Growing Marijuana Indoors

There are many pros and cons to both indoor and outdoor growing. As growing marijuana indoors definately costs more and requires more knowledge of plant needs,the benifit of growing indoors boils down to one word. Control. When growing marijuana,or any plant for that matter,something you should always remember is that the difference between a thriving plant and a dead plant comes down to 4 factors. Light,air,water,nutrients. Different plants require different ratios,and temperatures,ect. of each of the 4 factors. If you have a plant that is not doing well,rest assured that one or more of the 4 factors is out if sync with your plants needs. On the other hand,if you have a plant that is thriving,you know that all of the 4 factors are close enough to the plants needs to allow it to thrive. So why indoors? Once again,control. Each of the 4 factors that a plant requires,can be artificially created and controlled indoors. So as the perfect day may only come a few times a year in nature,the perfect day can be every day for your plants indoors. Growing quality medical marijuana indoors is as simple as knowing how your plants want the 4 factors to be and then making them that way.

Light
The light you give your plants when growing indoors is crucial to every part of the plant,including trichome production. There is no substitute for good light. When purchasing your indoor lights there are only 2 factors you need to concern yourself with. 1. The intensity of the light,measured in lumens and 2. the spectrum of the light,measure in nanometer (nm)

Types of indoor lights

Fluorescent Lights
Bottom line
Average intensity 50 –90 lumens

Recommended use –For cuttings and starting seeds only. Purchase full spectrum bulbs. Either compact flourescent lights with highly reflective hoods or T5 units to maximize light intensity.

Fluorescent lights work fine for cuttings. As a matter of fact,most growers prefer using flourescent lights for cuttings because the bulbs don’t burn too hot and cuttings dont need that much light while developing roots anyways. You can use fluorescent to start seeds,but if you are just using standard flourescent lights with a standard 2 bulb shop light fixture,expect your seedlings to get lanky. If you must flourescent lights can be used to grow vegetatively,but I dont recommend it. Your plants will get lanky and weak. As far as flowering is concerned,don’t use flourescent lights,they simply do not put out enough light to create healthy buds. You can search the internet and find articles written my mavericks who have grown and flowered their plants using flourescent lights. Technically it can be done,and technically I can swing a baseball bat,but I am no Babe Ruth. Usually the guy who is using flourescent lights to flower his plants is using them because he can not use HID’s for one reason or another. Flourescents are seem cheap on your electricity bill and they are cheap to buy,when it comes down to it,if you had enough fluorescent bulbs to equal the same amount of lumens as a HID,the fluorescent lights would use more electricity. Bottom line if you want good grass vegetate and flower your plants under HID’s.

When purchasing your flourescent lights there are many that are designed for growing plants these days. Purchase bulbs that have a wider spectrum. If buying standard fluorescent bulbs (T8 bulbs) from your local hardware store,get cool white or daylight,as they have a wider spectrum. T5 bulbs (a skinny fluorescent light) do put out more lumens than the standard T8 fluorescent bulbs,and there are some units that are designed to hold 8 or more bulbs. Such units can put out a lot of lumens. There are also compact fluorescent units that come with hoods designed to reflect a maximum amount of light. These also put out a good amount of lumens. Fluorescent lights do burn at a very low temperature often operating at around room temperature,allowing you to keep the bulbs very close to your plants without burning them. When growing with flourescent lights keep the lights 1 to 3 inches above the tips of the plants and keep them on for 24 hours a day. Make sure that your plants are directly below the bulbs,so if you have 2 by 3 feet of cuttings,you want to have at least 2 by 3 feet of fluorescent lights directly above them.

HID Lights (High Intensity Discharge)
includes high pressure sodium and metal halide lights

Metal halide
Bottom line
Intensity 75 to 115 lumens per watt

Recommended use - Use for growing your plants vegetatively and starting seeds. If use for cuttings,keep a minimum of 4 feet from tops of cuttings,depending on heat and light output. Purchase enhanced spectrum bulbs.

Metal halide lights were made in the 60s by adding metals and salts to the mercury vapor lamp improving the spectrum and intensity. Bulbs are to be used only with ballasts designed for metal halide bulbs. Metal halide lights do offer a wide spectrum but still burn more of a blue light. When purchasing your metal halide lighting system,purchase one an air cooled hood. An air cooled hood consists of glass below the light,minimizing the amount of heat the bulb radiates to the room. It also consists of a hole on the side of the hood where a small fan is mounted to blow the hot air from the bulb outside. When using metal halide to start seeds make sure that the heat from the bulb is radiating directly on the seedlings. You can feel with your hands the direct heat from the bulb. Starting cuttings with metal halide lights is not advised due to the intensity of light and heat. If using metal halide lights to start cuttings keep at a minimum distance of 4 feet from tips of cuttings and use shade cloth if necessary. Marijuana plants respond particularly well when growing vegetatively under metal halide bulbs due to the intensity of light and the amount light given from the blue end of the spectrum. When a marijuana plant is budding indoors,it is given only 12 hours of light. This makes the importance of light intensity go up because your plants need to get all of their energy from only 12 hours. It is for this reason that metal halide lights are not preferred for flowering marijuana,as high pressure sodium lights offer more lumens per watt. So as metal halide lights can be used to flower marijuana,and are preferred over flourescent lights,they are not preferred over high pressure sodium bulbs.

High pressure sodium
Bottom line
Intensity 100 to 140 lumens per watt

Recommended use –Use only for flowering plants. Purchase enhanced spectrum lights. Purchase an air cooled hood.

High pressure sodium lights have long been the preferred light for indoor marijuana growers due to their incredible lumen per watt ratio. High pressure sodium lights emit more red light resulting in a bright orange light,used in many parking lots and garages. Even though the light spectrum produced from high pressure sodium bulbs is not ideal for marijuana plants,the lumens it provides makes up for the lack of blue light. Also,the fact that marijuana plants flower in the fall,when sunlight is more of a red light than usual,assists high pressure sodium lights in being the flowering light of choice. Enhanced spectrum high pressure sodium bulbs,which look much more like daylight than traditional bulbs,are recommended. When purchasing your high pressure sodium system,purchase one with an air cooled hood. Air cooled hoods have glass below the bulb to prevent the bulb heat from radiating to the plants. Air cooled hoods also have a fan mounted on the side of the hood to blow the hot air from the bulb outside. Do not underestimate the heat these bulbs put out,especially in the summer months,keeping your plants cool can be quite a task. It is for this reason that it is recommended to run your light schedule during the night. New and improved digital ballasts run cooler and quieter than traditional magnetic ballasts. If using high pressure sodium bulbs to start seeds or cuttings,keep the bulb at least 4 feet from the tops of plants to minimize the amount of heat from the bulb. If too bright,use a shade cloth for the cuttings. If using high pressure sodium to grow vegetatively,purchase the enhanced spectrum bulbs that where recommended,as they will provide more of the blue light younger plants crave. However,it is preferred that high pressure sodium bulbs only be used for flowering.

LED
Bottom line
Intensity 50 to 80 lumens per watt

Recommend –I haven’t done enough research yet. Don’t believe any add. LED manufacturers claim that instead of having a huge amount of lumens,LED’s made for growing plants have their light emitting only the spectrum that your plants need.

I really don’t like to write about things on monsterbuds.com unless I personally have tried and tested them. I will be trying and testing LED grow lights soon,but for now let me mention what I do know. I have a friend who owns a hydroponics store. He told me that the old LED lights weren’t made for growing plants and weren’t as effecient as HID’s,but since the recent rise of manufacturers designing LED lights specifically for plants they have gotten better. Although,he still would not vouch for them. he mentioned that some of the articles on the internet about LED lights growing plants where actually written by the LED light manufacturers. I personally,am not saying that they don’t work,but I also am not saying they do. I haven’t had enough experience with them either way. I have been told that the benifits of LED’s,assuming they work,is that they use 75% less power and last for 80,000 hours. One in particular that I was looking at the other day used 177 watts and put out 10,000 lumens. This puts the LED I was looking at at 56 lumens per watt,well below any HID light. However,the manufacturer claimed that most HID’s put out a lot of lumens of white light. Keep in mind that the green light that is given to the plants they do not absorb,this is why they appear green. So lets say a particular HID puts out 10,000 lumens of white light,almost 1/3 of that light is green light,which the plant doesn’t use. The LED manufacturer claimed that their light,while only 54 lumens per watt,focuses all of their light on the parts of the spectrum the plants cant absorb. So as a white light putting out 10,000 lumens,has 3,000 of them bounce back from the plant,leaving only 7,000 lumens for the plant to absorb. So even if an LED only put out 8,000 lumens,the plant is still using more light from the LED. Once again,at this time I do not agree or disagree with any statements regarding LED lights. If you really want to see if they work,and have the money,try em out for yourself.

Hours of light a day

Marijuana plants flower as a direct result of how much light they are give. So regardless of how big the plant is,the temperature,or nutrients it is given,your plants will not flower until they are given a flowering light schedule. You could have your plants get 20 feet tall if you kept them under a vegetative light schedule the whole time. When giving your plant a certain light schedule,you want to keep the timing consistent,having the lights come on and go off at the same time every day. Too much variation in the light schedule can stress your plants out,causing them to create male pollen sacs on a female plant. There are only 2 different light schedules you need to focus on. When you are starting seeds,starting clones or growing your plants vegetatively indoors you want to give your plants more than 16 to 24 hours of light a day,also known as a vegetative light schedule. Remember that your plants convert light to energy,so if you are using fluorescent lights or a smaller HID (high intensity discharge) than you should be using,you need to give your plants 24 hours of light a day to compensate for the lack of light intensity. When you flower your plants,you want to give them a light schedule of 12 hours of light a day,also known as forced flowering. 12 hours of light a day simulates the short days in fall when a marijuana plant flowers in nature,so plants are kicked into flowering mode when given this light schedule.

Light intensity (lumens)
Bottom line –Multiply the square footage of your room by 5,000 to find out how many lumens you need for your room.

A lumen is simply a way to measure the intensity of light. In all practical purposes,you could say that lumens equals brightness. Your plants use light to create energy,so the more intense the lights,or more lumens,the more energy they will be able to create. This is a very,very important part to growing quality medical marijuana. Sometimes HID lights can get expensive,and a lot of growers try and buy the cheaper smaller light to save money. If you are debating over whether to buy the smaller or bigger light for your room,go collect cans for a week and buy the bigger bulb,it will be worth it. When growing indoors you want to concern yourself with lumens per square foot. As you could have a light that puts out 20,000 lumens,if you are using this light in a room with 20,000 square feet,it wouldn’t be sufficient lighting. However,if you put this same light in a room that is only 4 square feet,it would be sufficient. You want a minimum of 3,000 lumens per square foot. Daylight is 10,000 lumens per square foot. Realistically 5,000 to 7,500 lumens per square foot would be perfect for your indoor garden. So this is how you are going to figure out what size light to buy for your room. Find out the square footage of your room. Multiply the square footage by 5,000. That is how many lumens you need your light,or lights,to produce in order to grow quality marijuana. As mentioned above if you must,you can go as low as 3,000 lumens per square foot,but it is not recommended.

Light Size

Here is a good idea of what sized light you will need for your room. The wattage recomendation is just a rough estimate as different bulbs produce different amount of lumens,so go by the amount of lumens you need for your room. When purchasing your light all HID’s should have a lumen output on the side of the box. Also,it is better to get a little more wattage than a little less.

2 x 2 or 4 sq ft –150 watts or 16,000 lumens

2 x 3 or 6 sq ft –250 watts or 28,500 lumens

3 x 3 to 3 x 4 or 9 to 12 sq ft –400 watts or 50,000 lumens

4 x 4 or 4 x 5 or 16 to 20 sq ft –600 watts or 90,000 lumens

5 x 5 or 5 x 6 or 25 to 30 sq ft –1000 watts

6 x 6 or 36 sq ft –1400 watts

6 x 9 or 54 sq ft –1500 watts

Match the square footage with the wattage. Try and keep the room as square as possible,the longer the room the harder it is for the light to reach the sides on the long ends. Also,if the chart asks for 500 watts you could use one 500 watt HPS two 250 watt HPS and so on. It doesn’t matter how many lights you have as long as the wattage matches the footage you are fine.

Spectrum

When a plant is growing vegetatively,it requires a bluer light. When they are flowering they require a light that has more red in it,simulating the redder light of fall. It is for this reason that most growers use metal halide,which is a bluer light,to grow their plants vegetatively. Also using a high pressure sodium bulb for flowering,which is a redder light. There are enhanced spectrum bulbs that you can use with your HID light systems. Although pricey,they give your plants a wider spectrum of light that they will love. As spectrum is important,it is not as important as light intensity. So if you have to choose between getting more wattage or more spectrum,choose more wattage.

Air

Bottom Line
Marijuana plants need co2 for photosynthesis. Providing co2 for your plants will increase growth rate by as much as 100%. Your plants also “breath”in oxygen through their roots. The medium in which you grow you plants in should have good drainage so that the roots may breath.

The air your plants get is usually the last thing on a growers mind. After all the ads we see and talk we hear about which light to buy and which nutrients are the best and whether to grow hydroponically or in soil,a lot of growers don’t pay much attention to the air their plants recieve. I order to give your plants proper air we must first know how they respire. When most people think of plants breathing they think of the leaves of a plant breathing in co2 and breathing out oxygen. This is true,in a sense. However,plants breath in oxygen and out carbon dioxide just like humans do as well. It is only during photosynthesis that plants breath in co2 and out oxygen. Although respiration is mainly done throught he plants leaves,marijuana plants also respire through their stems,flowers and roots. Although plants do breath in oxygen just like us,the co2 they use for photosynthesis is crucial to a heathy plant. Studies have shown that marijuana plants,grown with co2 released into the atmosphere,had as much as 100% higher yields. However,plant respiration does not stop above ground,as marijuana plants “breath”in oxygen through their roots. This is why adding amendments that break up and aerate the soil are so benificial to plants,also who overwatering can kill a plant. As a matter of fact,the fact that roots breath in oxygen,is a key factor to hydroponics. Plants need soil to 1. hold them in place via a root system 2. provide nutrients 3. absorb water and release it to the roots when necessary. With hydroponics and airoponics,the grower has taken care of those issues by other means,allowing the roots to grow in a coarse medium or no medium at all,allowing maximum air to root contact. Allowing the roots to breath more than when grown in conventional soil,has proven very beneficial and is one of the reasons hydroponics is so sucessful.

Providing co2 for your plants can be as cheap and simple as a few fans,or as elaborate and expensive as a $2,000 automated co2 system.

Here are a few methods used to insert co2 into the environment above ground

1. Fans

I had to put this one first because in some cases simply makes the most sense. Not everyone can afford a co2 setup for their grow room and as long as you plants have a continuous supply of co2 while the lights are on,they will be fine. You need a fan that brings air in from outside the grow room. A fan inside the grow room that is not attached to the outside simply blows the co2 deprived air around the room. Even a window fan will help bring a constant supply of fresh air in the room. I recommend running ducting from outside the room to the inside and attaching a in line fan or something similar that will run air through the fan. Have the air blow in. If you want better ventilation than simply running a fan inside,run a in line fan blowing out on the other side of the room. This should keep a constant flow of air in the grow room. Whatever you decide to do,just make sure there is a constant breeze in the room while the lights are on. You dont want the breeze to really be moving the plants,but you want to be able to feel it.

2. Co2 generators

Co2 generators are a great idea for a medium to large operation. It provides a continuous supply of co2. However,these generators make the co2 by burning natural gas,so naturally,the downfall is that they give off heat and carbon monoxide which has to be vented. The good news is that they are being made better and better and you can get a descent one for under $400.

3. baking soda and vinegar

There are silver packets that you tape to your grow room wall that claim to increase the co2 in the room. They do provide co2,but are no more than baking soda,vinegar and a silver package. You can simply put a little baking soda in a tupperware container or bowl and ad a little vinegar. However,as soon as you vent your room the extra co2 you have produced will vent out with the rest of the air. So preferably close the vents while doing this.

4. Co2 tanks

A co2 tank setup simply consists of a 20 gallon co2 tank,a regulator and a timer that can be purchased for about $350. It costs about $20 to refill the tank which lasts about a month in a 6 x 6 room.

5. Homemade co2

All you need is a 1 gallon water bottle,room temperature water,dry activated yeast,1 cup of sugar. Fill the water bottle 1/3 with warm water. Add the cup of sugar. Mix the yeast with 1/2 cup of warm water in a separate container. Pour the water with yeast in it in the water bottle with the water with sugar. Poke a hole in the cap and place cap on top of water bottle. If you want you can fix tubing to the lid and put the end of the tubing by a plants,so when the co2 comes out of the tube it goes straight to your plants.

Medium

A medium is the substance you use to grow your plants in. Soil is probably the most popular medium used. You probably don’t think of medium when you think of air,but the medium in which you grow your plants in,is crucial to the oxygen the roots of your plants take in. When growing hydroponically,you want to use an inert medium,a medium which has no nutrients. This is because you supply the nutrients through the water in very controlled doses,if there was nutrients in the medium,you would not have as much control over the nutrients being given to the plants. There are thousands of different potting soil mixes and hydroponic mediums. Saying one medium is the best is like saying a certain strain of marijuana. Point being,the medium that is best for you depends on your circumstances. How often you plan to water,whether you are growing hydroponically,what type of grow system you are using,how much experience you have,and what is available to you. In aeroponics no medium is used at all,the main stem is held to support the plant and the roots hang beneath in pitch black,where they are given a nutrient solution regularly. I have mentioned some of the most popular mediums.

Soil

If you choose to grow your plant indoors in potting soil,for the most part I have found,price does matter. There are many potting soils that are marketed for indoor growers,even though pricey,I do recommend them. Inexpensive potting soils are sometimes not sterilized properly allowing bug eggs to remain. Also avoid potting soils with too much peat as peat does not offer the best drainage. When you re growing in pots indoors,drainage and allowing the roots to breath is a very important factor. I recommend additives to break up the soil like perlite and vermiculite,which are great inexpensive products that will help break up soil. Coco fiber is a great substitute for peat,as it hold water well but does not have the high acidity that peat does. Ultimately look for a soil that is a nice loam and drains well. The pH of the soil plants are grown in directly relates to how well the plant absorbs nutrients. There are cheap test kits you can purchase that will tell you the pH and nutrient levels of your soil,there are also cheap water meters that will also tell you the ph of your soil. You want the soil to have a pH between 6.5 and 7.0. Dolomite is pH neutral and can be added to adjust the pH of your soil. Add one cup of fine dolomite lime to every cubic foot of soil. If you are using potting soil indoors I am assuming you don’t want to use to much fertilizer. This is fine. There are many amendments you can add to your potting soil to raise the nutrient levels. Worm castings,bat guano and bone meal are great in breaking up the soil and add a good amount of phosphorous. Blood meal added to the soil will increase the nitrogen,however,be careful as it is easy to burn your plants with too much bloodmeal. Seaweed kelp has a high amount of potash. There are many in-organic granular fertilizers oyu can add to your soil as well. Mixing fish emulsion and liquid seaweed kelp with the water,although smelly,is a great way to add nutrients to your potting soil.

Rockwool

Rockwool is an inert material,that has been used for insulation in houses. Companies like Grodan has molded Rockwool into different sized cubes for hydroponic use. When growing in Rockwool,once your plants roots have outgrown the cube it is currently in,you simply place the cube on a bigger pre molded Rockwool cube. The roots will grow through the cube it is currently in into the bigger cube you have placed it on. This allows a simple uniform growing medium that does not need individual containers and never need to be transplanted. The lack of transplanting minimizes the shock when going from one stage of the growing process to another. Rockwool holds water,but is also very porous,allowing the roots breath. Grodan also has a product called stonewool,which has better drainage than traditional Rockwool,although for the beginner I recommend Rockwool at first. Rockwool does have a high ph,so it is necessary to soak your Rockwool in a ph of 5.5 overnight before using it. If you do not have ph testing and adjusting supplies,Grodan has noted that you may squeeze a lemon in a bowl of water,soak your Rockwool in the lemon water,and this will adjust the ph for your plants. Rockwool has been molded made into plugs,which is used for starting seeds and cuttings,2″cubes,4″cubes,6″cubes,8″cubes and slabs. Once your plants have outgrown the plugs you can place the plug in a cube,once your plant has outgrown the cube,you can place the cube on a slab. Grodan has a very informative website,,designed to help the Rockwool grower.

Coconut fiber

The use of coconut fiber in horticultural applications is relatively new to the general public,but growing fast due to is above average qualities. This “super fiber”can be used in both soil and hydroponic applications. Coconut fiber has the consistency of peat,but can also be made into cubes like Rockwool. It does not however have the low ph that peat does. Coconut fiber holds more water that its peers but also allows more oxygen to be taken in as well as naturally repelling some root fungus and diseases. This is a fast growing product and I suspect we will see more and more products made from coconut fiber. Except for the coconut fiber that has been molded into cubes,it is not to be used alone. If growing hydroponically,mix 50% coconut fiber with 50% of a coarse medium like perlite or clay pellets. If mixing with potting soil use 3/4 soil 1/4 coconut fiber. If mixing it in the ground use 2 gallon buckets full of coconut fiber,per hole.

Expanded clay pellets

These popular little pellets are said to be the most popular growing medium in america. They are simply clay pellets that have been baked. Clay pellets are pH neutral,hold an optimal air-to-water ratio and are re-usable. Clay pellets can be mixed with a medium that holds more water,or can be used alone. Due to the porous environment clay pellets create,they definately should be used with an automated watering system,and should be watered regularly. To re-use,once you have harvested crop,pour out clay pellets,removing all organic matter from tha plants. Rinse thoroughly and re-use.

Vermiculite and perlite

These products can be found at your local hardware store. Both products aid in breaking up mediums adding air as well as retaining water. Vermiculite does hold more water than perlite. Perlite is a volcanic glass and looks like little,white,porous,rocks and vermiculite is a mineral expanded by heat and looks like little,soft,golden accordions. Due their different consistency many growers like to use them in combination with each other. Like 1/8 vermiculite 1/8 perlite and 3/4 potting soil. This allows aeration and drainage of soil as well as increasing water retention. Plants can be grown hydroponically in both either alone or in combination. A good mix I use to start seeds,cuttings and as a general hydroponic medium is 1/3 perlite,1/3 vermiculite and 1/3 coco fiber or peat. However,if using peat do not forget of the low pH peat has.

Water

Frequency

Marijuana plants need a definately balance of water. Water on a regular basis is a must as too much water will definately kill them. As outdoors the most common plant death can be attributed to lack of water,indoors it is usually the other way around. You want the roots of your plants to be able to absorb water when necessary,at the same time you want the roots to be able to breath. If growing in soil,there is no chart you can go by,how often you should water your plants depends on the size of the containers,size of the plants,heat,humidity. A general rule is that you want the top 1 1/2 of soil to be dry. It is for this reason that the growing hydroponically is so appealing. When growing in a medium that holds little water,you can be sure that water on a regular basis won’t drown the plants.

pH

pH is simply a scale that measures tha acidity or alkalinity of a particular substance. The scale goes from 1 to 14. 1 being acidic and 14 being alkaline. 7.0 is in the middle so is called pH neutral. A substance that makes pH go up is called an acid and a substance that makes pH go down is called a base. A substance that helps resist pH change when an acid or base is added is called a buffer. The numbers in the scale are divided into tenths. So as a pH of 13 is actually 13 times more acidic than a ph of 14. Your marijuana plants absorb certain nutrients better depending on the pH. So you can have all of the nitrogen in the world,if the nitrogen is mixed with water that has a pH of 1,for all intents and purposes,your plants will never recieve it.

The ph of the water you are giving your plants is something you want to check on a regular basis. You should have a pH meter that tells you the pH of the water in your reservoir. You can purchase pH test kits that involve mixing liquids to determine the pH of the water you are using,although such kits can be time consuming and not as accurate as a pH test meter. You want the water in your reservoir to be preferably between 5.8 and 6.3 when watering. The further the pH is away from what is recommended,the harder it will be for your plants to absorb nutrients.

Nutrients

Whether growing in soil or hydroponically,you plants need the same nutrients. The difference is that when growing in soil,the soil usually contains most of the micro-nutrients your plants need. When growing hydroponically you need to supply your plants with all necessary primary,secondary and micro-nutrients.

A long since debated subject for marijuana growers is organic or in-organic. There are many arguments to both sides,however thee only real downfall to growing with in-organic fertilizer,that I have noticed,is the accumulation of salts,which can be simply flushed before harvest. If growing in soil then using organic fertilizer for your plants is definately something to think about. However,I have tried many,many different organic cocktails and have not found one that suit my needs when growing hydroponically. To grow organic or not is a choice your going to have to make on your own,regardless,you need to be aware of the nutrients your plants need.

Primary nutrients
Nitrogen –phosphorous –potassium

Secondary nutrients
Sulfur –calcium –magnesium

Micro-nutrients
Iron –zinc –maganese –copper –molybdenum –boron –cobalt –chlorine

When growing indoors the season is usually a lot quicker than when growing outdoors. Your plants roots are also confined to a finite space. So every nutrient your plant absorbs was provided and controlled by you. The more control you have over providing these nutrients for your plants,the better they will respond. It is for this reason that I recommend liquid fertilizers. If using soil,the mix you use is important,and amendment added to the soil will be beneficial,with liquid fertilizers you can emphasis a certain nutrient one day and emphasize a different nutrient the next. So you can have your plants growing lots of new foliage by giving them something high in nitrogen up to the day of flowering. Then when you force flower you can give them something high in phosphorous to promote buds.

Hydroponics

Ebb n flow
Also called flood and drain. The container(s) the plants are grown in is flooded with nutrient water from a reservoir. When water has reached a desired level,the container(s) are drained having the water flow back into the reservoir.

Drip
The nutrient water from the reservoir is dripped on top of the growing medium,going through the medium to the bottom where it drains out back to the reservoir.

Nutrient film technique (NFT)
The plants roots are grown in a light-proof channel. Nutrient solution is constantly circulated flowing over the roots constantly.

Airoponics
The main stem is held tightly,leaving the roots suspended in air in a light-proof container. The roots are sprayed with a mist of nutrient water.

Deep water culture
The roots are suspended in water in a light proof container. Air is pumped to the bottom of the container with water forcing air bubbles rise up the water passing through the roots. The air bubbles provide the roots with necessary oxygen.

Growing Rooms

1 room method
If space is an issue and you simply only have enough space for 1 room,it is not efficient,but is possible. You can purchase switchable HID ballasts that can light metal halide and high pressure sodium lights at different times. The main problem with only having 1 room is that once you have harvested your plants,you have to start your new plants from seed all over again. Since you only have 1 room,you have to flower all of your plants,once they are done flowering,they are done living. Start your plants under 16 to 24 hours of metal halide light. Give them a balanced fertilizer while growing vegetatively something like 20-20-20 or 5-5-5. When you start flowering will depend on the height of your room. Keep in mind that once you start flowering your plants,they will stretch,sometimes as much as 2x. 1 week before you start flowering give your plants a flowering fertilizer. Something that is high in phosphorous and low in nitrogen. Once you have decided to start flowering,switch the bulb to high pressure sodium and time the lights to 12 hours of light 12 hours of darkness. Within a week or 2 flowers should start to emerge. if you started from seeds that are not feminized,pay close attention on a daily basis for male pollen sacs,as noted in the flowering section of this site. Unless you want seeds in your buds,dispose of the male plants as soon as you discover them. After 5 weeks of flowering start checking trichomes with a microscope. Harvest when the majority of trichomes are a milky white.

2 room method (sea of green)
The 2 room method make room 1,the smaller room,a vegetative room. In room 1 you will be growing your mother plants which take a little more than 1 plant per square foot,starting your clones which are about 6 to a square foot and growing your plants vegetatively after the clones have rooted,which,depending on the size of container can be as much as 4 per square foot. Room 1 should be equipped with a metal halide light Room 2,the larger room will be only used for flowering. You will need about 1 square foot per plant and at least 5 feet in height including the light and containers. Room 2 should have a high pressure sodium light. The benifit to growing with 2 rooms is that you are constantly starting new clones and growing them vegetatively,so as soon as you harvest,there will be new plants ready to start flowering.
Once you are ready to start growing figure out how many plants your flowering room can flower at a time. 1 plant per square foot is typical. For every 6 plants you can flower you will want to have one mother plant. A mother plant is a plant that is kept in a vegetative state so you can keep taking clones from it.

1.Start seeds –Start your seeds under 24 hours of light.

2.Pinch tops –Once the seedlings have developed 3 nodes,pinch the tops. Once those branches have developed 3 nodes pinch those tops. Do this 3 times. This should make a plant that has 6 main stems and extra side stems. So at the least you should get 6 cuttings per plant.

3.Take cuttings –Once each one of the 6 main stems has developed at least 3 nodes,take cuttings. Take the cutting below the second node,leaving the third most bottom node for new stems to grow out of ensuring future clones. Once those stems from the nodes you left develop 3 nodes,pinch tops just like you did before. Since you are using 2 rooms,keep the cuttings in the same room as the mother plants,under 24 hours of light. If you are using a metal halide,either move the cuttings to a darker corner of the room,or put shade cloth above them so they are not getting light that is too bright.

4.Grow cuttings vegetatively –Once the cuttings have developed roots and top growth,put them in larger Rockwool cubes or containers. Remove the shade cloth. Let them grow for a minimum of 1 month and at least 12 inches in height.

5. Force flowering –Once they are both,move them onto the flowering room. The plants should be under 12 hours of darkness and 12 hours of high pressure sodium light in the flowering room. They should also be given a flowering fertilizer,something high in phosphorous.

After the plants have been flowering for 1 month take cuttings as noted in step 3. Continue throught the steps once again. Everytime you are about 5 weeks away from harvest,take cuttings and continue through the steps.

3 room method (sea of green)
Using 3 rooms to grow using the sea of green method is much like having 2 rooms. The first room is the vegetative room,you can have about 4 plants per square foot depending on the container size,and dont need more than a few feet in height. The first room should use a metal halide light. The second room is for flowering,you need about 1 square foot per plant and at least 5 feet in height,including the container and light. You should use a high pressure sodium light for room 2. The 3rd room can be very small,it is only used to start cuttings. A couple of fluorescent lights will be sufficient lighting for the 3rd room and it does not need to be more than 12 inches tall. The 3 room method is very efficient as each room has a single purpose.

1. Start seeds –Start your seedlings under 24 hours of light in the vegetative room. I would keep it

2.Pinch tops –Once the seedlings have developed 3 nodes,pinch the tops. Once those branches have developed 3 nodes pinch those tops. Do this 3 times. This should make a plant that has 6 main stems and extra side stems. So at the least you should get 6 cuttings per plant.

3.Take cuttings –Once each one of the 6 main stems has developed at least 3 nodes,take cuttings. Take the cutting below the second node,leaving the third most bottom node for new stems to grow out of ensuring future clones. Once those stems from the nodes you left develop 3 nodes,pinch tops just like you did before. Move the cuttings to room 3 under 24 hours of fluorescent light.

4.Grow cuttings vegetatively –Once the cuttings have developed roots and top growth,put them in larger Rockwool cubes or containers. Move them into room 1,the vegetative room. Let them grow for a minimum of 1 month and at least 12 inches in height.

5. Force flowering –Once they are both 1 month old and 12 inches in height,move them onto the flowering room,room 2. The plants should be under 12 hours of darkness and 12 hours of high pressure sodium light in the flowering room. They should also be given a flowering fertilizer,something high in phosphorous.

After the plants have been flowering for 1 month take cuttings as noted in step 3. Continue throught the steps once again. Everytime you are about 5 weeks away from harvest,take cuttings and continue through the steps.

Growing Techniques

SOG
Sea Of Green

The idea of this method is to harvest your plants as soon and while they are as little as possible. Lets say for instance you grow your plants for 6 months and harvest 4 ounces per plant. This would allow you to harvest 8 ounces per plant space per year. However,if you flower your plants after only a month and harvest after 3 months,even if you only harvested 2 1/2 ounces per plant you would get twice as many harvests per year. So rather that getting 8 ounces per plant space per year when harvesting after six months,you would get 10 ounces per plant space per year due to the extra harvests. When you grow a plant longer it has time to develop more side branches,this increases yield. Still the main yield comes from the main cola. Sea of green focuses on only the center cola,not giving the plants enough time to grow many side branches.

ScrOG
Screen Of Green

This method is the same as sea of green,except a netting or lattice is used. The main stems are forced to bend so the main cola may go through a hole in the netting that is to the side of the plants roots,allowing the side branches to go through the holes in the netting that is directly above the plants roots. Forcing the main cola to bend and to go through netting away from the root zone allow the side branches to get more light and allows all of the colas,side and main,to be roughly the same height. This maximizes the amount of light to cola ratio,thus maximizing the yield.

Bugs

During the vegetative cycle you can use any old pesticide you find at your local hardware store,if you want. I don’t like pesticides period. if you want to go a safer route or if you are in the first few weeks off flowering you can use pyrethins to combat your pests. Pyrethins work against most common infestations and is relatively safe. Neem oil is even safer and can be used a few days before harvest. However,nothing combats bugs like prevention. Keep a clean room,spray all around the room between crops and use Pyrethrins during the vegetative stage so hopefully you wont have the problem of bugs during flowering. It is a lot of work keeping the grow room clean and sterile all the time but believe me it is more work trying to salvage what is left from a whitefly or spidermite infestation gone too far.