Want to grow weed indoors?
There is definite appeal when it comes to growing your own marijuana at home. For obvious reasons, like easy access and quality control for your own usage, or to make some easy revenue. However, have you considered some of the less known benefits of growing weed indoors? You can control the climate you grow in and even possibly get multiple harvests! Many people find growing marijuana indoors to be both fun and relaxing. With the right information, starting out isn’t difficult at all.
The upside is huge and the downside is–well, are you a DIY or gardener type? If not, then stick with us–MaryJane Farmer and friends have everything you need to know and you can grow a green thumb with MaryJane at your (virtual) side.
Here is a selection of books from MaryJane’s bookshelf, but she has some other suggestions for free ebooks at the bottom of the page. One way or another, you will have the information you need to start right.
Choosing the Right Space in your Home
You’ll want to choose a space that is well ventilated and has easy access to water. By taking different measures, such as using LED grow lights and the proper electrical equipment, the risk of fire and water damage to your home is significantly decreased.
The smallest space you can use (for 1 plant plus LED Grow Light) is one square foot of floor space for starting. But like Audrey II in the Little Shop of Horrors, your little seedling can soon get to be an overwhelming size with an overwhelming odor. A grown plant (without training the plant) will need at least 4 square feet of floor space and 5 to 6 feet of headroom. That’s why MaryJane has this advice: get a grow box, a grow tent or some closed space.
You can use any sort of space to grow pot indoors, but the more space you have, the more you’ll be able to grow. These various spaces can be excellent for growing:
- A large or small closet
- Garage
- Spare bedroom
- Extra bathroom
- Cellar
For more confined spaces, consider these:
- Grow box
- Grow tent
- Specially designed grow space (here is an example of a self-contained complete grow space)
You might think that you’d need a space with direct sunlight to grow successfully, but with the variety of LED grow lights you can have all the indoor sunlight you need to grow indoors marijuana.
Choosing Your Growing Medium
There are several common growing mediums to consider. They each have both benefits and drawbacks, so you’ll have to weigh out the options for yourself, and choose what is most important to you in your marijuana growing journey.
Growing in soil (dirt farming)
This is the most popular marijuana-growing medium. It may sound as simple as digging up the dirt from your backyard, but I assure you, that is not what you want to do. Using garden soil made for growing vegetables will produce better quality and flavor from your marijuana crop. Just keep in mind, every single microbe, every tiny mineral, even the negative thoughts of the local earthworms can affect your yield.
- A LITTLE DOES A LOT - Easy to use compressed soil granules quickly expand up to 4X and make up to 3 gallons of soil. Light, compact, easy to carry, resealable bag saves space.
- NOURISH & SEE THEM FLOURISH - Packed with every essential nutrient plus 55+ trace minerals, this concentrated super soil feeds and grows strong beautiful vibrant plants better than ever!
- FAST ACTING & LONG LASTING - Easy to wet and stays moist 3X longer. Living soil gets water, air and nutrients to roots on demand. Perfect for all seeds, starts, transplants, containers, raised beds and gardens!
- TRULY ORGANIC YOU CAN TRUST - 100% natural ground coconut coir, worm castings, compost, humic acids, amino acids, kelp and beneficial GroBiotics including mycorrhizae give your soil, flower, vegetable, herb, fruit, tree, shrub, raised bed, outdoor or indoor potted house plants and more a super-boost.
It is best to use specifically formulated soil for growing plants like marijuana. Your local indoor gardening store can direct you toward reliable brands. You’ll find that oftentimes a mix of a couple of varieties works best.
If you are incredibly ambitious and have both the space and gardening experience, you might consider cultivating your own soil through composting. But this is for the very special, dedicated few who can spare the time and effort. And time is what it takes–a lot of time to make compost!
Growing Dirt Free
There are a couple of different ways you can grow without soil. First, is a nutritional soil substitute, such as Coco Coir or Vermiculite, sometimes with Perlite added to it for better drainage. These can get a yield faster than traditional soil, but you won’t get the distinction of flavor from your yield.
Hydroponics is an innovative method of soilless cultivation. While your marijuana may grow faster, yielding more buds, with greater potency with this method, it takes more electricity to run the water, and it definitely requires more space. MaryJane has written a couple of in depth articles about hydroponics and its various variants, like aeroponics. But if you want to jump right in, here is another starter kit.
LED Grow Lights vs. HID
While for a long time, HID was considered the classic standard for indoor marijuana gardening, LED grow lights have now dominated the market. When it comes to LED vs. HID, we think there are just too many drawbacks to using the older HID style.
They run very hot. If you use an HID bulb, you will definitely need to run a fan to vent the heat out. Maybe even air conditioning. This alone can be dangerous, not to mention inefficient and expensive. With all the electrical requirements and fertilizers, you could easily be faced with an accidental fire.
LED grow lights save you in electrical costs. Not only will you obviously save energy by negating your reliance on fans to vent heat, LED grow lights use far less electricity in the first place. You can save hundreds over the course of just one year. LED Grow lights may cost more upfront, but they are usually the best way to go. [Ed. Note: Since this article was first written, the Chinese makers have saturated the market, and LED Grow Light costs have dropped significantly. That said, you are well-advised to pay up for quality in any purchase of lights. Look at our reviews to see how to identify the best LED Grow Lights.]
Set Up the Best Weed Growing Conditions
Many Growers prefer the ease of an all-in-one growing station or tent that provides ideal temperature control, reflective surfaces, and proper drainage. But if you are growing a large amount, this probably won’t work for you.
A few key things to remember when setting up your grow space:
- Temperature
- Humidity
- Ventilation
- Drainage
Setting up the proper indoor marijuana growing space will ensure the success of your yield, whether it is for business or for pleasure.
MaryJane’s Reading List
Find out more in our articles about setting up your own indoor grow space and planning an indoor grow. Learn how to grow weed indoors with our beginners’ guide. Check out these Tips & Hacks for Beginner Cannabis Growers.
If you’ve read all of the above and you’re looking for something like a book, then we have a free ebook you can download here. You can also get a free book from ILGM–it’s a little dated but still very valuable information or if you want the most comprehensive book you will find anywhere we recommend this one Ryan Riley’s Growing Elite Marijuana.
I would like your photos, your comments, your questions, (yes we do answer reader’s questions) your suggestions, and your criticisms. Send me suggestions, or criticisms below in the comments. I would love to hear from you. And send your photos too. MaryJane@420Beginner.com
Last update on 2023-02-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This product was presentation was made with AAWP plugin.
