Actually a plant that doesn’t go up so much as go sideways is much more likely to be female (which is desirable).
Give it loads of love, keep an eye out for pests, and be patient. Plants are very sensitive to how you feel.
As for soil, good compost mix should do you OK. What I have heard is quite good is starting them in sand then switching them to compost when you repot – they start off very deficient and go kind of whappy when they get some good stuff.
Best method of all is ring culture, at least that’s what I’ve heard. No base on the pots, when they’re a few weeks just put the pot onto a hydroponic soaked piece of Rockwool, and cut the pot off (the roots go straight into the Rockwool). Needs a good nutrient mix though – commercial BabyBio, properly diluted, is OK when they’re growing, but you should stop using it a long time before harvest (nutrients need to be flushed out long before harvest or the plant tastes of the stuff).
Anybody got any better tips? Book I had on the subject was taken by the cops circa 1998, Tottenham Hale cop shop. I guess you could ring them and ask them to quote you a few passages.
