Whether you're just starting out with marijuana cultivation or looking to improve your existing grow, 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 Pot 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 energizing cerebral effects, sativas grow tall and slender with narrow leaves. They thrive in hotter tropical climates and have a longer blooming time between 2.5-3 months indoors. Top energizing varieties include Jack Herer, Durban Poison, Super Lemon Haze, and Jack Herer.
Indicas
Indicas provide relaxing full-body effects and grow short and bushy with broad leaves. Adapted to cooler mountain climates, they flower faster within 8-9 weeks. Popular indica strains include Northern Lights, Bubba Kush, and Bubba Kush.
Mixed strains
Mixed varieties blend traits from both sativas and indicas. They offer combined effects and have moderate flowering periods around 9-10 weeks. Well-known hybrids are OG Kush, Girl Scout Cookies, and Blue Dream.
Setting Up Your Grow Space
Pot plants need the right controlled environment to succeed. Key factors for indoor farms are lighting, ventilation, layout, and finding the ideal discreet area.
Location
Choose an available space with quick access to water and electrical outlets. An empty extra bedroom, unused closet, corner of the basement, or grow tent locked away in a garage all make great stealthy cultivation room spots.
Lighting
Weed requires intense light for all vegetative stages. LED grow lights are energy-efficient and come in broad spectrum options simulating natural sunlight. Provide 15-25 watts per square foot for the growth stage and 20-40 watts per square foot for bloom.
Ventilation
Proper airflow and exhaust systems keep ideal temperature, humidity, and pure CO2 levels. Install quiet 10-15 cm fans or carbon filters to circulate stale air and reduce 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, drying, and propagation.
Cultivation Mediums
Pot can be grown in various mediums, each with benefits and cons. Pick a suitable option for your specific setup and cultivation style.
Soil
The classic substrate, soil is affordable and simple for new growers. It provides great taste but requires more irrigation and nutrients to nourish plants. Enrich soil with perlite or coco to enhance drainage.
Coconut coir
Made from coir, reusable coconut fiber retains water but still allows air to the roots. It's more sterile and more predictable than soil. Use coir-specific fertilizers to avoid accumulation.
Water systems
In hydro systems, plant roots develop right in nutrient irrigation solution. This enables rapid development but needs careful monitoring of solution properties. Deep water culture and drip systems are popular techniques.
Germinating Seeds
Sprouting activates your weed seeds to start growing taproots. This readies them for transplanting into their growing medium.
Paper Towel Method
Put seeds between wet paper towels and maintain them damp. Check after 2-7 days for growing radicles indicating germination is complete.
Planting directly
Insert seeds directly into pre-moistened cultivation medium 6mm deep. Gently water and wait 1-2 weeks until sprouts break through the top.
Rockwool Cubes
Presoak cubic rockwool starters in pH-adjusted water. Insert seeds 1⁄4 inch deep into the cubes. Keep cubes wet until sprouts appear within 1-14 days.
Transplanting Young plants
Once germinated, cannabis seedlings need to be transplanted to prevent crowding. Move them into proper sized containers.
Preparing Containers
Fill large containers with cultivation medium amended with slow-release nutrients. Let pots to soak up water overnight before transplanting.
Carefully Transplanting
Carefully loosen young roots from sprouting medium using a spoon. Place into prepared container at equal cannabis grow guide depth as before and gently water in.
Growth Stage
The growth stage promotes leafy growth and plant structure through 18-24 hours of daily lighting intensity. This stage usually lasts 1-2 months.
Using 3/4 to full day of Lighting
Use grow lights on a 24 hour cycle or natural sunlight to trigger constant growth. Lamp output influences height and node distance.
Nutrients
Use grow 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 strengthen slowly.
LST and topping
Fimming, LST, and trellising direct shoot shapes for flat foliage. This boosts yields.
Bloom Stage
The blooming stage develops buds as plants show their sex under a 12/12 cycle timing. It lasts 8-12 weeks depending on strain.
Changing Light Schedule
Change lamps to 12 hours on, 12 hours off or move outdoors for outdoor 12 hour cycle. This signals plants to start blooming.
Flushing
Leaching removes nutrient salts to enhance flavor. Fertilize weakly the first period then just use pH'd water the final 2 weeks.
Flushing
Continue 12 hour photoperiod but grow cannabis leach using pH-balanced water only. Resume clean watering if buds aren't yet mature after two weeks.
Harvesting
Recognizing when marijuana is fully ripe ensures peak cannabinoid content and aroma. Harvest plants at optimal ripeness.
Identifying Ripeness
Look for fading pistils, swelling calyxes, and 5-15% Contact Us Today amber trichomes. Inspect buds around the plant as they don't all mature evenly.
Harvesting plants
Use clean, sharp pruning shears to gently cut each plant at the base. Leave 5-10cm of stem attached.
Curing
Suspend whole plants or colas inverted in a dark room with moderate temperature and humidity around 45-65% for 7-14 days.
Curing
Aging continues desiccating while aging the buds like fine wine. This technique smooths bitterness and intensifies cannabinoid contents.
Jars and Humidity
Trim cured buds from stems and store into glass jars, packing about 75% capacity. Use a hygrometer to monitor jar moisture.
Burping Daily
Unseal containers for a few hours each day to slowly reduce humidity. Rehydrate buds if humidity goes under 55%.
Final Cure
After 2-3 weeks when moisture stabilizes around 55-60%, perform a last trim and keep long-term in airtight jars.
Common Problems and Solutions
Even seasoned growers run into different marijuana plant problems. Identify issues soon and address them correctly to maintain a vibrant garden.
Nutrient Deficiencies
Chlorosis often indicate inadequate nitrogen. Purpling stems and leaves signal phosphorus deficiency. Test pH and increase fertilizers gradually.
Bugs
Spider mites, fungus gnats, mites, and root aphids are common cannabis pests. Use neem oil sprays, predator bugs, and sticky traps for organic control.
Mold
Excessive moisture encourages botrytis and bud rot. Increase airflow and circulation while reducing humidity under 50% during flowering.
Summary
With this complete indoor cannabis cultivation guide, you now have the info to cultivate bountiful potent buds for personal grows. Apply these steps and techniques throughout the germination, growth, and bloom stages. Invest in quality gear and closely check on your plants. In time, you'll be rewarded with frosty aromatic buds you raised yourself under the patient guidance of your green hands. Happy growing