Getting Started Growing Cannabis Indoors
Approximately 70% of the U.S. population consumes cannabis at least on occasion, but for many people, cannabis is far more than a plant they enjoy when it’s around.
Instead, cannabis is a way of life, a religion, and an escape from the sometimes harsh realities of life, whether it is aches and pains or sadness interfering with your well-being. Enthusiasts who understand the sheer magnitude of cannabis oftentimes find the cultivation process one that heightens their experience. This God-given plant has powers unbeknownst to some, but for the true cannabis enthusiasts, its amazing qualities are undeniable. Growing weed indoors offers the perfect opportunity to take your cannabis love to the next level.
Now that marijuana has become a hot topic around the country, many of the stigmas that once surrounded the plant are gone and more people are learning and accepting that it is a beneficial plant and a far cry short of the Class I narcotic the federal government has it labeled as. Currency eight states allow usage and cultivation of marijuana for recreational use, while more than 40 have legalized cannabis use and cultivation for medicinal purposes. Marijuana research is being conducted at universities, elite members of our community are showing their support, and advancements are being made every single day. Nonetheless, it is a crime to grow marijuana without a medical red card (How to apply for medical marijuana card?) if you don’t reside in a legal state.
Growing marijuana indoors alleviates the worry. Many people are growing cannabis indoors as we speak, producing large, beautiful, plants filled with those delightful buds that you so greatly appreciate. If you’re ready to join the trend, learning how to grow is the first step. Growing marijuana indoors isn’t as difficult as some people would assume. In fact, it takes just 10 simple, easy steps to grow!
What You’ll Need to Monitor During Growing
Growing marijuana indoors allows you to keep an eye on the entire growth process. Marijuana is a plant that requires lots of attention if you want it to yield powerful, potent results, though the overall process is fairly simple once you get the swing of things. Checking in on your plants three or four times per day can help yield the best results, especially for the beginning grower.
It is important to monitor the amount of air and light that the plant receives when growing marijuana indoors. Marijuana is a native outdoor plant and thrives when pristine conditions are noted. Thus, proper air flow, proper light, and the right amount of moisture are key ingredients to a successful grow.
Flowering plants like marijuana produce fruits only once per year during the fall season. They’re fruitful during this cooler period after receiving sunlight and nutrients during the warmer months. It’s called a photosynthesis period and is a process that you’ll need to reproduce when growing marijuana indoors. To do this, the plants need up to 16-hours of light during the seedling stage and approximately 12-hours during the flowering process.
The photosynthesis also requires proper air be delivered to the plant. All plants need air to survive, including the cannabis plant. A steady stream of airflow in the grow room is essential to a healthy marijuana plant. Marijuana plants thrive in temperatures ranging from 70 F to 85 F; an exhaust fan can help you maintain these temperatures. Since some strains of the marijuana plant prefer lower temperatures while others thrive when temperatures are closer to the highest temperature point, it is important to properly educate yourself on the preferences of the seedling before you begin.
Step 2: Choose Your Light
Grow lights provide the marijuana plants the light they need to thrive and reproduce. Quality lighting in the grow room is imperative to a good grow. It is a wise idea to invest as much money as you can comfortably afford to spend on high-quality lights. The initial costs are well-worth the expense when the plant begins flowering and producing those delightful buds that you’ll indulge.
HID lighting, or High-Intensity discharge, is the industry standard lighting for marijuana cultivation. The lights combine efficiency, value, and high output that yields great results in return. Although costlier than fluorescent or incandescent lights, they produce more lighting when and where it is needed the most. To use HID lighting, a ballast and reflector or hood are also needed. The reflector/hood is used to provide air and a mounting space for the lighting, while the ballast holds the lights in place.
You’ll need two types of HID bulbs to grow marijuana indoors:
HPS: High-Pressure Sodium bulbs (HPS lamps) are best used during the flowering stage. They deliver more light per watt than the MH bulbs.
MH: Metal Halide bulbs produce a blue light that helps the plant tremendously during the vegetative stage
LED: LED grow lights are expensive, with prices as much as 10 times the cost of HID bulbs. The lights are more durable than the other options and use electricity. They also benefit the plant in that they do not produce the same intense heat as other lighting options. The result of this more intense spectrum of light is higher-quality cannabis and larger yields.
Fluorescent grow lights provide a cheaper start-up for a new grower, though they certainly fail to provide the same efficiency as the HID bulbs. In fact, fluorescent lighting produces approximately 30% less light per watt than the HID light bulb. Furthermore, several T5 bulbs are needed to attain the same output as a singular 600-watt HID bulb. The ballast, reflector, and bulbs are all included with a fluorescent grow light kit and no cooling system is required.
If you can splurge on lighting, by all means, take that opportunity. Grow lights tremendously impact the plant and how well it grows. The most distinguished of growers have attained their status in part due to the superb lighting they’ve selected. You, too, can attain such a status as long as the best grow lights are used in your operation.
Content share offered by “Sophia Walters of Plantsily.com”