Whether you're just starting out with 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, methods, and attention, cultivating cannabis indoors can be an extremely rewarding and cost-effective endeavor.
Choosing Weed Varieties
The first step in planning your indoor harvest is choosing the right cannabis strains to grow. The three main types of marijuana plants each have their own characteristics.
Sativas
Known for their invigorating intellectual effects, these strains spread tall and slender with narrow leaves. They flourish 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 relaxing full-body effects and grow short and bushy with broad leaves. Accustomed to colder mountain climates, they bloom faster within 2-2.25 months. Popular relaxing strains include Granddaddy Purple, Northern Lights, and Bubba Kush.
Hybrids
Hybrid 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 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 location.
Location
Choose an available space with direct access to water and electrical outlets. An empty spare room, large closet, basement corner, or cultivation tent tucked away in a garage all make great hidden grow room spots.
Lights
Marijuana requires powerful light for all vegetative stages. LED grow lights are energy-efficient and come in broad spectrum options simulating natural sunlight. Provide 250-400 watts per square foot for the vegetative stage and 400-600 watts per square foot for flowering.
Airflow
Proper ventilation and exhaust systems maintain ideal temp, moisture, and fresh CO2 levels. Set up quiet 10-15 cm fans or carbon filters to circulate stale air and eliminate smells.
Layout
Maximize your space by arranging plants carefully under the lights and leaving room to reach and work around them. Set up separate zones for growth, bloom, drying, and cloning.
Cultivation Mediums
Marijuana can be grown in various mediums, each with benefits and cons. Pick a suitable option for your particular setup and growing style.
Soil
The traditional substrate, soil is cheap and simple for beginners. It provides excellent flavor but needs more irrigation and fertilizing to feed plants. Amend soil with vermiculite or coir to improve aeration.
Coconut coir
Made from coir, 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 hydro systems, plant roots develop directly in fertilizer irrigation solution. This allows quick development but needs close observation of solution chemistry. DWC and drip systems are common methods.
Germinating Seeds
Germination prepares your cannabis seeds to begin growing taproots. This prepares them for transplanting into their cultivation Send a Message medium.
Paper Towel Method
Put seeds between wet paper towels and keep them damp. Inspect after 2-7 days for emerging radicles indicating sprouting is complete.
Planting directly
Plant seeds directly into wetted cultivation medium 1⁄4 inch deep. Gently water and wait 7-14 days until seedlings push through the surface.
Cubic rockwool
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 germinated, pot seedlings need to be repotted to prevent overcrowding. Move them into appropriately sized containers.
Ready Containers
Load final pots with growing medium enriched with time-released fertilizer. Allow containers to soak up water for 8-12 hours before repotting.
Carefully Transplanting
Gently separate young roots from sprouting medium using a spade. Place into pre-soaked pot at equal depth as before and gently water in.
Vegetative Stage
The vegetative stage promotes leafy growth and plant form through 3/4 to full day of continual light exposure. This stage usually lasts 4-8 weeks.
Using 3/4 to full day of Lighting
Use lamps on a 24 hour cycle or natural sunlight to trigger constant photosynthesis. Lamp output influences size and internodal spacing.
Fertilizing
Use grow stage fertilizers richer in N. Make sure pH remains around 5.8-6.3 for full fertilizer absorption. Feed 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 strength after 2 weeks and increase gradually.
LST and topping
Fimming, LST, and trellising direct shoot shapes for flat canopies. This increases yields.
Flowering Stage
The flowering stage develops buds as plants reveal their sex under a 12 hour cycle timing. It lasts 8-12 weeks based on variety.
Switching to 12/12
Change lamps to Discover More 12/12 or move outdoors for natural 12 hour cycle. This triggers plants to begin flowering.
Stop Fertilizing
Flushing flushes out fertilizer residuals to enhance flavor. Fertilize weakly the first period then just use pH'd water the final 2 weeks.
Flushing
Continue 12/12 light timing but leach using neutral pH water only. Resume plain watering if buds aren't ripe after two weeks.
Harvesting
Knowing when cannabis is completely mature delivers maximum potency and aroma. Cut down plants at peak maturity.
Signs of readiness
Check swollen calyxes, faded pistils, and 10-15% 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.
Drying
Suspend whole plants or branches inverted in a dark room with average temp and humidity around 50-60% for 1-2 weeks.
Curing
Aging keeps drying while improving the buds like fine wine. This process smooths bitterness and further develops terpene contents.
Jars and Humidity
Manicure dried buds from stems and store into glass jars, packing about 3⁄4 full. Use a hygrometer to monitor jar moisture.
Burping Daily
Open containers for a few hours each day to slowly reduce humidity. Rehydrate buds if humidity drops below 55%.
Long term storage
After 2-3 weeks when moisture stabilizes around 55-65%, do a final manicure and store long-term in airtight jars.
Common Problems and Solutions
Even seasoned growers run into different weed plant problems. Detect issues 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 Find Out More and boost nutrients slowly.
Pests
Thrips, aphids, fungus gnats, thrips, and nematodes are common pot pests. Use neem oil sprays, predator bugs, and sticky traps for organic control.
Mold
Excessive humidity promotes botrytis and bud rot. Increase airflow and venting while lowering RH under 50% during flowering.
Conclusion
With this complete indoor pot cultivation guide, you now have the knowledge to cultivate bountiful potent buds for personal grows. Apply these techniques and techniques during the seed starting, vegetative, and bloom stages. Spend in good equipment and carefully check on your plants. In time, you'll be compensated with sticky aromatic buds you grew yourself under the loving care of your green hands. Good luck cultivating!