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 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. I use standard four foot fluorescent fixtures bought at your local Mega Lo Mart for around eight dollars $US. Then I 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 2-4 inches from the bulbs at all stages of growth. Fluro, you grow close to the bulbs because they are not hot like HPS or metal halide. Start 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 1-2 inches below the surface of your potting soil mixed with perlite, (80/20 soil to perlite mixed well), shell side up.
Start with small 3-4" pots (top diameter). Put under 24/7 fluro. As they break the soil and grow upwards keep the lights adjusted to two inches above the tops. Transplant to a six inch pot when the plant outgrows the starter pot, usually around week three.
After 4 weeks of vegetative growth you should be able to go to a 14 on 10 off cycle and MAYBE your strain will sex. Some will sex better and quicker at 12 on and 12 off...fluro that is. I say start with four weeks of vegetative growth then onto sexing/flowering, but it may actually be more than four weeks depending on your strain and how well it takes to fluorescent g! rowing. I have had decent luck with the strain I have used and I look forward to trying different, established, famous strains.
The distinguishing factors in determining sex is the pistils as compared to the tiny pollen packets. I have learned there are many many ways to grow, just using soil and seed. When you factor in hydroponics and more expensive equipment, the techniques and methods and preferences vary even more. The 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 plants, chances are you are doing more right than wrong.
Basically all ya do is germinate/sprout your 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 ya have great homegrown weed. I advise everyone out there to get their process down by trying to use those good old seeds you have put back. Get some to germinate. Plant them. Experiment. Ask questions. I will provide any help I can to any questions. I am not an expert, but have had great success with fluro so far.
|
