Whether you're beginning cannabis growing or looking to improve your existing harvest, following this complete guide will help you produce bountiful, high-quality yields right at home. With the right equipment, techniques, and care, cultivating pot indoors can be an extremely productive and cost-effective endeavor.
Choosing Cannabis Strains
The first step in planning your indoor crop is selecting the right pot cultivars 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 hotter equatorial 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.
Relaxing strains
Indicas provide relaxing full-body 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. Well-known hybrids are OG Kush, Girl Scout Cookies, and Blue Dream.
Setting Up Your Grow Space
Weed plants need the right controlled environment to flourish. Key factors for indoor grows are lighting, airflow, layout, and finding the ideal discreet spot.
Location
Choose an empty space with easy access to water and power outlets. An empty extra bedroom, unused closet, basement corner, or grow tent securely placed in a garage all make great discreet grow room spots.
Lights
Weed requires intense light for all vegetative stages. LEDs are energy-efficient and come in full spectrum options replicating real sunlight. Provide 250-400 watts per square foot for the growth stage and 400-600 watts per square foot for flowering.
Airflow
Proper airflow and exhaust systems maintain ideal temp, humidity, and fresh CO2 levels. Install low-noise 4-6 inch fans or scrubbers to refresh stale air and reduce odors.
Layout
Maximize your space by positioning plants strategically under the lamps and allowing room to access and work around them. Set up distinct zones for vegetation, flowering, curing, and cloning.
Cultivation Mediums
Pot can be grown in various mediums, each with benefits and cons. Pick a suitable option for your particular setup and cultivation style.
Soil
The classic substrate, soil is affordable and simple for beginners. It provides great taste but requires more irrigation and fertilizing to feed plants. Enrich soil with perlite or coir to improve aeration.
Coco Coir
Made from coir, reusable coco coir holds water but still allows air to the roots. It's more sterile and more consistent than soil. Use coco-specific fertilizers to avoid calcium buildup.
Water systems
In hydro systems, plant roots grow right in nutrient water solution. This enables rapid growth but needs careful monitoring of solution chemistry. Deep water culture and irrigation systems are popular techniques.
Sprouting Seeds
Sprouting activates your marijuana seeds to start sprouting taproots. This readies them for planting into their growing medium.
Towel Method
Put seeds between damp paper towels and maintain them damp. Check after a week for growing taproots showing sprouting is complete.
Direct Planting
Plant seeds right into pre-moistened growing medium 6mm deep. Gently water and wait 7-14 days until sprouts push through the surface.
Cubic rockwool
Soak rockwool cubes in balanced water. Place seeds 6mm deep into the cubes. Keep cubes moist until seedlings emerge within a week to 2 weeks.
Repotting Seedlings
Once germinated, pot seedlings need to be transplanted to avoid crowding. Move them into proper sized pots.
Preparing Containers
Fill final containers with cultivation medium enriched with slow-release nutrients. Allow pots to soak up water for 8-12 hours before transplanting.
Carefully Transplanting
Gently loosen young roots from sprouting medium using a spade. Put into pre-soaked pot at equal 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 4-8 weeks.
Providing 18-24 Hours of Light
Use grow lights on a 24 hour schedule or outdoor light to initiate nonstop growth. Light intensity influences size and internodal spacing.
Fertilizing
Use vegetative stage fertilizers richer in N. Make sure pH remains around 5.8-6.3 for full fertilizer uptake. Fertilize 25-50% concentration after 14 days and strengthen slowly.
LST and topping
Fimming, LST, and trellising direct shoot shapes for even canopies. This increases yields.
Flowering Stage
The blooming stage grows buds as plants reveal their sex under a 12/12 light timing. It lasts 2-3 months 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
Flushing removes fertilizer residuals to improve flavor. Feed weakly the first period Subscribe Now then just use pH'd water the final 2 weeks.
Flushing
Continue 12 hour photoperiod but leach using pH-balanced water only. Resume clean watering if buds aren't yet 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. Check buds around the plant as they don't all ripen 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 upside down in a dark room with moderate temperature and RH around 45-65% for 7-14 days.
Aging
Curing continues desiccating while aging the buds like aged spirits. This process mellows bitterness and intensifies cannabinoid contents.
Jars and Humidity
Manicure dried buds from stems and store into glass jars, packing about 3⁄4 full. Use a sensor to measure jar moisture.
Burping Daily
Unseal jars for a short time daily to gradually lower moisture. Remoisten buds if RH drops below 55%.
Final Cure
After 14-21 days when humidity levels off around 55-65%, do a final manicure and store forever in sealed jars.
Common Problems and Solutions
Even seasoned growers run into different cannabis plant problems. Detect issues early 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 gradually.
Bugs
Spider mites, fungus gnats, mites, and root aphids are common marijuana pests. Use organic sprays, ladybugs, and yellow traps for natural control.
Powdery mildew
High grow cannabis fuide humidity promotes powdery mildew and root rot. Increase airflow and venting while lowering RH under 50% during flowering.
Conclusion
With this complete indoor weed cultivation guide, you now have the info to grow plentiful potent buds for private grows. Apply these steps and techniques throughout the germination, growth, and flowering stages. Invest in good gear and closely monitor your plants. In time, you'll be rewarded with frosty fragrant buds you raised yourself under the patient guidance of your green Watch Now thumbs. Happy growing