Back to the home-grower course

Home-grower course sources and notices

References

Every external source cited anywhere in the course, with the lessons that cite it. Sources were gathered in September 2026. Anything with a date attached should be re-checked before the course is published: South African prices, tariffs and regulations move.

Credits and licensing

Diagrams: original work

All 18 diagrams in diagrams/ were drawn for this course and are original work owned by Future Farms. They are hand-authored SVG: scalable without loss, carrying <title> elements for screen readers, and adapting automatically to a dark theme. No third-party rights attach to any of them.

FileTitleData behind it
d01-life-cycle.svgPhotoperiod and autoflower timelinesConventional planning figures: no published stage-duration table exists
d02-plant-anatomy.svgPlant and trichome anatomyOriginal illustration, schematic
d03-legal-position.svgWhere you actually standModule 1 research; position as at September 2026
d04-tent-layout.svgTent layout and airflowOriginal design
d05-ppfd-dli.svgYield against light intensityRodriguez-Morrison, Llewellyn & Zheng (2021), Guelph
d06-vpd-chart.svgLeaf VPD gridComputed from the Magnus equation; bands are inherited practice
d07-sa-outdoor-calendar.svgThe South African outdoor yearTiming from Module 5 research; rainfall figures are typical means
d08-daylength.svgDaylength through the yearComputed per latitude; critical photoperiod from Ahrens & Zheng
d09-ph-availability.svgTarget pH by mediumModule 6 research
d10-ec-scales.svgEC by stage and the ppm trapModule 6 research
d11-training-methods.svgTraining methods comparedDanziger & Bernstein (2021) for the evidence note
d12-defoliation-evidence.svgDefoliation trial resultsDanziger & Bernstein (2021); Sandoval (CSU, 2024)
d13-phosphorus-response.svgYield against phosphorus rateShiponi & Bernstein (2021); Veazie (2021); Westmoreland & Bugbee (2022); Hershkowitz & Bugbee (2025): curve is schematic
d14-deficiency-key.svgDeficiency diagnostic keyModule 10 research
d15-drying-curing.svgDrying and curing parametersDas et al. (2022); ASTM D8197-22
d16-flower-timeline.svgWeek-by-week floweringComposite; humidity and VPD rows are practice, not trial data
d17-pest-scale.svgRelative pest sizesRusset mite dimensions sourced; others typical entomology figures
d18-running-cost.svgTent running cost per cycleMunicipal tariffs verified 11 September 2026

Photographs

All photographs are used under licences that allow commercial use. CC BY and CC BY-SA images must keep their credit line wherever they appear; CC BY-SA images stay under the same licence.

FileLessonShowsCredit and licence
images/p11-01-trichomes.jpgM11-L01Close-up of glandular trichomes covering the bracts and sugar leaves of a cannabis flower. The source does not state a ripeness stage.Cannabis Pictures, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
images/p10-08-nitrogen.jpgM10-L08Nitrogen deficiency in hydroponic cannabis: yellowing starts in the lower canopy (a), fan leaves run from mild to severe (b), and the lower two thirds of the plant yellow by weeks four and five (c, d).Llewellyn, Golem, Jones and Zheng (2023), CC BY 4.0, via Plants (MDPI)
images/p10-08-phosphorus.jpgM10-L08Phosphorus deficiency in fan leaves from week three to week five (a to d), with the whole plant and its top sugar leaves in (e).Llewellyn, Golem, Jones and Zheng (2023), CC BY 4.0, via Plants (MDPI)
images/p10-08-potassium.jpgM10-L08Potassium deficiency on sugar leaves (a) and fan leaves (b) in week four, then in the middle of the canopy in week five (c, d).Llewellyn, Golem, Jones and Zheng (2023), CC BY 4.0, via Plants (MDPI)
images/p10-08-magnesium.jpgM10-L08Magnesium deficiency: interveinal yellowing that turns necrotic between the midrib and leaf margins, spreading across most of the plant by week six.Llewellyn, Golem, Jones and Zheng (2023), CC BY 4.0, via Plants (MDPI)
images/p10-08-calcium.jpgM10-L08Calcium deficiency: necrotic leaf margins start on lower fan leaves (a to c), then reach upper fan and sugar leaves, which curl upwards by week six (d, e).Llewellyn, Golem, Jones and Zheng (2023), CC BY 4.0, via Plants (MDPI)
images/p10-08-iron.jpgM10-L08Iron deficiency: mild yellowing and mottling of young sugar leaves near the top of the plant (a, b), and edge necrosis on lower fan leaves in week six (d).Llewellyn, Golem, Jones and Zheng (2023), CC BY 4.0, via Plants (MDPI)
images/p09-05-nanners.jpgM09-L05Hermaphrodite cannabis: clusters of yellow anthers ("nanners") forming inside the calyxes of a female flower next to browning stigmas (A to C), with one releasing pollen (D).Punja and Holmes (2020), CC BY 4.0, via Frontiers in Plant Science
images/p07-07-female-preflowers.jpgM07-L07Female pre-flowers on a young plant: fine white pistils growing out of small calyxes at the stem nodes.Swankysweden, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
images/p07-07-male-flowers.jpgM07-L07Male cannabis flowers forming in stalked clusters at the leaf axils (A to C), then opening to show hanging anthers (D to F). The bottom row is microscope detail.Punja and Holmes (2020), CC BY 4.0, via Frontiers in Plant Science
images/p10-05-powdery-mildew.jpgM10-L05Early powdery mildew: scattered white patches of mildew on the upper surface of a cannabis leaf.Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0 US
images/p10-05-bud-rot.jpgM10-L05Botrytis bud rot in a greenhouse crop: early browning of bracts and leaves (A), whole flowers destroyed (B, C), and harvested buds with mould growing inside (D).Punja, Collyer, Scott, Lung, Holmes and Sutton (2019), CC BY 4.0, via Frontiers in Plant Science (cropped)
images/p10-02-spider-mite.jpgM10-L02Two-spotted spider mites moving along fine webbing strung across the leaves and growing tip of a hemp plant.Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0 US
images/p10-02-russet-damage.jpgM10-L02A hemp leaf heavily damaged by hemp russet mite (left), greyed by destruction of its surface cells, beside a healthy leaf (right).Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0 US
images/p10-02-russet-mites.jpgM10-L02Hemp russet mites under magnification on the upper surface of a hemp leaf: the pale specks are the mites, some hanging from the leaf edge.Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0 US
images/p10-06-root-rot.jpgM10-L06Root and crown disease in cannabis: brown discoloration on hydroponic roots (A), crown rot on a field plant (D, E), collapse caused by Pythium (G) and an infected plant beside a healthy one (H). The dish panels show the fungi isolated.Punja, Collyer, Scott, Lung, Holmes and Sutton (2019), CC BY 4.0, via Frontiers in Plant Science
images/p04-01-tent.jpgM04-L01Two plants in hydroponic tubs inside a reflective grow tent, trained wide and flat under the light.Plantlady223, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
images/p04-05-carbon-filter.jpgM04-L05Inside a grow tent: a carbon filter hanging from the frame below an air-cooled reflector, with flexible ducting for the exhaust.Plantlady223, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
images/p08-02-topping.jpgM08-L02Pruning compared at five weeks of flowering: a lollipop-pruned plant (L), a plant topped at the tenth node (T) and an untopped control (C).Crispim Massuela et al. (2022), CC BY 4.0, via Plants (MDPI)
images/p11-04-hanging-to-dry.jpgM11-L04Whole harvested plants hung upside down from a wire rack to dry in a small room.Beeblebrox, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
images/p08-03-scrog.jpgM08-L03A screen of green: a flat trellis net across the tent, with the canopy woven through it so the tops form one even layer.Illustrative image, AI-generated (Higgsfield) for Future Farms
images/p11-05-curing-jar.jpgM11-L05Dried flower curing in a glass jar, with a small hygrometer inside reading 60%.Illustrative image, AI-generated (Higgsfield) for Future Farms
images/p10-06-healthy-roots.jpgM10-L06Healthy hydroponic roots for comparison: white, firm and fibrous, with no brown or slimy patches.Illustrative image, AI-generated (Higgsfield) for Future Farms
images/p11-03-trimming.jpgM11-L03Trimming a dried bud by hand with small scissors, wearing gloves to keep resin off the fingers.Cannabis Tours, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71484179)
images/p11-01-trichomes-microscope.jpgM11-L01Trichomes seen through a small microscope: thin stalks topped with round resin heads. The source does not state a ripeness stage.Fred, German Wikibooks, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=251485)
WhatsAppWhatsApp Paul