It is possible to grow marijuana indoors using fluorescent lights and produce an excellent, mature potent crop. All you have to do is understand the life cycles of the marijuana plant and mimic the environment marijuana is most suitable to. Mimic means to emulate, not necessarily re-create, so, close is usually good enough. Light, temperature, medium, humidity, rain, nutrients. Use standard 4 foot | 120 cm fluorescent fixtures. Then use a standard 40 watt residential bulb and an aquarium | terrarium bulb, also 40 watt. The two produce a good and suitable mixture of light and are very inexpensive. Always keep the plants 2 to 4 inches | 5 to 10 cm from the bulbs at all stages of growth. With fluorescent light you grow close to the bulbs because they are not hot like HPS or metal halide. Start cannabis seeds on moist paper towels laid on a tray. Cover them with another layer or two of paper towels. Put in a dresser drawer for two days, checking on them every once in a while. They should sprout. Take the ones that do and insert them 1 to 2 inches | 2.5 to 5 cm to below the surface of your potting soil mixed with perlite, [80|20 soil to perlite mixed well], shell side up. Start with small 3 to 4 inc | 7.5 to 10 cm pots [top diameter]. Put under 24|7 fluorescent light. As they break the soil and grow upwards keep the lights adjusted to 2 inches | 5 cm above the tops. Transplant to a 6 inch | 15 cm pot when the marijuana plant outgrows the starter pot, usually around week three. After four weeks of vegetative growth you should be able to go to a 14hours on | 10hours off cycle and maybe your strain will sex. Some will sex better and quicker at 12hours on | 12hours off... fluorescent light that is. Start with four weeks of vegetative growth then onto sexing|flowering, but it may actually be more than four weeks depending on your marijuana strain and how well it takes to fluorescent growing. The distinguishing factors in determining sex is the pistils as compared to the tiny pollen packets. We have learned there are many many ways to grow, just using soil and cannabis seed. When you factor in hydroponics and more expensive equipment, the techniques and methods and preferences vary even more. The marijuana plants react one way or another to every environmental change you throw at it. If it appears you have only growth and development and eventually budding|maturing marijuana plants, chances are you are doing more right than wrong. Basically all you do is germinate|sprout your marijuana seeds. Stick them down in dirt, put them on 24|7 lights, keep them watered and fed through the course of vegetation, then flowering, and you will have great homegrown weed.
