How to Grow Different Strains in the Same Grow Room?

Imagine you grow five plants in your grow room but they all belong to the same strain. Naturally, growing these cannabis plants indoors will be a terrific experience because you can expect them all to grow similarly. 

However, what if you're growing multiple plants of various strains? Now, that will be very different. 

You'll have to be prepared to train them all differently. And, it's more tricky if you've got some strains that grow tall and lanky versus those that tend to be bushy and short. It's pretty easy for the experienced ones, but what if you're just starting to grow cannabis?

Many beginners avoid growing multiple strains for this very reason, but don't you think growing and smoking the same strain in a season gets a little monotonous? What if you want to try something new or want multiple strains for specific uses? 

The answer is growing multiple strains in the same grow room, but the process isn't as easy as it sounds. Each strain has a slightly different demand in terms of the environment, nutrition, and light, which can be difficult to manage in a single grow room. But that doesn't mean it's impossible.

With some extra steps and a deeper understanding of the strains you are growing, you can successfully grow different strains in the same grow room while maintaining the plant's health and yields. 

In this article, learn how to grow different strains in your grow room. 

Advantages of Growing More Strains in the Same Room

Growing multiple strains in the same grow room isn't needed only when you want a variety of strains in your stash box. There are multiple reasons why, as a cannabis grower, you should grow multiple strains. Here are some of the pros of the same.

1. Wide Variety

Let's delve deeper into the aspect of the variety of growing multiple strains. When you grow multiple strains, you can have various types of cannabis buds to consume or sell. For instance, you can grow a strain that induces a couch lock so you can unwind at the end of the day. Or, you could have another one that induces euphoria, which is ideal for a party or watching a movie. 

Growing multiple strains ensures you don't have to run to your nearest dispensary when you're yearning for a different high. 

2. Optimizes Your Garden's Success Rates

When you grow a single strain, you have to take care of it and protect it from mold, pests, and other common cannabis problems. But if your garden experiences a problem, all your plants can be compromised.

This is because each strain of cannabis has different genetics and resistance to such problems. By growing multiple strains, you can diversify your garden and reduce the chances of it being compromised. 

For example, if your garden experiences mold, a strain with a low resistance to mold may be compromised but the same problem won't affect a mold-resistant plant as much. At the end of the season, you will still have something to use, if not all. 

3. Helps you Become a Better Grower

Cannabis comes in a variety, each of which is unique. And as a grower, you must learn to harness your skills so you can work with various strains without hitting roadblocks. Yes, growing multiple plants in the same room is a challenge but it can help you become a better cultivator.

Challenges are what improve your skills. Growing multiple plants help you in multiple ways as a grower, such as the following:

• Deepen your understanding of cannabis plants' properties
• Learn more about nutrition and other environmental management
• Tackle an array of problems 
• Improve your garden management skills, etc.

Disadvantages of Growing Multiple Strains in the Same Room

Every leaf has two sides, and the same applies to growing multiple plants. While this may work for many growers, it may not work for some due to several reasons, such as the following.

1. Managing a Varied Growth is Challenging

If you are a new grower, growing multiple plants may be too much for you (for now at least) and it can overwhelm you quickly. Each cannabis strain is unique — some grow fast, some grow wide, and some require specific care. Managing all this while you are still learning the art of growing cannabis can be difficult.

But don't be disheartened just yet. If you are a new grower, you will quickly understand and develop the skill of growing plants and, soon enough, you can be ready to meet this challenge head-on. 

On the other hand, if you are a hobby grower who grows only for the fun of it, growing multiple plants in the same room may not be right for you as it requires a lot of attention and time. If time is something you can't give to your plant, you should wait for a while.

2. Your Grow Room May Get Crowded

Another reason why you may not want to grow multiple plants in the same grow room is that it can overwhelm your grow room, especially if the space is limited. 

In an indoor environment, your plants are already limited by the dimensions (width and height of your grow room). This can be a problem if you grow multiple strains, some of which grow taller or wider. 

For example, some plants experience extreme stretching during their transition into the flowering stage. If the space is limited, one particular strain may outgrow the other and restrict light and airflow to the other strain, leading to subpar growth in the latter. 

3. Light and Nutrients May Not be Enough for Some Strains

Since all strains are unique, they have unique light requirements, too. Some strains only need little light to bloom while others need a lot. If you grow multiple strains, light that is enough for one strain may burn another strain that does not require that much light.

This is a problem that new growers can face, especially if the light setups are on the minimal side, leading to one strain underperforming.

Similarly, feeding is another problem. Each strain requires specific nutrients, so if you grow two strains with different nutrient requirements, you will have to mix and prepare two nutrient cycles so you can adequately feed both strains. 

4. Harvest Times Won't Be the Same

If you prefer to harvest your plants simultaneously, growing different strains in your grow room may not work for you. Harvest windows for each strain are different, so when you grow different strains, you have to keep their harvest times in mind, too.

While these problems may seem too much, they are easy to deal with for most growers. Keep reading to know more. 

Factors to Consider When Growing Different Strains 

When you want to grow different strains in the same room, you need to consider some factors to plan your garden more efficiently and obtain a successful harvest. These factors and planning help you curb most of the problems you may otherwise face with growing different strains.

Here are the factors to consider when planning different strains' growth.

1. Choose the Right Strains

The first step is choosing suitable strains that are compatible with each other. For example, growing strains with entirely different characteristics — growth period, size, nutrition, etc. — can be a problem.

So, you need to select similar strains. If your primary strain is stout and fast-growing, the other strains must also be of similar stature and growth cycle. 

You can still grow entirely different strains together, but you may run into a lot more problems that can be challenging to manage. It is better to avoid the risk than to take a shot at it. 

Photoperiod vs Autoflowering

You should also decide what type of strains you want to grow. Ideally, it is recommended to stick to one type (either photoperiod or autoflowering strains) when growing different strains in the same room. 

This makes your job easier since both autoflowering and photoperiod plants have completely different life cycles. The former grows fast without any light cycle alteration while the latter requires planning and a light cycle switch.

You can still grow both photoperiod and autoflowering strains together but you need meticulous planning before you even plant the seed. 

2. Consider the Growth Cycles of Each Strain

Next, you need to understand the strains' growth period and light requirements. If you want to grow a fast-growing strain with a bloom time of around seven weeks, you need to either choose another strain with a similar bloom time or plan to accommodate the other strain.

If you purchase your seed from reputable seed banks, you will find a reliable and usually accurate estimate of how long the plant will take to mature. Use this information to choose strains with similar growth cycles. 

3. Factor in Light Requirements

Additionally, you need to consider the light requirements of each strain. If one of your strains requires high PPFD (light intensity) for adequate growth, the other strain may not grow well if it cannot handle high PPFD so well. You can solve this problem in multiple ways.

4. Prepare a Nutrition Management Plan for Each Strain

When growing different strains, you need to ensure you give the right nutrition to each strain so it can grow effectively. This may require you to prepare multiple cycles, schedules, and formulas for each strain's nutrition. 

Tips to Grow Different Strains in One Grow Room

Taking into consideration the various aspects of the strains and growth along with meticulous planning will help you reach your goal. But there is a lot of room for more work and improvement.

So, here are some tips to help you grow different strains in one room more effectively.

1. Pick Strains with Similar Characteristics

This is a running theme throughout this article, but its benefit cannot be understated. If possible, you should always pick strains with similar characteristics because it makes your work so much easier!

Choose plants that reach similar heights, require similar nutrients and light, and training. 

For this, always purchase seeds from reliable and reputable seed banks. They test their plants and provide accurate details on how the plant will grow. 

2. Train Your Plants

You should also consider training your plants to manage the canopy and plant shape. This will improve your plants' exposure to light and air, while also keeping your garden from overcrowding.

Some of the best training methods for growing different strains are low-stress training (LST), Screen of Green (ScrOG), topping, etc.

And if you are someone who likes challenges, you can also try to keep all your plants the same height and width. This will require meticulous training for each strain, but when executed successfully, you can grow multiple strains in the same room with ease. 

3. Extend the 18/6 Light Cycle When Growing Autoflowering and Photoperiod Plants 

If you are growing photoperiod and autoflowering plants together, you can help your autos grow well by extending the photoperiod plants' vegetative phase. They can be in the vegetative stage indefinitely in an indoor environment, so it won't harm the plants at all. 

And while the photoperiod plants are vegging, your autoflowering plants will grow, switch to bloom, and be ready for harvest. So, you can harvest the autos and then switch the photoperiod plants to the flowering stage. 

Usually, you will only have to extend the 18/6 light cycle by a couple of weeks. Autos grow quickly and won't push your photoperiod harvest by a lot. 

Some growers who grow different strains usually grow more autos than photoperiod plants. This technique may work for you as well. 

Essentially, you grow more autoflowering plants than photoperiod ones. When the autos bloom and mature, and the photoperiod plants are still in the vegetative stage, you can harvest them. Next, you can switch the photoperiod plants to bloom and let them grow and occupy your grow room.

This technique allows you to maximize your space and grow as many photoperiod and auto plants at the same time. For the best results, maintain an autoflowering to photoperiod ratio of 3:2. 

4. Try Your Best to Give Your Plants Equal Light

As mentioned earlier, you need to optimize your light so that your plants get equal light that is neither too much nor too little for them. You can use the following techniques. 

You can use different light panels with directed light so each strain gets enough light, not less, not more. This can be as easy as keeping plants with high PPFD requirements in the center of the light spread and other strains on the peripherals, where they will receive less light. But you can also use high-tech light solutions that can direct light to a particular strain with minimal spread.

Another effective strategy is training the plants, like bending them or using ScrOG on a particular strain so it gets adequate light. But these training methods may not be suitable for all strains, so tread with research.

On the other hand, you can compromise light requirements for one strain and keep the light levels in a middle ground so both the plants can grow — although this may reduce the plant's growth slightly.

You can also use carbon dioxide for strains that don't cope with high PPFD. CO2 helps the plant consume more light without experiencing light burns. 

What are the Best Strains to Grow Together?

There are hundreds (or even thousands) of cannabis strains in the world, and choosing between them can be tricky when you want to grow them together. This becomes easier the more you know about strains and how they differ from each other. 

1. Differentiating Factors Between Strains

Let's leave the strain's potency, flavor, and effect to your preferences and look at the other ways strains differ from each other before we get to the best strains that grow together. Here are the major differentiating factors between strains:

• Quality of the Bud

Each strain grows a different kind of bud. These buds may vary in terms of density, flavor, color, and smell, and all of these differences are due to the genetics of the plant, mostly, and how you maintain the plant. 

• Height and Growth Cycle

Another differentiating factor is how fast and tall the strain grows. And this varies with each strain. While the differentiation of Indica and Sativa strains is outdated, generally speaking, Indica strains grow faster (around six weeks) compared to Sativa strains (around 16 weeks). 

• Flowering Stretch

Similarly, some strains stretch more during their transition to the flowering stage, whereas other strains may only grow a couple of inches. Some strains are notorious for stretching twice their height during this period too. 

There are some other differentiating factors, too, but these are the main ones that you should consider before selecting strains. 

2. Choosing Strains to Grow Together

Here are some ideas on what strains grow well together in a single grow room:

Strains with Similar Heights

Perhaps the easiest way to choose strains to grow together is choosing them based on their height and flowering times. Here are a few examples:

• Gorilla Glue Auto 
• Amnesia Mac Ganja
• Green Gelato
• Royal Medic
• Royal THCV
• Sherbet Queen

Long-flowering Cannabis Strains

If you don't mind waiting a while and want to grow multiple strains together, you can choose long-flowering strains, such as the following:

• Hazeberry (9 to 11 weeks)
• Chocolate Haze (9 to 11 weeks)
• Hulkberry (9 to 11 weeks)

Fast-flowering Cannabis Strains

If you want your plants to grow quickly, then you should choose seeds from strains that have a shorter growth cycle. This is not limited only to autoflowering plants. Here are some of the best fast-flowering cannabis strains that grow well together:

• Gorilla Zkittlez Auto (9 to 10 weeks)
• Green Poison (8 to 10 weeks)
• Easy Bud (9 to 10 weeks)
• Special Kush #1 (7 to 8 weeks)
• Quick One (9 to 10 weeks)

Autoflowering Strains

On the other hand, if you want something even faster, you can never go wrong with choosing autoflowering strains like the following:

• Cookies Gelato Auto (8 to 9 weeks)
• Gorilla Glue Auto (6 to 8 weeks)
• North Thunderf*ck Auto (8 to 9 weeks)
• Solomatic Auto (7 to 8 weeks)

Remember, these are just recommendations for your reference. The combinations for growing multiple strains together are endless, so research well and choose accordingly. You can make this process easier by networking with other growers that grow multiple strains together and following their recommendations. 

Should You Grow Multiple Strains in the Same Room?

Coming to the main question — is it worth growing different strains in the same room? Growing multiple plants is challenging, no doubt, but it is worth it for the reasons mentioned above. Yes, you will have to work a little harder, need to learn more, and always stay on your toes. 

But if you do it right, you can grow a diverse garden of cannabis with each strain yielding terrific results.

Planning is key when growing multiple strains, so don't just pick the strains that you like the most and toss them together. Plan everything. Otherwise, you may end up with a garden that seems to grow randomly, faces problems regularly, and yields subpar results. 

And if you are wondering whether you can grow multiple cannabis strains in the same tent as opposed to a room, then the answer is: yes! You can. This will require more research and planning, but it is possible as long as you do your due diligence. 

Summary: How to Grow Different Strains in the Same Room?

Most growers don't grow different strains in the same room due to the obvious challenges. But that does not mean you shouldn't do it too. Growing multiple strains has various benefits that make it worth the effort for many growers around the world.

If you are willing to take up the mantle — whether you want to safeguard your garden, want a varied yield, or simply want to experiment — you should grow different strains. It is a challenge, yes, but nothing that you can't overcome with adequate research, planning, and care. 

Remember what you have to do. Choose the strains that can grow well together, plan everything accordingly, set up the environment (especially the lights) to cater to all the strains you are growing, focus on the nutrient cycle suited for each strain, and train your plants when needed.

These tips will help you grow multiple strains in the same grow room with ease.