INDOOR CANNABIS Easy indoor cannabis growing

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2 CONTENTS INDOOR CANNABIS Easy indoor cannabis growing Indoor cannabis growing - what is the easiest way to grow cannabis? 4 Indoor cannabis growing - grow lights 4 Indoor cannabis grow rooms and tents 6 Germinating the seeds 6 Managing the size of your indoor cannabis plants. 8 Controlling temperature in your indoor cannabis grow tent. 9 HPS technology for cannabis growing. 9 Growing cannabis safely. 9 Nutrients. Cannabis fertilisers. 10 Autoflowering THC-rich cannabis. 10 Photoperiod THC-rich cannabis varieties 11 The main mistakes made by indoor cannabis growers 11 Buying cannabis seeds online 11 Harvesting and drying indoor grown cannabis 12 Growing cannabis indoors - low cost, easy and enjoyable Auto Orange Bud

INDOOR CANNABIS Everything you need to know about home grown THC rich cannabis EASY INDOOR CANNABIS GROWING.

All the equipment and nutrients needed to grow cannabis easily indoors is available on the internet or from your local garden

You can buy cannabis seeds online, and proven seed suppliers like Dutch Passion have a full range of proven, prize winning

3 INDOOR CANNABIS Everything you need to know about home grown THC rich cannabis EASY INDOOR CANNABIS GROWING. Growing THC-rich cannabis or CBD rich cannabis indoors is easy and has never been as popular as it is today. All the equipment and nutrients needed to grow cannabis easily indoors is available on the internet or from your local garden centre. You can buy cannabis seeds online, and proven seed suppliers like Dutch Passion have a full range of proven, prize winning marijuana seed varieties. You can grow your own top quality cannabis in as little as ten weeks for a fraction of the street cost. More people than ever are growing their own cannabis and finding it is easier than they imagined. This guide explains how to do it. Auto Glueberry O.G. 3

Growing in coco fibre can produce slightly bigger plants than soil, in faster timescales too, but for some people coco is more complicated and demanding than growing in soil.

4 INDOOR CANNABIS GROWING - WHAT IS THE EASIEST WAY TO GROW CANNABIS? Many growers feel that soil is the easiest way to grow cannabis indoors. We will explain the basics about growing weed easily in soil, but there are also other ways to grow cannabis. Growing in coco fibre can produce slightly bigger plants than soil, in faster timescales too, but for some people coco is more complicated and demanding than growing in soil. Growing in hydroponics produces faster growth than soil or coco but has the greatest technical complexity of all, with the grower required to monitor ph and EC frequently. EC is electrical conductivity, which is a measure of nutrient concentration. ph is a measure of acidity. INDOOR CANNABIS GROWING - GROW LIGHTS HPS grow lights: Most people use HPS (High Pressure Sodium) grow lights. They are the lowest cost grow light technology, easily available online or from any grow shop. The popular 600W HPS is often used in a 1.2m x 1.2m (4 feet x 4 feet) grow space, and may produce around a 400g harvest under average conditions. A 400W HPS lights is used for grow areas of around 90cm x 90cm. 250W HPS lights can be used in smaller tents, around 60x60cm. 1000W HPS grow lights are often used in 1.5m x 1.5m tents (5 feet x 5 feet) 4

Solar System 275 & Solar System 550 LED Grow Lights LED grow light technology.

LED also uses less electricity and does not need regular bulb changes like HPS.

content. HPS also contains a huge amount of less useful orange, yellow and green light wavelengths.

Dutch Passions sister company, Crazy LEDs stock a selection of the best LED grow lights on the market.

5 Solar System 275 & Solar System 550 LED Grow Lights LED grow light technology. LED is more expensive than HPS, but a well specified LED grow light is technically superior because it produces less heat than HPS and it has an optimised light spectrum. LED also uses less electricity and does not need regular bulb changes like HPS. One of the quality limiting aspects of HPS is the amount of heat it produces, this can cause heat stress to plants with grow room temperatures beyond optimum, reducing final harvest quality and THC content. HPS also contains a huge amount of less useful orange, yellow and green light wavelengths. A well specified LED grow light produces only the wavelengths required by the plant, and doesn t produce heat stress. Dutch Passions sister company, Crazy LEDs stock a selection of the best LED grow lights on the market. LED has the added advantage that the light intensity and spectrum can be tailored for each stage of plant growth. Blue and white dominant wavelengths can be used during early plant growth with more red added as bloom starts. An LED grow light with adjustable spectrum offers tremendous advantages for the home grower, allowing you to control the way plants grow. For example, a cannabis plant given lots of blue/white dominant light will tend to have short inter-nodal spacing and a bushy, low growth pattern. This could be useful if you have a stretchy sativa plant. With an adjustable LED you can control plant growth and minimise stretch. Conversely, if you have an indica plant that is too short you can encourage stretching and taller growth by increasing the amount of red spectrum. LED cannabis grow lights offer new levels of adjustability and controllability to maximize the quality of your cannabis. Fluorescent lighting can be used, but the main fluorescent applications are for early plant growth. Most home growers use HPS and/or LED for flowering the cannabis plant. Ceramic metal halide grow lights are becoming increasingly popular, and Plasma lights give great results but are expensive. 5

6 INDOOR CANNABIS GROW ROOMS AND TENTS Many indoor growers buy a purpose built grow tent online, or from their local hydro store or grow shop. This is perhaps the easiest way to grow cannabis at home, the tent has all the necessary openings for air extraction, power cables etc. The grow tent has bars across the top of the tent to hang your grow light, carbon filter, and extraction fan. GERMINATING THE SEEDS This Dutch Passion Germination Guide is a good way to start your seeds. Find a method that works well for you. Low intensity light is fine for seedlings, compact fluorescent lights do a good job. Adjustable LED grow lights can be operated with blue dominant light for early stages of growth. The seedling roots needs to be kept moist, the most common mistakes we see with young plants are introducing them too early to strong light and strong nutrients. Allow the seedlings to grow steadily for a few weeks with increasing light levels and nutrients, as required. CANNABIS SEEDLINGS IN SOIL Once the cannabis seed has germinated the young seedling will be able to absorb all the necessary nutrition from the soil, there is no need to add any nutrients. The lights are often kept 50cm++ from the young plants to avoid burning them. Fluorescent lights can be closer than that, always check manufacturers guidelines and internet reviews when it comes to grow room equipment. Air pots and felt sacks have become very popular with Dutch Passion growers, they allow extra root oxygenation through the porous sides, this 6 encourages healthy root growth and therefore strong plant development by a process called air pruning. Air pruning happens naturally when roots are exposed to air in the absence of high humidity. The roots are effectively burned off, causing the plant to constantly produce new and healthy branching roots. By using large containers of soil you minimise the need to water and feed regularly. Beginners should get a pre-mixed soil from any grow shop, its an easy way to start growing your own cannabis. The grow shop will also supply the

nutrients which may be necessary later. The soil acts as a natural buffer, so concerns about ph etc are less than in hydroponic systems.

With large soil containers you may only need to provide water once a week for the first few weeks, and introduce gradually stronger and more frequent nutrition.

7 nutrients which may be necessary later. The soil acts as a natural buffer, so concerns about ph etc are less than in hydroponic systems. But the soil grower still needs to ensure that nutrients and feeds are prepared at the correct concentrations. With large soil containers you may only need to provide water once a week for the first few weeks, and introduce gradually stronger and more frequent nutrition. Air pots and felt sacks (root pouches) CANNABIS SEEDLINGS IN COCO FIBRE Coco fibre has become one of the most popular ways to grow cannabis, harvests and growth rates are often larger than those achieved in soil. However, you will need to be able to use ph meters and possibly EC (electrical conductivity) meters to accurately measure nutrients, and you will need a degree of understanding regarding nutrients and their relation to plant health. In general nutrient concentrations increase as the plants age. The last week or two is often just a pure water flush. There is a huge array of coco nutrients available, choose a supplier you can trust and keep your nutrient selection simple to start with. CANNABIS SEEDLINGS IN HYDROPONICS. Cannabis plants are at their most vulnerable when they are young, so its crucial to understand your nutrients and ensure that nutrient concentrations are low enough to avoid burning the young plants. When properly managed, hydroponic systems can allow the fastest growth rates of all but they also require good plant care skills from the grower. There are several different hydroponics systems available such as NFT (Nutrient Film Technique), Ebb and flow, Deep Water Culture ( DWC ) and recirculating deep water culture ( RWDC ). 7

Some photoperiod feminized sativa varieties can easily each 3-4m tall in optimum conditions, so these may not be a good choice for indoor growing.

8 MANAGING THE SIZE OF YOUR INDOOR CANNABIS PLANTS. Cannabis varieties, like indoor grow tents, come in different sizes. Its always a good idea to know roughly how big your plants will get so you can plan for them. The tallest varieties tend to be sativa varieties which will show long inter-nodal stretch during growth. Some photoperiod feminized sativa varieties can easily each 3-4m tall in optimum conditions, so these may not be a good choice for indoor growing. Always check the strain description of the seed bank when planning your grow. The shortest varieties tend to be indica dominant varieties, with indica dominant autos perhaps the smallest of all. Photoperiod plants can be given varying amount of vegetive growth (e.g hours of daily light) before switching to 12/12 bloom light (12 hours of light followed by 12 hours of darkness). By restricting a photoperiod plant to minimum vegetive growth the final plant will be smaller in size. Conversely, by allowing a photoperiod plant a long vegetive growth period you are allowing the plant to reach a much larger final size. Most people tend to give photoperiod plants around 4-5 weeks of vegetive growth before bloom. Desfrán 8

CONTROLLING TEMPERATURE IN YOUR INDOOR CANNABIS GROW TENT. One of the biggest causes of stress to indoor cannabis plants is heat stress from hot grow rooms.

When grow room temperatures are getting hot the normal way to reduce temperature is to increase the extraction rate of your extraction fan.

9 CONTROLLING TEMPERATURE IN YOUR INDOOR CANNABIS GROW TENT. One of the biggest causes of stress to indoor cannabis plants is heat stress from hot grow rooms. Stress caused by high temperatures can reduce the harvest quality and quantity. Keeping your grow room temperature around a maximum of 25ºC will allow optimum quality. When grow room temperatures are getting hot the normal way to reduce temperature is to increase the extraction rate of your extraction fan. Some people avoid growing cannabis in mid summer if their experience shows that it is not possible HPS TECHNOLOGY FOR CANNABIS GROWING. to control grow room temperatures during the hottest months. These days many home growers are switching away from HPS grow lights and buying LED grow lights. The best quality LED grow lights emit a fraction of the heat of an HPS, they allow cooler grow room temperatures as standard and improve cannabis quality. Many growers that run high temperatures in their grow rooms prefer to grow during the cooler winter months, or have their grow room lights switched off during the hottest part of the day. High Pressure Sodium, or HPS lights are a popular way to light your grow room. As well as the HPS bulb you will need to buy a reflector and a ballast. The reflector makes the light from your bulb shine down on the crop. The ballast converts the AC power supply into a DC current to light the bulb. You can buy all the different parts of an HPS lighting system online or from your local grow shop. HPS bulbs should be replaced after 2-3 grow cycles because they start to lose intensity. Combined with bulb replacement costs and electricity usage HPS is not a cheap way to grow, but HPS is cheap to initially purchase. LED is more expensive for the initial purchase, but there are no replacement bulb costs and lower electricity costs. LED also has adjustable spectrum and adjustable power, as well as superior spectrum. And because plug and play LED doesn t need a reflector or separate ballast it is simpler, less expensive to run and cooler to operate with less grow room heat. GROWING CANNABIS SAFELY. Growing cannabis indoors is perfectly safe when you have bought good quality equipment and used it correctly. To make your grow room extra safe you can add a smoke detector and an automatic fire extinguisher. The automatic fire extinguishers are easily available online and are often temperature activated, when a fire is detected the extinguisher automatically releases its content to extinguish the fire. 9

10 NUTRIENTS. CANNABIS FERTILISERS. The choice of nutrients for your cannabis plant can seem overwhelming, especially for the new grower. There are specialist nutrients for all different grow methods, and some manufacturers have massive product ranges. New growers are advised to keep it as simple as they can with a minimum number of nutrient products. Stick to the main manufacturers and take the advice of your local grow shop if its a good one. AUTOFLOWERING THC-RICH CANNABIS. Do research online when selecting your nutrient supplier. As your skill level increases you can add new nutrient products to try, but the best advice is to keep it simple especially at the beginning. Avoid the temptation to give too many nutrients to your plants, its one of the most common mistakes seen by Dutch Passion. Over fertilising your plants will damage ( burn ) the plant and roots, slowing growth and reducing harvest quantity/quality. Autoflowering cannabis varieties, also known as autos or autoflowers, have become extremely popular with home growers. They grow cannabis rich in THC, they grow it quickly and easily. Autos from the premium quality seed companies, such as Dutch Passion, can grow under 24 hour light from seed to harvest, though most growers prefer to use 20 hours of daily light. Plants are usually harvested 75 days after germination, or thereabouts. Home growers use the same tent for autos of all stages of plant growth, seedlings as well as mature plants. The old concept of separate tents for plants in vegetive growth and bloom disappears. With autos you have the convenience of one tent for all your plants, you can add a new seedling every couple of weeks and harvest a mature plant at the same time using the same tent. Potency levels of the best auto genetics are on the same level as photoperiod varieties. Convenience levels are higher. 10 Auto Cinderella Jack

PHOTOPERIOD THC-RICH CANNABIS VARIETIES. Photoperiod cannabis varieties grow under 18 hours of daily light and start to bloom when daylight hours are reduced to 12.

To trigger flowering of the cannabis, the light is switched to 12 hours on and 12 hours off. Plants grow buds, and are usually ready to harvest about 9 weeks later.

Not having a good quality carbon filter is another common mistake made by inexperienced growers. Dealing with the smell from your grow room has to be one of your top priorities.

11 PHOTOPERIOD THC-RICH CANNABIS VARIETIES. Photoperiod cannabis varieties grow under 18 hours of daily light and start to bloom when daylight hours are reduced to 12. Normally photoperiod varieties are given about 4 weeks of vegetive growth under hours of daily light, during this period they grow roots, leaves and branches but no buds. To trigger flowering of the cannabis, the light is switched to 12 hours on and 12 hours off. Plants grow buds, and are usually ready to harvest about 9 weeks later. Night Queen THE MAIN MISTAKES MADE BY INDOOR CANNABIS GROWERS Over watering and over feeding cannabis plants are the two most common mistakes. Not having a good quality carbon filter is another common mistake made by inexperienced growers. Dealing with the smell from your grow room has to be one of your top priorities. Serious home growers replace carbon filters regularly before the filter starts to fail, and always have a spare carbon filter at home just in case. BUYING CANNABIS SEEDS ONLINE The three biggest influences on the quality of the cannabis harvest are the skill of the grower, the grow room conditions and the cannabis genetics. Decide whether you are growing feminized photoperiod marijuana seeds, or feminized auto seeds. These days very few growers choose regular (non-feminized) seeds, but Dutch Passion have one of the largest collections here. Get the best ganja seeds you can afford, its one area of a grow where costs don t have to be cut Orange Hill Special 11

12 HARVESTING AND DRYING INDOOR GROWN CANNABIS. There are lots of different methods, but usually it can take anywhere from 5-14 days to dry the cannabis buds depending on your method and the temperature/humidity conditions. Avoid fans blowing directly on your buds unless its a high humidity environment, slow drying and curing maximises taste and flavor. Buds should be dried in the dark. In humid environments it takes longer to dry. Often the buds are dried in the same tent that they were grown in, the carbon filter is essential when drying cannabis. When the buds are dry they are often stored in glass jars or good quality sealed bags. For long term storage, cannabis can be stored in the freezer in sealed containers. Auto Daiquiri Lime GROWING CANNABIS INDOORS - LOW COST, EASY AND ENJOYABLE. Once you have grown your first indoor cannabis crop you will not want to go back to buying street weed. The initial costs to buy and set up an indoor grow tent will be a few hundred Euros/Pounds/Dollars. The biggest costs will be for the tent, grow light and extraction fan/filter. Once you have bought these the ongoing costs of growing cannabis are low, electricity is the main ongoing cost. But even with these costs, indoor grown cannabis costs a fraction of the street price and you will often have superior quality too. Enjoy growing your own cannabis, its easier than you think and more rewarding than you can imagine. 12

Comparison of Soil Grown Cannabis Plants in a Plastic Pot, a Fabric Pot and an Octopot Grow System 1

Comparison of Soil Grown Cannabis Plants in a Plastic Pot, a Fabric Pot and an Octopot Grow System 1 1 TEST PARAMETERS AND GOAL A side by side comparison of the growth of three cannabis plants was carried out to determine efficacy of three soil bearing plant containers. The plant containers used in this