The Grow Closet.com

How To Grow In A Closet

Maria Juana — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:39:39 +0000

Hello! Welcome to The Grow Closet !

This website is intended mainly for the personal cannabis grower seeking information on how to grow in a closet indoors. Here, you will find useful tips and ideas on setting up a low cost, very simple, and low maintenance type of grow closet. Unless you have commercial growing aspirations, just about any house or apartment can provide the few cubic feet of room and electricity necessary for a perfectly functional personal grow space accommodating up to half a dozen plants.

Growing cannabis in a closet is a relatively simple thing to do. It’s generally the same process as growing it outdoors, only now you have much better control over all aspects of your grow. Indoor growing provides the following benefits:

You can have a constantly renewing crop harvest. You control the growing “season”, so you can manipulate your crops through several harvests per year instead of the one Spring-to-early Fall annual outdoor growing cycle.
Watering, fertilizing, and pest control activities are easier to manage.
Indoor plants attract less unwanted attention than plants grown outdoors.

Indoor grow closets take many shapes and come in many sizes, and are only limited by the amount of space you have and budget to work with. When planning establishing a grow closet, one should first consider the following basic issues:

Expected output. Overall, is this grow intended simply for personal benefit, or will it have more of a commercial purpose? Obviously, the larger the expected output, the larger your space will need to be. (The information in this website is geared primarily toward the personal grower.)
Available room. Do you already have open, available closet space in your home that could easily be converted for use as a grow closet? Or will you probably have to do a little sawing and hammering to get that space in appropriate shape? Or should you just go ahead and build a new closet altogether?
The amount of space needed. Will you be both growing (vegetating) and flowering (blooming) crops at the same time? (You will if you intend to have multiple harvests during the year.) If so, you may need at least two closets, or a larger one that can be divided into two separate light-proof sections. That’s because the vegetative stage, and the next stage – the flowering stage – of your crop’s development have very different lighting and nutritional requirements.

Once you’ve determined your space requirements, you can then go about setting it all up and getting your grow underway. Other factors in how to grow in a closet that you will eventually need to consider include:

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Cannabis Fundamentals

Maria Juana — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:36:48 +0000

If you grow cannabis outdoors, your plants will follow the natural seasons and will generally produce one harvest per year. Cannabis follows the same seasonal patterns that other plants follow, in tune with the longer days during the summer and shorter days during the winter. Cannabis grows throughout it’s so-called “vegetative” cycle, and once it senses that the days are getting shorter (i.e., winter approaching), it shifts gears and moves into its reproductive “flowering” state where the THC production actually begins. The initial vegetative period can last a number of months, depending upon when your seeds were planted outdoors; on the other hand, the flowering stage generally lasts only between 2 and 2 1/2 months, depending upon the strain of the plant.

You can, however, manipulate your “grows” to produce constantly throughout the year. This is best done through indoor closet growing where you have complete control over the elements and can have your plants either illuminated around the clock (during the vegetative stage) or set up on a 12 hour lit / 12 hour dark cycle (during the flowering stage). Many growers prefer to work indoors where they can have plants in both the vegetative and flowering stages at any given time. Following this method, they always have something growing and budding out, and they can simply move their plants between the two environments as they go through their respective lifecycles.

Because space can be a limiting factor, indoor growers generally allow their plants to only grow 2 – 3 feet tall during the 24-hour “lights on” vegetative stage. Once they feel their plants have reached the appropriate height, they can then force the plants to begin their flowering stage by putting them on a strict 12 hours on / 12 hours off light cycle. This sudden switch from constant “daylight” to a “day / night” cycle tricks the plants into thinking winter is approaching, and hormonal changes kick in to begin the flowering / budding process.

For indoor growers, the whole plant lifecycle can be as short as 16 weeks:

Weeks 1 – 8 (vegetative stage): Seeds sprout and the plants grow up to 2′ tall
Weeks 9 – 16 (flowering stage): Plants begin to flower (bud out) revealing genders

Once harvested, add another 3 – 5 weeks for bud preparation:

Weeks 17 – 18 (drying stage): Plants are harvested and hung up to dry
Weeks 19 – 20 (curing stage): Buds are removed, put into air-tight glass containers, and “burped” every couple of days to remove any remaining moisture, and to let the THC complete its chemical conversion

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Parts Of The Cannabis Plant

Maria Juana — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:33:50 +0000

Sun (or Fan) Leaves

These graceful, serrated leaves comprise the bulk of the plant’s mass and fuel the critical process of photosynthesis (converting sunlight into chemical energy) for the plant. They do not have a high THC content, so they’re generally not smoked. Finished buds made up of clumps of calyxes (below) are the THC-laden smokable parts of the plant. During the vegetative stage, though, sun leaves are critically important to the plant in helping it grow and reach maturity. A healthy plant will have healthy fan leaves. Nutrient deficiencies, disease, over-fertilization, over-watering, or dehydration will cause the fan leaves to curl, yellow, or simply die off prematurely.

Calyxes

The calyx, the actual flower of the plant, is covered by the trichomes that hold the precious THC. Calyxes only start forming when your plants move from the vegetative (growing) stage to the flowering (budding) stage. Each calyx expects to be fertilized by the pollen of male cannabis plants. If it does become pollinated, then a seed will form within the calyx. However, if a calyx doesn’t get pollinated during its fertile period, it simply continues to flower and produce more THC until harvest time. Sinsemilla, or seedless cannabis, is the ultimate destination for closer growers.

Remember, too, that a plant’s energy stores (growth power generated through photosynthesis) are limited, and that energy can either be spent forming (usually) unwanted seeds or forming THC. Anything you can do to focus your plants’ energy on THC production and not be spent on other activities will benefit you come harvest time.

Trichomes

Trichomes are microscopic little stalks with globular heads that grow from the calyxes and stigma. They hold the THC your plants produce. You’ll need at least a 30x microscope to see them clearly (and you’ll need to get one, which we’ll discuss later). Trichomes do not begin forming until a couple of weeks into the flowering stage.

These little globules are very delicate in nature so plants need to be handled gently before, during, and after harvest. Many people unknowingly damage their buds by treating them roughly, grinding them up, letting them get mashed in a baggie in their pocket, etc. Rough handling smashes the delicate trichomes and allows the THC to escape, lowering the overall potency of the smoke.

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How To Grow Closet Weed

Maria Juana — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:23:53 +0000

Below is a very brief summary on how to grow closet weed. At a high level, it covers the basic process for growing soil-based cannabis indoors for personal use. If you want more detailed information on a certain subject, click on the related link to the right –>

Cannabis soil – It’s best to use nutrient-rich potting soil (Fox Farm, Miracle-Gro) in 8″ clay pots. If you have to use regular dirt, microwave it first on the high setting for about 20 minutes to kill off any bugs, insect larvae, molds, spores, and other unwanted things.

Use the best quality cannabis seeds – Quality plants begin with quality seeds. If you’re going to use common bag seed, good luck. Seeds for many highly potent cannabis strains can easily be mail-ordered and discreetly delivered. “Feminized” seeds are the best, as they virtually guarantee your plants to be feminine in gender and not the worthless male plants that should be thrown away.

Germinating cannabis seedlings – Poke a hole about 3/4″ deep into your potting soil, drop one seed into it, cover lightly with soil, and water. It’s important to keep the soil moist – but not necessarily soaked – at all times during the germination stage, which can last as long as ten days. (Some growers insist on germinating seeds on wet paper towels and transplanting them once they’ve sprouted, but it’s unnecessary work and you run the risk of killing your delicate sprouts if the paper towels dry out.)

Buy 2 cannabis grow lights – Most growers agree that fluorescent Gro lights that are kept on continuously stimulate plant growth the most during the vegetative stage, and that high pressure sodium (HPS) grow lamps work best during the all-important flowering stage. Each type of light emits certain wavelengths that plants need during their different stages of development. You can substitute one for another, but your growth rates and crop yields will probably be affected.

Cannabis fertilizer and nutrients – Plant nutrients are comprised of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K). The ratios of those ingredients in a fertilizer are always listed in that order on the product label (N-P-K). During the vegetative stage when the main plant growth occurs, cannabis plants need higher concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorous (a mix of 2-2-1, 5-5-2, or similar is ideal). During the later flowering state, the plants stop needing as much N and P and instead need higher levels of potassium (K). Liquid or powder-based nutrients in a 3-2-5 proportion, or similar, works best here.

Watering cannabis – Room-temperature tap water that has been allowed to sit overnight (giving the chlorine in the water time to evaporate) is perfectly suitable for watering your plants with. However, it will probably be slightly alkaline (a ph reading of 7 or higher), so you may need to add something acidic to it (preferably phosphoric acid, but white vinegar will work in a pinch) to get it into the slightly acidic ph range of 6 – 7.

Cannabis temperature – Cannabis, a hardy weed, can tolerate a fairly wide swing in temperatures. Ideally, your indoor grow closet’s temperature won’t drop below 50 degrees or exceed 90 degrees F. Higher temperatures will require more frequent plant watering.

Using CO2 with your cannabis – It’s been shown fairly conclusively that pumping CO2 into your grow space speeds up the vegetative growing process by as much as 20%.

Effective cannabis pruning - The broad sun leaves on cannabis plants provide photosynthetic benefits to both the plants’ growth, and also their bud (flower) development. Most growers only trim leaves off if they’re significantly blocking light from reaching the lower levels of the plant.

Flowering your cannabis – When growing outdoors, the plants will automatically begin to flower when they sense fall approaching (the days get shorter and dusk comes earlier each evening). If growing indoors, simply switching from an always-on light schedule to a 12 hours on / 12 hours off schedule will trick the plants into thinking fall is approaching, and buds will begin to form.

Harvesting and trimming cannabis – Once your plants are fully flowered and cut down, it’s time to trim off (using a good, clean pair of scissors or shears) all of the leafy plant material that doesn’t have THC-laden trichomes covering it. Only the flowers are smokable; sun leaves contain less than 10% THC.

Drying & curing cannabis – Once trimmed, hang your harvested plants upside down in a dark, room-temperature space where air can circulate freely around them. When you can snap off a couple of stems cleanly instead of just bending them (usually within one or two weeks), your plants are ready for the final step – curing. Cut your buds off their stems and place them loosely into glass Mason jars. “Burp” the containers by opening them for a few hours every other day for a week or two. This allows them to lose any remaining moisture within the buds that may cause mold to develop.

You now know everything you need to know about how to grow closet weed. Happy growing!

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Cannabis Soil

Maria Juana — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:20:17 +0000

There are several good growing media for cannabis, soil for potting being the most popular. Many closet growers like to use Fox Farm’s line of potting soils as they come with many important nutrients already mixed in. (In fact, using this particular brand means that you won’t be having to give your plants any additional nutrients for the first couple of weeks after germination.) The soil is also conditioned to fall within the desirable ph range (between 6 – 6.5ph, or slightly acidic) that plants need.

You can usually find the Fox Farm brand of potting soil at your local hydroponics supply stores. If it is not readily available, the next best option would be to use another quality potting soil like Miracle-Gro. Just make sure that whatever your soil medium choice is, that it has vermiculite mixed into it.

Although this guide is geared toward growing your plants in a soil-based medium, one alternative to using soil is to instead use a substance called rock wool (usually sold under the brand name of Grodan). Rock wool is made from crushing and melting rock, then spinning it into porous sheets or blocks that seeds can then be planted in. Although it can be somewhat pricey, some of the benefits that rock wool provide is that it is ph neutral, retains liquids extremely well, and can be re-used a number of times. Originally intended for use by large-scale hydroponic growers, it has found some acceptance by other growers who stop short of committing to a true hydroponic set-up.

An 8″ clay or ceramic pot works well for indoor closet growing as it can accommodate up to 3 plants effectively, in addition to being very portable. First, cover the bottom of the pot with about an inch of rocks (lava rock, pea-sized gravel or larger, or even broken pottery shards will work fine). This bottom layer of material will help with plant drainage and prevent your plants’ roots from becoming waterlogged.

Next, fill the remainder of the clay pot with your potting soil. Shake the pot lightly to get the potting soil to settle down into it, and stop filling it when it is about an inch from the top. That’s all it takes to prep your growing containers.

Your next step is to consider what type(s) of cannabis seeds you’re going to plant.

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The Best Cannabis Seeds Produce The Best Cannabis Plants!

Maria Juana — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:15:37 +0000

The single most important element to producing quality plants is to start with the best cannabis seeds that you can afford. The quality of plant care you provide during the vegetative, flowering, and harvest phases of your grow follows closely behind that in importance. Genetics is, by far, the most critical factor in growing the best quality plants. It affects many aspects of your grow – plant size and health, pest and disease resistance, bud yields, THC quantity and quality, and other things.

So don’t scrimp when it comes to selecting your seeds. There are many powerful hybrids readily available to you in seed form that combine the best characteristics of both the natural indica and sativa strains of cannabis. A number of quality seedbanks are in business – mostly in Europe – that you can easily and discreetly mail-order your cannabis seeds from. (Click here if you’re concerned about ordering seeds online.)

In addition to having a wide variety of seed choices like White Widow, Medijuana, Light of Jah, California Dream, New York City Diesel, White Queen, Cheese, Supernova, Waikiki Queen, and Strawberry Ice, and many more to choose from, you can also opt to purchase so-called “feminized” seeds. Feminized seeds are seeds that are specially bred to only produce female cannabis plants. Quality cannabis (i.e., with high THC levels) only comes from female plants. Once a plant is determined to be male in gender, it should immediately be removed from the grow closet and discarded. Although feminized seeds command slightly higher prices, it’s well worth it because you’re virtually guaranteed to not waste any of your growing efforts (or money!) on worthless male plants.

The shelf life of cannabis seeds depends on several factors, but should realistically be a couple of years if certain safeguards are taken. Seeds need to be fresh to be viable, and therefore should be stored in a cool, dark place until you’re ready to plant them.

One way to avoid the recurring costs of seed purchases is to clone new plants from existing ones. Although there’s a fair amount of work involved in cloning, it can help you reduce your overall costs. Once you’ve identified particular plants that have the best physical characteristics and yield potential, cuttings can be taken from those plants and planted as your next crop. The genetics of those plant cuttings will ensure that you get identical versions of your best plants in your next grow.

Now that you’ve decided which varieties you’re going to grow, it’s now time to see how to germinate cannabis seedling.

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Germinate Cannabis Seedling

Maria Juana — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:12:53 +0000

It’s time to germinate cannabis seedling now that you’ve prepped your growing containers and decided what kind of cannabis you’re going to grow. Making sure that the soil is settled but not compacted in the pots, make as many as 3 small holes in the soil, each about 3/4″ deep, and drop one seed into each hole. Cover them lightly with soil and gently water those areas so that the soil around each seed is saturated but not disturbed. Be sure to keep those areas moist at all times.

An 8″ clay or ceramic pot can hold up to 3 plants. If you’re going to grow 3 plants in a single pot (or even 2), be sure that when you plant your seeds you separate them from each other as much as you can. Later on, as your plants grow through the vegetative stage, that initial spacing will allow more light to penetrate the thick upper canopies of leaves and shine down onto the lower branches.

Now place your pots where they won’t be subjected to temperature extremes. Some growers insist on putting them in a dark place until the seeds germinate. Other growers just go ahead and put them into the lighted growing area they’ve designated. Either way works fine. However, once the seedlings sprout above the soil line, they’ll need all available light to start their growing process.

Depending upon various factors such as temperature, moisture, and the strain’s own genetics, seeds generally take between 7 – 10 days to germinate. It’s critical that, while waiting for them to sprout, you keep the soil around them moist. Letting the soil dry out while your tender sprouts are first coming up could potentially be fatal to them.

Now that you have planted your seeds and they’ve sprouted, it’s time to evaluate the different types of cannabis grow lights they’ll need.

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Cannabis Grow Lights

Maria Juana — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:06:41 +0000

Since you’re going to be growing indoors, using the correct cannabis grow lights will have a big impact on the outcome of your grow.

For the first stage of the growth process (the vegetative stage), High Output (HO) T5 fluorescent bulbs are the ideal light source. Plants in this stage of growth prefer longer wavelengths from the blue end of the light spectrum, and these T5 bulbs emit mostly that type of light. You can also use general purpose fluorescent lighting as an acceptable (and cheaper) substitute, but your plants will lose some of the faster-growing benefits that the T5s offer.

Fluorescent lights are generally cooler and cheaper to operate than any kind of incandescent lights. In an enclosed grow closet, this can be a big factor in keeping heat levels reduced. Since fluorescent lights also use less electricity, they’re cheaper to operate and don’t have as big an impact on your monthly electric bill.

To increase production and speed up the vegetative growth process, many growers leave their fluorescent lighting on around the clock. 24 hours of light each “day” keeps the plants in constant growth mode and has no negative effect upon them. It’s also recommended that you keep a 3 – 5″ space between the tops of your plants and fluorescent lights. Plant tops too close to the bulbs can get burned, and lights that are too far away from the plants have a tendency to make the plants stretch out.

Your plants will appreciate getting as much light as they can, particularly the lower leaves that are usually shaded too much by the leaves above. Plan on surrounding your plants with a bright surface (such as poster board or white paint) or a reflective material (mylar sheeting works best, but aluminum foil works pretty well, too) to capture and redirect any stray rays back onto your plants.

For the second stage of the growth process (the flowering stage), high pressure sodium (HPS) lights with Gro bulbs work best. (Some growers use MH, or metal halide, bulbs instead for different light characteristics. During the flowering stage, your plants shift gears and slow their rate of vertical growth, instead now concentrating their growing energy on bud (flower) production. Bud production is stimulated best by shorter wavelengths from the red light end of the spectrum, and HPS lighting systems provide these shorter rays.

HPS systems also tend to run hotter, so now keeping at least an 8″ distance between the light and tops of your plants becomes very important.

(You can use fluorescent lighting during the flowering process instead of a separate HPS system as a way to save money, but it will not work as well and you may very well find your crop’s output and potency lower as a result.)

Now that you’ve determined how you’re going to address the lighting requirements, it’s probably time to take a look at cannabis fertilizer and nutrients.

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Cannabis Fertilizer

Maria Juana — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:03:46 +0000

Using tap water to mix your cannabis fertilizer with is perfectly suitable for your plants as long as you follow a couple of important steps. Since the water in many municipal water systems is treated with chlorine, and plants don’t like chlorine, it’s a good idea to get rid of it. You can do that simply by letting the water sit in an open container overnight before using it, which gives the chlorine enough time to evaporate.

The other guideline to follow is to only water your plants with water that is close to your grow closet’s temperature. The hotter or colder the water you use, the more shock you administer to your plants, slowing their growth and development.

The ph balance of your nutrient solution is also extremely important. Cannabis plants prefer their liquid foods to be on the slightly acidic side of the ph scale. A ph level of between 6 – 7 (7 being ph neutral) for your nutrient mix is perfect. As part of your grow closet supplies, you should buy a ph meter; it’s something you’ll be using on a regular basis.

After the first 10 – 14 days of growth, your plants will have consumed most of the nutrients they could extract from the soil, so it’s time to begin feeding them on a regular basis. There is a large variety of nutrient systems (“nutes”) to choose from, either in powdered or liquid form. Liquids are easier to mix with water, but powdered nutes can be a little cheaper to buy, so you should see what works best for you over time.

Fertilizers are basically composed of three substances – nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K). You’ll find the proportions of each listed on their container in the order N-P-K. For example, a nutrient with the proportions 2-2-1 has equal amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous, each of which is twice as much as the potassium level.

Your plants’ nutrient requirements change as they enter the two different stages of development. During the vegetation stage, plants need higher concentrations of N and P, while during the subsequent flowering (bloom) stage, they’ll need lesser quantities of N and higher amounts of P and K instead.

Organic Earth Juice is just one brand of liquid nutrient that’s easy to use during the vegetative stage. It has a 2-2-1 N-P-K ratio that’s right for plants in this stage. You can also use a two-part liquid nutrient system like the GroTek set pictured here to meet the proper ratios during the different growing stages.

If you can’t readily find these types of high-quality nutrients, you can use more generally available fertilizers found at plant nurseries and garden stores. As long as the N-P-K ratios of the products are appropriate for the growing stage, you can be comfortable using them.

Adding nutrients to your water can change the ph levels of the water. Here’s the order, then, in which you should mix up each batch of nutrients before watering your plants:

For each clay pot that you’ll be watering, pour about a quart of chlorine-free water into your watering can. (If you’re growing fewer than 3 plants in the pot, you may need less water.)
Mix the appropriate amount of nutes into it (using the amount recommended on the container).
Mix well and measure the ph level with your ph meter. If it reads between 6 – 7, you’re in the correct range.
If not, modify it up or down accordingly by either adding phosphoric acid or baking soda. Once the ph level is correct, water your plants until they’re fairly well saturated.

Water / fertilize them every day following the procedure above. Make sure, though, that the plants’ roots don’t get waterlogged. It’s OK to skip a day of watering occasionally to let the soil dry out a little. If you’re not sure if you’re over-watering or under-watering them, go buy a moisture meter; it will take the guesswork out of it.

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Cannabis Temperature

Maria Juana — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:00:07 +0000

Cannabis’ temperature range is fairly wide, as it is a hardy weed that grows literally all over the world. By virtue of having an indoor grow closet, you have a lot more control over the “climate” in your grow closet than if you were growing outdoors.

Cannabis can comfortably tolerate a temperature range between 10°C (50°F) and 32°C (90°F) in your grow closet. Be aware, though, that the type of lighting you’re using in it, the amount of airflow, proximity to an exterior wall, and whether or not the space is air-conditioned can all influence the ambient temperature of your closet.

Speaking of airflow, it’s very important that you have at least one fan in your grow closet gently moving the air around and between your plants at all times. It doesn’t have to be a forceful gale blowing; it just needs to be enough to keep your plants moving slightly.

There are several good reasons for using a fan in your grow closet. First, the gentle breeze mimics an outdoor growing environment, and ongoing, gentle movement of your plants encourages them to grow thicker, stronger primary stalks and stems. This is nature’s way of preparing them to support the heavier weight of the big colas (buds) that will be developing in the later flowering stage.

Second, continuous air movement in and around your plants not only helps dissipate heat from collecting in any one spot, but it also prevents too humid air from setting up a mold- or fungus-friendly environment that would be very detrimental to your plants.

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