part0009

No matter whether you call it pot, Mary Jane, Buddha, or herb, marijuana is gaining acceptance across the United States and around the world. But cannabis, in both hemp and marijuana forms, has been cultivated for centuries by many civilizations for its medicinal, therapeutic benefits. Marijuana, also known as “weed,” will literally grow like a weed under the right conditions. For those interested in the same benefits our ancestors sought, growing marijuana indoors can yield high-quality product, and the growing process itself can be as cathartic as it is rewarding.

Due to legalities surrounding the plant, marijuana can be difficult and expensive to procure. Black market marijuana has been available to many Americans for decades, but buying through this route can have risks. These include personal safety, lack of transparency in regard to quality and product safety (think potency or leftover pesticides), and gaps in supply. Those using cannabis products for medical purposes, along with many recreational users, require a steady, ongoing supply of their product of choice.

If you live in a state where weed is legal for recreational use, you can probably grow marijuana at home or purchase it through licensed dispensaries (check your state laws). The legal weed market is highly regulated, and although dispensaries sell a safer and more transparent product, they charge quite a premium to cover taxes, overhead, and profit. Based on your usage, sourcing from dispensaries may not be a viable, sustainable option. Whether procuring through your local dealer or a licensed dispensary, chances are there are neither refunds nor guarantees.

It’s for these reasons that many choose to cultivate cannabis at home and put that time, energy, and money into managing their own supply. When you grow at home, you have full control over the relative size and the frequency of harvests, not to mention control over safety and quality. Why give your hard-earned cash to someone else when you can reap the same benefits and have full control of your marijuana needs?

ORGANIC OR NOT

Organic cultivation means growing marijuana in a sustainable way without pesticides, fungicides, or other chemical and synthetic materials often used to promote crop growth or kill pests. Organic products are also free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

The table below compares organic and conventional cultivation methods. OMRI stands for the Organic Materials Research Institute, which maintains a list of prohibited and allowable inputs for organic cultivation. To engage in strict organic production means to use only inputs listed as allowable by the OMRI.

If you want to go “green” with your indoor grow, keep the following table in mind:

METHOD	USED IN ORGANIC GROW	USED IN CONVENTIONAL GROW
Herbicides	OMRI-listed only	Yes
Pesticides/insecticides	OMRI-listed only	Yes
Fungicides	OMRI-listed only	Yes
Synthetic nutrients	OMRI-listed only	Yes
GMOs	No	Yes
Hydroponic Systems	Probably not	Yes

Organic cultivation often involves the use of natural alternatives to popular chemical and synthetic materials. For example, pest control without pesticides may involve the use of plant essences from garlic or neem oil and biological controls such as ladybugs. Many growers utilize a blend of both organic and conventional growing methods to achieve their preferred balance of time, energy, quality, and yield. For beginners, conventional cultivation is often the easiest path, as organic methods can be a little trickier to implement and are often more costly.

Successful indoor grows can be smaller than two feet by three feet. A closet- or cellar-size space can easily accommodate a perpetual harvest setup in which you have plants in various life stages and cycle them through so that you can harvest at regular intervals. If your space cannot be kept clean and sanitary in its current state, consider painting exposed concrete block or adding a cheap, flexible wall covering made of a material such as fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) or plastic sheeting. This also helps insulate the area, allowing you to achieve more consistent environmental conditions.

In years past, it could be a challenge to source equipment such as lights and hydroponic accessories, as they were mostly reserved for professional, non-cannabis growers. When you could source them, it was often at a premium price. These days there are many options, from online retailers to brick-and-mortar growing supply shops, that allow you to buy everything you need without breaking the bank (see the Resources section). Although indoor grows for personal use can be very elaborate, you don’t need much equipment to have a respectable grow that produces happy plants and good yields.

Fear not. You don’t need technical skills or construction experience to put together an adequate grow space. This book was written to provide first-timers with all the information needed to set up and operate a grow room. Cultivating marijuana can be exciting and a lot of fun, and you’ll learn more techniques as you grow.

This isn’t true. Buying weed and other cannabis products is way too expensive! Cultivating your own product and controlling your supply will save you money. The initial investment can be as low as a couple hundred dollars, which wouldn’t buy much product on the black market, let alone through legal options. Many items used throughout cultivation and harvest are common household items that you may already have. (You’ll also need nutrients and growing media, but they can be had on the cheap.) There is no need to rush out and buy the latest or most expensive equipment. Start small, with items at your disposal, and allow your grow to evolve over time, and you won’t need a second mortgage on your home. On average, you should see return on your investment by your first or second harvest.

That’s okay. Cannabis grows fast like a weed and often does just fine without any human intervention at all. How much harm can you do? Like anything in life, there will be some trial and error. This book gives you tips on monitoring and responding to plant issues so you don’t have to go through all the R&D on your own. That said, growing marijuana can be looked at like a manufacturing process. Some easy-to-learn activities, such as inspecting your plants, taking soil moisture and pH readings, and ensuring adequate lighting and airflow, will eliminate any factors having to do with the color of your thumb.

MARIJUANA GROW LAWS

Many countries and states have legalized marijuana exclusively for medicinal purposes. California was the first state to do so in 1996, and over 30 other states have since followed suit. The bar for becoming a medical marijuana patient varies from state to state, with many requiring documentation of severe disease or chronic pain.

In 2012, Colorado went a step further and legalized marijuana for recreational use for adults over 21, though with some restrictions. As of 2020, 14 additional states and the District of Columbia have also taken the step to legalize marijuana for recreational use.

Currently, you can legally grow marijuana if:

1. You are a card-holding medical marijuana patient. There are typically restrictions on the number of flowering plants and total plants you can grow at a given time.

2. You live in a state (or country) that has legalized marijuana for recreational use and allows cultivation by individuals. There are usually limits on the maximum number of plants you can grow at a given time.

3. You run a state-licensed cannabis-growing operation.

Before embarking on your indoor garden, make sure you can do so legally. Check out the site MarijuanaAndTheLaw.com for information on your area.

A space with the right qualities and amenities will consistently produce the best-quality marijuana flower. Keep in mind that how you set up your grow space will have lasting effects on yield, quality, and efficiency, so take your time on the front end. At a minimum, the area you use for your growing operation should have adequate power supply, accessibility to water, floors that clean easily, airflow, and, most importantly, lighting. We’ll dig into each of these further in Step 2: The Space .

More than any other single factor, lighting will dictate your marijuana plants’ growth and bud development and therefore your grow room’s success. Lighting is key not only to vegetative growth before flowering but also to formation of dense buds in the flowering stage. There are many lighting options and a huge range in costs. Lighting is often the costliest part of a grow operation, so a considerable portion of your grow room budget should be allocated to it. We’ll show you detailed information on lighting elements so you can make the right purchase based on your available capital in Step 3: The Light .

Your marijuana plants are living, breathing organisms. A quick refresher from fourth grade biology: Humans breathe in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. Plants do the opposite: They take in carbon dioxide and expel oxygen (which we, in turn, inhale). For your grow operation, the quality of your environment will be determined largely by the air quality (which in turn is determined by factors such as carbon dioxide level, air temperature, airflow, and humidity level). Improper airflow or air circulation can wreak havoc on plants in an otherwise well-controlled environment. We’ll dive into some simple monitoring techniques and equipment and discuss ventilation and circulation more in Step 4: The Environment .

Much like how our overall health is dependent on what we choose to feed ourselves, plants rely on available nutrients to produce roots, stems, branches, leaves, and flowers. Providing proper nutrition is the role of fertilizers. Fertilizers can contain different proportions of the big three macronutrients—nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium—along with varying levels of micronutrients. Plants require different levels of these nutrients depending on their stage of growth. We’ll delve more into the realm of plant nutrients in Step 8: The Nutrients .

ANATOMY 101

Do you know your plant parts?

Cola: The cola is the main group of buds on top of the main stalk. It is technically referred to as the apical or terminal bud. In most harvests and depending on your pruning activities, colas will represent more than 60 percent of the total harvested bud.

Stigma and pistil: The pistil is the reproductive part of the flower (bud) and is where the long, hair-like stigma grow from. Stigmas often change in color from white or clear to brown or deep amber once the flower has matured.

Bract and calyx: These parts provide the structure for the flower itself. The bract is a teardrop-shaped leaf that houses the female reproductive machinery. Bracts contain trichomes, which are found underneath the resinous sugar leaves. Buds are primarily made up of bracts and sugar leaves. The calyx isn’t visible to the naked eye. It consists of a transparent layer at the base of the flower.

Trichomes: Trichomes are small filaments on the flowers that produce resin. Trichomes are what give marijuana its telltale stickiness, and their maturity can be used as a signal to determine when to harvest. The resin produced by trichomes contains terpenes, which give cannabis strains their unique flavors, aromas, and medicinal properties.

LIFE CYCLE

Review this diagram of the life cycle of a cannabis plant. Each stage requires specific actions on your part to ensure your harvest is healthy and abundant. But don’t worry, we detail all of these stages in subsequent steps within this book. For now, familiarize yourself with the basics of the process.

TAKEAWAYS

You made it through the first section. Way to go! You’re on your way to growing your own marijuana indoors, saving money, and producing marijuana you can trust. In Step 1: The Basics, we covered:

• The basics of marijuana, including organic grows and marijuana grow laws

• Common myths about growing marijuana

• The four key elements of growing: space, light, environment, and nutrients

• Anatomy 101: the cola, stigma, pistil, bract, calyx, and trichome

In the next section, Step 2: The Space, we’ll take an in-depth look at what makes for a successful cultivation space.