How to Grow Cannabis Indoors
Cannabis can flourish indoors. Thousands of people do it, and you can, too. However, growing cannabis is not like raising an ornamental houseplant. To do it correctly, you need the kind of education, time, and passion it takes to raise orchids.You should benefit from these lessons in growing cannabis indoors because the first step requires research. You may not find this exhaustive, but you should see here enough information on whether to proceed.
Overview
Cannabis is a flowering herbaceous plant. It has more in common with woody plants like rosemary and lavender than flowers you usually raise. As such, it needs certain nutrients, ample light, natural pesticides, and circulating air.Before you think of raising your cannabis on the windowsill, you must understand that cannabis grows tall and bushy. While you may start your seedlings in kitchen sunlight, you must soon move them to a larger indoor environment.You will also find that most cannabis plants exude aromas that give away their source. Even if growing cannabis in your state is legal, you and your guests may find the skunky and diesel scents annoying and unattractive.So, it would be best if you had a strategy, schedule, and money to go forward with growing cannabis indoors.
Pick your plant
Cannabis Sativa includes unisexual male or female plants. Staminate characterizes the Sativa plants, while Pistillate marks the female plants. The male plants grow taller and more robust than the females.The plants’ gender is genetically determined. However, light cycles and modern breeding can alter or manage the sex to maximize harvest yields.Cannabis Sativa strains produce a variety of effects. Those with a high THC: CBD ratio will trigger mild to strong psychoactive results. Sativa strains may lead to extreme paranoia, but those balanced with CBD will promote focus and creativity. Where the CBD: THC ratio favors the CBD, the effects produce multiple medicinal results. And where the THC is negligible, the Sativa trades as Hemp for food, fuel, and fiber.
Cannabis Indica plants grow shorter than Sativa and have a conical shape with densely arranged branches. The Indica experience usually leads to mild or deep sedation, a sense of stone rather than psychic high.Cannabis Indica strains marked by high CBD content deliver multiple medical benefits, fighting anxiety, depression, pain, insomnia, and more.Hybrid strains blend the benefits of Sativa and Indica to optimize the psychic or medicinal uses. Strains also are bred for durability and ease of care. However, growers should have clear expectations before they launch a cannabis-growing hobby.
Pick your resources
You can start your indoor “farm” once you have settled a few things.
Space: Unless you have a garage-sized facility on your property, you must consider where you will grow your cannabis. With the right conditions, you might raise two plants in a closet. But you would do better to invest in a “grow room” large enough to enclose your planned crop.You can buy a grow room for less than $100, but if you want to get this right, prepare to spend over $300. Obviously, the more you pay, the more features you can expect. For example, you will need lighting and circulation systems, and some pricier grow rooms will include those features.
Lighting: Your crop will need scheduled full spectrum LED lighting. Lighting systems come in many formats, but you might focus on the features in lighting priced in the mid-$200s. You want a proven system that you can program to benefit plants during their early days, vegetive and flowering stages, and harvest.
Irrigation: Cannabis plants need water. Programable water drip systems come much cheaper. You must adjust the water drip over time as the plants grow.
Air Circulation: Lighting systems will heat the cannabis plants. However, they also need continuous air circulation to reduce the heat and fight off pests that settle on leaves and buds. Some pricier grow rooms come with air circulation systems. But you can purchase one that circulates and filters the air for less than $200.
Seeds: You can buy seeds from any number of online breeders. However, if you plan just a few plants, you should start with cloned seedlings available at most dispensaries. These are early-stage but healthy seedlings you can nurse into fruition.
Soil: Cannabis does better in particular soils. The soil must have good drainage and contain nutrients specific to cannabis. Cannabis needs loamy soil, a balance of clay, sand, and silt). The best grow mediums have high calcium and ph levels. You can buy such soils online or at most nurseries.
Nutrition: You must feed cannabis plants. They require a balance of Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium, so look for the NPK ratio on the label. Moreover, plants need food fit for their age. Plants in the Vegetative Stage need high nitrogen, medium phosphorous, and high potassium. When plants reach the flowering phase, they need low nitrogen, medium phosphorous, and high potassium. You should choose a product line and stick with that brand. Well-balanced soils and good fertilizers do not need supplements.
Pesticide: Cannabis plants invite pests even under the best conditions. It would be best if you avoided fungus, mites, and other pests. However, any pesticide will wind up in the plant harvested for its recreational and medicinal benefits. Toxic pesticides will counter those benefits and create health risks. So, it would help if you opted for organic or natural pest control, such as Neem Oil, Pyrethrin, or Potassium Bicarbonate.
Consider the option
Growing cannabis indoors will run you over $1,000 in tools, equipment, and grow products. It can be an exciting hobby, and even two plants will produce a surprising yield. You must weigh these benefits against the price paid off-market or at your local dispensary.ou must consider your consumption schedule. If you go through an ounce or more in less than a month, your home garden yield will get you through a year or more. The investment in growing cannabis indoors begins to show returns when you pass the break-even point.
