Cannabis 101
So you want to know how to grow cannabis indoors? This is a topic that will take a long time to tell about as there are many ways of growing Cannabis indoors. First off let me just say that growing a strong product one that you can use for medical reasons is more of a science and will take a bit of knowledge to be able to produce a great product but do note that anyone can grow their own product in their home with or without special gear.
Cannabis also is known as Marijuana, pot, grass, weed, herb or erb, bud, etc. is a plant that produces Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) which is the substance that will produce the healing effects. When heat is applied to THCA it is converted into Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which is the High feeling. There are many other chemical compounds in the Cannabis plant but that will be for another topic.
There are many reasons why someone would take cannabis as a medicine, for instance, it is a great pain reliever with very little side effects if any. Certain strains help with depression, like Sativa strains. Sativa will make you happier and gives a bit more energy than Indica. Indica is more used for pain or to relax. However, that will be discussed in another article as there is a lot to say about the different strains and what they are good for.
Indoor Set Up
When growing Cannabis indoors there are a couple of ways that you can do this. You need to be able to recreate the outdoor conditions. Since cannabis is a plant it is naturally grown outdoors. So by moving the plant indoors to grow you need to recreate the outdoor environment to help the plant grow. There are 3 basic things that cannabis plants need to grow.
- Light, here we need to recreate the sun(whether its LED, Florescent, HPS or just a regular incandescent light bulb.) it needs to have a blue spectrum for the vegetative stage, and red spectrum for the flowering stage.
- Water. With all life on earth Cannabis plants need to be watered. They need to drink water to help nourish their growth.
- Wind. Air circulation is important so that you don’t get mold or other contaminants landing on the plants. Air movement will also help the branches (stems) thicken up so that when it starts to flower it will have the strength to hold its self up.
Now you can just set up a small light with a fan and add water to your plant but the chances that it will survive long enough that you can harvest buds are slim. It is a weed and weeds grow regardless of how you grow it, but if you are reading this I bet you want to be able to grow a great product.
Indoor Growing
I would suggest an indoor grow tent to help recreate the outdoor environment and be able to control it. I would get a proper light that has both blue and red spectrum (to be able to grow veg. Stage and flower stage) but here is a list of things that I have that help me grow the perfect product
- Grow tent (controlled environment)
- LED light blue spectrum and red spectrum (LED is cost-efficient for power usage)
- Fans (small clip-on fans or oscillating fans to help with airflow and recreate the wind)
- pots to grow in (I use fabric pots as they are good for proper drainage)
- growing medium (soil, coco coir, hydroponics/clay pellets) I use Coco Coir.
- Carbon filter, inline fan (to control the smell that the flowers give off) and helps dissipate the humidity
- Nutrients (food for rapid growth)
- CO2 ( Plants breathe in C02 and expel oxygen)
Now for outdoor growing, you wouldn’t need all of this. With outdoor growing, nature provides all of this to grow. With outdoor growing you need to worry about many other things like pests, mold, thieves, animals, heavy rain, cold, frost, overly hot, etc. while growing indoors may seem a bit pricey at first but your natural environment will be less of a worry.
Food for thought
When growing Cannabis indoors you will want to grow your plant the best way. (let’s face it you spent all this money on growing gear to be able to make a strong product) you are going to spend a lot of time and effort into growing a beautiful plant then you will want to feed it the proper nutrients to help it grow big and strong.
There are several ways to feed your plant, you can make your own tea by using bat guano molasses, etc. buy premixed plant food, have soil with fertilizer already in it. I found the best way of just buying a premixed nutrient from a reputable source.
So far my favorite nutrient is made by REMO. It is the cheapest to buy and easy to use. I have tried other nutrients in the past like Advanced nutrients and General Hydroponics. As they are both great products but can be more costly than REMO.
As for feeding your plants, you will want to feed them every time you water them. But before you water the plant make sure to PH balance the water first. Ideally, you want a PH balance to be around 6.0 give or take a few points depending on what medium you are growing in. If the PH is off it will cause nutrient lockout which is where the plant can’t uptake the nutrients properly. It is best if you get a PH digital tester for more accurate readings.
To Grow Or Not To Grow
with technology the way it is today, if you have more time than money you can grow your own and put in the time and effort by creating the right environment, feeding/watering when needed, diagnosing any issues and fixing them, etc. or if you have more money than time you can opt-in for a super closet that will do all the hard work for you.
I chose to grow the hard way as it helps me learn about the plant and the science behind it, but if you want a great product and you don’t really care how it’s grown I would suggest a super closet. It is a self-contained grow room that is automated. It will balance the pH, feed the plants, control the humidity, temperature, hours of light and everything else. All you would need to do is change the water once a week and harvest.
Harvesting and curing
When you have reached the point of harvest (usually after 3 months from seed) you will need to cut down your plant, trim them and dry them. You can hang them up to dry but if you don’t have the room for that you can put them on a drying rack. You can make one at home or buy one from amazon or a store.
Proper dry time is 7-10 days in a controlled environment then you will want to put the dry buds in mason jars for 2 to 3 weeks opening the jar once or twice a day every day to help the curing process. If you want to know more about drying and curing I will have another article about that, as there is a lot to know about it.
Growing Cannabis indoors can be a difficult task but you can do it
To wrap this up I have given a small insight on what you need and how to grow indoors. There is a lot to know about growing cannabis and in my other articles I will break it all down into categories so that It will be easier to understand. You can get started for less than what you would pay for a pound of cannabis through the black market or from a dispensary. And by learning to grow you can get your cost down to less than $1 per gram. And you will know exactly what is in it and be exactly what you want.
That is all for now but please feel free to read my other articles on how to… I am here to help. If you have any questions on growing cannabis indoors please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
Happy Growing!
Mr. Weedcroft