can reach 28%! It is unquestionably a top-shelf strain, but novices should steer clear. It is best to use Alien OG at night because it can quickly result in couch-lock.

If you have a high cannabis tolerance and want to try your hand at growing, Alien OG seems like an ideal candidate. However, it is moderately difficult to cultivate. Therefore, you should probably have at least a couple of successful grows under your belt before proceeding.

Still interested in growing Alien OG marijuana? If so, keep reading to learn eight cool tips.

1 – Alien OG Likes High Humidity

In general, Alien OG cannabis performs best in a warm and humid outdoor environment. For most growers, cultivating weed outside is an impossibility. Aside from not having enough space, there is the legal aspect.

Even in states where cultivation is permitted, you must ensure that the plants are away from public view.

Therefore, indoor growing is more feasible, and Alien OG needs a humidity level of at least 50% during the vegetative and flowering stages. You can keep it at 60% in the early vegetative stage.

It is essential to invest in a humidity and temperature monitor. Keep the daytime temperature at 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure the temperature is 5-10 degrees cooler at night.

If the humidity is too low, an easy fix is to purchase a humidifier. It adds additional moisture to the air. You can also buy a swamp cooler that cools the air and increases the relative humidity.

2 – Monitor for Mold

The trouble with increased humidity in a grow room is the increased possibility of mold growth. It is especially dangerous during the flowering stage because it can form inside colas or buds. If you discover that buds are rotting from the inside, throw away all toxic plants. The same rule applies if you see mold growing on the outside.

Bud rot can destroy entire crops if left untreated. If the humidity in your grow room nudges too high, consider buying a dehumidifier. It would help if you also introduced an exhaust fan into the room to boost ventilation. Make sure you avoid overwatering your plants. An air conditioner can also reduce humidity.

If the mold has spread too far, you could save the plant. You still need to chop off the affected parts of the plant. If you go down this route, you also need to keep a close eye on other plants to ensure they are not affected.

3 – Prune Your Alien OG Plants

Another great way to keep mold and mildew at bay is by pruning your plants. It is a process that could also improve yield. You can consider trimming leaves by the second week of the growing phase. In general, you shouldn’t prune any cannabis plant after the second week of flowering.

Make sure you use sharp scissors. Otherwise, you could severely damage the plant. Also, focus on removing large fan leaves that block light from reaching the lower part of the plant. Water your Alien OG crop immediately after pruning, and include nutrients. This reduces the level of shock and stimulates growth.

4 – Alien OG Needs Plenty of Nutrients

This strain is a bit of a monster when it comes to feeding. Alien OG is at its happiest with heavy feedings that increase as it grows. During the vegetative stage, find a supplement containing the base nutrients: Nitrogen, Potassium, and Phosphorus.

You should also consider supplements like B-52. As the name suggests, it contains a wide array of B-vitamins. Don’t forget about secondary nutrients such as Calcium and Magnesium. Increase the base nutrient intake. In week three of the grow cycle, Alien OG should receive double the base nutrients it consumed in week one.

During the flowering phase, you should double up the base nutrient supplement once again. Do the same with secondary nutrients until the last couple of weeks before harvesting. If you continue feeding right up to harvest time, you will get a nasty chemical taste from your bud.

5 – Flush Your Plants if Necessary

If you mistakenly feed your plant near harvest time, you can flush them to remove the taste of fertilizer. Otherwise, when you take a hit, your lungs will feel as if they are burning! The process of flushing involves using water to remove any nutrients left in the soil. Once you remove these excess nutrients, your plants must then use up what remains in it.

Ideally, you will flush your Alien OG crop around two weeks before harvest. You can also use flushing during the vegetative stage if you have already overfed your crop.

Untreated tap water is perfectly fine for flushing. Just make sure its pH is between 6.5 and 7.0.

Flood the soil with as much water as it is capable of holding. Leave it for a few minutes, then repeat the flooding process. If you grow Alien OG indoors, check the color of the water that drains from the pot. It should look dirty.

You can get an accurate measure of when to finish flushing by investing in a total dissolved solids (TDS) meter. Use it to test the water coming out of the pot. Initially, it will probably show a reading of over 1000ppm, which is very high. You need to keep flushing until the TDS meter shows a reading of 50ppm or lower.

6 – Consider a Hydroponics System

A hydroponics system is ideal for experienced growers who want to have full control over nutrient intake. In general, plants cultivated in this fashion grow at least 30% faster than those that use soil. Such crops usually enjoy much larger yields as well.

One of the main reasons is because the nutrients are more readily available to plants. They are suspended in water and enter directly into the root system. Alien OG plants grown in soil need to search for nutrients within the growing medium. The easier it is for plants to find nutrients, the more energy they preserve. Then they can use the stored energy for growth.

Standard growing media used in hydroponics include:

• Perlite
• Rockwool
• Clay pebbles
• Coco coir

There is also a variety of growing systems, including:

• Ebb and flow
• Drip system
• Deep water culture
• Wick system
• Nutrient film technique

If you go down this route, read our guide on 5 Hydroponics Problems and How to Solve Them.

7 – Know When Alien OG Is Harvest Ready

In general, Alien OG’s flowering time is 8-9 weeks indoors. Outdoors, it is generally ready for harvest by the start of October. Typically, buds are ready when the majority of hairs have darkened and started to curl in. At that point, you can see the solid bud beneath.

Invest in a magnifying glass to analyze the trichomes. At first, these glistening balls are clear and look like glass. Do not harvest at this point because the buds lack potency. The right time to harvest is when the trichome heads have a milky white coloring. At this stage, they have the highest level of CBD and THC.

Wait too long, and the trichomes begin to turn amber or gold. If you harvest at this point, your cannabis has a more relaxing effect. It tends to offer a physical high and has less THC than when the trichomes have a milky color.

8 – Cure, Dry & Enjoy!

The final part of the process is arguably the most crucial. Once you cut down your plants, you have to dry and cure them to reduce moisture content. A failure to properly dry your Alien OG crop could result in mold formation. This would render your plants unusable; a disaster after all your hard work.

To dry the buds, hang them upside down in a room with a relative humidity of 45-55%. Please note that you need to trim your buds first to remove unwanted foliage.

Depending on the size of the buds, it can take 7-10 days to dry cannabis.

Place the dried buds into wide-mouth mason jars. Open once a day for a few minutes to allow for air exchange. Also, check the buds for signs of mold. After around two weeks, the buds are hopefully dry enough to use. However, the longer you cure the buds, the better they will taste.

Final Thoughts on Growing Alien OG Marijuana

When grown outdoors, Alien OG produces a yield of around 13 ounces per plant. Indoors, it could provide around 11 ounces per square meter planted. Apart from the enjoyment of growing cannabis, you have to decide if it saves you money.

If you are a regular user, you will likely find that it is more cost-effective to grow cannabis. In Oregon, you can get an ounce of reasonable quality Alien OG for around $180. Therefore, a single square meter grown indoors is worth around $2,000 if you live in that state!