Indoor Marijuana Growing Guide
CONTENTS Part 1: The Grow Room Part 2: Water Part 3: Soil Part 4: Seeds Part 5: Sexing Part 6: Cloning Part 7: Harvesting Part 8: Troubleshooting Part 9: Where to get the best Cannabis Seeds
Disclaimer In recognition that growing marijuana is illegal in many countries we state that this e-book is for information and entertainment purposes only and we in no way condone or encourage any illegal activities.
Rights You may give away and share this publication with whomever you choose however you may not sell it or in any way alter its contents.
THE GROW ROOM
To keep the plants healthy and clean the whole room has to be vacuumed and disinfected with a household disinfectant. Now the room is clean it has to be kept that way. To reflect the light as much as possible the walls have been painted with a light reflective paint. A light plastic sheeting will work just as good and in some situations it could provide some creative solutions. A thermometer will help keep an eye on the temperature from start to finish. The ideal range will be between 20-25C.
Next is the light source, a high powered 400W lamp which has a reflector to maximize light intensity and the whole fixture is suspended on a nylon cord which will allow the correct distances between light and plants as they grow.
These lamps can explode when handled incorrectly. Always keep the bulb free and clean of moisture and oil. When handling always use clean dry gloves and make sure the electricity is off and the unit is completely cooled down. To regulate the light cycles, a simple automatic time clock which is manufactured to safely handle the 400w the lights require.
Moving on, we have a hydro-meter, which will tell us how humid the room is. Throughout the process, the humidity will be between 50 – 80%. However, when the air is too dry it will affect the growth of the plants and promote unwanted insects. If it's too wet fungus will appear which in turn can rot the buds. Regulate the humidity with a simple fan and air extractor. The fan will cool the light, circulate the air and even stimulate a strong healthy stock. Although an air extractor helps to take out the stale air, a window that could be opened on a semi-regular basis would work just as well. Finally, the room is closed off with a light-reflective curtain to keep the light inside. The plants like it that way. This is the basic set-up. Now to get growing. Next let's take a look at a some important elements to the growing process. WATER Because marijuana grows at such a fast rate, the plants will need lots of water by the time they mature. Too much or too little can make the difference between a perfect crop or just plain disaster. Ideally the water should have a ph value of somewhere between 6.3 and 7.9 . Take a look at a ph scale, it reads through ph 0 to ph 14. At 7.0 it is neutral and the closer it gets to 0 the more acidic it would be. On the other side of neutral as it moves towards 14 it will become more alkaline, so the aim is for water that it slightly on the acidic side.
Most rainwater will have the desired ph or very close. Rainwater is popular mainly because it is natural and it comes free! However, when rainwater is in short supply, tap water is ok to use. To measure this use a simple ph meter and adjust the water by adding a ph solution.
Tap water is usually alkaline and it can be brought down by adding one of the phsolutions. The first is a diluted nitrate acid and is used when the plant is in the growth cycle. That is when the plant is getting 18 – 24 hrs light a day. The second is a phosphoric acid which is used for the flower cycle when the plant is getting 12 hrs light a day. The ph+ can be used when the mark has been overshot or by adding some more tap water. These solutions are fairly corrosive and it's best to use rubber gloves when handling them.
Another thing, keep the water at around room temperature and by shaking it from time to time, it will keep well aerated to help the roots take up oxygen.So now lets take a look at soil.
SOIL
Although this next part is easy, it's essential that it's right. In order for the plant to develop and grow to it's full potential, choose a well balanced soil mixture. One that will provide good drainage and anchorage for the roots and allow the plant to receive its water, air and food. For the final mix potting soil, building sand, perlite, worm castings and a pre-mix – a complete organic fertilizer will be needed. A good point to bear in mind when mixing the soil, is to use a space which has adequate ventilation. Although these substances are good for the plants, their airborne particles are definitely not good for lungs. Do the mixing outdoors and preferably use a dust-mask. The following ratios for the soil mix are by volume.
• • • • • • • •
60% potting soil (sterilized) 15% perlite (the spongy texture allows moisture retention. It has no nutritious benefits and will not affect the ph value) 10% building or masonary sand – (avoid beach sand as it contains salt, which can harm the plants) 10% worm castings (excellent food source and natural fertilizer) 5% pre-mix (this contains some very important nutrients for keeping plants healthy as they grow)
On the pre-mix bag you'll see N, P, K. N for nitrogen, P for phosphorous and K for potassium and the corresponding percentages for nutrients. Use a 12, 6, 6 combination. Marijuana tends to use up nitrogen at quite a fast rate and later on readjust the contents with a soluble solution. Never over-feed with pre-mix as it could result in burning the roots and then it's back to the beginning. For the final mix the soil should be moist, but not sticky and stay fairly loose when wet. When given a squeeze it should break up fairly easily. The roots should have no problem getting through this. There are countless variations for soil mixtures that work well. This is one to get started. At this point we want the mixture to blend in, so it's a good idea to let it work away for two or three days before
use. Marijuana plants like a soil that is slightly on the acidic side. Ideally look for a reading of 6.3 – 7.0.
SEEDS Opt for a skunk variety which is very popular amongst home-growers. At this point, be selective and choose seeds which have a good brown or grey colour. The pale green coloured seeds will have little chance of germinating so simply discard them. The remaining seeds on the average will be 50% male and 50% female. The female plant is what we're wanting to cultivate. The rest is straightforward. Using rainwater first moisten some tissue paper. Place the seeds on top, fold over and add some more rain water and insert into a plastic bag. Finally seal with a little sticky tape, to prevent any moisture from escaping and place on a windowsill for 2-3 days. After about 3 days, the seeds will have sprouted and they can go into their first pot using the original soil mix. This pot is about 10cm deep and is ideal for helping the roots get a good start. Simply make a small hole about 2cm deep and place the sprout, root down 5mm below the surface. Cover with soil and spray again. At this point, it's important to keep the surface moist until the sprouts have come through. The grow cycle will take about 2-3 weeks and a simple 'TL' (temporary light) set up can be used. The seedlings will get constant light throughout this period. The surface of the soil needs to be kept moist.
After only a couple of days in the soil the first signs of life appear. After one week the progress is quite rapid . Raise the TL to approx 10cm distance between lamp and the top of the plant. It's important to keep the surface of the soil moist but not saturated as this could lead to suffocating the roots. A further two weeks and the root system is further developed. The seedlings are ready to be transferred into 5 litre pots using original soil-mix. Now place the plants under the 400w lamp. Plants can be forced to flower simply by
cutting the light down to 12hrs a day. For outside plants, this happens naturally as the summer days become shorter. Maintain the temperature to between 20 to 25C and humidity at 60%. Keep the lamp to begin with roughly 1m above the plants and from now on water every 2-3 days.
The correct way to water plants: Gently place a finger down into the soil taking care not to damage any roots. Feel if the soil on the average is moist or dry. When it is dry, slowly saturate the soil with water until it runs out of the bottom of the pot. Check it in a couple of days and when the soil is dry again, repeat the process. The main idea is not to over-water, which can kill a plant's root system. Keep track of what's going on to learn how much and how often to water the plants.
SEXING After about 2-3 weeks under a 400w light with daily 12 hr cycles, it's time to determine the sex of the plants. They may seem to look all the same but in reality the one on the right is a female and the one on the left is a male.
By looking very closely it is possible to see actual pollen sacks on the male plant on the ends of the branches and where the branches come off the main stalk.
If a male plant continues to keep growing the pollen sacks will open and will release pollen which will fertilize the female plants.
At the first sign of pollen sacks, carefully dispose of all male plants. If we look very closely at the other plant we can see that it is a female.
At the ends of the branches and where the branches come off a main stem there are little white hairs which will develop into a flower and if left unfertilized it will develop into a sensimilla flower top.
To determine that this is female instead of male (which has pollen sacks that look like little tiny balls), this plant has very small white hairs coming out of its nodes and by taking the males away before they release their pollen, the flowers will grow more and more white hairs and the top will develop into a sensimilla flower top and that what's growing strong marijuana is all about. So after getting close to the plants, the difference can been seen between the boys and the girls.
CLONING An alternative to starting plants from seed is to take cuttings or clones from a female mother plant. These mother plants live under a strong TL lamp and get 18-24 hrs of light a day. In other words they are in a constant grow cycle. To create mother plants from seed, they would go through germination, grow cycle and once they were sexed the female plants would go back under the TL where they would get 18-24 hrs of light a day. After a few weeks they would revert back into the grow cycle. Never take cuttings when the plant is in the growing cycle as this would stress the new clone. Soak the rock-wool pellets in some water and make a hole about 2cms deep. A
good place to take a clone is anywhere where a healthy branch comes off a main stem.
Always cut at an angle which leaves a bigger surface. This will help the clone to take up oxygen. Next we trim back some of the bigger leaves to promote faster development and smaller leaves. Cut small notches in the stem to help promote the root system.
You can help it further with a root hormone powder and then put into the prepared rockwool pellet.
At this point they won't need any food. Keep the rockwool moist by spraying twice a day with the lights off. Place under the TL set-up where they'll get 18-24 hrs of light a day. The lamp will be about 10cm above the clones. After about 10 days the root system is well on the way and the clones can be housed into their first pot. A week later and they're ready to go under the 400w lamp and into the flower cycle. After a further week, transfer them into larger pots. By taking one or two cuttings every week from the mother plant a constant cycle can be maintained. The advantages are clear, they're controllable, all female and genetically the same. Like the seedlings, these clones are showing the first signs of sex after flowering for about two weeks. Only in this case they are all female. At this point our clones and seedlings will need feeding once a week as the food supply in the original mix will be pretty much used up. Use a soluble fish emulsion added to the water. As the plant grows, gradually reduce the gap to 50cm between the lamp and the top of the plants. After a further 2 weeks the signs of the first buds begin to show. To ensure the buds will not become too moist, bring down the humidity to 50-60% by increasing the ventilation. To help the plant make bigger tops, prune back some of the lower branches. A further 3 weeks and add supports to the plants as they sometimes become top-heavy. As the plant has been growing some of the larger leaves have turned brown. Simply pull them off. The hairs on the buds are turning brown and this is a sign that they are reaching maturity. Stop feeding, watering and spraying and after about 5 days, the crop can be harvested. On the average, the flower cycle can take between 8 to 12 weeks depending on variety. HARVESTING Now the plants are mature.....it's harvest time. Start by removing all the big leaves and gradually work your way down to the buds. The fine cuttings around the buds will dry and then place in a plastic bag and store in the freezer. The trimming is finished when only buds remain.
Hang the buds in a dark and draught free place and keep them at around room
temperature. The weight loss will be about 70 - 80% which can make the environment quite humid. Any draughts or drop in temperature can introduce fungus which in turn can rot the buds, so keep a check on things every day. After about 5-8 days ,the buds are dry and they can be cut off the stems.
Once bagged, simply squeeze out the excess air and seal. Store in a cool, dark place. For longer term storage, use a vacuum machine and store the buds in a freezer.
TROUBLESHOOTING One of the most common problems is the dreaded 'spider mite'.
If left unchecked these tiny insects will eventually spin their webs, suck the plant dry of its juices and at this stage, it's really too late. The spider mite really survives under dry stale conditions and after the end part of the flower cycle when water intake has been cut down, the conditions are ideal for this problem to get out of control. Tell tale signs appear as yellow specks on the upper side of the leaf. This is where the spider has sucked out the juices and at closer inspection these spiders and their eggs are visible.
One answer is to clean the leaves with a wet sponge every 2-3 days. This will not cure the problem but it will certainly contain it. Regular spraying also helps. After harvesting, it's best to leave the lamps on for a couple of days to allow any eggs to hatch and then clean and disinfect thoroughly before starting a new crop. This seedling looks as if it has a nutrition deficiency problem.
It's showing all the classical sick symptoms, namely yellow/brown patches and the leaf is dying. Too much water has turned the soil at the bottom into muck and the roots are starved of vital oxygen. The plant will be re-potted into fresh soil. Another common problem is nitrogen difficiency.
We can recognise the symptoms by the overall pale green colour of the plant and the gradual yellowing of the bottom leaves on the main stem and as the leaf dries it turns to a gold/rusty colour.
Feed it with a soluble fertilizer. In this case, fish emulsion, which has a good percentage of nitrogen in its NPK values. Recovery should be visible within a couple of days.
Where to get the best cannabis seeds for indoor growing Unless you live in Amsterdam or someplace similar, the best selection of cannabis seeds can be found on-line. But how do you know a good seed bank from a bad one? The ugly truth is that there are a number of unscrupulous cannabis seed banks out there lurking on the Internet. The worst ones will take your money and send nothing in return. The bastards know you probably won't go running to the police to complain. Thankfully, there are only a few rip-off cannabis seed websites like that. Most on-line seed banks will send you seeds if you pay for them – but quality of seeds can differ considerably … The seeds can be old, not of the correct strain you selected (seeds look alike – easy to get mixed up), or contain males when you paid extra to get feminised. There's a small number of quality seed banks that we've come to depend on. • • • • •
They always send the correct seeds (of the strain you ordered). They are always fresh and ready to germinate. When they say 'feminised seeds' it really means they will all grow to be female plants. They offer quick and discrete delivery worldwide. They can be easily contacted if you have questions.
There are a few cannabis seeds banks that check all the points above. We list them below with hyper-links so you can click on the name and check out their seeds on-line. Happy shopping :D. Best On-line Cannabis Seed Banks Seedsman
(located in the UK - ships worldwide but not USA)
Nirvana Seeds
(located in Holland – ships worldwide)
Demonseeds
(located in the UK - single feminized seeds – ships worldwide)
Sensi Seeds
(located in Holland - only ships within Europe)
