beginners guide to growing cannabis indoors

Some prefer to grow their own Cannabis for various reasons such as in the long run it is more cost effective, and of course, you do not have to approach some dodgy unfamiliar to purchase your Marijuana. It goes without saying that if one does decide to grow one’s own Cannabis, to do so discreetly and not to implicate or inconvenience one’s neighbors. 

What follows are tips for growing Marijuana indoors. Now, there is a reason why Cannabis have been dubbed a ‘Weed’. Like your usual pest type weeds growing in your garden, Marijuana is just as sturdy and can pretty much sprout anywhere you want it to grow. However, with indoor growing there are obviously additional measures that need to be taken, such as creating a ‘habitat’ with proper ‘sunlight’ so that your Cannabis plant can grow properly.

Being a sturdy and fast-growing plant, makes Marijuana an ideal plant for beginners that wants to try their hand at cultivating Cannabis for the first time. The growing or cultivating period for Marijuana is on average four months, however, in some cases this period may be extended depending on errors made during the grow process.

The Grow Equipment:

One would need a good and proper set up to cultivate Cannabis indoors. A grow tent is commonly used for growing indoors, some convert a built-in cupboard and others may make use of a whole room within their home. The lighting needs to be set up appropriately to create enough ‘sunlight’ for your grow. Other necessities needed for your Marijuana grow would be, fans, pots, fertilizer, filters, etc. 

It is more convenient and safer to grow Marijuana indoors. Reasons being that Cannabis needs a lot of sun, thus one is more in control of the ‘weather’. In addition, one can prevent thieving vultures from setting their sights on one’s precious Marijuana grow. Whichever spot one chooses for one self’s Cannabis indoor grow – a cellar, garden shed, attic, closet or grow tent – make sure that no one can access the space. In addition, make sure there is access for electricity and air holes for air circulation.

As mentioned before, the most common space used for cultivating Cannabis indoors would be the grow tent. Reasons for picking a grow tent is that:

• It has openings to let fresh air enter and exit 

• It has openings for electric cables 

• It keeps the lighting inside with additional reflective insights directing the light to the plants

• It keeps the plant aromas inside the tent

The Air:

Fans and filters are needed to make sure there is enough fresh air ventilation for one’s Cannabis grow. If one’s Marijuana grow lacks fresh and well-ventilated air, it can become a breeding spot for critters such as mites which will implicate one’s Cannabis grow. As such, be sure to have entry points for fresh air and exit points for used air. Fans are needed for the latter to operate more smoothly. 

Carbon filters are used to remove the aromas produced by your Cannabis grow. Most already know how potent these aromas can be, thus it is necessary to take precaution and equip one’s grow area with carbon filters to prevent these potent aromas to escape from one’s grow space.

The Lights:

Marijuana grows need a lot of light to grow properly, the more light produced – the more or bigger yield of the Cannabis grow. Three types of light are commonly used for indoor Marijuana growing. They are LED Lamps, HID Lamps and CFL Lamps – all the latter come with their pro’s and con’s, the choice would most likely depend on preference. 

• CFL Lamps – also known as Compact Fluorescent Lights are known energy savers. They are a great and cost-effective choice for small grows – about 1-3 plants. 

• HID Lamps – also known as High Intensity Discharge Lamps. Uses tons of electricity, but additionally it can produce big harvest. Even though they are cheap to buy, one would lose over time if weighed against electricity costs. 

• LED Lamps – also known as Light-Emitting Diode Lamps. This is a more modern and energy efficient option to pick. They use very little electricity but are more expensive to buy. However, in the long run, they work out more cost effective. There are cheap LED lights available, but the yields produced by them will be insufficient and a waste of time and effort. Thus, for a proper harvest, rather go for the quality LED lights even though they are more expensive.

The Others:

Lately growers are moving over to Fabric Pots from solid Plastic Pots. Reasons being that oxygen can reach the roots of the plant more easily through Fabric Pots and the excess water can drain more easily. As for soil, always get the best quality from one’s gardening store. The better the soil, the healthier the plants. The latter also reduces the amount of fertilizer needed for one’s Cannabis grow. 

The Cannabis Seeds:

One needs a feminized seed to produce a usable grow. Male seeds do not produce Marijuana. Buying feminized seeds from Seedbanks are a sure bet of the seeds producing Cannabis, however there are more cheaper options such as normal seeds that can be either female or male seeds. Thus, if one plant ten normal seeds it may happen that only two of those ten seeds turn out to be female seeds. As such it is a risk, but also some growers only option as they may not be able to afford already feminized seeds. 

Always Buy indoor cannabis seeds in South Africa at trusted Seedbanks. We can recommend Nirvana Shop SA for amazing genetics. From their extensive indoor marijuana seeds collection, we can highly recommend checking out the following strains:

Black Jack Feminized Cannabis Seeds by Nirvana Seedbank

Black Jack is a low profile hybrid, meaning that she will grow medium height so a fine choice for bedroom growers or those with limited space. Her growth structure is more Black Domina dominant so will grow with short internodal spacing resulting in a small stretch once flowering begins. Plants will be ready to harvest in 8-9 weeks, where the buds will swell into large sized nugs coated in resin.

You can view this strain at Black Jack Feminized Marijuana Seeds

Jock Horror Feminized Cannabis Seeds by Nirvana Seedbank

Jock Horror is a cross between Mexican Haze, Northern Lights and Skunk #1, creating a super hybrid. Jock Horror feminized will showcase the best of indica and sativa genetics. She can flower and be ready to harvest in 9 - 11 weeks, however is well worth the wait and is an excellent strain for finding multiple phenotypes Expect yields of 350 - 450 g/m² when grown in a Sea of Green.

You can view this strain at Jock Horror Feminized Marijuana Seeds 

Original Glue Feminized Cannabis Seeds by Nirvana Seedbank

Original Glue feminized was created by crossing Chem's Sister with Sour Dubb and Chocolate Diesel. The result was a three way hybrid that is off the charts when it comes to potency and resin production. A fast flowering strain that will require 7-9 weeks depending on phenotype, where she is able to produce a very generous 500 - 600 g/m². She is easy to grow, produces epic harvests and is perfect for commercial growers, as well as beginner growers.

You can view this strain at Original Glue Feminized Marijuana Seeds

These are just a few from the many outdoor cannabis seeds in South Africa. We can recommend checking out Beginner cannabis seeds at Nirvana Shop SA.

The Germination:

Peet pellets are used to germinate Marijuana Seeds. Depending on the size of one’s indoor grow area will constitute the number of seeds being planted. Just be sure to allocate enough grow space for each plant, just like a goldfish that grows depending on the size of its habitat, a Cannabis plant grows according to the space it is allowed. The container used, such as the pot, also plays a role in the latter – the bigger the container, the bigger the plant. 

The Transfer/Transplanting:

As soon as the seedling has emerged from the peat pellet, one must transfer the seedling to a pot filled with fresh and quality garden soil. After the pot has been filled with quality soil, make a deep whole in the middle, and put the whole peat pellet, with the young seedling, inside. The buried stem of the seedling will grow roots, thus bury at least half of the stem for additional support. Gently compress the soil and give one’s seedling a bit of water before putting it back under the light. Do not put them too close to the lights unless one wants burnt leaves.

The Vegetation:

Once one’s seedlings are put back under the lights a cycle needs to be followed to produce a proper and healthy grow. Some may say to keep the lights on for 24hours, however, like all living beings – plants also need sleep. Thus, keep the lights on for 18hours, and 6hours off on a continued cycle. There are timers one can obtain to set these time frames automatically if one is unable to manually manage it. 

After round about 3-4 weeks, switch the light time frame cycle to 12hours on and 12hours off. From here the plants will change from the vegetative stage to the flowering stage since the plant now thinks it is summer and time to produce some seeds. The first buds of the plant will emerge round about 4 weeks of the 12/12hour time frame cycle.