Cultivating Marijuana in Grow Boxes: 6 Things to Consider
Indoor marijuana growing may seem difficult to beginners, but their fears are unnecessary. Do not be afraid of installing a homemade cannabis grow box as it will supply you with affordable and high-quality pot flowers. Just pay more attention to such things as growing space, ventilation, humidity, light, temperature, and nutrients.
Outdoor conditions may not always be suitable for cultivating marijuana, and an indoor grow box will come in handy if you decide to create your own climate conditions. So, you will need the following equipment for growing marijuana indoors: a wooden grow box, a grow tent, fans, filters, a thermometer, a hygrometer, and a clock.
The main goal of indoor growing is to establish climate conditions similar to the natural ones and control them properly. The right maintenance of temperature, humidity, ventilation, and lighting will ensure good photosynthesis in your cannabis plants and guarantee high yields after flowering. So, let us look at ways to create artificial growing conditions.
1. Grow Box
You can build your own marijuana grow box or buy a manufactured one. If you decide to do it yourself, you can choose the dimensions that are best suited for your growing room.
Wood is the best material for building a grow box. If you do not want to make a wooden box, just use a grow tent instead. Do not forget to make a hole for incoming air that should be twice the size of the hole for outgoing air. Set up a filter for the intake air to avoid mold and pests and an exhaust fan to ensure a good ventilation of hot air.
Install a thermometer and a hygrometer at a place where you can clearly see their readings even when the plants become tall and bushy.
Lighting and other electronics are better to install far away from the wood for reducing the risk of fire.
2. Ventilation
Good ventilation in a growing room is necessary to control the temperature and fresh air supply. Fresh air helps weed plants breathe and keep the temperature in the comfort zone. It also reduces the humidity that can cause mold and diseases.
If your grow box is small, it is better to install two fans—one for the intake air and the other one for exhausting hot air full of oxygen and sugar. You can also make several holes in the bottom of the box for better air circulation.
If you want to get rid of the marijuana smell, attach carbon filters to the exhaust hole. It will prevent the spreading of the plant's aroma outside the grow box.
3. Humidity
Marijuana plants like watering, but excessive humidity can lead to mildew, fungus, and mold. So in order to avoid damaging the plants, keep an eye on the hygrometer's readings. Set the humidity at the level of 65-70% during the seedling stage, then reduce it to the level of 40% for better vegetation, and increase it up to 50% when the plants start flowering. Bring down the humidity to 30% several weeks before the harvest in order to improve the aroma and appearance of the buds.
4. Grow Lights
Cannabis plants require lighting for photosynthesis, which provides them with energy. The time of darkness is also important for the growth of marijuana plants. Thus, you need to establish a proper regimen of day and night. Control the vegetative process by setting an 18-hour day and a 6-hour night. When the plants move to the flowering stage, change the lighting schedule to equal periods of light and darkness.
As for the type of lighting, you can choose between LED and HPS lights depending on the dimensions of your grow box. Just take into account that HPS lights might be too hot for small grow spaces. So, it might be better to pay more and install LED lamps that do not heat the air and have a longer time span. To achieve the maximum lighting of your marijuana plants, cover the wooden walls with white reflective foil.
5. Temperature
Air fans will help your plants breathe, but you should also take care of the proper temperature to prevent excessive heating or cooling. High temperatures may slow down the flowering stage of the plants, as well as decrease the bud's potency. In contrast, low temperatures reduce the plants' growth and may result in a freeze shock that paralyzes the plants.
The optimal temperature for marijuana plants ranges from 25°C to 30°C during daytime and not less than 18°C during night time. When the plants flower, reduce the temperature by 5 degrees to let them produce the best color. However, remember that the temperature difference between day and night regimes should be 10 degrees for achieving the best quality of buds.
6. Nutrients
Though soil is already full of important elements, additional nutrients will make your plants healthier and increase the amount of the final yield. The main nutrients for marijuana plants are potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus. They should be added in different ratios during the stages of vegetation and flowering.
If you use high-quality soil, you can postpone the fertilization for three or four weeks. Otherwise, add nitrogen nutrients just after the first leaves appear. During the flowering stage, it is better to reduce nitrogen and keep it low but maintain a high level of potassium and phosphorus, which are essential for the formations of buds.
