10 Tips For Growing Indoor

jackel August 27, 2012 62
10 Tips For Growing Indoor

Growing cannabis can be a fun and enjoyable experience if you know what you’re doing. It can also be a big pain in the rear and very costly if you don’t. Here are 10 simple tips to help you get the most out of your indoor marijuana garden.

1. Do your research

This sounds like a no brainer first step, but it’s one many people overlook. Before you get started familiarize yourself with the basics of growing cannabis. Do some reading on growing, grow room design, and the other basics. It will save you a lot of headaches down the road. Don’t be afraid to use our forums to ask questions. The internet is full of information at your fingertips. Don’t forget to use it.

2. Proper room before you start

Don’t plant a single seed before you have your room built. Rushing to construct your room in a hurry won’t give you the best results. Build your room completely before you start your seeds or clones. You can always use the extra time to save up money and buy the seeds you really want while your are getting your grow room ready.

3. Veg and flower rooms

Build yourself a room specifically for flowering, and a second room just for vegging. Having a separate vegetative room will allow you to keep a mother, and have clones ready to go as soon as you finish your harvest. This allows you to guarantee  your favorite genetics are always available, and you won’t risk bringing foreign pest and fungus into your room on purchased clones.

4. 30 watts per sq ft or more

A very popular question among first time growers is how much light do I need for my room? Fortunately there is a simple rule of thumb you can use as a guide. Ideally you want to have 30 watts per sq ft of floor space. Of course, the more light the better. Here are some absolute minimums that I would recommend  as a starting point.

  • 1000watt = 6×6 room
  • 600watt = 5×5 room
  • 400 watt = 4×4 room

5. Ventilation

When it comes to ventilation, you can never have too much of it. Air movement will help keep your plants happy and healthy. By removing hot humid air, ventilation helps prevent mold and mildew. Ventilation also replenishes CO2 that plants need to photosynthesize. If possible, filter any fresh air that is drawn into the grow room. This will reduce the number of new pests introduced into the grow room.

6. Start with a simple grow method

Before you decide to try out that latest greatest high tech growing method you read about, start with the basics. Those people have spent many hours tweaking their grow rooms to a point of perfection. Instead, start with a good bag of soil, some pots, and a simple but good plan, then tweak your methods until you have achieved a heavenly perfection of your own.

7. Stick to one line of nutrients

If you have been to any grow shop recently, you will know that they have a metric ton of products that claim they make your plants grow faster, yield bigger buds, and taste better. Mixing different brands of nutrients can cause lockout and a number of other problems. Pick a single brand of nutrients and use only that one line. Most brands have a complete line of nutrients designed to give you the best results possible.

8. Cleanliness

As the old adage goes. “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”. This is also true for our grow rooms. Keep them clean, don’t leave trash in the grow room. It invites pests, and may present a safety hazard. If you pull off dead leaves, dispose of them outside of the room. If you can, have a clean pair of shoes and/or clothes you can put on before going into your rooms. This will keep down the likelihood of pests problems like spider mites. A simple suggestion is to have a pair of oversized coveralls hanging by the door. If you use a few simple preventative measures, you can help keep pests out. Your plants will thank you.

9. Mumms the word

This one can be difficult for many of us. Growing is very exciting. Sometimes you want to show your closest friends what you have going on. Maybe you can make them a little jealous. Stop! Keep your mouth shut, and don’t tell anyone about it. People have a bad habit of talking. For every person you trust enough to tell, expect they will tell 10 people that they trust enough to tell.  Before you know it, you could have some undesirable attention. It could be the authorities, or it could be robbers.

10. Start with good genetics

Starting with the right strain can make or break your garden. If you want big yields, then don’t grow a strain known to be a low producer. If you want a certain type of high, make sure you pick a strain that was designed for it. This goes back to tip #1. Do your research. It will save you time, energy and money.

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62 Comments »

  1. annett September 12, 2012 at 8:42 am -

    how long do you need to leave in the veg dtage

    • Rambo September 16, 2012 at 3:51 pm -

      This really depends on your situation. Some people begin to flower the same week they plant their clones, others wait a month or more. Post questions like this in our forum and I’m sure our little community will help you out. The more details you give us about your plants and grow room the more useful the answers will be.

      • Jack July 20, 2014 at 6:37 am -

        My plants are a few days old there in a closed box with a Eco bulb lamp and there is no ventilation it’s also quite warm in there and there quite tall. I didn’t you any food. Just water and soil from the garden. My box has foil stuck on the inside reflecting the light. Pls any tips

        • Jack July 20, 2014 at 6:42 am -

          Also my plants are about an inch and a half tall and have red stems ???

        • Rambo July 25, 2014 at 7:09 am -

          In the future don’t use soil from your garden when growing in a indoor style grow. It’s almost always host to pests than can become a problem for your plants when brought inside. While potting soil isn’t always sterile, pick up a back at your local home improvement or garden store. It’s cheap and can save you a lot of headaches.

      • John August 6, 2014 at 7:15 pm -

        How long in veg dtage

    • John August 6, 2014 at 7:11 pm -

      So how long till you take it out of veg stage

    • John August 6, 2014 at 7:15 pm -

      How long in veg stage for hydro

  2. jason September 22, 2012 at 1:57 am -

    I have a 4 week old cutting just transplanted into 1 gallon pot. Its a closet grow and I’m trying to figure out when would be a good time to start flowering. I haven’t cut the lower leaves off yet or done a lot its pretty well groomed. I just found out that while transplanting it caught some tag alongs damn spider mites!!! What do you suggest

  3. Jackel September 22, 2012 at 7:18 am -

    Its best if all questions are brought to the forum.

  4. anthony October 1, 2012 at 6:24 am -

    hi pa, i had some plant in veg, an they stalled for some reason’s. an the steams started to go red .i tryed everything to get them thriving again but weeks went buy so i gave up . But what dose red steams mean? do you know what could of been the problem to this..

    thanks .. ant

    ps love your work 🙂

    • gore October 1, 2012 at 8:36 am -

      Anthony,
      Red stems could indicate a few things;

      -cold, marijuana plants respond to low temperatures the same way trees do in the fall. This can manifest its self as colors ranging from red to purple.

      -Nitrogen deficiency, when a plant runs out of available N it can begin to loose color, turn pale and even begin to display fall(ish) colors.

      -Maturity, many marijuana strains have a natural tendency to produce vivid colors as they mature. Some strains produce red to purple petioles even throughout vegetative growth.

      Anthony, in truth, you did not give us enough information to diagnose this issue. As Jackel suggested, please open a thread on the forum, if possible, post a few pics so we can better identify the problem.

      -Gore

  5. foulster October 11, 2012 at 11:26 pm -

    I’ve cut clones from a plant that already went through the bud cycle. The plant regenerated again in some different leaf sizes,patterns etc. I put lights on them again “they were outdoor plants”to supplement the leftover sunlight it was getting.
    Now these cuttings and plants shows signs of false podding.And I have them in a grow.
    Who thinks these clones will do well? So far not much with rockwool.I built a nice cloner and have tried a new set of clippings.
    I worry that the cuttings are confused and will not return to nrmal veg. state

  6. foulster October 11, 2012 at 11:28 pm -

    anthony.usually the red shows up on very mature waterleaves stems. It is normal.like gore said.its like fall colors

  7. Jkid October 24, 2012 at 3:43 pm -

    I’m starting new I got 600 watts on 6 plants. Can I use the 600 watts on a clone start to finish

    • Rambo October 24, 2012 at 3:56 pm -

      I depends on how large of an area those 6 plants fill. If you flower them after only a few weeks of veg then you should be ok. 600 watts won’t effectively cover a canopy any larger then about 4’x4′ and even that is going to be pushing it. You will see diminished returns towards that outer edges of the growing area

  8. anthony November 22, 2012 at 9:20 am -

    Hi thanks for response on red stems that very helpful,
    but i think i’ll put it down to Nitrogen deficiency coz i was growing in coco at the time.
    And i started feeding with the nutrients from the feeding chart.
    But i did’nt know weather to feed them every other day on the nutrients. So i started giving them water and thats when i started getting problems.
    The problem was only in veg, when i flowered them in the coco they turned out exceptionally well .
    I’ve gone back to bio biz now because i never had that problem with red stems and slow growth in veg, but i never did as well in bio biz.
    Can you recommend any feeding charts and nutrients that i can follow using the bio biz to get good result plz .

    Thanks Ant.

    p.s love your work

    • Rambo November 25, 2012 at 9:05 am -

      Anthony,
      I’m not particularly familiar with Bio Biz but I’m sure if you use what is recommended on the bottle you should have good results. If the directions are not clear, try calling the company. They usually have a tech support person who can answer any questions you have. Because Coco fiber drains so well, it could be that you were inadvertently flushing all the nutrients out of the soil on the water only days. Glad to hear you were able to fix the problem.

  9. honkie73 December 3, 2012 at 2:57 pm -

    How tall should the plants be before they flower?

    • Rambo December 3, 2012 at 3:05 pm -

      It really depend on the strain and the growing situation. If you post the questions in the forum along with more details we will do our best to tutor you on the subject.

  10. seedkingseeds December 29, 2012 at 8:05 am -

    30 watts per square foot isnt enough even at the low end… rule of thumb in botany calls for 50 watts per square foot MINIMUM… with the BEST being at 77 watts per square foot… anything over that is wasteful other then providing you with side lighting especially if your using a tent

    • Rambo December 29, 2012 at 4:00 pm -

      For flowering I agree. I like about 62 watts per sq/ft which is about a 1000 watt HPS for each 4×4′ area. That being said, I’ve seen the same space done right with only 600 watts but this was for a very even canopied SOG setup and I’m sure it could have benefited from more light. For veg, I have had no problem using as little as 30 watts per sq/ft but again, the more the merrier

  11. seedkingseeds December 29, 2012 at 8:06 am -

    red stems means nothing… its more an age and or temp thing than anything

    • Rambo December 29, 2012 at 4:01 pm -

      There is more to it that age and temp. I’ve had plenty of instances of red stem on some phenos or strains while other phenos or strains of the same age in the same room have been green or even purple. Certainly nothing to be concerned about though

  12. seedkingseeds December 29, 2012 at 8:09 am -

    too much watering, you most likely drowned it trrying to flush it out or feeed it etc..
    marijuana likes to dry out a tiny bit in between feedings… most new growers over feed and over water trying to take extra care of their plants… it depends on the size really, but on a average size adult, you should only be feeding it and watering once a week, at the same time.. In other words mix your nutrients up, and feed it till the water leaks a bit from the bottom drainage holes, once youve seen runoff stop or youll overwater… but this ensures no air pockets in the root system that would cause different rates of fert saturation

  13. TIBS57 January 13, 2013 at 12:49 pm -

    THIS MAY SOUND STUPID BUT DOES THE MALE PLANT HAVE TO POLINATE THE FEMALE PLANT IN THE VEG. STATE?

    • Rambo January 13, 2013 at 8:30 pm -

      The pollen from the flower of the mail plant pollinates the flower of the female plant so neither can pollinate or be pollinated if one or both is still in veg.

  14. bud nelson June 7, 2013 at 11:34 pm -

    I’ve got one super lemon haze and a regenerated 5 inch stalk w/5 branches how big will the regenerated one get?the s.l.h. Is very bushy on top and is starting to fill out I was wondering how long should I veg in a closet 3×6 n is co2 ok for veg?also closet is about 10 to 12 feet tall I’m using 1000w m.h. W/dimmable 1000w hid dimmable 60%75% 100% I also have the two in one HPS mh bulb and hps 1000w hps bulbs and ghd stand alone 600w hps bulb which should I use for the veg n flower if not two diff. bulbs to get optimum fast healthy growth and at what wattage and should I leave it on a certain setting or is it ok to dim / brighten the ljght to mimic cloudy days? I believe it’s called what frequency should I also set it on/leave it on?

    • Rambo June 10, 2013 at 10:43 am -

      I am sure the community of growers on this page would be happy to help, however, your questions require an involved answer and are unrelated to this article. Please post your questions again in the forum
      http://www.marijuanagrowershq.com/forum/

  15. Austin June 17, 2013 at 12:27 pm -

    the plant that i have is dying , how can i help to keep them alive ?

    • Rambo June 17, 2013 at 6:35 pm -

      You are really not giving us much to go on. Try posting pictures and a detailed explanation in the forum.

  16. noobie June 24, 2013 at 8:53 pm -

    What is the best leaf trimming philosophies? Anyone?

  17. ANthony June 28, 2013 at 12:59 am -

    how many plants will fit in this room?

    /Users/TarynItUp/Desktop/1006175_570992516284481_998404818_n.jpg

    • kram July 7, 2013 at 11:20 am -

      I suggest asking this question in the forum where moderators and other people can help you. Post you picture on a free image hosting site like

  18. armando August 1, 2013 at 6:27 pm -

    my plant is about 2 weeks old its really short almost 2.5 inches and one of the first leaves are deformed like it didnt fully grow right i have it in my laundry room on a shelf it gets about 8 hours of sunlight and 10 hours under a light what can i be doing wrong

  19. scatman August 4, 2013 at 1:08 pm -

    hi,i’m a very 1st time grower,it happened by pure luck,got some seeds in my buds so cracked 2 and planted them,1 has worked so ivebought a 6 u CFL etc,the one i grew for so long i have to have my light at an angle to shine on the light,anyway how long since its been on 12/12 cycle do i feed it for? i know i that t give it 2 weeks of pure water to cleanse it,also my feeds i give,do i need to water it aswell?
    I know these questions seem stupid but ive never done a grow before,as i say,it was just pure luck its grown.
    Thanks

  20. lee August 6, 2013 at 6:44 am -

    hi there, i have brought 36 papiya clones. I have bin growing these for 3 weeks and they look like they have stopped growing. they are in 11 litre pots and i am using
    coco soil with coco A and coco B feed, plus concat. I have got an 80 litre feeding tank and using 50 ml of A and 50 ml of B to 80 litres. for the first 2 weeks i had them under two 600 watt lights and the 3rd week introduced them to another 600 watt light. The temperature was over 30 °C with the humidity 66% The plant stems are red an the plant seems to be stressed could you please tell me were i am going wrong an maybe send me some guide lines on the best way of growing.

  21. erbgrind August 14, 2013 at 2:37 pm -

    i thought that was an excellent top ten, back to basic,i heard someone xperimented with everything from airoponics dwc cfl leds i read the dwc was ok and the led wasnt realy used the paper said that they do well in a 1.2 1.2 x 2 in 6 and a half litre airpot with coco perlite and a few clay pebbles 5 under 600w i also read they are very intrested in nft205gti good luck to all erbgrind

  22. Jaxx August 25, 2013 at 3:07 pm -

    I,m truley a novice. But l manage to grow a m. Plant. I is growing tall. Big strong leaves. The bottom leves are dying off. What is meant by flowers? How do I get BUD? What do i hve to do next?

  23. thumper October 29, 2013 at 8:59 am -

    Once she starts budding can i increase light exposure time?

    • Rambo October 29, 2013 at 6:50 pm -

      Keep it around 12 hours on and 12 hours off

  24. jimgrowpro November 11, 2013 at 3:38 am -

    I have a 4×4 room with a 6500 65w cfl, and a 2 white spectrum cfls about 30w a pop, and a 50w philips grow bulb i have a fan vent system and ok soil… am i in good shape for a nice yeild?

    • Rambo November 19, 2013 at 5:41 pm -

      Sounds like you are off to a good start. Give it a try and let us know how it works out.

  25. 1st Timer December 5, 2013 at 6:51 pm -

    So I recently bought a Cash Crop 2.0 hydroponics grow box, I bought 6 clones, now I put transported the clones to the box and into the ViaGrow Super Plugs. Now most of my plants lookin good just a bit droopy. 1 of my plants is lookin terrible. Like it isn’t dead and gone yet but the leaves on it look a bit twisted up and a few leaves on it are completely crunchy dry. Its my 1st time growing, at this point I think that it was the air stones fault. It didn’t create enough bubbles to cover 100% of the top of the water. So I just swapped my plant pots around to the point where my weak looking plant is surrounded by the bubbles because b4 I swapped the plants around, my weak plant was receiving any bubbles from the looks of it. Hopefully I made the right move, u tell me…. I think the nxt move I should make is getting a better air stone.. What do you guys think???

  26. Teevaar January 26, 2014 at 4:59 am -

    Hey everyone. So it’s my first plant that I’m trying to grow. Tried to germinate 5 seeds of which only one is sprouting currently. Plan on using a polystyrene cup(making a few holes for drainage) some compost used for growing mainly vegetables and some soil from my back yard( it’s quite dark and slightly lumpy in texture). I was told to use dog shit and fruits as fertilizer.. I need to know when I should start adding the fruit and shit. Also I’m not sure what lighting I can use as I’m trying to hide it from my parents and not many spots in or around the house come to mind. I would like to grow it indoor though. Also does anybody know what I can do to enhance it.. Make the thc content higher etc? Also I’m trying to do good on the 1st batch coz I’m getting some silver haze and cheese seeds and would not like to mess those up. Appreciate if somebody could share some advice to my problems.. Awee

  27. andy February 15, 2014 at 9:13 pm -

    youre light source per foot is garbage.
    I bought a new lamp, 119 euros, its 30 watts the same as a reading lamp, its a spot light equivalent to 150 watts haloen. im growing 10 plants and theres room for many more. this is an experiment, ins intercooled and the room is only heated by house radiator. My growing costs for electric and heating are almost zero. Cant be seen from above and no heat signs. Its made by MEMOSTAR serial No. XFL 0301 and i got the spot light in holland Ijmuiden. It covers 2 square metres and the distance above the plants os over 1 metre. This a a breakthrough and a mega energy saver. Carbon filter just hangs above the ceiling and a normal somer cooling fan plugged into light timer. Costs about 50pence a day to run my setup.

  28. andy February 15, 2014 at 9:21 pm -

    Use cool water after its been boiled for germinating. I soak seeds dropped in spray aerosol cap for24 hours in dark wardrobe and check every 12 hours until pod splits and root is 3mm then pot in coco peat and mix of soil. My Germination rate is 95% from seed. Im growing amsterdam cheese, special cheese and amnesia hase, all successful and cheap to grow under my cooled spotlight.

  29. andy February 15, 2014 at 9:35 pm -

    18 hours a day for 1st 4 weeks, then down to 16, after 5 weeks, then 12 after 10 weeks and then 10 hours for bud flowering.

  30. Sean March 16, 2014 at 11:49 am -

    I boiled water and placed four good seeds in water . They have been in a dark closet now for two days and have yet to split at all. Put 6 good seeds in napkins which are moist and in a dark closet also, for two days and finally have four seeds in jiffy pots watch Fox Farm soil and moist. None have germinated after two days and three methods. All seeds are prime, cost me over $10 dollars US each. What am I, if I am, doing wrong and what should I do different. I have not grown since the 70’s. I am one of the first growers from California who began breeding Sativa, Indica and Ruderalis in the day. Went into the military and am now disabled and needing something better for long term management of pain from combat injuries instead of these darn opiates the VA keeps throwing my way. I am embarrassed because in the day I was known as the Reefer Man and I think I have lost my way. Anybody have some Rightous info to get me back in the saddle. I got 600 HPS, great soil and 4×4 grow tent.

  31. larry March 31, 2014 at 5:05 pm -

    Hey I was wondering how can I get then nasty nates those lil bugs of my plants?
    Any suggestions?
    Thanks!

  32. bob April 9, 2014 at 3:04 pm -

    what causes the stems and branches to turn purple?

  33. willy April 12, 2014 at 6:41 am -

    I grew indoors 20 years ago and the results were quite good. I have some seeds germinating now and they will be ready to go in starter pots next week. C an my baby plants go under the lights right away or should they get 6″ or so tall first?

  34. mr.marijauna April 30, 2014 at 1:31 pm -

    Thanks for thr tips let you know how it goes cx

  35. king May 2, 2014 at 10:37 pm -

    im startin my own grow room n was checkin this site out for some tips.. n I’d like to know whats flowering?,

  36. king May 2, 2014 at 10:43 pm -

    and also.. Iv seen many Mj plants but never. have I seen em with buds.can any plant of any seed produce Buds??

  37. kek June 5, 2014 at 4:21 am -

    I have placed a 600 watt bulb in a closet 1*1 with 2 plants inside. Is it normal to have such a large lamp or i have no problem?

  38. Me July 17, 2014 at 5:16 pm -

    Im using fox farm ocean for my blue drems bout 7 week old plant how will I know if it is fully nutured ?
    Grown In a closet

  39. maf July 22, 2014 at 2:47 am -

    i have african plant well 4 seed left but 1 of my plants has started budding and there are 3 places were 7/9 bud grown from same spot u heard o this

  40. FaTTy August 20, 2014 at 11:10 am -

    Okay, so i have a question …. or two….**= question

    **I am gonna use the Flora Series nutes to feed with (Floragro, Floramicro, Florabloom),but i need to know a specific schedule to feed on like do I feed once and water with reg water and then feed again or feed once/twice a week ???

    I have looked at the schedule that Flora gives and I just wanna be sure that this will work for the plants that I grow 🙂 and not for like tomatos or something…

    **I decided to build the 4ftx4ftx7ft room and I have one 600w hps and I am gonna put 8 plants in there is that good enough light for 8 plants? can I place more plants in there?? and if so, how many can i fit in a 4fx4fx7ft???

    I am going to use 4 gal pots and soiless coconut fiber and I am gonna use the scrog method to hold the flowers so it all comes down to water/feed schedule….

    I got a temp/humidity gage and a 6 inch duct fan for the exhaust and it is runnin into the attic…. and there are screened vents in the bottom of the room to let new air in…. the room is encased in white plastic to try and keep it bright and not as reflective to try and keep the heat down….

    I am new to the indoor growing and I hope that everything goes well and I cant wait to get started and any help given would be much appreciated….