Regular cannabis users often decide to try and grow their weed. And the first step is deciding whether to grow it outdoors or indoors. Outdoor cannabis growers usually produce significantly higher yields, but indoor growers may notice that their crops produce denser, more potent buds.
If you don’t have much garden, indoor growing is the way to go. But for would-be weed growers, the prospect of expensive equipment is a hurdle. Fortunately, it’s possible to grow cannabis indoors, even on a tight budget.
Are you keen on having an indoor grow room that doesn’t break the bank? This is our budget-friendly guide to building a DIY indoor cannabis grow room.
The first step is to choose the space you’ll be using for your cannabis grow room. Indoor cannabis growing requires a controlled environment, so choose an area that allows you this type of control. The one you choose will usually depend on the interior size and dimensions and, of course, practicality.
A garage or barn should be a last resort unless you have excellent security and high walls around your property. If your house has a cellar, this can be a discreet option that doesn’t take up the living space in your home.
Avoid using a room with large south-facing windows, particularly on an upper floor in a high-rise apartment building. Heat control may become an issue.
Outdoor cannabis growing is usually simple enough. Pick a section of your garden or place growing pots on your patio or yard. In an apartment with no garden or balcony, you can only grow your crop indoors. And things can get a bit trickier.
You might not be able to dedicate an entire room to growing your weed so your space may be more limited. The factors mentioned above will apply, but your unique living arrangements will also come into play.
Preferably, choose a room that is unlikely to be disturbed by pets or curious children. It should also be far enough away from the entrance so that it is not in visitors’ line of sight. If you have a second bedroom, a store room, or a walk-in closet that you don’t need to use, these can all work well as indoor grow rooms.
Indoor weed growing requires some essential equipment, most of which you wouldn’t need for outdoor growing. Don’t stress too much about the costs, though. There are some budget-friendly options available.
Here is an outline of what you’ll need for a micro cannabis grow room, suitable for a small space in your garage or a small room in your home.
A grow tent provides an insulated, optimal environment for cannabis harvests. It also offers much-needed privacy from prying eyes and helps to contain the tell-tale weed smell in your home.
Cannabis plants need both light and dark periods to flower. Any light leaks during what should be the dark hours can stress your plants, stunting their growth and inhibiting flowering. Cannabis plants also need regular watering. So, the material you use to build your growing tent must be light-proof and waterproof.
Panda Film is a type of foil with 85–95% reflectivity, made from a durable polyethylene material. It has a black and a white side. Use it with the black side facing out and the white in. The white side reflects light onto your weed-growing crop.
It is a top choice among indoor weed growers. It is not only lightproof but also waterproof, making it ideal for your grow room tent. But how much Panda Film will you need?
If you want your plants to reach their full potential, the grow tent will need to be at least 1.5-2m tall. Any smaller and they won’t have enough space to properly grow and they may also be too close to the growing lights.
PVC pipes are cheap and sturdy. This makes them the perfect choice for building the frame of your budget grow room tent. The length of the PVC pipes will be subject to the size of the grow room tent you are making. However, remember what we said above – the tent should be at least 1.5-2m tall.
You will need:
You’ll need a roll of duct tape and Velcro (the type with an adhesive backing). The duct tape will be used to assemble the Panda Film sheets into the tent, and the Velcro will be used to fashion an opening and closing section in the front of your growing tent.
Cannabis plants need at least 18 hours of light per day during the vegetative stage and 12 hours per day when flowering. Indeed, that reduction in light from 18 to 12 hours triggers flowering. So your cannabis growing room needs grow lights. You have two options: HID (high-intensity discharge ) or LED (light-emitting diode).
If you want to save money on your grow lights initially, you can use cheaper HID lights. They are just as effective for indoor cannabis growing.
The two main types of HID lights suitable for indoor cannabis growing are:
The better LED growing lights generate a full spectrum of light, ensuring better quality and bigger yields.
LED grow lights are usually much more expensive than HID lights. Despite the initial expense, they offer good value for money as they are more energy-efficient and last for several harvests.
The plant pots or growing containers can be made of any material, although plastic ones are cheap and widely available. You’ll need a 3-gallon size growing container for a square meter of growing space. Adjust the size for larger growing areas.
But whatever growing containers you choose, they should be large enough so the roots get space to grow into and have drainage holes. You’ll risk root rot from pooling water if they don’t have good drainage.
Cannabis plants need adequate airflow around them to grow properly. If you overlook this requirement, your grow tent will have pockets of trapped heat and humidity. This will increase the risk of bacterial growth and pest infestations. To avoid this problem, ensure good air circulation and ventilation.
The easiest way to do this is with a fan. A small, regular wall fan is suitable for a small grow tent. You may want to invest in a fan with a carbon filter if you intend to build a large grow tent, though. It helps to dispense with the storing odor of a larger crop.
All plants need soil or another growing medium to anchor them and grow and develop. Soil brings with it the risk of pests. Therefore, another growing medium is often better for indoor growing tents.
Perlite and vermiculite are two common choices:
Perlite and vermiculite are both suitable mediums, but perlite offers better aeration for roots, while vermiculite offers better water retention. If in doubt, go for perlite, as there will be less risk of root rot.
Like any other plants in nature, cannabis plants have specific nutrient requirements.
Cannabis plants need large amounts of the macronutrients nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to grow and develop in the vegetative stage properly. Most cannabis fertilizers contain adequate amounts of these.
Micronutrients like copper, iron, manganese, boron, and zinc are also helpful in far smaller quantities for essential plant processes like photosynthesis. Some cannabis fertilizers contain traces of micronutrients, too.
Once you have your materials and supplies together, it’s time to set up your grow room. You’ll also need a handsaw (for cutting the PVC pipes to size, if necessary) and scissors for cutting the duct tape and velcro strips.
You’ll need to wrap the Panda Film around the frame of your grow tent twice. This will provide enough insulation to keep excess sunlight and create a suitable growing environment. Remember to keep the white side in for the inner layer and the black side out for the outer layer.
Cut a piece of Panda Film long enough to run from the middle of the roof to the floor, and use duct tape to attach it to the roof. Secure it to the pipe frame on the sides and bottom using the Velcro strips.
Install your grow lights at the top of the interior of the tent. And set up your floor fan. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the lights and fan installation and use.
Of course, the power cords will have to pop out somewhere, and the tent roof is the easiest. However, be sure to seal the place where the cord exits on the roof thoroughly with duct tape to prevent light leaking.
Once you’ve constructed a grow tent and have purchased your weed seeds, growing medium, and nutrients, you’ll be well on your way to growing your own weed.
While a grow tent is not necessarily crucial for indoor growing, it is highly recommended. There are several advantages to building a DIY grow tent for your marijuana crop:
The costs involved with building an indoor grow room will be more than growing your crops outdoors. But the budget option details above is an affordable option. If you already have plastic plant pots, a floor fan, etc, you won’t have to spend much on equipment.
Depending on which brands you buy and where you buy them, you may be able to get everything you need for around $300. So, if you don’t have the budget right now for ready-built grow tents and specialized supplies, this is a good place to start.
Here are the top questions we get about indoor grow rooms.
No. You can grow weed indoors without it. But it’s a lot easier with a grow tent. It provides the optimal environment for your plants to thrive because you can control the conditions inside. It’s a lot harder to control the growing conditions in a wide, open space. A tent also protects your crop and offers privacy.
Yes, you can, but we don’t advise it. Aluminum foil DIY grow tents are even cheaper, but users often complain it creates hotspots that burn their plants.
Although some users have used it without problems, we recommend not taking risks and sticking with Panda Film.
Yes, you can, but the type of floor can have a big impact on the growing conditions inside your grow tent. A bare, untreated floor, for example, could absorb moisture and become a mold hazard. If there’s nothing you can do to alter the flooring, a thick, waterproof tarp (like they use for painting) may be the solution.
Growing your own cannabis allows you to control availability and quality. It’s a fun project, and if you don’t have the space outdoors (or have nosy neighbors), you can easily build a budget-friendly DIY indoor cannabis grow room in an afternoon.
However, this is not always practical. You may not have the space or the time for indoor growing. Maybe you don’t have the confidence yet to try your hand at indoor growing. Or perhaps you share an apartment and need a more discreet weed supply.
Whatever the case, you can rely on Embarc dispensaries for top-quality cannabis products, year-round.
