How-To: Farming Cannabis using a Multi-Stage Micro-Growery
Let’s dive right into the basic requirements of managing an indoor cultivation. We are going to outline a hydroponic setup. If you are interested in doing this with dirt this guide will help you plan that out.
Residential Space
This is often the biggest barrier for individual who want to grow. You need a space that has access to electricity, water, and heating/cooling. The reason why indoor grow’s are so successful is because we can use electric, water, and airflow to control most elements of the environment throughout all the phases of the cannabis lifecycle.
If you don’t have residential space of between 50–100 square feet, with core utility access, then we (NYKushKing) currently offer free cannabis farming services to our members. Weed love to cultivate your Kush!
The Big 3 — Tents, Lights, & Ventilation
These are the golden concepts. The tent is the plants home, the lights are the plants energy source, & having ventilation/air-flow everywhere will help create the perfect environment.
Tents
Indoor grow tents come in a wide variety of sizes. Your goal is to create an environment for all 5 major stages of cannabis farming — seedling, growing (veg’ing), flowering, drying, curing/storage. To create a continuous harvest, we take the approach of cycling plants through the tents as they grow / mature. Setting each tent at a different level of light exposure & intensity.
Tent Costs
Tents can be searched for on Google. There is definitely a different in the quality of the tent. Look to brands who are establishing themselves in the market. Avoid the cheap, no-name, knock-offs if you can. If you are looking to cut costs a tent this is an area where you have to be very careful.
Review the hole-placements and imaging the layout of wires, fans, trellis nets, dehumidifiers, and air cords . Review the thickness of the fabric, and review the reviewers. A cheap tent with light-leaks can cause a major issue if the flower turns to a seeded plant.
Lights
Lights are typically the biggest expense. A great quality LED light will be both cost efficient and results orientated. There are many great LED grow lights with various features. You are going to need a light for phase (each tent). In the flowering phase, you will want a strong light to help maximize your yield potential.
Good equipment is costly invest wisely in verified setup and maintain the equipment by cleaning, testing, and monitoring it for defects / issues
Counter-Top Seedling Light Kits
For your seedling phase, these seem like a great option that also provides a space-saving solution. Relatively in-expensive however the roots of the cannabis plant grow quickly & you will need to plan to separate the seedlings early to prevent the roots from tangling. Tangled roots can interfere with growth.
Tent Lights
There are 2 main phases here: Veg & Flowering. In Veg we want different light spectrums and intensities. Some relatively cheap early phase lights have 2 settings like this one. I wouldn’t suggest a full-cycle grow with this light directly but it is strong enough to get your plants growing.
The SpiderFarmer SF-4000 is a reliable light for both Veg and Bloom. This light allows you to adjust the intensity and height easily using the pully system. Some folks prefer the bar lights over the flat-panel.
Ventilation / Fans
Air flow is a must above the plant and in the water the roots reside in. Improper air flow will kill an entire plant quickly. This is where you want to obtain good temp & humidity sensors and ensure access to heating / cooling air is sent into the tent to help control the environment.
