Whether you're just starting out with cannabis cultivation or looking to improve your existing crop, following this complete guide will help you produce big, high-quality yields right at home. With the right supplies, strategies, and care, growing weed indoors can be an extremely satisfying and cost-effective endeavor.
Choosing Marijuana Varieties
The first step in planning your indoor grow is picking the right weed varieties to grow. The three main types of marijuana plants each have their own qualities.
Energizing strains
Known for their uplifting cerebral effects, sativas grow tall and slender with narrow leaves. They thrive in warmer equatorial climates and have a longer flowering time between 10-12 weeks indoors. Top sativa strains include Jack Herer, Durban Poison, Super Lemon Haze, and Jack Herer.
Relaxing strains
These strains provide calming body-focused effects and spread short and bushy with wide leaves. Accustomed to colder mountain climates, they bloom faster within 2-2.25 months. Popular relaxing varieties include Northern Lights, Bubba Kush, and Bubba Kush.
Mixed strains
Mixed varieties mix traits from both energizing strains and relaxing strains. They offer blended effects and have medium blooming times around 2.25-2.5 months. Popular mixes are Blue Dream, OG Kush, and Blue Dream.
Setting Up Your Cultivation Space
Weed plants need the right controlled environment to flourish. Key factors for indoor grows are lights, airflow, layout, and finding the ideal discreet spot.
Location
Choose an unused space with direct access to irrigation and electrical outlets. An empty spare room, large closet, basement corner, or cultivation tent tucked away in a garage all make great stealthy grow room spots.
Lights
Marijuana requires intense light for all vegetative stages. LEDs are energy-efficient and come in full spectrum options replicating natural sunlight. Provide 15-25 watts per square foot for the growth stage and 400-600 watts per square foot for bloom.
Ventilation
Proper airflow and exhaust systems keep ideal temp, humidity, and fresh CO2 levels. Set up quiet 10-15 cm blowers or carbon filters to circulate stale air and eliminate smells.
Layout
Maximize your space by positioning plants carefully under the lights and allowing room to access and work around them. Set up separate zones for growth, flowering, curing, and propagation.
Growing Substrates
Cannabis can be cultivated in different mediums, each with benefits and cons. Pick a proper option for your particular setup and growing style.
Soil
The traditional medium, soil is inexpensive and easy for new growers. It provides excellent flavor but needs more watering and nutrients to nourish plants. Amend soil with perlite or coir to improve drainage.
Coconut coir
Made from coconut husks, reusable coconut fiber retains water but still lets in air to the roots. It's more sterile and more predictable than soil. Use coir-specific nutrients to avoid accumulation.
Hydroponics
In water systems, plant roots develop directly in fertilizer Learn More water solution. This allows quick growth but needs careful observation of water properties. DWC and drip systems are common methods.
Germinating Seeds
Germination prepares your cannabis seeds to begin growing radicles. This prepares them for planting into their cultivation medium.
Towel Method
Place seeds between moist paper towel and maintain them moist. Inspect after 2-7 days for emerging radicles showing germination is complete.
Direct Planting
Insert seeds right Subscribe Now into wetted growing medium 1⁄4 inch deep. Gently water and wait 7-14 days until seedlings push through the surface.
Cubic rockwool
Soak rockwool cubes in balanced water. Insert seeds 6mm deep into the cubes. Keep cubes wet until seedlings emerge within a week to 2 weeks.
Repotting Seedlings
Once sprouted, marijuana young plants need to be repotted to avoid overcrowding. Move them into appropriately sized pots.
Ready Containers
Fill final pots with growing medium enriched with time-released fertilizer. Allow containers to absorb water overnight before repotting.
Gently repotting
Carefully separate seedling roots from sprouting medium using a spade. Put into pre-soaked pot at same depth as before and lightly water in.
Vegetative Stage
The vegetative stage promotes foliage and plant form through 3/4 to full day of continual lighting intensity. This stage usually lasts 1-2 months.
Providing 18-24 Hours of Light
Use grow lights on a 24 hour cycle or natural sunlight to initiate nonstop growth. Lamp intensity influences size and internodal spacing.
Fertilizing
Use vegetative stage nutrients higher in nitrogen. Make sure pH stays around 6.5 for proper nutrient absorption. Feed 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 strength after 2 weeks and increase gradually.
LST and topping
Fimming, LST, and trellising manipulate shoot shapes for flat foliage. This boosts yields.
Bloom Stage
The blooming stage develops buds as plants show their sex under a 12 hour cycle timing. It lasts 8-12 weeks depending on variety.
Switching to 12/12
Change grow lights to 12 hours on, 12 hours off or place outside for natural 12/12 timing. This signals plants to begin blooming.
Stop Fertilizing
Flushing removes fertilizer residuals to enhance taste. Fertilize Donate Here lightly the first period then just use plain water the final 2 weeks.
Flushing
Continue 12 hour photoperiod but leach using pH-balanced water only. Resume clean watering if buds aren't mature after two weeks.
Reaping
Recognizing when weed is fully ripe delivers peak cannabinoid content and aroma. Cut down plants at optimal maturity.
Identifying Ripeness
Check fading pistils, swelling calyxes, and 10-15% amber trichomes. Inspect buds across the plant as they don't all mature evenly.
Cutting Plants
Use clean, sharp trimming scissors to carefully cut each plant at the base. Keep several inches of stem attached.
Curing
Hang intact plants or colas upside down in a lightless room with average temperature and RH around 50-60% for 1-2 weeks.
Aging
Curing keeps drying while improving the buds like aged spirits. This process smooths bitterness and further develops terpene and terpene profiles.
Jars and Humidity
Manicure dried buds from branches and place into glass jars, packing about 3⁄4 full. Use a sensor to measure container humidity.
Opening jars daily
Unseal jars for a short time daily to gradually lower moisture. Remoisten buds if RH drops below 55%.
Long term storage
After 14-21 days when humidity levels off around 55-65%, do a final manicure and store forever in sealed jars.
Troubleshooting
Even seasoned growers run into different cannabis plant problems. Detect issues soon and fix them properly to keep a strong garden.
Poor feeding
Yellowing leaves often signify insufficient nitrogen. Anthocyanins and leaves show low phosphorus. Check pH and boost nutrients slowly.
Bugs
Thrips, aphids, fungus gnats, thrips, and nematodes are common marijuana pests. Use neem oil sprays, predator bugs, and sticky traps for natural control.
Mold
Excessive moisture encourages botrytis and bud rot. Improve circulation and circulation while reducing humidity below 50% during bloom.
Summary
With this complete indoor pot cultivation guide, you now have the knowledge to grow bountiful strong buds for personal harvests. Follow these techniques and methods throughout the germination, growth, and bloom stages. Invest in quality equipment and closely check on your plants. In time, you'll be rewarded with frosty aromatic buds you grew yourself under the patient guidance of your green hands. Good luck cultivating!