With this guide we will explain what indoor growing is and what it takes to get started, illustrating all the suitable equipment to complete your home crops. Cultivating inside houses, sheds or greenhouses has long been a widespread practice, the use of suitable equipment is essential to achieve good results.
When we turned our passion for indoor growing into our life's work in 2002, practicing this wonderful hobby was much more insidious and complicated. First of all because reliable techniques, guides or information could not be found easily, except for some American forum or some old book with unreliable information. So, apart from trips to Netherlands, Switzerland or Spain, it was the attempts, the empiricism, the mistakes made and repeated that guided our first approaches to the supreme art of indoor growing.
Today however, thanks also to the network and the much smaller distances between needs and users, it is possible to have a technical-theoretical experience in this sense, in every part of Europe. Perhaps it is because, one feels a little agriculturist and a little alchemist, that the fascination of this hobby has become so popular in all the generations of these twenty years. Another reason for its popularity certainly lies in the chaotic life model we lead, full of stress and electromagnetic waves. Therefore, all this has certainly generated a need, indeed we could say a real need, for the "rediscovery of greenery", both in the garden for those who can afford it, and in small apartments.
In short, we could certainly define this hobby as a real social shock absorber, a formidable anti-stress for the type of life we lead. All this, nowadays, is available thanks to a simple click when looking for an indoor guide or an indoor cultivation forum. In fact, let's not forget - and if you are here you should know it - that the web is a real paradise for indoor cultivation enthusiasts who want to start a home experience by finding a guide for beginners. If you are interested in knowing everything about indoor cultivation keep reading this useful guide.
Indoor grow what you need
Before buying, you need to consider an investigation phase, on what is needed to start an indoor growing. An important factor is to find a trusted seller who has the ability to simplify and explain the first approaches and assembly of the elements. First of all, it should be remembered that it is currently possible to access complete kits at very low prices. Quality does not always shine for excellence, but with a quick search it is possible to clarify ideas and find the right supplier.
Once the supplier has been identified, it is essential to clarify to him the space available and the expectations in terms of the harvest to which one aspires. Based on these data, the professional will provide the most suitable references as regards indoor lighting, but also for the air extractor, climate control and light cycles, substrate and fertilizers. If you want to know more about how to grow indoors, follow us in the following lines, we will explain everything about home cultivation and you will discover the advice we have selected for you, by consulting a real indoor cultivation manual.
Plant growing lamps which ones to choose
First of all, the light emitted by lamps for indoor growing is fundamental. There are choices on the market for every budget!
Cultivation LEDs , for example, are slightly expensive lamps, but certainly energy saving in the long term.
Low consumption cfl lamps . Other energy saving lamps are certainly the low consumption CFL lamps. Although less performing, they reduce the heat output a lot and have a spectrum suitable for all stages of growth and flowering.
HPS Lamps Traditional HPS lamps for indoor cultivation or complete light kits are very effective. Consumption is higher, heat emission too, but they guarantee high performance and luminous efficiency in all phases up to harvest, however with high consumption compared to yield.
Cmh/lec lamps : With these lamps for indoor cultivation, we can certainly say that technological evolution has taken a big step forward. These lamps for professional horticulture guarantee high luminous performance, compared to consumption and moderate heat emission.
Adequate air extraction for cultivation
Air extraction is undoubtedly a fundamental parameter for indoor growing. In fact, to grow at its best, each plant species needs continuous recirculation for all hours of light. Both to maintain the correct levels of CO2, but also of temperature and humidity. Outdoors the problem does not exist, but when it comes to cultivation indoors, the matter is different since it is necessary to recreate almost the same conditions as outdoors in nature.
For this to happen, the plants need an aspirator with an adequate capacity for the volume of the available environment, also to prevent the proliferation of moulds, fungi or parasites. Consult our indoor guide on air extractors ( Air extractors )
Essential in this phase is to make sure that the cultivation environment is perfectly clean and free from mold, dust, dirt or parasites, potentially capable of affecting the growth of the plants.
Measuring instruments, timer and thermohygrometer
To control light/dark cycles, no grow room should be without an analog or digital timer . This accessory is truly vital because it marks the photoperiod, or the rhythm of chlorophyll photosynthesis. Subjecting plants to irregular or abruptly interrupted photoperiods is certainly one of the worst stresses that plants can experience, causing hermaphroditism at best.
Hydroponic cultivation, soil or coco
In fact, the choice of substrate and indoor growing techniques are also very important.
Hydroponics : Ensures explosive and rapid growth, but requires more perseverance and attention. it also requires special instruments for measuring PH and EC.
Coconut , this substrate provides excellent ventilation for the root system, however, as in the case of hydroponics, it needs measuring instruments for the ph and ec, in order to keep the nutrient solution under control.
Soil traditional cultivation in the ground is certainly the best if you are looking for the organic nature of the product and not least the terpenic flavors and fragrances. Unfortunately, apart from some rare cases, the land sold in nurseries is very often poor. We strongly suggest that you rely on the preferred soils found in grow shops.
Buying an indoor growing kit: what must never be missing
Indoor cultivation useful tips: By browsing the net, it is possible to find a vast range of kits for indoor growing , however given the extreme competition between vendors, these assemblies have undergone a progressive deterioration in terms of completeness and quality of materials. In this regard, we always suggest a preliminary phase to investigate what we really need and what may be superfluous.
Suppose we want to buy a basic indoor growing kit, this assembly must be related to at least these essential elements.
indoor lighting kit , which can be equipped with a low consumption cfl lamp or hps lamp which in turn must contain a ballast for hps, a bulb for growth or flowering, a reflector with lamp holder, cables and plugs for connections.
Digital or analog timer , instrument for timing the night and day cycles. the first more expensive than the second, but which ensures a longer life.
Aspirator or fan for air extraction and recirculation. This very important instrument must have an air flow, suitable for the volume of the available environment, but also in proportion to the power of the lamp.
Poultry soil or biological substrate, depending on the size of the pots, there are 50L and 20L bags of preferred soil
Square pots possibly, in order to optimize and not waste the cultivation space occupied, there are various sizes, but the most used are generally 6.5L, 11L, 14l
Fertilizers by flowering and growth stage: there are also various brands and capacities depending on your needs or preferences.
For a complete indoor growing kit, it will be very useful to add:
A thermo-hygrometer , indispensable for monitoring and recording temperature and humidity.
A fan, even if not large, useful for circulating the air and reinforcing the stems and branches of plants.
The activated carbon filter , a basic tool if you want to prevent the spread and leakage of odours.
Cannabis indoor grow tips for beginners
“Thanks to law 242/2016, today the cultivation of indoor cannabis is legal, if below the psychoactive principle threshold established by law, i.e. <0.5 THC. This situation has aroused great interest among practitioners of indoor cultivation and in recent years the therapeutic effects of CBD (cannabidiol) have become popular, which unlike thc does not have psychoactive effects, but instead very relaxing and healing for various pathologies ".
Indoor growing advice: the linked guide constitutes an important insight if you want to dissect any doubts about the cultivation of legal indoor hemp. In order to learn more specifically about the indoor cultivation of cannabis, a preliminary investigation must be carried out on the following topics.
Photoperiod: Hours of light in home cultivation. This aspect strongly influences the duration of the cultivation cycle and therefore of harvesting. 18 hours of light 6 hours of darkness: Generally this scheme is the most used to force and speed up, excluding consumption. Indoors it is absolutely not necessary to follow the rhythm of day and night. If the lamps are activated at night, it is also possible to realize a moderate economic saving. While never give autoflowering plants 12 hours of light and always keep them at 18 hours throughout their life cycle.
Choice of seed or genetics TO GROW: This is certainly the most important aspect for the success of your home cultivation. Cannabis has very different varieties within its species and here too a serious preliminary investigation is needed.
Autoflowering or photodependent plants (ADP): As mentioned, this choice strongly influences the duration of cultivation, but also certain approaches to cultivation. Autoflowering strains are very popular due to their smaller size and shorter harvest time. ( see the guide on growing autoflowering marijuana )
Harvest phase: It is considered one of the most delicate phases since many of the organoleptic properties and flavors depend on an adequate drying of indoor cannabis and as for the feminized varieties the processes for drying autoflowering cannabis are identical.
