What Do You Need to Grow Marijuana?

Last Updated on January, 2024 by Rob Wilson

When it comes to growing marijuana, it is something which has been happening for thousands of years. Ancient texts from the Indian and Chinese civilizations point at the fact that the cannabis plant was being used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. There have been documented records of weed being grown and consumed by natives of Central Asian regions for a very long time.

However, when it comes to growing marijuana in the modern day and age, much has changed since then. In this article, we shall be taking a closer look at what do you need to grow marijuana – basically, a look at the setup – i.e, the equipment that is needed to grow weed. 

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Over the course of this article, we shall take a look at every element that is needed to grow marijuana and essentially answer the question of ‘What do you need to grow marijuana?’. This article shall cover the following equipment:

• Grow Tents 
• Grow Lights
• Inline Fans
• Water
• Nutrients
• Humidifiers/Dehumidifiers
• Heaters/Air Conditioners
• Other Accessories

Let us first take a closer look at the two main methods in which you can grow weed: 

Growing Weed Outdoors vs Growing Weed Indoors

When it comes to growing weed, there are largely two ways in which you can do that – either you can choose to grow your marijuana indoors, or you can choose to grow it outdoors. Growing it outdoors is the way it has been done for thousands of years. However, of late, growing weed indoors is also getting popular and a number of growers are actually choosing this method over outdoors growth. 

Growing your weed outdoors means you grow it the natural and old-fashioned way. That would be under the sun and in the open air where almost all the resources needed for a marijuana plant to grow will be available from nature itself. However, when you choose to grow your marijuana indoors, you would be able to have a much greater level of control on the weed that you are growing. This is because you can create a condition of optimal growth which is not possible in the outdoors environment because natural factors may or may not be favourable! 

Basically, the three most important things that are needed by your marijuana plant are air, water and light. All three of them exist in nature and when weed grows outdoors, it can get all of that naturally. However, the plant’s growth might be affected in case there’s too much rain or too little sunlight, or snow, or pests, etc. Growing your marijuana indoors allows you to ensure that you can account for all these factors and provide your marijuana plants with the best possible care. 

What Do You Need to Grow Marijuana?

Now, we cut straight to the chase and attempt at answering the big question at hand: what do you need to grow marijuana? In this article, we shall be focusing on the indoors growth of weed and looking at the equipment that you need to grow your marijuana indoors.

#1. Grow Tents

Grow tents are of primary importance when you are planning on growing your own weed indoors. These are basically enclosed spaces with a reflective interior which allow you to grow a plant in ideal conditions. Grow tents come in different shapes and sizes ranging from 2×2 and going all the way to 12×12 and even beyond in some cases. Grow tents allow you to hang lights inside them, attach inline fans, have space for the plants to grow and also ensure that your weed isn’t just out there growing in a room so that it stays hidden, given how big of a social taboo it continues to be even after widespread legalization drives. 

Grow tents have a reflective surface lining their interiors and a thick cloth using which their exterior is built, these put together ensure that the grow light that you have hung inside it is used to its maximum efficiency. Since there’s no other surface where light will be absorbed and it keeps bouncing off the reflective surfaces, it lands on the plant and ensures that the plant gets the maximum possible benefit. Furthermore, there are also ducts via which you can attach inline fans that will allow the air to move in and out of the tent, giving the plants a good growing space. A grow tent also keeps insects and pests away. While they are a rarity when you grow weed indoors, they’re still a big problem nevertheless. The biggest benefit of grow tents, however, comes in the form of maximization of the light’s potential. 

Recommended:

• Vivosun Grow Tents
• Outdoor Grow Tent
• Multi-Chamber Grow Tents
• Best 8×8 Grow Tents
• Best 4×4 Grow Tents
• Best 5×5 Grow Tents

#2. Grow Lights

Following grow tents, the next most important thing that plants need for their growth is light. When you look at the marijuana plant growing in its natural outdoors environment, it grows towards the direction of the sun and makes use of the sun’s light for processes vital for its growth such as photosynthesis, where it converts sunlight into energy. Sunlight is also important for the plant to generate other important pigments such as chlorophyll which are essential for its growth. 

However, when you grow it indoors, there is no sunlight and grow lights act as the replacement to sunlight. When we look at the sunlight we perceive it as either white or yellow. However, sunlight is a mix of several different wavelengths of different colors. Grow lights ensure that plants get the entire spectrum of wavelength and therefore are very similar to the natural sunlight. Hence, they are critical for the growth of the marijuana plant when you are growing it indoors. When you ask ‘what do you need to grow marijuana’, sometimes you might be able to do without a grow tent – but it is just not possible to do away with a grow light! 

Recommended:

• Best Cheap LED Grow Lights
• Best LED Grow Light For 4X4 Grow Tents
• Viparspectra LED Grow Light
• Best 600 Watt LED Grow Lights
• Mars Hydro 300W LED Grow Light

#3. Inline Fans 

Another important thing that a marijuana plant requires for a healthy indoors growth is an inline fan. Why, you ask? This is because when a marijuana plant grows outdoors, it has access to a lot of fresh air as well as moving breeze. However, when you grow a plant indoor, you are cutting off all the access to this naturally moving breeze as well as fresh air. Furthermore, when you put a marijuana plant for growing inside a grow tent, you are restricting its access to fresh air even more. Hence, duct fans need to be attached to grow tent which ensure that fresh air is moving in and stagnated air moves out. A good airflow will result in a good growth of marijuana plants.

In addition to these exhaust fans, you can also make use of additional clip-on fans while growing your marijuana because it will ensure that there is a good breeze around the plants. Breeze is important because not only does it keep small insects and pests away, but it also helps the stem and branches become stronger and sturdier. Hence, these fans are necessary.

#4. Water

For those wondering about what do you need to grow marijuana indoors, while sunlight and air are two important components of the marijuana plant’s growth, the third major thing in this list is water. You need to provide water at regular intervals while also ensuring that you are not overwatering the plant. Water is essential for the growth of most plants because it helps the plants remain hydrated and allows them to move essential components for their growth all across their body. 

Water is also important because this is where you mix your nutrients and provide the plant with the same. Watering your plants can be done in different ways – you can choose to do so the regular, old fashioned way by making use of water canisters and shower caps, or you can choose to do so via using humidity (while it is not a complete substitute using humidifiers can help your plants get a much needed supply of water but more on that in a bit)

#5. Nutrients

Nutrients are also very important for the growth of your marijuana plant. There are certain elements that a marijuana plant needs in order for a good growth. When you grow it out in the nature, the marijuana plant may or may not get all of these nutrients. However when you grow it indoors, you have better control over your marijuana plant and can therefore choose to grow it in the way you wish to. 

By providing the right nutrients to your marijuana plant, you will be ensuring that the THC levels are right and you get a good high out of it, in addition to that, using certain fertilizers will also help your plant get the right kind of ‘taste’ that you need while smoking it. Nutrients are generally mixed in water and provided to the plants. However, sometimes there are some specially prepared types of ‘super soil’ which comes with all nutrients mixed in them and you just need to water the soil in order for the nutrients to start getting absorbed by the plant. One more thing that you need to know about marijuana plants is that when they are in the growth stage, they do not really require a lot of nutrients. However, nutrients are essential for them once they reach the flowering stage. However, here too, you need to take care that you are not providing your plant with too much of nutrients that it starts burning out the leaves and the flowers.

#6. Humidifiers/Dehumidifiers

Humidity is important for the growth of the marijuana plant. In nature, they grow the best in September/October season because the humidity levels are high. However, no such seasonal obligation is required by those growing marijuana indoors because you can choose to grow your weed any time of the year and provide it with the right levels of humidity using humidifiers and dehumidifiers. Humidity helps the plants absorb water with ease and it is easier for the leaves to absorb water directly via their stomata. Typically, a marijuana plant would absorb water via the roots. However, a humid environment eases the stress on the roots and ensures plants are getting enough water.

Dehumidifiers are needed to reduce humidity levels during the flowering stage. This is because during flowering, plants need nutrients which are provided to them via mixing it with water in the soil. Hence when humidity levels are low plants will depend more on the roots and the water that the roots will absorb will have nutrients in it! Hence it is essential to set the right humidity levels while growing your marijuana plant indoors. If you’re wondering about what you need to grow marijuana, humidifiers are not absolutely essential, but will help you get a good output if you use them. 

#7. Other Accessories for Growth

Then there are some other accessories that you need for growing your marijuana plant which are not strictly related to the growth of your plant but are overall helpful in improving its conditions. These include insect traps, deodorizers and carbon filters, rotating fans, heaters and air conditioners, shears and scissors, drying racks, etc. These accessories are important for growing your plant and maintaining it. Having them will help you get a higher yield and a better output as well as ensure that your plant remains healthy throughout the growth cycle. However, even if you choose not to use any of them, the regular growth will not be affected. 

Recommended:

• Bestva 600W LED Grow Light
• Meizhi 600W Reflector LED Grow Light
• Viparspectra 600W LED Grow Light
• Phlizon 1200W LED Grow Light
• Lightimetunnel 600W LED Grow Light
• King Plus 3000W LED Grow Light

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Growing Marijuana

Now that you know about what do you need to grow marijuana, let us attempt at answering some of the frequently asked questions about growing weed:

1. Which is better: growing marijuana outdoors vs growing marijuana indoors

For thousands of years marijuana has been grown outdoors without much of a problem. However with the passage of times modern technologies have begun to kick in and growers now grow with a much better precision. Growing indoors gives you just one big advantage – a higher level of control. Factors of nature might fail you because there may not be enough light, heat or water which is needed for you to grow weed properly. However, when you choose to do it indoors, you can simulate an environment which will ensure that your plants are getting the best possible growth. Be it using the right kind of light, or providing the correct nutrients and humidity levels, marijuana plants thrive when you grow them indoors, often giving you bigger yields than usual because of the optimal conditions.  

2. What do you need to grow marijuana outdoors?

The least you need to grow marijuana outdoors is optimal weather conditions. If the sun is shining bright and clear, the water levels in the soil are right and there’s a warm (but not too hot) breeze in the air, you’re good to go. You also need some amount of humidity which is also present in the natural air. However, growing outdoors would also mean putting your plants at a risk of pests and insects, as well as there’s no such thing as an ideal growth conditions as on some days the cloud cover might be too dense or there might be too much or too little of rain or there might be a snow cover damaging your plants.

3. What do you need to grow marijuana indoors?

You need a grow light, a supply of water, and some fresh air – these are the three things that you need to grow marijuana indoors. Growing your weed indoors would mean that you are growing it under ideal circumstances and while you can add on a number of other elements such as humidifiers, heaters, etc. the aforementioned three elements are absolutely critical and cannot be done away with. Your marijuana plant cannot grow indoors without a grow light, or without water, or without fresh air. The lack of any of these will lead to a stunted growth and the plant will die. 

4. Where can I buy the equipment needed to grow marijuana?

All the equipment that you need to grow your marijuana plant is easily available online on Amazon. If you are looking forward to grow your weed, you can also head out to a local store near you which sells plant supplies and farming products that can help you in growing weed.

Conclusion

To conclude, we hope this article helped you gain a better and clearer picture about what do you need to grow marijuana. Growing weed is not a complex process at all and growers who have little experience can also grow weed easily if they follow manuals correctly. All it needs is ensuring you are using good quality equipment and are careful with providing your plant with just the right amount of elements of growth (excesses are never good). Do let us know in the comments or drop us a mail if you think we have missed out on something or if there’s something that you would like us to address on our grower guides! 

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Happy Growing! 🙂