If you are tired of paying for weed and ready to start growing your own, here are 7 beginner tips for setting up your first home grow.
It may seem like a big endeavour, but with the right setup (and some patience) anyone can grow great buds! Below are some things to consider when setting up your first home grow:
1. Space to Setup at home to grow the plants
Before you even begin, you must be sure to have enough space in your home to grow the plants. At the start, you will not need much room, but the Cannabis plants will grow quickly and can get up to 6ft tall (depending on the strain). Do your research to know just how much space your chosen strain(s) will need once they reach full maturity. Most seeds have an estimated growth size listed to help.
2. Determining pot Size is important before you start to grow cannabis
The pot size is another thing to consider while setting up. If you want your plants to be able to grow big and tall, you will want to use a large pot! This is important because when there is more space for the roots to grow, there will be more root mass. Meaning, the plant will grow to fill the environment and have a bigger foundation to support future buds!
With this in mind, it is a good idea to start them in a smaller pot and then re-pot them or transplant them.
3. Grow Room
The grow room is the area in which you are going to grow your plants (obviously). A grow room can come in many forms; a converted room in your home, a greenhouse, various forms of grow tents, or (of course) the great outdoors. It is important to set up the right environment for your plants depending on your growing style, conditions, and climate. Growers who live in colder regions often prefer to utilize indoor grow rooms or tents so that they can maintain ideal growing conditions year-round. Whereas growers in warmer regions can provide their plants with non-simulated air and sunlight year-round, resulting in cost savings.
4. Climate Control
Air Filtration
Wherever you choose to grow your plants, they will need proper air filtration. If you are growing outdoors, this is already taken care of naturally. But, if you are growing anywhere else it is important to have an air filtration system to ensure your plants can breathe and will not be dried out. All plants need fresh air to thrive! Keep in mind, carbon dioxide is essential to the process of photosynthesis.
You will need a steady stream of air flowing through your grow room, easily achieved by means of an exhaust fan placed near the top of the room to remove the warmer air, and a filtered air inlet on the opposite side near the floor.
– Leafly
Temperature
Most Cannabis plants in the vegetative stage need conditions between 70-85°F (20-30 °C) when lights are on and between 58-70°F when they are off. If the plant is in the flowering stage, it is best to keep the area cooler 65-80°F (18-26°C). Some strains prefer the colder side of the range, while others are more tolerant of higher temperatures. This is something you will have to play with to find what works best.
Humidifier
Along with the temperature, the plants also need to be kept within a particular level of humidity. Below is a chart provided by Grow Weed Easy on the appropriate levels for each stage of the plant’s growth.
Your Cannabis plants will need to be watered at every stage of their cycle. The amount of water will vary as the humidity levels change. When the humidity is high, the plants need less water, and reversely when the humidity is low the plants need to be watered more.
Why this is important – Plants get their nutrients from the additives in the water. Since the humidity levels change how much water your plants drink, being in control of humidity gives you increased control over your plant’s nutrient intake.
5. Lighting your Grow
Proper lighting is essential and certainly a key part of the setup process.
We go into detail in our article for marijuana cultivation tips. But as a recap, there are four main options in terms of the bulbs you can use: Incandescent, Florescent, High-pressure sodium, or even LED lights.
Incandescent bulbs – the cheapest option. Usually used in combination with natural light in a sunny room. These lights generate a fair amount of heat and should be kept at least 2ft away from plants.
Florescent – one of the most popular options due to its versatility and relatively low cost. Offer a wider light spectrum than incandescent bulbs and produces less heat, making them a safer option for marijuana cultivation.
High-intensity discharge – typically refers to high-pressure sodium (HPS) and metal halide (MH) sources of light. These types of bulbs generate the greatest amount of light energy. MH light contains more blue spectrum light and is best suited to the vegetative stages of plant growth. HPS lights contain more red to orange spectrum light and are the most effective option for the flowering stage. Produces significant heat.
LED – a new form of grow light technology, LED lights to produce very little heat and require the least amount of power input to operate. LED lights can produce both blue and red spectrums of light, and can be switched to accommodate vegetation and flowering stages of plant development. These types of lights are expensive but generate savings through low power consumption and versatility.
The lights will need to be tied up to the top of your tent so that the plants grow up towards it (just as any plant would). Once you have your lights picked out, be sure to position the lights carefully and have a timer to cycle light times depending on plant stage and needs.
6. Power Outlets
This is one step that really matters. You NEED power to run the lights, air filtration, and humidifier. Having power cords running throughout the house may work but be very careful not to overrun them as it may cause fires! The best advice I can give is to try and use only 3-prong plugs to have the additional safety of the grounding prong and do not fill every receptacle on the extension cords.
7. Nutrient Storage
Your plant will need nutrients in order to thrive! There are three main nutrients a.k.a. Macronutrients, as well as Micronutrients. The main nutrients include Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. While the others include (but are not limited to) Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, and Copper.
Intense lighting such as those in your grow room (or direct sunlight) will cause your nutrients to degrade over time. Large temperature fluctuations can also cause nutrients to degrade. For these reasons, it is important to store your nutrients in a dry, cool environment. By doing this, you will be able to maximize the shelf life of your nutrients and save money by not having to replace any that have gone bad.
Bonus – Keep Your Home Grow Clean!
If you can keep your area clean during the grow process life will be much easier. It is good to do this from the start. By taking the time to get everything properly setup you will have an easier time taking care of your plants.
These are just a few tips to help you get set up for a successful grow. More considerations to grow great weed include the water supply source. For tips on at-home cultivation click here.
Are you ready to grow your own weed? Let us know if you have any questions in the comments below. Follow @cannalifenet for more cannabis knowledge.
Feature photo by: White River Growpro