Disclaimer: always check your local laws to know if you are able to grow cannabis. We are not advertising this process.
Cannabis is an annual botanical genus belonging to the Cannabaceae family. It is native to South Asia, as are all plants in this family. Cannabis needs a warm climate for cultivation, between 20 and 30°C depending on the season, and a high but decreasing humidity: around 65% during the growing season, 60 to 40% during vegetation and flowering, and 40 to 30% at the end of flowering.
This makes it a difficult plant to grow in colder countries, as it requires specific indoor cultivation equipment to keep it in conditions like those of its native environment, as well as very special care.
Use of Cannabis
Let’s forget about psychotropic use for a moment. Cannabis is a plant that was used extensively in Asia, as far back as the Neolithic period. The fiber from this type of plant was used as early as 600 B.C. in China, but also in Europe during the Middle Ages, to create all types of clothing, notably by mixing linen with this fiber.
Indeed, cannabis fiber is extremely resistant and was also used to make ropes, thermal and sound insulation, and even paper at the time.
In Practical Terms, What Equipment Do You Need to Grow Cannabis?
If you’d still like to venture into indoor cannabis growing, then here’s the equipment you’ll need, in addition to seeds, soil and pots, of course:
- Greenhouses, indoor grow rooms or cabinets
- Horticultural LEDs, growth and flowering lamps, specific UV lamps
- Ventilation system
- Climate and thermal control
- Ventilation ducts
- Growing guide
Growing cannabis indoors is just like any other type of plant that can also be grown indoors, whether flowers, shrubs or even vegetables and herbs, except that a grow room is essential. If you live in Thailand or South East Asia, you should read the article about growing weed written by Max, the founder of Bangkok Stoners.
The first step is to choose the type of plant you want to grow, and this varies according to your desires. Online sales sites and botanical glossaries generally explain the differences and uses between varieties.
Then it’s time to set up your growing space. Here, there are two schools of thought:
- Homemade growing spaces, with tarpaulins, lamps and heaters,
- Professional growing spaces sold in specialist stores.
Of course, the second solution is the surest way to grow cannabis plants without running into problems. You can either buy everything independently, or purchase beginner’s kits containing several accessories and grow rooms, depending on the site.
Once you’ve set up your grow room, along with aeration, heating and humidity control, or assembled your kit grow cabinet, then it’s time to move on to semi seeds. To do this, buy semi pots, simply fill them with normal soil if you’ve chosen an easy-to-grow species, or follow your vendor’s advice if your chosen variety is a little more special, then plant the seed.
You’ll then need to be patient and keep the soil moist, but not flooded, until the seed germinates. Once the first leaves appear, repot in a larger pot. After repotting, water the plant moderately and keep an eye on its growth, until the plant has reached maturity, at which point you’ll move on to a second and final repotting.
After this, there’s only one thing to do: continue watering the plant when it really needs it, and keep the temperature and humidity constant and adequate.
And the Price?
The price depends on the type of chamber chosen, the type of seed, the number of plants, the electricity consumed, and so on.
Let’s say that a 100 x 100 x 200 cm grow room will set you back more than USD100, the lamps you need will cost between USD75 and USD300, depending on their type and size, a good temperature and humidity controller will cost at least USD50, and the ventilation ducts (without the system) will cost around USD10 to USD20 for two, if you use plastic or aluminum ducts.
So you’ll need a minimum of USD300, without the ventilation system, pots, soil and seeds, to get started. Then, of course, there’s the cost of electricity. Given the costs involved, think carefully about what you want to buy and do before making any purchases.