Is it your first time growing cannabis indoors? If so, then you are probably confused on how and where to start. Don’t worry. This article offers all vital information you need to get started in your first indoor growing for cannabis.
Space for Growing Your Cannabis Plant
Learning how to grow weed at home as a beginner comes with its own learning curve. However, it’s a lot more accessible as a practice than you might think!
For a beginner like you, a grow tent setup inside your closet is better than doing a lot of work converting your basement to a greenhouse. You can choose a grow tent that fits your needs among different sizes available. You can find grow tents with or without accessories, and even with some light sources.
If you can read reviews of the different grow tents available in the market today, you can find valuable reviews on what suits you the most. Depending on the grow tent you choose, you can make the most of whatever light source you use for your plant. A great thing about today’s grow tents is that they are thick enough for your plant’s rest time.
For an easier way to grow weed, you could even try an automated grow box! Though more expensive then piecing together a setup yourself, these enclosed grow spaces are discreet, user-friendly, and generally come with all the gear you need to start growing straight away. They even automate some processes like feeding and lighting schedules.
Thehe point is that creating a space at home for growing weed is more ccesible than it’s ever been! If it’s concerns about space and feasibility, fear not! Here’s a quick summary of the gear you’ll need if you take the piece-by-piece method:
| Product | ||
|---|---|---|
| Root Naturally Jiffy-7 36mm Peat Pellets |
| Buy From Amazon |
| BN-LINK 7 Day Heavy Duty Digital Programmable Timer |
| Buy From Amazon |
| TopoGrow 2-in-1 Indoor Grow Tent |
| Buy From Amazon |
| Holmes Window Fan with Twin 6-Inch Reversible Airflow Blades |
| Buy From Amazon |
| Smart Pots 15-Gallon Smart Pot Soft-Sided Container |
| Buy From Amazon |
| Espoma AP8 8-Quart Organic Potting Mix |
| Buy From Amazon |
| PUR Advanced Faucet Water Filter |
| Buy From Amazon |
| Fasmov 1-Gallon Plastic Watering Can |
| Buy From Amazon |
| Extech 445715 Big Digit Hygro-Thermometer |
| Buy From Amazon |
| iPower 6 Inch Air Carbon Filter Odor Control Scrubber |
| Buy From Amazon |
| WiFi USB Microscope 1000x Digital Handheld Microscope |
| Buy From Amazon |
The seeds are a crucial part of setting up for growing marijuana. For a first-time grower, you are probably wondering where and how to get your seeds. Besides that, you also want to know how much a cannabis seed costs. It takes about $10 or more for every seed if you buy on legal sellers over the Internet.
Getting the seeds is only the first part. You can learn more about how to buy cannabis seeds on other pages of the site focused on this particular topic. Once you have the cannabis seeds you need, the next step is germinating them. The germination process happens when seeds begin sprouting to grow plants.
If the seeds safely germinated, you have different ways to go about the whole process of germination. There are different methods of germination and every grower prefers one for themselves. Whichever germination method you choose, make sure the seeds you got quality. Ensure they have tiger-stripe pattern as black seeds are dead.
Growing Marijuana Indoors with Peat Pellets
Peat pellets are one of the most common ways to grow your marijuana seeds. It is essentially the easiest way to get your seeds to germinate. Peat pellets or seed plugs are extremely handy for beginner grower. To start germination with peat pellets, arrange it a tray then pour water over to soak the pellets until they expand.
When the pellets expand to their full size, insert the seeds. Make sure the seeds are at around ½ inches deep of every pellet. To ensure the seeds germinate, every pellet has to be moist. However, the water should not be over the pellet or else it will wash them out. Keep the pellets moist and you can expect for sprouts at around 3 to 7 days after.
Besides peal pellets, there are other ways you can try to germinate the seeds. Some of these methods include Paper Towel Method, Soak Seeds Overnight, Planting Directly in Growing Medium and Germination Station. You can look up all these other methods and see which one you prefer the most.
What Light Should You Use to Grow Seeds and What Timer is Best for Controlling the Light?
When the seeds have finally sprouted, you should leave them in the pellet. Just make sure that they have enough light. The seeds are around 3 ½ weeks old at this time and will require six hours of darkness and eighteen hours of light a day. Putting the light you’re using on a timer is the best way to control this. When the seeds are around 3 3½ weeks old, give them twelve hours of darkness and twelve hours of light a day to trigger the flowering stage.
LED grow lights are actually a good choice since it generates less heat and uses less electricity. This can help you save money on your electricity bills as you’re using less energy for air circulation and light. You are also less likely to be exposed as a grower if you live in a place where it’s illegal to grow cannabis plants.
Use a high-quality programmable timer to monitor time. Cheap ones don’t keep track of time correctly. Get a timer that can handle the high amount of current used by powerful lights. The Enover timer is a popular option among growers as it’s programmable up to seven days. However, it is not CSA or UL-listed meaning it did not pass the minimum safety requirements set by these organizations. It doesn’t mean that the timer is not safe. It only means that the company doesn’t have that certification yet.
How to Maintain Air Circulation
Air circulation is very important when growing cannabis. You can use fans for this. Controlling odor as the plants mature is also important. The Holmes Dual-Blade Twin Window Fan is a quiet fan with 2 speed settings. It also allows the flow of air to be reversed. The motor of the fan is water resistant as well.
There are all-in-one grow tents that are equipped with fans, lights and ducting, allowing you to grow cannabis plants indoors right away.
Alternatively, TopoGrow offers a grow tent that is super accessible for beginner growers. It’s got several compartments for easy organization of plants at different stages of their lifecycle and plenty of venting options for maintaining healthy air circulation.
What Pots are Best for Planting?
When the roots of the seedlings are starting to come out of the pellet, it is time to pot them. You should leave the plants inside the pellets and place them deep into fresh soil in the pot. Bury the plants up to the stem. Fabric pots are a popular way to grow marijuana plants. These pots allow the roots of the plant to drain and breathe, so the roots are less likely to rot.
Fabric pots are available in a wide range of sizes. A five-gallon fabric container is actually a good size. If you are using over 25W of light per sq ft, it is a good idea to use at least three-gallon pots. Choose the size that suits your needs.
Type of Soil and the Important Nutrients
Always keep in mind that when growing marijuana in soil, you need to be very careful in selecting the kind of soil to use. Ensure that the soil you will be using for the cultivation of your cannabis is drain able, but doesn’t totally draw off all the water. The soil must be able to retain some water.
There are factors that need to be considered when choosing the right soil for cannabis cultivation such as nutrients, texture and PH level. Bear in mind that you are growing cannabis for personal use, therefore, avoid using junk. Use organic soil instead, as it provides the best nutrients and flavor.
There are lots of organic or natural potting soils available out there, but make sure to choose one which has better air space from perlite and pumice and with good drainage as well. Black Gold offers a sixteen quart bag or equivalent to four gallons of organic potting soil, which is OMRI certified. This type of certification gives you an assurance that you acquire the best type of soil for your cannabis. It has worm-poop or earthworm casting and other natural fertilizers. So, there is no need of adding more nutrients in it until the third or fourth week.
When you need fertilizer, same rule applies avoid using chemicals. As mentioned above, you are growing weed for personal use and not meth. There are many high quality nutrients available for growing cannabis out there. Check our our reviews of the best nutrients and fertilizers.
Watering Your Cannabis
Using filtered water rather than water from your faucet will give you an assurance of having healthy cannabis. Filtered water has fewer chemicals opposed to water from the faucet. Simply pop a filter on a faucet to filter some of the chemicals that can be dangerous to cannabis.
There are lots of water filters available out there but the most advisable one is the PUR filter. PUR filters have an amazing reputation. They fit the majority of faucets, warn you when it is time to alter filters and most of all they last for approximately 100 gallons.
Water young cannabis plants once a week. However, adult cannabis plants require water on a daily basis. Some growers with bigger farms setup drip irrigation system. That is relatively useful. But for now you can have a small irrigation system, which is easy to set up.
Get a watering can with long spout. This makes watering your cannabis plant so easy.
Signs that your outdoor cannabis plants need water:
- If the leaves are hanging down
- When the soil feels warm and feels cool
However, to precisely determine if you marijuana needs water you can use high quality hygrometer. This will help you know if there’s adequate water left in the soil.
Soil Moisture: Measuring Humidity and Temperature
For serious or professional cannabis growers looking for a high quality hygrometer, look no further than Extech 445715 hygro-thermometer. It measures temperature and humidity exactly.
Also there is another good option of hygrometer which is the Etekcity hygrometer. This is very expensive opposed to Extech, however it just measures soil moisture. It is so easy to use. Simply insert the rod in the soil and right away it will show you the moisture left in the soil in a color coded display.
Odor Control
Once your cannabis plants start to flower, it will emit a strong smell and this is where odor control system is very important. Together with the air circulation system, a charcoal filter is also badly needed. One amazing solution is the iPower’s Inline Air Carbon Filter. This is a high quality filter and last for so many years if you turn around the flanges after six months. Perhaps this is the lowest maintenance and inexpensive solution.
Read our Guide and Reviews on Selecting the Best Carbon Filters for Grow Rooms
Harvesting
It’s been twelve weeks; perhaps it is now time to harvest your cannabis. You will know if it is the right time to harvest your cannabis when the white hair turns to brown. You need to pay close attention to the trichomes of the plants. Make sure it turns to brown as well. You can use high quality digital microscope from Jiuson to precisely determine if the sticky things on cannabis buds change their colors.
You need to be extra careful with cutting the plants. Make sure you use a sharp and easy to hold garden shears. Black & Decker offers a high quality garden shear that allows you cut the buds and leaves comfortably and neatly.
How to Cure the Buds
It is important to smoke the buds; however they will be powerful in a few months. For best results, you have to cure the buds. The best method of curing the buds is through putting them in a jar made of glass. Use ball jars with wide mouth or the quart size jar for proper curing the buds.
Growing Tips
Growing cannabis indoors is not a simple task. In fact, when looking at the differences between indoor and outdoor weed, growing cannabis outside tends to be easier overall and with a greater margin for error (though with other cons).
Irrespective, growing weed at all takes time and proper know-how alongside the proper essential tools and gear. It’s perfectly reasonable to expect beginners to make plenty of mistakes along the way!
This guide for the basics of a beginner’s indoor grow setup will help you a lot in getting started with your first canna-baby today! Right from choosing the best seed, type of soil, and essential nutrients all the way to harvest and curing and storage
This guide will serve as your grower’s bible. It may be expensive, however expect for better and bigger harvest. And the most important thing is that it will help you save precious time and time and keep you free from costly mistakes.
Legal Disclaimer
Even if some states in the US have officially recognized the use of cannabis, most still have not. Every state in the US has its own regulation about growing as well as possessing marijuana. Make sure to know the rules in your area prior to grow cannabis to avoid any issues in the long run.
