How To Grow Marijuana (weed) Indoors
Choosing A Strain and Choosing A Medium
Choosing a strain is one of the most important and fun parts of growing Marijuana, but there is a lot to consider. Those learning how to grow marijuana for the first time must think about the space the cannabis plants will be occupying, the desired effects from the plant, and more.
Choosing a Strain
The strain that you want to grow will in large part depend on how big the space you chose. If you have a large room with high ceilings, you can get away with most varieties. If you are growing in a more discreet manner you should go for plants that are known to grow short such as indica or hybrids.
Sativa vs Indica Traits
Sativa plants tend to grow tall as they flower. They can handle heat better than indica strains can, but they suffer in the cold. So temperature is a big deal. Their buds grow long and produce a light, uplifting effect.
Indica plants are more likely to be short and compact, taking up less space. Sativa plants, they do not do well in the heat and are best suited in a cold environment. They produce dense buds that offer a heavier, more relaxed effect.
If you don’t want to choose between sativa or indica, you could go for a hybrid. These blend traits from both sativa and indica plants, with one being dominant or just a 50/50 split. With hybrids, it’s possible to have less flowering time as you’d expect with indica, while still achieving the energizing effects of a sativa strain. Hybrids blend features of both plants in many different ways, leaving a lot of options for customizing your growth.
Selecting a Grow Medium
The growing medium is where your plant roots are going to develop and grow.
Soil
This one is an obvious choice since it is natural and easy to set up. You need balanced, organic living soil to get the best results. The plants rely on the nutrients in the soil to help them grow.
Hydroponics
Soil-less growth is possible, so long as you’re keeping up with feeding nutrients to the plant. With hydroponic grow mediums, users can precisely dose out nutrients to their plants, often resulting in better, healthier yields. Hydroponic systems come in many different mediums, such as clay pellets, rockwool or vermiculite. It’s for this reason that people often use hydroponics for growing clones as well.
Germinating Your Seeds
You’ve selected your strain and in what medium, and it’s now time to get the operation started. Once you have all your ducks in a row, it’s time to germinate cannabis seeds.
Seeds require air, heat, and water to germinate. The simplest and most common method is to use a wet paper towel and a plate or sealable container.
To germinate your seeds, you will need to wet some paper towels with plain water. Get them thoroughly soaked, without water dripping excessively. You do not want the paper towels to just be damp. Then, place the paper towels on the plate or in the container, and carefully place the seeds about an inch away from one another.
Once you’ve laid the seeds out with good distance between them, you can cover them with more wet paper towels. Then, you can place either a bowl or second plate over the plate to create a dark and contained area, or partially seal up your container (leave some airflow) and place it somewhere dark and warm.
The seeds will need to stay somewhere between 70 and 90 degrees to successfully germinate. You will know they are ready when they have sprouted. Expect anywhere from 24 hours to a few days, though some seeds will germinate more rapidly than that. You can periodically add some water to the paper towels if they dry up quickly.