Whether you're beginning weed 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, methods, and attention, cultivating pot indoors can be an extremely rewarding and cost-effective endeavor.
Choosing Weed Strains
The first step in planning your indoor crop is choosing the right pot strains to cultivate. The three main types of weed plants each have their own traits.
Sativas
Known for their invigorating mental effects, these strains spread tall and slender with narrow leaves. They flourish in tropical equatorial climates and have a longer flowering time between 10-12 weeks indoors. Top sativa strains include Sour Diesel, Durban Poison, and Jack Herer.
Indicas
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 strains blend traits from both sativas and indicas. They offer combined effects and have moderate flowering periods around 9-10 weeks. Well-known hybrids are Blue Dream, OG Kush, and Blue Dream.
Setting Up Your Cultivation Space
Marijuana plants need the right controlled environment to thrive. Key factors for indoor grows are lights, airflow, layout, and finding the ideal discreet spot.
Location
Choose an unused space with easy access to irrigation and power outlets. An empty spare room, large closet, basement corner, or cultivation tent securely placed in a garage all make great hidden grow room spots.
Lights
Marijuana requires strong light for all growth stages. LEDs are efficient and come in full spectrum options replicating real sunlight. Cover 250-400 watts per square foot for the vegetative stage and 400-600 watts per square foot for flowering.
Airflow
Proper airflow and exhaust systems maintain ideal temp, humidity, and pure 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 distinct zones for growth, flowering, curing, and cloning.
Cultivation Mediums
Weed can be cultivated in different substrates, each with pros and cons. Pick a proper option for your specific 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 feed plants. Amend soil with vermiculite or coco to enhance drainage.
Coco Coir
Made from coir, reusable coconut fiber holds water but still allows air to the roots. It's more sterile and more predictable 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 observation of water properties. DWC and drip systems are common methods.
Germinating Seeds
Germination prepares your pot 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. Check after a week for growing taproots indicating sprouting is complete.
Planting directly
Plant seeds directly into wetted cultivation medium 1⁄4 inch deep. Gently water and wait 1-2 weeks until seedlings break through the top.
Rockwool Cubes
Presoak rockwool cubes in pH-adjusted water. Place seeds 1⁄4 inch deep into the cubes. Keep cubes moist until seedlings appear within a week to 2 weeks.
Transplanting Seedlings
Once sprouted, marijuana young plants need to be transplanted to avoid crowding. Move them into proper sized containers.
Preparing Containers
Load large containers with growing medium amended with slow-release fertilizer. Allow containers to soak up water overnight before transplanting.
Gently repotting
Carefully loosen young roots from germination medium using a spoon. Place into prepared pot at equal 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.
Providing 18-24 Hours of Light
Use grow lights on a 24 hour schedule or outdoor light to initiate nonstop growth. Lamp output influences height 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 14 days and strengthen slowly.
LST and topping
Fimming, LST, and trellising direct shoot shapes for flat foliage. This boosts yields.
Bloom Stage
The blooming stage grows buds as plants show their sex under a 12/12 cycle timing. It lasts cannabisgrowguide.net 2-3 months depending on strain.
Switching to 12/12
Change lamps to 12/12 or place outdoors for natural 12 hour cycle. This triggers plants to start flowering.
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 leach using pH-balanced water only. Resume clean watering if buds aren't mature after two weeks.
Reaping
Knowing when cannabis is fully ripe delivers peak cannabinoid content and aroma. Harvest plants at optimal maturity.
Identifying Ripeness
Check fading pistils, swelling calyxes, and 10-15% cloudy trichs. Inspect buds across the plant as they won't all mature evenly.
Cutting Plants
Use sterilized, razor-sharp trimming scissors to carefully slice each plant at the base. Keep several inches of stalk attached.
Drying
Hang intact Learn More plants or branches inverted in a lightless room with average temperature and RH around 50-60% for 7-14 days.
Aging
Curing keeps drying while aging the buds like aged spirits. This process mellows harshness and further develops terpene and terpene profiles.
Curing containers
Trim dried Request More Info buds from branches and place into sealed containers, filling about 75% capacity. Use a hygrometer to measure container humidity.
Opening jars daily
Open containers for a few hours daily to gradually lower moisture. Remoisten buds if RH drops below 55%.
Long term storage
After 2-3 weeks when humidity levels off around 55-65%, do a final manicure and store forever in sealed jars.
Troubleshooting
Even experienced cultivators run into various marijuana plant problems. Identify problems early and fix them properly to keep a healthy garden.
Poor feeding
Yellowing leaves often signify insufficient nitrogen. Anthocyanins and leaves show low phosphorus. Check pH and boost nutrients slowly.
Bugs
Spider mites, fungus gnats, mites, and root aphids are frequent cannabis pests. Use organic sprays, ladybugs, and sticky traps for organic control.
Mold
Excessive humidity promotes botrytis and bud rot. Improve circulation and circulation while reducing RH below 50% during bloom.
Conclusion
With this complete indoor weed growing guide, you now have the info to grow plentiful potent buds for private grows. Apply these steps and techniques throughout the germination, growth, and bloom stages. Invest in quality equipment and closely check on your plants. In time, you'll be compensated with frosty aromatic buds you grew yourself under the patient guidance of your green hands. Good luck cultivating!