OG Kush is a moderately demanding indica-leaning photoperiod strain: manageable for a patient beginner, but unforgiving of overwatering, stagnant humid air and calcium or magnesium shortfalls. Indoors it typically needs 8 to 9 weeks of flowering after the switch to a 12/12 light cycle, and in most of Canada it finishes more reliably under lights than in the ground. This guide covers the legal limits, the conditions that suit the plant, feeding, timing and the problems that most often appear.
TL;DR
- OG Kush grows well between roughly 65 and 80°F, with warmer conditions in vegetative growth and about 70°F in flowering, according to a grower's guide.
- Flowering humidity should be lowered to about 40% to protect dense buds from mold and powdery mildew.
- Indoor flowering takes about 8 to 9 weeks from the 12/12 flip; harvest by trichome color, not by the calendar.
- Home cultivation rules differ by province and territory, and Health Canada's review identifies Quebec and Manitoba as places where it is prohibited.
- Calcium and magnesium are the nutrients most often short with this strain; a Cal-Mag supplement is the usual correction.
Table of Contents
- What makes OG Kush different from an easy grow
- Home-grow rules in Canada come first
- Temperature, humidity and airflow
- Watering and feeding OG Kush
- Flowering time, yield and harvest
- Growing OG Kush outdoors in Canada
- Common OG Kush problems and how to prevent them
- Our perspective on growing OG Kush
- Choose your seeds
- FAQ
- Sources
What makes OG Kush different from an easy grow
OG Kush has a reputation built on dense, resinous flowers and a strong, indica-leaning effect. For the grower, the same traits create the strain's main challenge: tightly packed buds trap moisture, and the plant reacts visibly when its root zone is kept too wet. Growers on forums frequently describe it as easygoing in the right conditions and prone to overwatering when the pot stays saturated, which is a pattern worth taking seriously because overwatering slows growth and mimics several nutrient problems at once.
The type of seed matters before anything else. A photoperiod plant flowers only when the nights lengthen, which gives control over plant size and timing but demands a light schedule. The store's explanation of how light controls flowering in photoperiod seeds covers the mechanism in detail. Growers who prefer a shorter, simpler cycle can choose an OG Kush autoflower instead, which flowers on age rather than on light. Those who want a cannabinoid profile with CBD emphasis can look at the CBD OG Kush feminized seeds.
For a first grow, feminized seed removes the need to identify and remove male plants. The feminized seed collection lists the options, and the store's overview of top strains for first-time growers helps place OG Kush in context against easier varieties.
Home-grow rules in Canada come first
The federal framework allows adults to grow up to four cannabis plants per residence from legal seeds or seedlings, as Health Canada states. That is a federal ceiling, not a universal entitlement. Provinces and territories may add their own controls, and Health Canada's 2023 legislative review report identifies home cultivation as prohibited in Quebec and Manitoba. Anyone living in those provinces should confirm the current provincial position before planting anything.
Several other rules shape a real grow:
- Local law applies on top. Cultivation must follow provincial, territorial and municipal rules on zoning, fire safety, electrical safety, inspections and sanitation, according to Health Canada's guidance on growing cannabis at home safely. High-wattage lights and humidifiers are the electrical and fire concern worth planning for.
- Tenants and strata owners face extra limits. In British Columbia, landlords and strata councils can restrict or prohibit growing non-medical cannabis.
- Visibility rules exist. The same BC page says homegrown plants cannot be visible from public places such as streets or parks, which matters for any outdoor OG Kush.
- Sharing is capped and selling is illegal. Adults may share up to 30 grams of homegrown cannabis with other adults of legal age, but selling it without a Health Canada licence is illegal, as the federal safe-growing page explains.
Because the rules differ by province, the safest habit is to check the provincial government's cannabis page and the municipal bylaws before buying seed.
Temperature, humidity and airflow
Environment is where OG Kush is won or lost. A grower's guide on cultivating the strain puts the comfortable range at 65 to 80°F, with temperatures near 80°F during vegetative growth and around 70°F in flowering. Heat is not a reason to push higher: the same guide notes that excessive heat can raise the risk of spider mites, while prolonged cold slows growth.
The table below summarizes the working targets drawn from that guidance. Relative humidity figures for the early stages are general practice rather than strain-specific findings, so treat them as starting points and watch the plants.
| Stage | Temperature | Humidity | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seedling and early vegetative | Warm end of 65 to 80°F | Moderate to high, general practice | Gentle watering, small pots |
| Vegetative | Near 80°F | Moderate | Strong airflow, Cal-Mag if needed |
| Flowering | Around 70°F | Lowered to about 40% | Ventilation, dense-bud protection |
Two habits matter more than any single number. First, constant air movement: an oscillating fan below the canopy and another above it break up the humid pockets in which powdery mildew and bud rot start. Second, a reliable thermometer and hygrometer at canopy height, since readings at the wall or floor can differ by several degrees.
Growers in Canadian winters face a particular pattern: cold, dry outside air is easy to bring in, but a tent in an unheated basement or garage can drift below the range during lights-off hours. A small heater on a thermostat, or simply moving the tent to a heated room, avoids the slowdown that prolonged cold causes. In summer the problem reverses, and tent heat becomes the concern, so exhausting warm air out of the room is preferable to recirculating it.
Watering and feeding OG Kush
Because OG Kush is more susceptible to overwatering than many strains, the rule is to water thoroughly and then wait. A pot that feels light when lifted and has a dry top inch or two is ready; one that remains heavy and cool is not. Fabric pots and well-aerated mixes are forgiving because they drain and let roots breathe, which lowers the odds of the drooping, yellowing look that gets mistaken for hunger.
Calcium and magnesium
The nutrient story of this strain is short: OG Kush requires a healthy supply of calcium and magnesium, and the recommended remedy when a deficiency is suspected is a Cal-Mag supplement. The most common clues are:
- Rusty or brown spots on leaves, often starting on middle or lower growth, which may signal calcium trouble.
- Yellowing between the veins of older leaves, with veins staying green, which usually points to magnesium.
Magnesium problems get frequent attention because they show up fast under strong LED lights and in soft or reverse-osmosis water. The store's guide to spotting and fixing magnesium deficiency explains the visual differences, and its broader deficiency guide helps rule out look-alikes. Before adding anything, check the pH of the water and runoff: a lockout caused by a wrong pH is more common than a true shortage, and extra supplement on top of a lockout only stacks salts in the root zone.
Flowering time, yield and harvest
Indoors, OG Kush runs an 8 to 9 week flowering period counted from the flip to a 12/12 light cycle. That is consistent with the general guidance from the University of Saskatchewan, which says indica plants typically mature in 8 to 10 weeks. Add the weeks of vegetative growth before the flip and a full seed-to-harvest cycle lands in the range of three to four months, depending on how long the plants are allowed to veg.
Reading trichomes instead of the calendar
Phenotypes vary, so a fixed day count is only a forecast. Growers are advised to monitor trichomes to judge harvest readiness. Using a jeweler's loupe or a small clip-on microscope, the resin heads change from clear to cloudy, then to amber. Mostly cloudy heads with a few amber ones is the usual signal that the plant is ripe; a higher share of amber heads generally means a more sedating effect. Pistil color alone is a poor guide, because it changes with light and strain.
Expected yield
Under optimized indoor conditions with a SCROG setup, yields of 390 to 450 g/m² are reported for OG Kush. Those numbers describe a well-managed, trained canopy in a controlled room, not a typical first run. A first-time grower with a small tent should expect less and treat the result as a baseline. The store's comparison of SCROG and sea of green explains how canopy training affects yield per square foot.
After the cut, the final quality is decided in the jar. Slow drying and controlled humidity protect the terpenes, and the store's guide to drying cannabis humidity ranges covers the details so that this page does not need to.
Growing OG Kush outdoors in Canada
Outdoor success depends almost entirely on light. Photoperiod cannabis needs about 12 hours or more of uninterrupted darkness to begin flowering, and the University of Saskatchewan notes that in that province this begins around early to mid-September, which makes outdoor growing challenging. A strain that needs 8 to 9 weeks after the trigger therefore finishes late in the season, when cold nights and autumn rain arrive together. Dense OG Kush flowers are exactly the kind that suffer from that combination.
Several practical conclusions follow:
- Start plants indoors in spring. Seeds germinated in March or April and hardened off after the last frost give the plant a long vegetative period.
- Choose the site for sun and airflow. A south-facing spot with a breeze dries morning dew faster and reduces mildew.
- Use a container. Pots can be moved under cover during prolonged rain or an early frost.
- Plan the end of the season. A month-by-month harvest calendar is a useful way to map the sequence of planting, flowering and harvest to local frost dates.
- Respect visibility and local rules. As noted above, some provinces require plants to be out of public view, and others prohibit growing altogether.
For growers in short-season regions, a faster-finishing genetic is often the more sensible choice than forcing a standard photoperiod plant outdoors. The store's fast version seeds are photoperiod genetics bred to finish sooner, and its comparison of photoperiod, autoflower and fast version strains shows how the three differ. Growers who want a ready reference for another indica-leaning option can also read the Black Gold grow guide.
Common OG Kush problems and how to prevent them
Most difficulties trace back to humidity, airflow and two nutrients. Common problems include bud rot and powdery mildew from high humidity and poor ventilation, calcium or magnesium deficiencies, and slowed growth from prolonged cold.
Powdery mildew and bud rot
Powdery mildew appears as white, dusty patches on leaves and spreads quickly in warm, humid, still air. Bud rot begins inside dense flowers, where gray or brown mushy tissue forms and then spreads. The guidance is consistent: improve airflow, lower flowering humidity to about 40%, and keep the canopy from becoming a closed mass of leaves. Removing a few large fan leaves that shade or crowd bud sites lets air pass through. Inspecting the inside of the largest colas every few days in late flowering catches rot early, and an affected bud should be cut out well beyond the visible damage and removed from the room.
Spider mites
Heat raises the risk. Keep temperatures near the 70°F flowering target, check the undersides of leaves for stippling and fine webbing, and act early, because mites are much harder to control once buds are formed.
Slow growth in cold rooms
If plants stall, measure the temperature at the root zone and during lights-off hours, not only when the lights are on. A small, steady correction is better than a large swing.
Overwatering
Drooping that looks like thirst but occurs in wet soil is a sign of too much water, not too little. Wait for the pot to lighten before the next watering, and use pots with real drainage.
Our perspective on growing OG Kush
Canadian growers rarely lose an OG Kush crop to a single dramatic mistake. More often it is a slow accumulation: a pot kept too wet, a tent that runs humid in the last weeks, a calcium or magnesium shortfall that goes unnoticed until the leaves tell the story.
This is why we curate seed for Canadian conditions and publish detailed product information next to each strain. We design the catalog so that a grower can match a genetic to a space, a season and an experience level before ordering, whether that means a photoperiod plant for a controlled indoor room or an autoflower for a simpler cycle.
We also stand behind germination with a guarantee, because a healthy start is the part of the process that a grower cannot correct later. Our support team understands local growing challenges, from short outdoor seasons to cold basements, and can help a grower choose between feminized, autoflower, fast version and CBD-focused options.
For OG Kush specifically, our advice is to begin with feminized seed, keep the environment steady, and let trichomes decide the harvest day.
Dino Grow Master
Choose your seeds
Growers ready to start can browse the full Montreal Cannabis Seeds catalog, which includes feminized, autoflower, fast version, CBD and regular seeds, with fast, discreet shipping across Canada and a germination guarantee. Those who prefer a shorter cycle can start with the autoflower collection, and those who want to try several genetics at once can look at the mix packs.
Before ordering, check the rules for the province of residence, since the number of plants allowed and the right to grow at all depend on local law.
FAQ
Is OG Kush difficult to grow?
It is moderately demanding rather than very hard. The plant tolerates a range of conditions but reacts badly to overwatering, high humidity in flower and low calcium or magnesium. A beginner who controls those three points, ideally with feminized seed, can expect a good result.
How long does OG Kush take to grow?
Indoors, flowering takes about 8 to 9 weeks from the switch to 12/12, in line with the 8 to 10 weeks the University of Saskatchewan gives for indica plants. The vegetative stage before the flip adds several more weeks, so a full cycle runs roughly three to four months.
Can OG Kush be grown outdoors in Canada?
It can in warm, sheltered regions with a long season, but photoperiod plants start flowering only when nights lengthen, which in places such as Saskatchewan happens in early to mid-September. Starting seedlings indoors in spring, using containers and watching for autumn humidity improve the odds.
How many cannabis plants can an adult grow in Canada?
The federal limit is four plants per residence, grown from legal seeds or seedlings. Provinces and territories can add rules, and Health Canada's review identifies home cultivation as prohibited in Quebec and Manitoba, so local law should be confirmed first.
What humidity does OG Kush need in flowering?
Lowering humidity to about 40% in flowering reduces the risk of mold in dense buds. Pair that with steady airflow and a flowering temperature near 70°F.
Sources
- 8 Tips for Cultivating OG Kush Marijuana: Grower's Guide
- OG Kush Strain: Grow Guide for Heavy Yields
- Cannabis, Gardening at USask
- La culture du cannabis à domicile en toute sécurité, Health Canada
- Legislative Review of the Cannabis Act, Health Canada
- Legalizing and strictly regulating cannabis, Government of Canada
- THCA Harvest Season: Month-by-Month Growing Calendar