Growing Marijuana Supplies
When Growing Marijuana, you need to consider start up costs, grow room space, choice of hydroponics systems, how you want to grow marijuana (Sea of Green Technique), your choice of marijuana seeds, whether a silent fan is appropriate, whether you need cannabis plant odour control, energy bills, environmental controls, anti-heat lamp detection equipment to protect from police helicopter detection if it is illegal to grow weed in the country you live in, if you need light reflective sheeting to get lighting to the areas of the plants that your plants aren't reaching, also the choice of nutrients, additives & plant growth supplements to support you plants strength and vitality during marijuana seed germination, propagating cannabis seeds, tarnsferring/ transplanting marijuana seedlings to your hydroponic system, marijuana growth cycles and the cannabis blooming, flowering, budding period.
We have provided as much information for free on growing marijuana in a hydroponics system as we possibly can without breaking certain copywrite laws, but there are many other methods such as Aeroponics, NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) that our site doesn't cover, and this is due to two reasons, one, we believe hydroponics to be the most professional, effective and beneficial to successful indoor cannabis cultivation, and secondly, we want to provide you with only the most specific hydroponic flood and drain (a.k.a ebb and flow) system indoor growing information so that it doesn't confuse you and you end up mixing all the different growing techniques up, in turn becoming a jack of all trades and a master of none. Visit our Media - Marijuana Grow Guide Books Page for specific related cultivation topics
Grow Lights
Marijuana Grow Lights are essential to indoor hydroponic marijuana growth. A decade long boom in the sale of hydroponic systems is reflective of the realisation that hydroponically cultivated cannabis is the professional choice of indoor gardening, from germination to harvesting/ cropping your plants lights are used for all purposes, for germinating marijuana seeds during the propagation process, high frequency fluorescent lights, mercury blend or 250 Watt lights are perfect, once the seeds have been transferred/ transplanted into your hydroponic system the best grow lights are HPS (High Pressure Sodium Lighting), MH (Metal Halide Lighting) are the perfect indoor marijuana grow lamps for horticulture with a wide range of high watt bulbs, reflector panels, they come in air cooled & water cooled variations, with most being silent and powered by Ballasts which contain step-up transformers and ignition circuitry and can also come with timers built-in/ on.
Optional extras like fully automatic motorized light movers can be purchased so that one light can do the job of 3-4 lights, therefore reducing the amount of energy used which in turn, is less suspicion arousing from energy suppliers and police/ drug enforcement agencies
Hydroponic Marijuana Nutrients, Additives & Supplements
Marijuana Nutrients & Fertilizers are an artificial plant food which cannabis plants need to germinate, develop, grow and bloom (a.k.a. flower of bud).
Marijuana plant nutrients like many other plants need to essentially contain Macronutrients including Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorus with smaller amounts of additional nutrients such as Calcium, Magnesium and Sulphur with trace elements also known as micronutients include boron, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zinc.
Hydroponic Marijuana Nutrients, Additives & Supplements for Germination
Due to the choice of using a hydroponic system with clay pebbles, the right nutrient based water solution is essential and this changes and varies in pH level and CF levels throughout the germination & propagation stage, transffering/ transplanting your seedlings to your hydroponic flood and drain (ebb and flow) system, the various stages of marijuana growth cycles.
So for optimal quality of balanced nutrient plant food we strongly recommend Formulex, an artificial mineral fertilizer (a.k.a. N-P-K fertilizer or compound fertilizer) solution which contains water, mineral salts and beneficial trace elements, and has been specially formulated specifically for hydroponic system cannabis plant growth, it is used only during the germination process by professional indoor marijuana cultivators as it has everything seedlings and cuttings (clones) need.
Hydroponic Cannabis Nutrients, Additives & Supplements for Transplanted Seedlings in Lighting Cycles
Once you are happy that the hydroponic system equipment is ready to accept your seedling, its time to adjust the CF Level and the pH Level of the reservoir tank, don't forget to adjust the CF level first as it alters the pH level of your reservoir, then use the pH Up and Down to adjust the pH level after you have reached your desired Electrical Conductivity Factor (Total Dissolved Foods). Now unlike before when you was using Formulex Nutrients to adjust the CF levels, you will instead be using a two part, Grow A & B Nutrient Solution, the reason they come in two parts is because they conflict in their concentrated form, but not aggressively like pH Up & Down, just in the sense that because they are so concentrated, your marijuana plants roots won't be able to dissolve the nutrient solution and absorb it, therefore causing what is known as "Nutrient Lock" so make sure they never make contact with each other unless they are diluted, us seperate pipettes, containers & measuring cups as you do with the pH up and down.
Newly Transplanted/ Transffered Marijuana Seedlings in their Early Light Cycle Stage
Now an important point to remember is that for the first few weeks, your plants still require a weak CF level of 12-14 using the mineral nutrient plant food water solution in the reservoir, so when you are calculating how much concentrated nutrient you need based on the instructions on the side of the Grow Part A & Part B Nutrient, the instructions are guiding you for the requirements of a full grown plant, and at this early stage, your seedling plant only needs approximately one third to ½ of the recommended dilution ratio. So if the guidelines tell you that a platn requires 4ml to every 1 litre of water and you had a 45 litre reservoir to fill, you would start by halfing the recommended 4ml to 2ml of concentrated nutrient then multiply it by 45, giving you a required 90 milliletres of Grow Part A Nutrient & 90 millilitres of Grow Part B Nutrient to be mixed into the reservoir, but knock about 5ml off each just to be safe, add it to the hydroponic systems reservoir, give it a good stir then take a reading of the cf level on your EC, CF, TDS Meter, then if more is needed, you can always add an extra milliltre of each until you've got a CF reading of 12-14, if you go over this level, pump some of the tanks water out and add more untreated water.
Hydroponic Ganja Nutrients, Additives & Supplements for Flowering, Blooming, Budding and Harvesting Lighting Cycle Phase
Once your Marijuana Plants have grown 16-18 inches in height you need to change your nutrient solution from Grow A & B, to a Bloom (a.k.a. Flores or Flower) Nutrient and be reducing your grow cycles lighting period to 12 hours on, 12 hours off, which induces a marijuana plants flowering, blooming & budding phase.
What you have done so far by starving the plants on a hydroponic systems reservoir tank CF level of 12-14 is make the plants thrive and want more and more food nourishing (a.k.a. macronutrients and micronutrients increase), so when you suddenly switch the lighting cycle from 18-20 hours a day, down to 12 hours per day, they panic and want more food to reproduce and create as bigger buds as they possibly can, therefore you give them what they want and up the nutrient levels of the systems reservoir tank to around 18-20 CF which is almost full strength but not quite, as well as keeping your pH level at around 6.
At approximately 5 weeks into the blooming, flowering, fruiting, budding cycle, your marijuana plants should be ready for a nutrient additive known as PK13-14 which is a blooming stimulator/ accelerator which boosts the growth of marijuana buds. Write down the exact day that you started the bloom lighting period and exactly 5 weeks into the blooming, flowering, fruiting, budding phase, introduce and administer the PK13-14 for one week only, and use this solution along with your Bloom, Flores or Flower nutrient, add the bloom solution to a cf level of 22-24 you have been using for the past 5 weeks first, then the PK13-14, then adjust the pH level of the tanks reservoir to 6. This is a very exciting time for you, as the day you introduced the pk13-14 into your hydroponic systems reservoir tank, it is an indication that your marijuana plants buds will be ready for harvesting/ cropping in only 3 more weeks!
After a week of feeding your cannabis plants the PK13-14 solution flush your tank, refill it using the Bloom A & B Nutrient and adjust the pH level of the tank to 6.
Finally, one week before your crop is ready to be harvested flush all the water from your systems reservoir, refill it with nothing but pH adjusted water in order to let the plants flush out ant excess which will ruin the taste of your marijuana buds.
Fans & Filters
The use of fans and filters are of extreme importance in a marijuana grow room environment due to cannabis plants grown indoors having a very high intake of co2 and will quickly use up an entire rooms carbon dioxide, therefore in an ideal air tight grow room used for marijuana cultivation, there should be an extractor fan that supplies fresh air containing co2 from the outside environment and a seperate extractor fan to take any stagnant air from the grow room to the outside atmosphere.
We are official affiliates for www.1-hydroponics.co.uk, the hydroponics specialist that provide professional super silent horticultural marijuana extractor fans and odorsok carbon filters that are used to tackle any odour problems or concerns. They also supply ducting, mounting brackets, padded collars, silencers, vents, jubilee clips, hanging chains, hook plates and spigots
Grow Media
As a replacement for soil, grow media has to provide a stable environment to accept cannabis seeds for germination, propagation and light cycles in a hydroponic system.
Choice of marijuana grow media for growing marijuana is vital and you need to be considering 1" (2.5cm or 25mm) rock wool for starting the germination of seedlings and cuttings (clones), then 3" (7.5cm or 75mm) rockwool to transplant the seedlings into (rock wool cube within a cube) that will see out the final stage of your marijuana seeds germination and see your plants all the way through their light cycles in a hydroponic system planted in clay pebbles.
Rockwool is a sterile & inert substrate growing media for marijuana cultivation and is a great water retentive environment for seedlings, cuttings and plants which when prepared properly provides excellent aeration to the root ball.
Clay Pebbles when washed thoroughly to remove excess dust, dirt and debris supply stable pH control in hydroponics, they are very accessible and pratical to plant in when transffering seedlings and cuttings from a propagator into the pods of your system.
CO2 Release Systems
To say that a plentiful supply of co2 for a marijuana grow room is essential would be an understatement to say the least, it is an absolute necessity and cannabis plants absolutely thrive on carbon dioxide, and for all of you out there who skipped biology at school, when a plants co2 intake is high whilst under grow lights and in contact with water, photosynthesis occurs creating oxygen for nearly all other known life forms to breathe, so it would be fair to say that plants are very important, so treat them with respect and supply them with a healthy supply of fresh air circulation by using an adequate c02 release system such as a growth gas generator in your grow room that will control the temperature that plants demand in order to thrive and also remove any stale, stagnant air.
Think it seems like a costly investment, then let me put something into prospective for you, the average carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere is approximately 350 PPM (parts per million). Through years of agreed upon practice, the optimum level is in the 1000-1500 PPM range. At these levels it is not uncommon to realise a 25-40% increase in yield (in lehmann's terms "massive buds"). Still think a co2 replenishment system isn't worth the money, well if you answered yes, then you should seriously consider going out of the room that you are in and having a word with yourself, just before taking off your shoes and slapping yourself hard with them!
Environmental Controls
When growing marijuana indoors in an ebb and flow (flood & drain) hydroponics system, environmental control is paramount and optimal climate and growing conditions (room temperature, water temperature, humidity, co2 levels, water nutrient solution a.k.a. pot plant food, CF/ EC/ TDS & pH levels etc,) are not hard to achieve and maintain, in fact, thanks to modern technology, all you have to due is set up a few items of cannabis cultivation equipment and hook them up to timers, relays and thermometers and most automated machines will automatically alter their functionality to adjust and control your indoor hydroponic marijuana grow room environment to the most beneficial conditions for the best, most productive skunk weed plant growth and largest possible bud yields.
Bug & Pest Control
Marijuana plant bugs and pests controls, along with hydroponic flood and drain systems have come along way in recent years and the dark days of using harmful toxic chemicals are drawing to an end thanks to a simple measure of using natures own weapons against it when it sends harmful bugs pests and insects to destroy your precious crop.
Plant infestation is every marijuana growers worst nightmare (actually, its second to being busted, but hey, its still a big problem), every cannabis cultivator dreads the morning they wake up and find White Fly, Red Spider Mite, Two Spotted Mite, Thrips, Mealy bug, Scale, Adult Leaf Miners, Leaf Hoppers, Aphids (Green and Black Fly), Black Spot, Rust, Scab, Powdery Mildew, Leaf Spot, Blight, Downy Mildew, Botrytis, Fungus Gnats, Grey Mould, Stem Rot & Pythium has targeted your Marijuana Plants for total destruction, but rest assured, a green biological solution is available to unleash on the majority of bugs, insects & pests without even damaging your valuable plants.