Legal cannabis is turning out to be common in many countries of the world, particularly in the United States. This offers an opportunity to grow weed as a hobby and can be an excellent business opportunity if done well. When marijuana is grown indoors, and through the right procedure, bigger and better yields can be harvested.
Whether you are a professional or first-time grower, staying updated on new technologies and tools to grow weed is crucial. By the time you are done with this guide, you will learn a tried and tested process on how to grow marijuana indoors. Marijuana is not your typical plant, it is almost like a pet that you have to take care of and nurture.
1. Prepare your Garden
For one to consider growing weed, there are essential things that should be put into consideration.
One should ensure that their greenhouse has sufficient light, air, growing medium, humidity, water, nutrients, and the right temperature.
Light
Weed needs about 12 or more hours of light or more per day for optimum growth conditions. When growing marijuana indoors, custom weed growing artificial light from bulbs is used to provide the required light.
Growing Medium
Organic marijuana growers will use soil as their growing medium, but the soil is not the only choice. Other nutrient dependant mediums include rockwool, coconut coir, vermiculite, and perlite. In some instances, one does not need a medium when using deep water culture, aeroponics, or hydroponics as they use a nutrient mix where the weed’s root gets their nutrients.
Air
It is always advisable to ensure that there is fresh moving air. In indoor cannabis growing, a fan to move air and stale air exhaust are needed to maintain clean and moving air.
Water and Temperature
Just like other plants, marijuana requires water to grow and carry out its biological functions. One needs to ensure they have a non-depletable source of water before starting to grow cannabis. It is also important to control indoor temperatures to 27 degrees centigrade for vigorous marijuana growth. Temperature control in indoor gardens is easily achieved by using heaters, cooling fans, and air conditioning units.
Nutrients
For organic growing, weed needs nutrients to grow, and this means that a friable soil mix with rich compost, minerals, and vitamins is necessary for vigorous growth. Enriching the growth medium with molasses, compost tea, and feather meals can help improve plant growth.
2. Choose your Marijuana Seeds
The choice of seeds could be staggering with all the available hybrids, including Sativa, Indica, or ruderalis. The choice matters on what works from your personal experience. Some choose strains that work to cure their ailments; others prefer what they have enjoyed most, while others prefer to research what strains are best. Growing space and personal choice matter when choosing your seeds and complete starters can do research on the best strains for starters.
3. Seed Germination and Transplanting
An excellent location, water, and temperature are needed to germinate cannabis seedlings. There are two ways to germinate cannabis seeds, which include the use of paper towels saturated in water and by using soil as a growth medium. By providing the right conditions, cannabis seeds will germinate in 2-3 days.
After about 5-7 days when the seedling is 3-4 inches tall, one can transplant the seedling into growth pots or the preferred growth medium. Cannabis seedling transplanting should be done using a pair of tweezers to avoid seedling damage. In instances where aeroponics and hydroponics are used, it is vital first to prepare the growth medium system that the seedlings will be transferred.
4. The Vegetative Phase of Cannabis
After transplanting the plant can photosynthesize and metabolize until the vegetative phase has begun. In instances where the growing is done indoors, the vegetative stage is when the cannabis plant needs 12 hours or more of light every day. Light bulbs should be used to provide artificial light, and the growth medium should be fed nutrients for optimum growth conditions.
Conclusion
It can take from 2-3 months for a cannabis plant to enter its pre-flowering phase depending on the growing conditions. Some of the factors that affect that time taken to grow weed include plant strain, growing method, growing conditions, and the desired harvest. If the growth conditions are right, growing weed from a seed to a smoke-able harvest takes averagely 3-4 months.
