Indoor marijuana growing

The idea of growing plants in space is probably as old as the idea of visiting this harsh environment. In fact, since the beginning of the space race, in the middle of the Cold War between the US and the USSR, scientists and engineers had in mind the idea of growing crops in spaceships with which the crew could feed themselves and, therefore, open the door to further space travel. However, Kennedy's bet to reach the Moon before the end of the 1960s meant setting aside many projects to focus on a single objective: that an American astronaut land on the moon before a Russian cosmonaut.

However, as you will see in this article, many trials have been carried out in recent decades in the field of growing vegetables in environments with microgravity, or what comes to the same thing, growing in space. From the first tests with control plants to the space lettuce salad eaten a few years ago by astronauts on the International Space Station, things have evolved a lot. They have even started experiments with cannabis...didn't you know? Keep reading...

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Whether we are talking from a medical or recreational cannabis context, the cannabinoid content becomes more important with each passing season. From users who only want to consume flowers or products rich in CBD but without THC, to the most fanatical fans of strains with high THC content (and, therefore, highly psychoactive/medicinal), as time goes by consumers are gaining experience and are increasingly demanding in terms of knowing the amount of cannabinoids in the seeds or flowers they buy.

Without a doubt, one of the most demanded cannabinoids today is THC. Logically, for a company that markets products with THC or isolated THC, it will be much better to start with plant matter that is very rich in this compound, so varieties that already have a high THC content will be chosen. But how can the total THC production in a cannabis crop be increased? What can be done to increase the THC production of a plant? Today we will tell you about several key aspects to take into account to get as much of this cannabinoid as possible.

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In today's article, we invite you to reflect on one of the most important aspects of indoor growing: lighting. If you are just starting out in growing, you will have seen that there are several options, not only in terms of lamp power but also in terms of the type of lights you can find. Well, today we will focus on the most popular ones, which are LED panels and traditional HID or high-intensity discharge lamps (HPS, metal halide, etc.).

The intention of this post is not to claim that LED panels are better or worse than other kinds of grow lights, but that they are simply different options (with very wide price ranges) among which the grower will have to choose depending on his needs and growing conditions. However, given the improvements seen in LED equipment in recent years, it is very likely that this type of lamp will dominate the indoor growing market in the near future.

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Cannaboom is a Spanish company with 20 years of experience in the cannabis sector, dedicated to research on the cultivation and development of plant nutrients and additives. Founded in 2005, its main objective is to offer growers high-quality solutions for the nutrition of their plants at competitive prices and that, above all, offer results beyond any doubt.

Today we want to introduce you to some of their products and tell you about their main characteristics to make it is easier for you to get the most from this fantastic range of nutrients and stimulators for cannabis. We're sure that you won't regret your choice!

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In recent years, the Dutch fertiliser company Metrop Hydroponics has found a place in many gardens thanks to the spectacular results that can be achieved with its products, whether cultivating indoors, outdoors or in greenhouses. The range is simple to use, as it does not have as many products as other brands, with highly concentrated fertilisers and additives suitable for all types of growing mediums, from soil or coco to hydroponic or recirculation systems such as DWC or NFT.

Thus, Metrop products are ultra-concentrated, undissolved in water and completely biodegradable, which is important for the environment. Of course, their fertilisers contain all the macro and micronutrients necessary for outstanding development, both in the growth and flowering phase. So, without further ado, let's check their products out first and then we will look at their growing charts for the most common substrates in cannabis cultivation.

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If there was ever a cannabis fertiliser company that needs no introduction, it's probably the Dutch brand Canna. Specialists in plant nutrition in various substrates (soil, coco, hydroponics and aeroponics) since the early 90s, the solidity of their results and the good information they provide to their customers have made them a benchmark in the world of cannabis cultivation.

Today we are going to take a look at their products and, above all, at their nutrient schedules, those charts that fertiliser manufacturers provide us with to guide us when it comes to providing the most complete and balanced diet possible for our plants. As many of you know, these tables give us the doses to use for each product at each stage of the plants' life, as well as the optimum pH and EC ranges for maximum development.

As you will see, we will study all the Canna nutrient charts, referring to substrates such as soil (we will see the charts for mineral as well as organic fertilisers), coco fibre, hydroponic systems (clay, rockwool, etc.) and, finally, aeroponics, those soil-less systems in which the irrigation water or nutrient solution is usually reused instead of being discarded, recirculating it from the tank to the irrigation system and back to the tank. But best not get ahead of ourselves and first, let's look at the products we are going to use in each type of growing medium.

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How to use fertilisers and additives for growing cannabis?

Just as humans require an appropriate and balanced diet,< our plants need it too and this nutrition should be provided regularly and in a balanced way both in terms of quantity and quality. Normally, the fertilisers for cannabis plants are available in either liquid or solid format.

Today we are going to tell you how to use these plant nutrients in the best possible way in order to have healthy plants in soil, with awesome results, and without nutrient imbalances of any kind.

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For years, the belief that irrigating with just water during the last two weeks of cultivation removes nutrients from the substrate and, above all, from the plant, was a topic that few people would have dared to disagree with. The general trend claimed (without any scientific basis apart from subjective opinions) that if during this last period of ripening water only was used for irrigation and no fertilisers were used, the plant would consume the nutrients from the soil and, when these were finished, it would use the nutrients stored in its tissues, greatly improving the flavour and aroma of the finished flowers once dry.

Thus, this technique - usually called "root flushing" - was given a series of benefits in terms of the quality of the final product: superior organoleptic qualities than in the case of not flushing, combustion without crackling, white ash and a long etcetera of properties that, although they had no scientific basis whatsoever, were commonly accepted without major reservations. However, over the last few years, a series of scientific studies have appeared that call these claims into question, which has only ignited a passionate debate between detractors and supporters of root flushing. Today, based on these two studies, we propose to enter into this debate and try to work out whether or not it is worthwhile to apply this traditional cultivation technique.

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Based in California, USA, the fertiliser brand Athena has quickly gained a position in the cannabis nutrient market thanks to the excellent quality of the product achieved, the amazing yields and, why not say it, the fact that professional cannabis cultivators such as the Jungle Boys have chosen them as a source of nutrition for their plants.

Today we're going to introduce you to their range of products, explain how to interpret their cultivation charts and give you some tips to make using Athena products even easier - and more effective. As many of you will already know, and we will go into detail about this later, the cultivation charts usually show the different life stages of the plant (usually expressed in weeks of growth or flowering) and the amount of each product in the range that should be mixed with the irrigation water at each stage.

Of course, the optimum ranges of EC or electroconductivity (the amount of dissolved salts or, in other words, fertiliser contained in the irrigation water) and pH (degree of acidity or alkalinity of the nutrient solution) for each stage of the crop are also indicated, as well as a practical foliar application chart. Although these tables are also available in millilitres per gallon on their website, all the measurements you will see in the Athena nutrition tables express the amount of product to be used in millilitres per 10 litres of water.

However, let's not get ahead of ourselves and start at the beginning, getting to know the products in the range of cannabis fertilisers offered by Athena a little better so that we can familiarise ourselves with them before going on to study the cultivation tables.

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The Biobizz nutrient schedule is a graphic aid developed by this brand to obtain, in a simple way, the maximum benefits from their products during a complete cultivation cycle, both indoor and outdoor. They show information concerning the doses and combinations of their fertilizers based on factors such as the stage of maturation and age of the plant, presented in weeks.

To understand the schedule one should be aware the marijuana has different phases during which it requires different amounts of specific nutrients. For example, during the growth phase, the plant requires high levels of nitrogen to grow, while during flowering it needs an extra supply of nutrients like phosphorus. Therefore, it is very important to apply the correct nutrients depending on the stage your plants are in.

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When growing cannabis indoors, the classic approach is to grow horizontally (or flatbed), generally using square or rectangular trays (depending on the shape and size of the grow tent or room), with the pots containing the plants placed side by side. Horizontally, one grow light is normally used to illuminate each square metre; and the plants are usually arranged in a “stadium shape” to take better advantage of the light: with the shortest plants placed in the centre and the highest around the sides.

However, every experienced grower knows that the maximum light output is still not always achieved and that many plants do not receive the amount of light they should. For this reason, vertical cultivation is an excellent tool for those who want to make the most of their resources indoors. Because vertical growth, when done correctly, can increase yields and maximise efficiency.

In many ways, it is a game-changer as the boundaries of innovation are being pushed upward. Vertical growing techniques provide opportunities that are unimaginable with traditional horizontal cultivation, particularly in more mature markets such as the USA, where commercial cannabis growers seek to improve yields, reduce costs and maximise space.

Vertical farming: less is more

The vertical cultivation technique is the practice of growing plants in vertically stacked layers or sloping surfaces; It consists of placing the cannabis plants on shelves, walls, or in columns, with the light source placed in the centre or on each individual shelf layer. In this way, it is possible to take better advantage of the space and ensure that more light reaches all the plants, thus achieving a higher yield. It's all about maximising harvests while using the minimum available space.

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Normally, when growing indoors, we use blue light for the vegetative growth phase and red light during flowering. Selecting the type of light and its appropriate colour temperature (usually known as its spectrum) is vital when it comes to getting the best results from an indoor grow. However, there is another type of light that is still unknown to a lot of growers and, although it doesn't directly influence the development of plants like the ones we just mentioned, it can be really useful for growers to prevent potential plant problems: green light.

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More and more cannabis users are choosing to grow their own flowers because resorting to the black market is usually neither the most convenient nor the cheapest option. For this reason, every day more recreational and therapeutic consumers are taking the step into cannabis home growing so they can be self-sufficient and not have to rely on third parties.

However, starting indoors can be tricky if you don't know where to begin, so in this post, we're going to focus on the most common mistakes made by new growers when they first get into the exciting world of cannabis cultivation. Let's go!

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What is EC or electro conductivity?

In this post we will focus on explaining the concept of EC or electro conductivity for cannabis cultivation and we will explain the importance of EC to obtain good results in our home grow.

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Although as a grow shop we sell all kinds of products related to cultivation, from the most modern hydroponic systems to ranges of completely organic nutrients, at Alchimia we know that caring for the environment is very important and we always try to offer you not only the products necessary to carry out organic farming but also the information on how to ensure that your cultivation has the least possible negative impact on nature.

As with almost any other type of cultivation, cannabis farming is not exempt from bad practices and can potentially be disastrous for the environment, much more damaging than if other types of methods are followed. Growing sustainably isn't simply a matter of switching to a specific type of substrate or fertiliser, but of analysing our growing practices from start to finish, taking into account the carbon footprint of each product, input and even of the techniques that we use. We've already examined our own methodology from this point of view, and we'd love to share the conclusions we have reached with you. By protecting the environment we are protecting ourselves, and as you'll see, it's easier than you might think!

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Micropropagation is one of the most widespread uses of in vitro plant cultivation. These techniques and tissue culture methods are used to multiply genetically identical plants (known as clones) on a large scale, in reduced spaces and short periods of time, combining some of the advantages of both systems of plant reproduction.

This method of in vitro plant propagation is one of the plant biotechnology cultivation techniques that has shown a huge rise in popularity in recent years, as it allows growers to obtain thousands of identical plants from very small sections of a mother plant, called explants. The success of any micropropagation will depend on the ability to acclimatise high-quality plants from in vitro conditions to ex vitro conditions, thus producing new plants from these explants.

In this article, we'd like to take a closer look at the fascinating world of tissue culture, outlining the possible applications that this technique offers to cannabis cultivation which, as you'll see, are quite a few!

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