Cannabis Cultivation: Growing Weed Indoors

If you are reading this article, then you are probably thinking about starting your very own indoor cannabis garden! Growing weed can be done in a number of ways. In recent years, the fame of growing weed indoors has skyrocketed through the roof. With the advantage it gives growers, it is easy to see why many people have shifted to this growing method.

But while this is something that will bring a lot of benefits to the table, there are a few things that you need to know about. How exactly does growing weed indoors help your plants? Is it a better choice comparing to outdoor setups? 

What is Indoor Growing?

Growing weed plants is actually a very easy thing to do when you start getting use to it. Familiarizing yourself with the different climates and information about cannabis can help you make the most out of your gardens! Indoor growing, as you can tell by its name, involves cultivating your marijuana indoors with a regulated environment. 

But aren’t cannabis plants naturally accustomed to a natural and outdoor environment? Yes, they are. But indoor setups are a form of growing that simulates the conditions that can usually be found in the wild. Through various tools and equipment, growers are given the opportunity to adjust their gardens according to how their plants want to grow.

When did indoor growing start?

Growing weed indoors actually wasn’t a thing until the late 1970s to the early 1980s. Because marijuana plants are naturally grown out in the  open, people have no concrete reason to do so otherwise. But as the laws regarding marijuana use and cultivation start getting more stringent and rigid, users of marijuana were running out of supplies!

As a means to keep their buds flowing, cannabis cultivators resorted to growing weed indoors. This helped them keep their cannabis gardens secret and away from the public’s sight. Soon after, indoor growing started becoming quite a big trend. Not only were people able to hide away their cannabis crops, there are also numerous benefits that came with this method of growing! 

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Growing Weed Indoors

 While the idea of growing weed seeds indoors seems very appealing, it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. There are a few specific drawbacks that may hinder you from growing weed seeds properly under an indoor setup! 

Weighing out the different advantages and disadvantages can help you choose the right setup that will work best for you. Here are the ones for an indoor cannabis setup:

ADVANTAGES

• The most attractive and intriguing feature of an indoor cannabis setup is the ability to have 100% complete control over the growing area! Because you are aiming to simulate the best climates for your cannabis plants, all the different factors are at your disposal. You are allowed to adjust the amount of light and heat that your plants get, the temperatures of the area, the humidity levels of your garden, and even the oxygen levels and air circulation that you will have!
• The different tools and equipment that you are going to make use of are surely a more advanced way of planting compared to the traditional outdoor setup. As such, The little differences caused by the innovation and technology can help you produce some high quality, top-of-the-line weed buds. When operated properly, an indoor setup can sprout out some of the frostiest weed nugs with some very high concentrations of trichomes that aren’t guaranteed in an outdoor setup. 
• When you grow your cannabis plants outdoors, you will have to pay close attention to the details of the weather and seasons in a year. But if you are growing weed indoors, you won’t have to worry about these factors! Using an indoor setup allows you to plant your weed seeds at any time of the year. The adaptability that comes with this growing method is quite an attracting feature, indeed! It allows for more harvests during the year. 
• Indoor setups for growing weed also provide a lot more protection and immunity to your plants. While this doesn’t exactly mean that they are completely safe, an indoor garden significantly reduces the chances of molds, mildew, pests, and diseases from contaminating your gardens. This is mainly due to the highly regulated environment that is kept away from outside elements. Additionally, any storms and natural calamities will have little to no effect on your crops. 
• Growing weed indoors will obviously provide a lot more secrecy and privacy for your weed gardens. Because they are naturally placed indoors away from the public’s exposure, it helps growers plant their marijuana strains more discreetly. This will also reduce the chances of attracting any unwanted attention from the law.

DISADVANTAGES

• One of the things that may hinder the use of an indoor setup is the cost. The tools and equipment that you will need to secure your indoor gardens may come at a hefty price. This makes it a lot less cost-efficient.
• Operating these different machines make it fairly heavy on the resources. Compared to the traditional way, using an indoor setup might cause some adverse effects to the environment as a whole.
• Indoor growing is usually geared more towards advanced and long-time growers. Operating the different equipment and setting the right temperatures will require a lot more understanding and attention to detail in your gardens. As such, it is not the best choice for beginners who are just starting on their cannabis gardens. Of course, this doesn’t mean that they aren’t allowed to do so! If you have the resources and capital to start your own indoor garden, then by all means, do so! 
• Lastly, indoor setups are known to produce smaller yields than outdoor gardens. This is a commonly known fact as the plants are not given the same amount of space to fully expand and reach their potential.

A Quick Guide to Starting Your Own Indoor Garden

Here are some important guidelines that will help you jumpstart your indoor marijuana setups! By following these easy steps, you can make use of all the benefits and advantages that growing weed indoors has to offer.

First Step: Choosing Your Cannabis Growing Area

The great thing about indoor setups is that you will have all sorts of options in the space you choose for growing weed seeds. You can opt for a vacant room that isn’t being used, an empty cabinet, some shelves, cupboards, or even a greenhouse! 

If you are feeling extra productive and fancy, you may even opt for a cannabis grow tent or grow box. There are many for sale online or you can even have your own DIY version!

Tip for beginners: Don’t overdo it!

If you are a beginner, then we advise you to start with something small and easy to operate! This will make it a lot more cost-efficient and easy to install the various devices that you will need. 

Additionally, a smaller starting grow area will help you build a foundation and understanding about cannabis cultivation. It is a great way to jumpstart your marijuana gardens while having a minimal allowance for mistakes and error.

Provide enough spacing for your plants and equipment:

You will need a lot of things to make your growing setups work such as lighting sources, air vents, fans, pots, and even support poles. As such, try considering the space that these will eventually take up once you start planning your growing area. 

Additionally, your cannabis plants will surely grow up to various sizes depending on the strain you choose! If you plan on cultivating sativa strains in your indoor garden, make sure that they will get enough ceiling room to expand. Moreover, make sure that the placement of your plants have enough space for them to grow without bumping into each other!

Using cabinets, shelves, and even growing tents and boxes are somewhat more convenient because you can simply take them out and adjust the area.

Indoor setups are designed to keep tidy! 

You will have the opportunity to keep your gardens clean with an  indoor setup, use it! Not only will this be a much more comfortable and convenient place to grow, it also reduces the risk of your plants catching any molds and diseases along the way. 

Make sure that you pick a growing area that you can easily reach and keep clean. Regularly topping and trimming your marijuana plants should also be accessible to you while going through the whole cultivation process. 

Second Step: Choosing Your Cannabis Grow Lights

Light is undoubtedly the most important factor that will affect the growth of your cannabis plants. It is also the one element that you will need to look out for the most! When growing weed indoors, growers will need to emulate the brightness and UV spectrums that plants normally absorb from sunlight. 

As such, there are quite a few choices to make when choosing the right cannabis grow lights. Each type of light will affect the way your cannabis plants produce their yields. 

1. Fluorescent Grow Lights – These are the most simple and standard type of grow lights that users can make use of. They are the cheapest form of lights and are perfect for beginners who are growing weed. However, they do have the shortest lifespan and their coverage tends to be good for only 2 to 3 plants. 
2. High Intensity Discharge (HID) Grow Lights – HID Grow Lights are the more advance type of light source that is also use for other industrial purposes. They provide very bright spectrums of light rays that can reach a good coverage of your garden. HID lights are much more efficient than fluorescent bulbs but they come at a steeper price range. They are capable of producing the largest yields, too!

MH Lights provide a very cool and relaxing brightness that works brilliantly well for the vegetative stages. HPS Lights, on the other hand, are very bright and vibrant, which makes them perfect for the flowering stages.

3. Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Lights – LED lights are making quite a name for themselves in recent years. LEDs are the most advanced and technologically-efficient type of grow light for your cannabis gardens. They have built-in cooling systems that prevent heat. Additionally, light spectrums of an LED source are the most efficient and energy-saving light source that can provide heat to your whole gardens!

However, they are much more expensive than both fluorescent and HID bulbs. LED lights are typically known to produce smaller yields, as well. 

Third Step: Providing the Right Air Circulation System

Just like us people, your cannabis plants will need to breathe. And since you are going to be keeping them in a cramped up room with all the different instruments, it is important to give them some air circulation. This allows the plants to absorb some much needed carbon dioxide in order to undergo photosynthesis. 

Additionally, the oxygen levels and air flow in your growing area will help regulate the temperature that your cannabis plants will be exposed to! This is crucial in making sure that they stay comfortable throughout the whole cultivation process. Any stress that they might experience will lead to the hindrance of their growth and development. 

Best temperatures for your indoor cannabis gardens:

Cannabis plants will thrive indoors as long as they are comfortable with the growing environment that they are into. With your grow lights on, try keeping the temperatures between 78 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. This gives them enough heat and oxygen without actually causing them to burn and experience heat stress. 

On the other hand, if you decide to shift to the darkness period for your plants, a good range for temperature would be 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This coolness allows certain strains, especially indica seeds, to stimulate their development and produce purple hues in their leaves and buds. On the other hand, sativas will demand slightly warmer climates to adjust them to around 63 to 73 degrees Fahrenheit if needed.

Fans and air vents:

Setting up your fans and air vents is best hanging from above the plants. This ensures that the whole growing space receives enough air and ensures a better circulation of oxygen for the plants to breathe. 

The types of fans and air ventilation systems that you will use depend on how hot the spectrums of your lights are. You see, the lights and fans when growing weed work hand in hand with one another. Striking the perfect balance between the two of them are the key components of regulating the temperatures in your weed crop. 

Fourth Step: Regulating the growing conditions

With your equipment set up and your growing area ready to operate, it is time to discuss the intervals between operating your setup. Surely, you won’t need to keep your grow lights on 24/7. This will lead to them subsequently burning and losing some precious nutrients! 

Moreover, leaving your air vents and fans with the wrong coordinates may lead to the growing area becoming too hot or too cold. An excessively cold growing area invites the development of moisture and dampness. This, in turn, can cause the build-up for molds and mildew in your indoor cannabis setup. Always make sure to familiarize yourself with the correct time periods and measurements in which your lights and fans should operate.

During a plant’s vegetative phase of growing, it is important to provide them with around 17 to 24 hours of light. However, when they reach their flowering phases, they will require a 12/12 hour split of both light and darkness. This allows them to adjust to the growing period and helps them develop naturally under artificial lights. Deviating from this time pattern confuses the plants which will either cause them to either re-veg or prematurely enter their final stages.

The fans and air vents, on the other hand, can easily be maintained through the use of a thermostat. Since you will be able to maintain the temperatures using this device, we advise installing one right away.

Fifth Step: Maintaining the gardens!

Growing Medium:

Now that you indoor cannabis gardens are all set, it is time to simply maintain it! Choosing the right growing medium is crucial since you most likely won’t be planting directly into natural soils. Coming up with the ideal soil solution through the use of different amendments (Rock wool, perlite, vermiculite, coco fibers, etc.) makes it a lot more beneficial for your plants to grow. 

Furthermore, you are free to use soil or hydroponics in an indoor setup! Hydroponics refers to a way of cultivating marijuana plants through the use of a soilless growing medium (usually water). Soil-based growing mediums must also maintain a pH level of 6.0 to 7.0. 

Nutrients:

Indoor setups will also need to make use of various store-bought or organic nutrients. These macronutrients (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium) as well as micronutrients (Chlorine, Molybdenum, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Zinc, and Boron) all require specific doses for cannabis. 

Study about the different ways these nutrients help boost your plants and make sure to give them the right amounts that they will require with each stage of their lives. 

Watering:

Of course, we should not forget about watering your cannabis plants. Many growers tend to over water due to being “conservative” about the way they grow. However, this can cause your plants’ roots to drown due to the blocking of oxygen circulation. 

On the contrary, underwatering happens when you expose your cannabis plants to warmer conditions or you forget to water them. This causes nutrient deficiencies as well as heat stress. It can also lead to falling leaves and brittling of the plant’s parts. 

Always make sure that your water sources are clean and sterile. Water is a very common agent for bacteria and diseases to enter your plants. The water that you give your marijuana plants should have a pH level of 5.5 to 6.5. Anything above indicates a high level of alkalinity while any amount lower means a high level of acidity.

An indoor cannabis garden is definitely a great way of growing weed! For many people, using an indoor garden is the most practical choice, considering the environments that they have. It may be quite difficult and complicated at first. However, once you get the hang of it, it will be beneficial and exciting way of producing your weeds!

If you ever get the chance in growing weed seeds indoors, you should definitely grab the opportunity. There are many indoor strains and you should have no problem getting those seeds to sprout up beautiful and healthy plants!