Before planting the seeds of your favorite strain in a pot and setting up your entire grow room, you’re going to want to educate yourself on the basics.
Growing cannabis is a very rewarding but time-consuming process that requires patience and knowledge.
The majority of home growers are looking for tips for growing weed indoors, as not everybody can afford greenhouses and acres of open land.
That’s why we’ve mapped out 9 must-read tips for growing weed indoors.
If you’ve just hopped on the subject of growing cannabis, they will help you avoid the most common mistakes made by inexperienced growers.
Come and see how you can improve as an indoor farmer.
1. Buy Only High-Quality Seeds
You can grow weed indoors using any type of seeds you want, but don’t expect stellar results with just ANY seed — and definitely not with that dreaded bagseed.
The lower the quality of your seeds, the higher the chance of disappointment because genetics are far more powerful than any growing method.
In short, you can have the exact same setup and grow your weed at the same time, but with different genetics. We can guarantee the end products will be worlds apart, both in terms of the yields, potency, and resilience.
Of course, superior genetics will always win.
Always buy your seeds from a trusted seed bank. You don’t have to use the premium-grade seeds, but as long as they come from a reputable seller who can prove their quality, you’re good to go.
What type of cannabis should you use for your first indoor grow space? We recommend indica strains, as they tend to grow smaller and bushier, which is perfect for smaller spaces.
2. Never Use Any Soil that Comes with Added Nutrients
When choosing soil for your next plants, you can use any high-quality potting soil, as long as it doesn’t come with artificial fertilizers. There’s no need to buy soil with added nutrients because the only three nutrients required to grow healthy cannabis plants are nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus — all of which naturally occur in soil.
3. Choose the Right Location
Selecting the right location for growing weed indoors is just as important as doing so when looking for real estate.
Precise positioning is a must for the proper growth of your crops. For novice growers, we suggest starting with smaller spaces.
Do you have a free closet or cabinet? That’s perfect because they work best for starters.
Keeping the space small gives you precise control over the plant’s environmental conditions, such as light, temperature, and humidity — it will also minimize the necessity of expensive air conditioning, advanced LED lights, and large humidifiers.
4. Germinate the Seeds Carefully
With regular seeds, germination is an essential step if you want to grow your weed indoors.
Simply place your seeds on a damp paper towel and provide it with access to moderate sunlight for 24–32 hours. Once the germination is over, poke tiny holes in the soil, up to an inch below the surface.
Make sure your seeds have enough space to bloom into full maturity without impacting the other plants.
Your freshly germinated seeds need a lot of moisture. This will provide your seedling with the necessary amount of nutrients to grow healthy and strong.
5. Give Your Plants Much Light
Great buds need plenty of light — no growing skills can make up for the amount of light produced by inferior sources.
When you select the right genetics, your plant has the potential to give you large and resinous yields, and with good light, you can maximize this potential.
Use powerful grow lights, such as HPS, LECs, or LEDs if you want to get the biggest and most dense buds.
To provide your plants with the conditions similar to its natural environment, we suggest that you choose a full-spectrum lighting system.
6. Maintain the Optimal Temperature & Humidity in Your Grow Room
Growing weed indoors is all about mimicking mother nature’s changing seasons. You can decide when you want your plants to switch from the vegetative stage to the flowering stage.
When the temperature is too high, your plant will begin to wilt, while too low temperatures can slow its growth. The ideal temperature when the lights are on ranges between 70F and 85F. When the lights are off, you want to keep the temperature between 58F and 70 F.
When it comes to humidity, it all depends on the growth phase. During the vegetative growth, humidity around 60–70% can be beneficial for your plants. However, once it enters the flowering stage, you’ll need to lower the humidity as much as possible. Otherwise, mold will start forming and getting into your buds.
And that’s the worst thing that can happen to your crops.
7. Proper Ventilation is a Must
This is another factor that can make or break your growing results.
The proper air flow and ventilation are crucial for creating perfect air quality, and the air quality is a big contributor to stellar-quality buds.
When growing 1–2 smaller to mid-sized plants, a fan or two should do the job. But with bigger grow rooms, you’ll need a solid exhaust system to ensure the undisturbed airflow.
8. Mind the Timing
Timing is everything when growing weed indoors, so let’s take a look at the three growth stages of cannabis plants — and how to successfully complete each phase.
- Seedling stage: your seedling needs to remain well-watered, but not flooded. After watering the soil, wait until its surface feels a bit dry to the touch before re-watering.
- Vegetative stage: after 14 days, your seedlings will be ready to enter into their vegetative stage. During that time, your plant grows big and strong, developing stems and leaves. At this stage, you’ll need to provide the plants with at least 18 hours of light.
- Flowering stage: this is the final stage of your plant’s growth, where your herb will bloom gorgeous buds. At the flowering phase, the plant will need a minimum of 12 hours without any light every day until the harvest. It can take anywhere from 7 to 9 weeks before the crop is ready for yields.
9. Proper Drying and Curing Makes for 50% of Your Success
Drying/curing your buds will make them smell better, look better, and feel more potent.
As with anything related to growing weed indoors, drying buds should be done slowly and with proper care. Then, you can place them in glass mason jars for up to 4 weeks in order to make the buds denser. Curing also improves the aroma profile of your cannabis and boosts potency.
Do you have any other tips to share with novice growers? How do you grow weed indoors?
Share your thoughts in the comments below!