Growing Weed Indoors Beginners Guide

Growing Weed Indoors Beginners Guide

Learn How to Grow Weed Indoors

You have chosen to grow cannabis indoors instead of outdoors. After all, indoor growing comes with several benefits. However, you might want to know more about what growing weed indoors takes.

Perhaps you are unsure of where to start or all the steps to take. Below is a foolproof guide for beginners. Think of it as a handy dandy guide for indoor growing for dummies.

Advantages of Growing Weed Indoors

  • Grow all your round. Properly growing cannabis during winter can pose a few challenges. The changing seasons can limit how many times a person can cultivate per year. Indoor growth allows you to harvest cannabis year-round. You can control the temperature and other conditions to ensure your plants thrive.
  • Quality. The quality of indoor weed is generally considered better than outdoor weed
  • Being discreet. When growing cannabs indoors, you can generally grow more discreetly. 
  • Control over light. The sun shines for a limited hours a day. This is in contrast to grow lights where you have control over how long they are on. Also, in many cases you can manage the intensity of the lights. The more light and the higher the wattage the better your harvest will be. 
  • Control over weather. When growing indoors, your cultivation is not affected by extreme weather conditions. 
  • Time seed to harvest. Indoors, you can influence the "season" and thus harvest earlier.
  • Lack of pests. One of the reasons why you would want to grow your marijuana plant indoors is the lack of pests. Pests can damage the crop and ruin the buds. It can be hard to prevent insects from infesting the plant without using pesticides. Indoor growing eliminates the issue.
  • Reduce change of diseases. Another advantage of indoor growing is the grow room. You can make sure the dedicated space is clean before planting to reduce the risk of disease. Your crops will produce high-grade weed as a “Thank You”

What Equipment Do You Need To Grow Weed Indoors

The best way to grow cannabis indoors is by gathering specific marijuana growing supplies:

  • Weed seeds
  • Grow room or tent
  • Carbon filter
  • Grow lights
  • Ventilation
  • Pots or containers
  • Growing medium
  • Nutrients
  • Thermometer
  • PH meter

Best place to grow cannabis indoors

You could use the basement, garage, or even a closet. Another option is to purchase a grow tent. Your grow room can be a whole room or a small space.

The size of the setup depends on how much space your garden needs. Some people plant a dozen plants, while others only cultivate several at a time.

Grow tents are a convenient way to nurture plants, and many of them have a ventilation port. They come in different sizes, so you can house nearly any plant. You can have better control over the environment when you use a grow tent.

Get Your Setup Ready for Growing Weed Indoors

When you plan your grow setup, here are several things to keep in mind:

  • Lighting. Grow lights should be powerful enough to provide enough energy. However, you should avoid burning the plants with the bulb. Some strains rely on a light cycle to flower. HPS lights are common, but LEDs are rising in popularity. Several bulbs are more energy-efficient.
  • Ventilation. Plants should have fresh air flowing through their leaves. Otherwise, a hot and humid environment can promote mold growth and other issues.
  • Smell. When weed plants enter the flowering phase, they release an odor. Airflow and a carbon filter come in handy in preventing the aroma from leaving the room.
  • Sound. Fans and extractors can make quite a bit of noise when they are on. One way to counteract this is by getting some quality fans. You can reduce the noise by attaching silencers to the output side of the machine and use aluminum ducting with inline insulation.
  • Growing medium. To produce good cannabis, you can use soil or hydroponics. Soil can be the easiest way to cultivate marijuana. Hydroponics uses water, peat, coco coir, or another soil-less substance as the central part of the growing medium.
  • Choose your seeds. You can choose between autoflowering seeds, feminized seeds and regular seeds. It is important to know that there are differences between autoflower, feminized and regular seeds. Autoflowering seeds can flower on their own, and feminized seeds eliminate the risk of unwanted pollination.
    Regular seeds produce more organic weed and can grow big cannabis plants. However, with regular seeds, you need to remove male plants in case your grow for the cannabis flower.

Tips for Growing Marijuana Indoors

There are a few tips to keep in mind when growing weed indoors.

  1. Tip #1 - Use easy to grow seeds
  2. Tip #2 - Provide sufficient water
  3. Tip #3 - Keep grow lights at a distance
  4. Tip #4 - Train your plants

Tip #1 - Use easy to grow seeds

Beginners should consider using easy-to-grow seeds. Autoflowering seeds are a great start, but it can help to look for other characteristics. Traits can include mold resistance, overwatering resistance, and strength against extreme temperatures.

Tip #2 - Provide sufficient water

It is necessary to give plants the appropriate amount of water. Overwatering is a common problem, but there are noticeable signs. Signs include brown leaf edges, yellowing, burn marks, brown spots, and curling.

Tip #3 - Keep grow lights at a distance

Another tip for growing weed indoors is to keep the grow lights at a distance from the crop. While you do not want them too far away, too close can hurt the plants. The heat may burn them. The distance depends on the wattage of the bulbs. For example, a 600W bulb should be at least 19 inches away.

Tip #4 - Train your plants

Plant training techniques like pruning can be useful for optimizing space. You can get fatter buds and a higher yield. String and stakes provide support for plants with heavier buds.

Growing Weed Indoors: A Step-by-Step Guide

Now that you know about the supplies and tips of indoor cultivation, you can begin growing cannabis properly. Here are the steps on producing your finest marijuana from start to finish:

Step 1. Germinate Your Seeds

The first step to growing weed indoors is germinating weed seeds successfully. The plant can emerge after a period of dormancy. There are multiple methods you can use to germinate your seeds.

The first way is soaking them in water overnight. Fill the cup with filtered water and drop the seeds into the glass. It is important not to leave them in for too long.

A recommended method involves wet paper towels. A non-porous towel is the best choice since the emerging root will not get stuck. All you need to do is leave your seed on the wet paper towel and fold it over. Check periodically to see if the taproot appeared.

You can bury seeds in a starter cube or peat pellets to germinate as well. They are easy to use and come with instructions for watering. It can take several hours to days for the germination process to complete.

Step 2. Plant Your Seeds

Now, it is time to plant germinated weed seeds. First, you need a pot or container to house the seed. Then, fill the pot with soil or another type of growing medium until it reaches just below the top. Make a small dimple with a pen or pencil.

The hole should be deep enough for the seed to remain moist and undisturbed. However, it should be shallow enough that the seedling can break through the topsoil. After placing the seed inside the dimple, cover it with a thin layer of growing medium.

Avoid pressing down on the soil, but you can lightly pat it. After spraying the topsoil with water, wait a few days until the plant emerges.

Step 3. Survive the Seedling Stage

The cannabis seedling stage means the plant is most sensitive to the environment. Fortunately, growing weed indoors means that it will not have to deal with insects or animals. Still, you should take extra care of the baby plant when growing weed indoors.

Make sure to water the seedling enough, so the soil does not dry. However, too much can cause root rot. Not only is overwatering an issue, but adding more nutrients also puts the plant's health at risk.

The seedling already has what it needs, and more may result in a nutrient burn. You can provide more nutrients when three or four leaves have sprouted.

Another way to survive this stage is by using a regulated light cycle. Natural light from a window sill works fine, but grow lights can help you achieve a proper cycle.

Step 4. Make the Plant Strong During the Vegetative Stage

The cannabis vegetative stage can take anywhere from three to sixteen weeks to complete. The plants really grow during this phase, and you can predict the size and harvest of your plants by the end. It is helpful to make organic cannabis strong as it grows.

An effective way to achieve a strong and healthy plant is with some growing medium. The plant will grow better if a high-quality growing medium is used. Hydroponics has a faster growth rate and easy access to oxygen.

Coconut material provides an oxygen-rich environment, and plants become robust.

Adjust the light conditions so that the cannabis gets at least 18 hours of sunlight. You also should provide some nutrients during this stage. Nitrogen and potassium are mainly responsible for plant growth during the vegetative stage.

Step 5. Let Your Plants Flower

To begin the cannabis flowering stage, alter the light cycle so that the cannabis gets 12 hours of light and dark each day. As the plant transitions, it will grow rapidly.

The buds begin to sprout during this phase, so check periodically. In the meantime, change the amount of each nutrient the plant gets.

You also can use low-stress training to help with space and maximize yield size. To do this, bend and secure the stems in place. Eventually, the growth will slow down, and buds will start to appear. Soon, you will be able to enjoy a bountiful harvest.

Step 6. Flush the Roots

As the name suggests, flushing weed involves rinsing them clean of extra nutrients. While developing marijuana requires them, nutrients can affect the taste of the harvest. You should flush weed during the transition stages of the feeding and growth cycles.

You also want to do the technique before the harvest.

Essentially, you would fill the soil with water until it cannot absorb any more of the liquid. Make sure the water drains out, and the process finishes when the water comes out transparent.

Flushing roots can stress out the plant, so you should allow a few days of recovery. You only need to flush weed once before a harvest.

Step 7. Harvesting Your Plant

You can determine when to harvest cannabis by observing the plant. Look for the pistils, or hairs, that come out of the flowers. The pistils look like long white threads. When most of them turn brown and dry, then you know it is time to harvest.

Harvesting weed include some latex gloves, household trimmers, and a large plastic tub. You can cut smaller plants on the main stem, and larger plants should have the branches removed.

Afterward, you will want to remove the small leaves from the buds. Carefully cut as close to the buds as possible without hurting them.

Yield When Growing Weed Indoors

How much weed per plant you harvest by growing weed indoors will vary based on the strains and the amount of care during development. You potentially could end up with 10 pounds of weed. 

Step 8. Dry and Cure Your Harvest

The last step is drying and curing weed. The amount of water in the buds should reach below 20%. The drying process takes a couple of weeks to ensure the final product does not stay wet.

The best way is to dry while the buds are on the branches. Hang them upside down in a dark and low-humidity room.

Drying ropes and nets exist as other options. Avoid newspaper and paper towels, or else you might get some mold. Do not be alarmed if the weed shrinks and loses its green color.

For curing, glass jars or vacuum-tight containers will do the trick. Protect the cannabis from temperature changes and direct sunlight. After one year of ripening, the cannabis will have reached its peak quality.

Now You Know About Growing Weed Indoors

Now, you know the essentials to growing weed indoors. Hopefully, you feel more confident about starting your garden. Want to get started? Check out our weed seeds for sale or contact us for more information.