Indoor cannabis cultivation guide
Section 1 : Selecting a space to grow
Selecting a space to grow inside is of equal importance as selecting the correct space outside.
Your garden should be found in an out of the way place ( not the bedroom ). Basements, attics, and closets are all great places. When you have one or two probabilities in mind ensure the have access to electric outlets. Plan in advance for anything that might need an engineer to go to your place. If your garden is found in the same room as the furnace, and the furnace explodes, your in giant difficulty. Once the permanent garden location has been selected it’s time to prepare it.( For the remainder of this document I will assume you have selected a closet as the grow space ) Paint the walls flat white. Don’t use tin foil as it can really focus light like small laser beams and burn holes thru the leaves. Next, cover the floor of the closet with plastic. This may help to stop water damage to the floor.
Section two : Boxes
Your plants must be grown in some type of cannabis or container. Giant plastic pots ( like the ones bushes come in ) work most effectively. Fill the bottom in. with large gravel to help drainage. And the rest with prime quality potting soil with some sand mixed in. Buckets may also be used but drill drainage holes in the bottom.
If your boxes previously held other plants then they have to be sterilised with bleach or alcohol.
Section 3 : Ligthing
Since there isn’t any sun in your closet you’ll have to offer a sun loving plant like cannabis with alot of synthetic light. There are 3 options available to the grower : flourescent lights are inexpensive, efficient, and do not put out much heat.
Metal halide, or MH bulbs, are way more costly but put out much more light than flourescents. They also put out more heat so ventilation is required. MH bulbs also need a fresh ballst to work. High Pressure Sodium lamps, or HPS, put out as much light as MH lamps but with less heat. Ventilation and a fresh ballast are also needed.
Flourescent lights
Flourescent lights are the least expensive light to use. They run at $2 a tube. They produce small heat so ventilation won’t be required unless the space is miniscule. The light range put out by these lights is OK for all phases of growing. Because flourescents disperse light over a big area, they have to be kept inside 3 inches of the tops for the plants to get enough light. This indicates you will have to mount the lights in a way the can be raised each day.
Metal Halide Lights
Metal halide lamps put out the most light. They also produce alot of heat. A powerful fan is wanted to keep room tempertures down.
MH lamps put out light generally in the blue range. Blue light is employed best by the plant during vegative expansion. MH lights may also be used for ripening with no adversary effects. A new ballast is needed for these lights to work. They come in sizes from forty to 1000W. One 1000W lamp will supply enough light in a closet to grow 4 plants.
High Pressure Sodium Lights
High pressure sodium lamps put out just about as much light as MH and with less heat. Good ventilation is still needed though. HPS lamps produce light in typically the red and orange end of the range. The plants uses this light best when blossoming. HPS lamps may also be used for vegative expansion with small slow down in foliage production. HPS lamps need another ballast for operation. Some growers jump between MH and HPS dependent on what stage the plants are in. MH is employed in vegative expansion and then the light is swithched over to HPS once ripening starts. Most growers use flourescents to start sprouts and root clones. The flourescents are weaker than the MH and HPS lamps and thus don’t stress them too much. Select whatever light is most fitted for your situation. If your are growing in your attic go with MH or HPS. If your growing in the closet like us, then use flourecents. ( For the remainder of ths document I will assume the reader is using flourescent lighting )
Section four : Factors impacting on the rate of photosynthesis
There are more factors aside from the clear quantity of light that reaches the plants that have an effect on the rate of photosynthesis. These can be manipulated by the grower to achieve maximum speed of expansion and bigger yields in a shorter time period.
Humidity
The humidity in the enviroment is the quantity of water vapor present in the air. Most growers know that humidity above 85% p.c increases the chance of the appearance of bud mildew. The humidity is also imperative during germanation when the seedlings are very frail.
Humidty should be kept over eighty percent at this time in the plants life to stop the soil from drying too quickly. Experimentation has demonstrated that a relative humidity of 65% to 80% increases rate of growth.
Below this level the plants develop very narrow and tissue paper thin leaves to try and stop excess loss of water. Above eighty percent relative humidity the plant have difficulty dumping noxious chemicals thru evaporation. Temperture Pot can survive tempertures from 32 degrees F to over one hundred degrees F. Weed will grow best with a temperture of seventy to 75 degrees F nighttime and daytime. Higher than ninety degrees F the enzymes in the plant start to breakdown and photosynthesis is influenced. The same is true for low tempertures.
CO2
Carbon-dioxide is a gas that’s necessary for the light reactions in all plants that carry on photosynthesis.
CO2 is absorbed thru the leafs stomates and is mixed with water and light energy to form glucose ( utilised by the plant as energy ) and oxygen ( which is released ). So supplementing CO2 to the present amount in the air will speed up photosynthesis and expansion will happen quicker. Experimentation in addition has shown that CO2 can help cannabistoloerate higher tempertures ( up to 95 degrees F ) with tiny affect on the rate of photosynthesis.
Water
Though only a little portion of water soaked up by the plant is utilized in photosynthesis a dearth of water affects the rate photosynthesis happens. This occurs because when the plant is low on water the stomates on the leaves close preventin the releasing of waste gases and other toxic chemicals.
This closure will seriously slow down or stop photosynthesis from occuring.
Section five : Sea of green
Sea of green, or SOG, is the speculation of cropping many little plants often, instead of huge plants less frequently. In an SOG setup the closet is split into 2 light enclosed spaces. In the top space the lights are permanently set on a twelve / twelve light / dark timer. On the bottom the lights are kept on for eighteen hours each day. Flourescent lights are used thoughout. The bottom shelf is used to start seeds and root clones. The highest shelf is utilized for ripening.
Using this setup cropping can occur once a month.
Section 6:Ventilation
Cannabis like all of the plants puts out waste thru the stomata on it’s leaves. Outside wind, rain and sun are present to evaporate these poisons from the leaf surface. Inside the grower must create an enviroment. The most effective way to try this is with keen on some type. If the grow room is huge enough then a regualar cooling fan can be placed within and left on all of the time. If you’re running a small closet operation then just opening the door twice each day to have a look at them will create enough air movement for healthy expansion. A fan controlled by a thermostat will also work fine. These can be discovered at most electronics stores.
If a substantial number of plants are going to be kept a dehumidifier may be required. If humidity levels are too high then the possibilities of mould will dramaticly increase. A dehumidifier will cost a farmer about $100 so it isn,t actually practical for the closet grower.
Section seven : C02 augmentation
Some growers add C02 to their grow rooms to extend expansion rate. This has shown itself to be useful in many experiments. C02 augmentation also helps the plants bear higher tempertures of almost 95 degrees without slowing down expansion. there were grouses that C02 reinforcement during blossoming decreases potential. C02 should be stopped when the lights are turned to twelve / twelve.
Section eight : Early sexing
Since you control the light cycle in an indoor operation it is simple to sex the plants early and eliminate all of the males. Just turn the lights down to twelve / twelve when the plants are 8 inches high. Employ a magnifying glass to look at the flowers and eliminate all of the males.