How to Grow Weed Indoors

So, you’ve probably decided that you want to start growing your weed indoors, that too, for the very first time. Great! For this to work out perfectly for you, you need to understand that there are some technicalities involved while growing cannabis. This unique set of challenges need to be considered beforehand. There is a lot to know about this subject!

Growing cannabis indoors is an adventure. If you want to know how to grow weed indoors, you have come to the right place. This will break down the differences between growing weed indoor and growing weed outdoor. Maybe you first started growing outdoors, or perhaps this is your first time growing; either way, you can learn a lot about how to grow weed indoors.

Most people wonder that it’s probably much easier to head out and buy the strains; these people do not know that growing weed indoors and planting marijuana seeds on your own can actually turn out to be quite fruitful and cheap in the long run! You’ll be able to get rid of the expensive delivery options, and you won’t even need to worry about your parcel getting taken away either.

Legalizing marijuana in many of the major states has led to a rise in its usage – in very interesting ways, too, might I add! However, the process of growing marijuana on your own is still just as laborious. According to Parker Sullivan, the designer of a high-end gadget that preserves harvests, the process of growing weed indoors includes a lot of trial and error – which is justified and seems fair too. You can’t be an expert at it right away!

If you get your growing and cultivating methodology right, your 4×4 ground can yield up to two-to-four ounces of bud by the end of this three-month process. Many of the experts have suggested that beginners should try growing feminized auto-flowering seeds for their first try to grow weed indoors because it’s much easier to grow that; they also suggest that, as a beginner, you should opt for Sativa strains than Indica for the same reason.

Albeit challenging, the process to grow weed indoors might get a whole lot easier if you have the right guide in front of your eyes; luckily for you, you’re looking right at it! This guide is extremely easy-to-digest because we will break down the entire process for you and teach you everything from scratch. You will find everything that one needs to know in this guide, so keep reading if you’d prefer a green and blooming cannabis harvest sooner than later!

Why should you grow weed indoors?

When deciding whether you should grow weed indoors or outdoors, it’s vital to consider all of your options. However, growing weed indoors could be the right choice for many growers! While there is still an abundance of the reasons why you should prefer growing outdoors and cultivating weed outdoors has been a norm for centuries, times have advanced, and so have the ways to grow weed indoors with ease.

Benefit from controlled climates!

An indoor grower will always tell you that the reason why they prefer growing weed indoors is that they get to control the growing environment for their strains. This is a significant benefit because the ability to control your environment’s humidity, co2 production, light, and temperature will allow you to create an adequate habitat for the strains to grow.

When you grow weed indoors, you wouldn’t have to risk your harvest’s growth due to natural outdoor elements that you cannot control. If you choose to grow weed outdoors, then you will have to find the perfect climate that includes low humidity, warm days and nights, and an extraordinary amount of sun exposure, too – good luck searching for that! At least you wouldn’t have to worry about this if you grow weed indoors.

No need to worry about pests/bugs and other animals!

Like any other crop that one harvests, weed plants can also be subjected to the problems caused by pesticides and other insects if you’re growing outdoors. However, that problem can be controlled and managed if you simply grow weed indoors. Growing indoors won’t guarantee you a 100% removal of pests. Still, it can lower the possibility by a significant amount, mainly because you’ll be able to keep an eye on your crops if you grow weed indoors as well.

Use more of Co2 to maximize harvests!

Studies have suggested that you can actually increase your crop yield by 20% if you supplement your plants with extra Co2 while growing weed indoors. Cannabis plants require a fair amount of Co2 in order to make energy from all the light during photosynthesis. When you grow weed indoors, you can easily seal your grow room and supplement extra Co2 to your plants without letting any foul air vent out as well.

This method works perfectly when other variables in your growing room are optimized according to the plant’s requirements, and when you grow weed indoors, everything will work out just fine. This makes way for excellent quality strains in terms of appearance as well as the allover yield!

Use a grow light for your indoor setup!

Although using sunlight may be the most natural and obviously the best choice, one might benefit significantly from using a grow light when they grow weed indoors. While you can only get sunlight for a few hours in the day, a grow light will help your crops get the light they need for even 20 to 24 hours!

Grow lights also come with high light quality, and lights like LED are specially designed to provide your crops with the right amount of light when you grow weed indoors. You also can’t adjust the light’s intensity when the Sun is your source, but you can do that with grow lights!

There’s more privacy when you’re indoors!

The biggest advantage to avail when you grow weed indoors is your privacy and security. Everyone values that! Growing marijuana is illegal in some states, and growing weed indoors will help you conceal your activity. Even in the event of your state allowing you to grow weed, you may still need to protect your harvest from neighbors who judge and potential thieves as well! Grow weed indoors, and you’ll be able to grow your cannabis easily discreetly.

Growing indoors is cost-effective!

Although growing weed outdoors and indoors may require significant amounts of startup costs, when you grow weed indoors, it might be very cost-effective and economical. Indoor growths do require continual charges in order to maintain the climate and other things too, but if you do choose to go indoors, you might make up for the damage caused to your wallet!

The fact that you grow weed indoors might come in handy because even if you’ve invested a lot of money in order to set up the perfect environment for your cannabis, you’re obviously going to yield high-quality crop strains that can be sold for a higher amount of money too. With impressive growth rates, you can sell marijuana all year long, and the profits are going to be skyrocketing!

Step#1: Build a growing room for your cannabis

You can’t grow weed indoors without having a room. Naturally, having a space for this purpose becomes essential and the first thing you should start working on. The place needs to be suitable enough for you to grow weed in it, and it doesn’t necessarily require a standard growing room! You can opt for your free storage room, closet, basement, a tent, or anything readily available for you. Do keep in mind that you would have to tailor all of your equipment according to your room’s size if you plan to grow weed indoors!

It’s probably better to start small!

Since you’d be growing for the very first time, it’s expected if you want your harvest to look mighty huge. However, it’s best to keep your expectations a little low and start small. Why? There are a few benefits behind starting a small green project – it will be less expensive for you to set up a small grow. This may be beneficial because there will be trial and error when you grow weed indoors for the first time until you get the gist of it.

When you grow weed indoors and also start small, you’ll have only a few plants that you would have to monitor and keep an eye over. A large number will become too challenging to deal with, as a first-timer, and your plants might end up receiving less attention than they require! Do keep in mind that often, you won’t be able to expect your losses when you grow weed indoors for the first time.

New cannabis growers are likely to lose some of their harvests to pests and other clingy insects, so losing around two to three plants might be less costly than a whole lot of plants. Hence, start small so that you won’t be dealing with a dent in your wallet that cannot be fixed!

Make sure the space is big enough, though!

While you must invest in only a few plants for your first try, it might be an excellent strategy to keep your growing room spacious enough for everything to fit in. This is essential if you want to grow weed indoors and successfully because not only will your plants require a lot of space, but you will also have to account for grow lights, ducting, fans, and other equipment that you may need.

If you didn’t know this already, cannabis plants grow double of their original size during the flowering stage; it doesn’t matter if you grow weed indoors or outdoors! Be sure you have enough space – just a disclaimer. It wouldn’t be that big of an issue if your growing area is a cabinet or a closet because you can easily open it and work on your plants, but if they happen to be a corner of your basement or a storage room, then you must ensure enough working space for yourself – so that you wouldn’t accidentally end up stepping on your plants!

Keep the area clean and light-tight

When you grow weed indoors, it’s vital to ensure that the area your cannabis grows on is nice and clean. Not only is that a requirement for healthy growth, but it will also keep away the insects. When choosing your growing space, it’s recommended not to pick a place that might be difficult to clean; avoid carpets, raw wood, and drapes at all costs!

Your grow room must also be light-tight if you plan to grow weed indoors. This is an important criterion when you figure out your grow room’s technicalities because leaks of light might end up confusing your plants, and rather than producing female strains, it will end up making male flowers!

What else should you keep in mind?

The things mentioned above should be on your fingertips when you grow weed indoors, but there is still a lot to take care of! Your grow room needs to be accessible, first of all. You will have to keep checking in on your plants now and then, so if your grow room isn’t in the corner of your house, that would be ideal! If it’s your first time growing weed indoors, you would also want to check in more than a few times a day.

When deciding on a grow room for your weed, it’s recommended not to pick up an already very warm or humid space because then it’ll get complicated for you to control the environment. It’ll be better to pick a cool and dry place to grow weed indoors, along with easy access to fresh outdoor air.

A grow room should ideally be concealed as well, if privacy and discretion are essential to you and if you want to keep the prying eyes of thieves away. The fans you use in your grow room are bound to create a lot of noise, so make sure others cannot hear it!

Step#2: Decide on your grow lights

Lights are probably the most significant difference between growing indoors and growing outdoor. How to grow weed indoors requires good lighting. Almost any light will allow cannabis to grow, but you don’t just want it to grow; you want it to grow well!

The quality of the lights in your grow room when you grow weed indoors will be a significant factor in the improvement of your cannabis’ quality. If you can afford the best of all lights, you might as well invest in this! According to your affordability, it’s essential to consider all of your options for grow lights.

There are four main light types available on the market: CFL (compact fluorescent light), T5 (fluorescent tube lights), HID (high-intensity discharge), and LED (light-emitting diode). There is a lot of information available on these lights and their advantages and disadvantages. What you choose will be based on your grow room size, climate, desired energy usage, and budget.

Let’s discuss some of the most popular types of grow lights used to grow weed indoors.

CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light)

If you’re looking for something that would be ideal for short spaces and is also efficient in its technicalities, CFL might be a good option for you, too, if you want to grow weed indoors. You can find CFLs in any hardware store, and they are literally as cheap as chips! CFLs also run at cooler temperatures, and won’t heat up too quickly, so you don’t need to worry about installing a cooling system either.

However, CFLs might be convenient, but they are definitely not strong in their nature. If you do decide to switch to larger harvests when you grow weed indoors, CFL might not be a good option because it does not have the capacity to provide that much heat. So, if you’re buying a CFL, know that you can only do so much with its strength!

T5 (Fluorescent Tube Light)

T5 or fluorescent light fixtures that use high-output (HO) bulbs are a trendy choice amongst many first-time weed growers. When beginners grow weed indoors, most of them prefer fluorescent light fixtures because they are usually relatively cheap to set up in your grow room – the entire package comes with reflectors, ballast, and bulbs as well. Many pick T5 (Fluorescent Tube Light) for their grow room because they do not generate as much heat as HID setups do so that a cooling system won’t be necessary either.

However, one of the drawbacks of fluorescent light fixtures is that they might end up being less efficient for your grow room when you grow weed indoors, and they generate about 20-30% less light per watt of electricity consumed by them. Another drawback is related to space as fluorescent light fixtures need about 19 four-foot-long T5 HO bulbs, and even that would only equal the light produced by a single 600-watt HPS bulb.

HID (High-Intensity Discharge)

Coming to the standard option, HID or high-intensity discharge are the lights that get most commonly used because of their efficiency and value. If you grow weed indoors and decide to build a grow room with HID lights, it might cost you a bit more than incandescent or fluorescent light fixtures but HID lights will also provide your plants with more light than both these options. HIDs may still not be as efficient as LED lights, but when compared to its cost, it’s an excellent option for many!

 There are two main types of HIDs that you can buy if you grow weed indoors; metal halide (MH) and high-pressure sodium (HPS). Along with the bulbs, HID lights require separate ballasts and hood or reflector. Some of the ballast designs are specifically for either metal halide or high-pressure sodium, but newer techniques for ballasts work for both as well. Can’t afford both of the types of HIDs?

You should choose HPS if you have to. This is because HPS bulbs deliver more light per watt. Other than that, it would help if you also made a wise decision between a magnetic ballast and a digital ballast. Magnetic ballast is a cheaper option, while digital ballast is costly but extremely efficient.

Do keep in mind that HIDs can cause a lot of heat, so you might have to figure out your ventilation system as well. If your space isn’t large enough to provide ventilation on its own, you might need air-cooling reflector hoods for mounting the lamps. It will also require ducting and exhaust fans, which is bound to increase your upfront costs, but this setup would be ideal if you want to easily control your grow room temperature when you grow weed indoors.

LED (Light Emitting Diode)

Even though we have been accustomed to the LEDs for some time, they have only recently been used to grow weed indoors. This option is super efficient but is just as costly as well. LED lights can cost you around ten times more than an HID setup! However, if you do opt for LED lights, then you must know that the setup will require far less electricity, last much longer, generate less heat, and a full spectrum of light; all these benefits will aid your crops and provide a good quality yield in higher quantities too.

You may also find knock-off LED setups in the market, so do your research correctly before you spend all that hard-earned money on a new setup that might not even provide you with the maximum benefits.

Step#3: Control the smell and the air!

This falls under environmental control, but it’s a significant difference between indoor and outdoor growing, so we will mention it separately on how to grow weed indoors. If you’re growing indoors, you might be worried about people smelling your garden, or you just might not want your entire house wreaking of dank.

Controlling the smell in an indoor garden isn’t too difficult; all you need is a fan and a carbon filter. Set up the fan and your carbon filter, and voila, as long as you have the fan creating negative pressure, all the smell will be drawn through the CF, cleaned, and released as beautiful clean air.

What is so crucial about air circulation?

Like every other plant that you will grow, cannabis also requires fresh air to thrive. Similarly, cannabis plants will need an adequate amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) to carry out photosynthesis. When you grow weed indoors, your plants can likely become more susceptible to little climate fluctuations.

If you don’t ensure proper airflow in your grow room, the place might become too humid for your plants and develop CO2 depletion, which might adversely affect the health of your cannabis. When the airflow is not adequately managed, there can be a nutrient lockout, and if there is high humidity, your cannabis will be prone to pest infestation, mold and mildew.

To avoid all these issues, it’s crucial to monitor the air circulation in your grow room when you grow weed indoors. Your goal should be to create a homogenous airflow in your grow room, which will regulate CO2, humidity and keep the environment under check.

What can you do to manage air circulation?

Your grow room needs to have an exhaust fan on the top of your room that will blow away all the warm air – you will simultaneously need to attach a filtered air inlet opposite to your exhaust fan but near the floor.

You will also have to monitor the air temperature when you grow weed indoors; ensure that the temperature remains between 70-85 degrees Fahrenheit when the lights are on and around 58-70 degrees Fahrenheit when the lights are off. This will also depend on the type of marijuana strain you are growing; for example, indica strains prefer a colder temperature, but the others might be indifferent about higher temperatures.

When it comes to deciding the size of your exhaust fan to grow weed indoors, that will solely depend on your grow room’s size and the amount of heat your grow lights generate. For example, if you have HID lighting in your grow room, then they are bound to create a lot of heat, even more so if you haven’t installed an air-cooled hood.

To decide how much airflow you’ll require in your room when you grow weed indoors, you can try turning your lights on after setting them up and then determining how much airflow you will need to keep a comfortable environment for your greens. To deal with the odor caused by cannabis plants, you can also add a charcoal filter to your exhaust fan.

On the other hand, many large-scale indoor weed growers create a sealed and artificial environment for their strains with the help of air conditioners, dehumidifiers, along with supplemental CO2 systems – this option will obviously cost a lot, which is why only large-scale growers can manage to do this. When you grow weed indoors for the first time, it’s not recommended to go all in like this! This can really help when it comes to how to grow weed indoors.

Last but not least, you should have a constant light breeze in the grow room when you plan to grow weed indoors – this will not only strengthen the stems of your plant but will also ensure that pests and mold can’t get comfortable on your plants. For this purpose, you can install a wall-mounted circulating fan but make sure that it doesn’t point straight at your plants because that can cause windburn!

Many growers prefer to grow weed indoors because it allows greater control over the environment one wants to keep. Indoor growers can take the help of many types of equipment like oscillating fans, intake and exhaust fans, plus filters as well – when you use all of these things together, your harvest is bound to turn out healthy.

Step#4: Monitor the environment and control the climate!

This is a key area for an indoor garden. The whole point about how to grow indoors is controlling your environment perfectly. Otherwise, you might as well just grow outdoors. If your indoor environment is not perfect or close to perfect, you will have problems down the line.

The three main areas to consider are heat, humidity, and air movement. Humidity will vary based on what phase of growth you’re in and your other environmental factors. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what humidity you need, but generally, during veg growth, you want to be looking at anywhere between 60-70% humidity, and in flower, you want it to stay below 50% to prevent bud rot and other molds forming.

Both temps and humidity can be monitored with hygrometers, a useful (necessary) tool for any how to grow weed indoors guide. Air movement is simple; all you need are fans. Don’t make it a hurricane inside your grow room, but make sure all the leaves are dancing – that’s when you know they’re happy. Proper air movement prevents a lot of pests and molds from gaining a foothold in your garden!

What are the optimal conditions for your cannabis garden?

If you grow weed indoors, you must keep in mind that cannabis is a very resilient plant, and it can grow in a range of conditions. However, if you want it to thrive and not just survive, you might want to keep a few conditions in check for the growth stage.

• For seedlings or clones: 75-80°F with the lights on and ~70% humidity
• During growth: 75-80°F and ~40-60% humidity
• During flowering stage: 65-80°F and ~40-50% humidity

How to measure environmental conditions?

In order to have the perfect understanding of your indoor weed garden’s climate and environmental conditions, you must know your way around some of the types of equipment as well. Most of these are easy to use and very cheaply plus conveniently found, so getting them is not a hassle either. Following are some of these tools:

1. A thermometer: You will need this in order to measure how warm or cold the environment is when you grow weed indoors.
2. Hygrometer: You will need this to measure the humidity or the amount of water vapor content in the grow room.
3. Infrared thermometer (optional): Infrared thermometer, or IR thermometer, has a detection device that is called the thermopile, which helps you in measuring the surface temperatures. While this is not necessary to use, it can help you figure out the temperature of your weed’s leaves so that you can easily regulate the conditions of your grow room’s environment with exact information.

What’s next?

Now that you have everything set up and ready let’s start talking about how you can automate the functions of grow lights and other climate control equipment that you have purchased. As mentioned above, there are many specialized and complicated tools available to help you control the environment of your room to grow weed indoors, but when you’re testing out your plants and just aim to try them out, you might need a simple 24-hour timer for the lights and a thermostat for your exhaust fan.

It’s imperative that you focus on the timings of your light when you grow weed indoors. The light and dark timing cycle need to be monitored very carefully in every stage of the cannabis’ growth; during vegetative growth, you must have your lights on for 18 hours per 24 hours, and during the final stage or the blooming period, they need to be on for 12 hours per 24 hours.

This is a key aspect for healthy plant growth because if you mismanage your light timings, then your plant will get stressed out; for this reason, you need a timer. While you could also use the timer for your exhaust fan, it wouldn’t hurt your wallet too much if you just opt for a thermostat switch.

Since you now equip the most basic instruments to grow weed indoors, you will simply have to place your thermostat on the switch device and put in the maximum temperature for the grow room before plugging the exhaust fan in it. The purpose of this device is to turn the fan on when the temperature reaches the maximum level to let the temperature fall a little below the threshold – it’s a convenient and energy-saving method, and it will simultaneously maintain an adequate temperature in your room to keep your cannabis happy.

You won’t be spending most of your time in the grow room to keep a check on everything all the time, so a hygrometer and a thermostat with a low/high memory feature can do the job for you. It’s not expensive at all and will show you the temperature/humidity level in the grow room along with the highest and lowest readings of your grow room as well.  

Step#5: Pick your cannabis cultivar!

This is the most interesting part about growing weed, and I’m quite sure that you agree as well! Picking a cultivar is far more important than when it comes to outdoor growing. The reason choosing a strain is part of this how to grow weed indoors guide is because it is crucial for a healthy indoor garden.

Some strains may grow far too big for your indoor growing space, so plan carefully. Either go for shorter strains that do not stretch a lot when going into flower (usually Indica dominant strains), or go for a taller strain and make sure you don’t veg it for too long.

Many people have made the mistake of vegging indoor plants too long, only to have their flower area overflowed with the plant. It makes it difficult to keep your environment in check, and that’s when pests and other problems like to take hold of your indoor garden. Let’s consider a few things that you would need to keep in mind before picking your strain.

Step#5: Pick your cannabis growing medium!

Now that you’re done with everything regarding the grow room, it’s time to decide your cannabis medium when you grow weed indoors. This part is very important, and you need to ensure that you blend your plants with the soil they will thrive in. Soil is basically the topmost layer of the earth; it is a mixture comprised of organic remains, clay, and rock particles.

The reason why your cannabis may not grow well in one type of soil but would grow well in the other is because there are a few variables in it that need to match the requirements of your plant when you grow weed indoors. These variables include pH levels, water retention, textures, nutrient makeup, and drainage.

When it comes to picking the right soil to grow weed indoors, the soil’s texture will guide you more about its attributes. You can find sandy, silt, clay, or loam texture soil in the market, and we will now tell you what each texture represents in the soil!

Sandy Soils

You will be able to know that the soil is sandy if it has a larger granular structure; it will include a very low pH level. This type of soil is easily permeable for the growth of roots, and it also has very good drainage. Sandy soils prevent compaction, have high levels of oxygen in them, and are, in short, very easy to work with. However, sandy soils have very poor water retention. The soil dries out fast, and this leads to the nutrients also getting taken away without having your cannabis benefit from it.  

Silt Soils

The soil will be called silt if it has a medium granular structure; this type of soil is rich in mineral content and can retain moisture pretty well. However, there is a negative side to this soil, and that is the fact that when you grow your cannabis indoors in silt soil, it can become compact in certain climatic conditions. It can become prone to forming a crust like a layer on the top, and your plants may not be able to benefit from any type of nutrients as they may not reach them.

Clay Soils

You can identify clay soil by its small granular size; this type of soil has high amounts of pH levels. When you keep it hot and in dry conditions, clay will become hard, and the roots will not be able to penetrate through it. The drainage in clay soil is extremely poor, which makes it hard to cultivate as well. However, clay soils are very rich in minerals and natural nutrients, so it still may be a good choice.

Loam Soils

Some plants come with their native soil requirements and may thrive well in one of the compositions mentioned above, but cannabis plants grow extremely well in a combination of all three soils; the combination of them is called loam soil. You can identify loamy soil by touching it; if you gather loamy soil in your fist, it will form a loose ball before breaking down in chunks.

Loam soil is nearer to being neutral in pH levels, has a good drainage capacity, and excellent water retention. It also supports microorganisms and includes high levels of oxygen in it so that your plant can benefit from the best composition one can find. However, since you are getting so much in this soil, it’s bound to be a little costly – it’ll be worth it, though! 

Most of the gardeners use loam soils because it is the richest out of all; the smell of it is also very fresh. Plus, you’ll know that the composition is diverse after you look at its color, which should be dark.

Go Soilless – use Hydroponics!

Many of the growers who grow weed indoors are increasingly shifting to hydroponic media to cultivate cannabis. In the hydroponic method, you will have to feed the cannabis with concentrated nutrient solutions of mineral salt; they will be absorbed by the roots during osmosis.

This method of hydroponics leads to a quicker and faster absorption of nutrients in the plant for bigger yields. However, for this method to work, you will have to ensure that you are very careful when feeding the plant because cannabis can easily react to over or underfeeding; there can be a chance of nutrient lockdown, and the entire plant can burn.

The soilless hydroponic material will include Rockwool, expanded clay, perlite, and coco coir, along with many more – you can also find a mixture of any two of these in markets to create a healthy growing mix for your cannabis when you grow weed indoors. Soilless hydroponic material can be used in automated hydroponic setups, or you can also use hand-watered separate containers.

Step#6: Pick your cannabis container!

Now that we get closer to the end let’s consider a few more important things. Obviously, you cannot grow weed indoors without having a proper and appropriate container; however, which container you pick will depend on your medium, the system you have installed, and how big your plant is going to be. This is an important part of how to grow weed indoors.

Your cannabis will only have one requirement for its container when you grow weed indoors, a secure place for it to comfortably develop its roots. The essence of every good plant growth will definitely be the healthy roots! If the roots are healthy, then the building blocks behind your fresh and heavenly cannabis are strong. Roots of any plant will be responsible for its water retention; they are also responsible for nutrient absorption and help facilitate the cannabis’ vegetative growth.

What do you need to take care of?

• Water retention is the first thing that you should consider when you buy a container to grow weed indoors. Without a proper drainage system, your plants will die; likewise, too much water can cause waterlogging, and it will rot the roots.
• Oxygen is also essential to good cannabis growth. Choose a pot that will allow the roots of your cannabis to receive enough oxygen for healthy development.
• Your cannabis must reach the nutrient requirement that it has. If your plant receives the optimal conditions, only then a proper nutrient absorption can occur.
• Space will also be crucial to consider because your cannabis needs to have its roots comfortably branch out, and a small container will cause your plant to become rootbound and make it choke.

What are the common types of pots used to grow cannabis?

There are many types of pots and containers that one can find according to their perforation style, material composition, shape, and size.

Plastic Pots

For all the growers operating on a budget when they grow weed indoors, a plastic pot might be a popular option. You can easily find these pots anywhere, and they are very cheap as well. These pots have low overhead costs; plus, they accommodate a very good drainage system, and you can also easily puncture holes in it too. In the end, transplanting will also be convenient and cheap!

However, plastic pots may not be strong enough to protect your cannabis’ roots from any fluctuations in the temperature. Plastic is also not a very durable material, so cracks and structural damage can be expected over time. It can also bring airflow issues if the growing medium isn’t supportive.

Ceramic Pots

Ceramic Pots or Terra Cotta may be the best option for you if you reside in a hot region, and it can carry multiple benefits for your cannabis plants when you grow weed indoors. Ceramic pots have the ability to absorb moisture and keep a low temperature during warm days.

However, the drainage in ceramic pots is not very ideal because you might have to drill holes in it through special tools, so it’s not much of a good option. The weight of ceramic pots is also very heavy, so transporting them from one place to the other might be a hassle.

Fabric Containers

Fabric containers are still a relatively new method of containers to grow weed indoors, but it is very useful. When fabric pots are used, the cannabis roots grow towards the outer edges and then try to go past the fabric wall; however, they are unable to do so, which causes new growth. This process is called ‘air pruning,’ which makes the root composition denser and leads to healthy plant growth.

This method supports a good airflow for the cannabis roots and has an excellent drainage system at that. However, fabric containers may require a lot more of your attention and time as they can dry out pretty quickly – but you can also use larger pots to slow down the drying process. The structure of this container is also very flimsy, so plants may not get an adequate amount of support.

Step#7: Feed your cannabis nutrients!

If you plan on growing extremely high-quality cannabis when you grow weed indoors, you need to know that they require more amounts of fertilizer, or you could say nutrients than normal plants do. Your plants would require macronutrients that are called Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. They will also require some micronutrients, but in small quantities, like Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, and Copper.

If you haven’t been using a pre-fertilized soil mix, you will have to give your plants an appropriate nutrient solution that is best for their growth. You can find these nutrients packed in a bottle full of concentrated liquid or powder – you need to mix them with water in order to give that to your cannabis when you grow weed indoors. These nutrients are more required towards the vegetative or bloom period because of the changing nutrient requirement throughout its cycle – it will need more nitrogen during vegetative growth while it will require more phosphorus or potassium when the plant begins to grow into buds.

Once you’re done buying all the necessary nutrient products for your cannabis, you will simply have to dissolve these nutrients in the water and provide that to your plants. It’s always recommended to start at a half-strength dose because cannabis plants are very prone to burns. After all, it’s only for the worse if you overfeed the plant than underfeed it. You will still be a beginner, so you’ll learn more about the way your plant gets deficient with time and experience. But this is all a part of how to grow weed indoors.

For this reason, it’s also recommended that you use a pH meter to check the pH level of your plants while giving them the nutrients. The ideal ratio should be between 6 to 7 in soil, while it should be around 5.5 to 6.5 when using hydroponics. If you don’t adhere to this requirement, your plants can suffer from a nutrient lockout, which means that they are not benefiting from the nutrients you’re giving them. In short, test the water almost regularly and take care of the nutrient range!

Step#8: Water ‘em up!

Now, you must think that watering the plants up is the easiest step when you grow weed indoors, and it may be! However, you also need to consider that some water may contain an unusually high amount of minerals not required by your plant, which can build up in the roots of your cannabis and can be harmful to the plant’s nutrient uptake. It can also contain fungus or other pathogen traveling inside the water, which can damage the roots.

In some places, people also get a high amount of sodium in their water supply, and this can destroy the soil microbes of your cannabis. Hence, many growers also filter their water to avoid this from happening because one can never be too sure!

There’s one thing that you need to keep in mind for this process; do not overwater! Your cannabis can easily get destroyed by a fungal root disease when you overwater the plant, and beginners make these mistakes very often – try not to be one of them!

You can’t always really know an exact way to water your cannabis plants – it’s very difficult to get an in-depth review of the roots and their health in order to water the cannabis accordingly. Also, keep in mind that the cannabis will keep growing from the minute you sow the seed in its soil, so the requirements are also bound to change throughout the stages.

Notice a few observations…

1. Are the leaves of your plant dark green or yellow?
2. Do the leaves look strong/full of color?
3. Notice the soil as well.

By taking a look at the soil and feeling it on your fingers, you can tell that the plant is thirsty. If the soil feels dry and flaky, get the water because your cannabis needs it! Some growers can even lift the plant up to notice if it’s heavy or light – if it’ll be heavy, then your plant doesn’t need water, but again if it’s light, you know what to do. However, this observation may take some time, so we can’t expect a beginner who wants to grow weed indoors to get it right on the first try! When it comes to how to grow weed indoors, everyone starts from the beginning and learns their own way.

A plant that requires you to water it will look weak, and the leaves will have lost all of their colors as well. It may almost look lifeless, and that is a point hard to miss! A plant that has been overwatered will also look the same, but the only difference is that the leaves will look dark green, and the tips of the leaves would’ve been curled as well.

It will take time for you as a beginner to learn the way a cannabis plant functions when you grow weed indoors, so don’t expect yourself to be an expert right away! Just figure out the watering schedule of your plants and keep in mind that it is still better to underwater your plant than overwatering it!

Conclusion

Congratulations! If you made it this far in the article, then you’re probably very well-versed in the topic of growing weed by now. Every step of how to grow weed indoors has been covered above to ensure that you do not miss out on anything. We hope you made notes; Happy growing!