Some Tips for Indoor Growing (Updated 2021)

 The best place to grow plants is indoors.

You have complete control over everything when growing plants indoors, which allows you to really maximize rapid growth and huge yields with incredible potency.

But to get the perfect buds, you need the perfect environment.

The good news is: even if you make mistakes and don’t provide the perfect environment, you will still be harvesting buds. Plants are very resilient.

That said, the more things you get right, the better the result.

If you follow the instructions here, you will get all the basics right, while still keeping everything as simple as possible. To me, this is the best balance between great results and not over-complicating things to the point where it becomes stressful and no fun.

So let’s get started, by going through the whole growing process step by step, beginning with the preparation and ending with the harvest.

Find A Grow Space

The first thing you need to do is figure out where you will grow your plants. Are you setting up in the basement, in a closet, etc?

Once you have the space, you want to get it ready for growing plants indoors. The easiest way to do this is to get a grow tent. You can find tons of inexpensive tents on ECO Farm and these cheap tents are good enough for most of us.

Pick one that fits into your grow space and has enough room inside to fit your planned number of plants. If you need especially small grow tents, those can be a bit harder to find.

Get Pots And Soil

Sure, you can grow hydroponically or in a soil-less growing medium without using hydroponics, but in my quest to keep it simple, I recommend growing indoors with soil. It’s easy to find and easy to use.

Any good quality potting soil will work, but avoid anything with artificial extended-release fertilizer or that otherwise contains chemicals.

If you start your seedlings in this soil (which I do recommend for simplicity), they will suffer some nutrient burn at first. This is not a huge deal, but you can avoid it if you like, by putting some less nutrient-rich soil on top of the Ocean Forest soil for your seedlings.

If you want to use pots you already have, that works fine, too. Just make sure whatever container you use has some holes in the bottom for drainage. If you use a regular bucket, for example, make sure to drill a few holes in the bottom.

When it comes to pot sizes, you’ll want a small pot (1 gallon or less) for seedlings, but you can also just use a plastic cup. After that, you want to transplant the plants into ever-larger pots.

Once their roots have expanded throughout their new pot, it’s time to give them a larger one so they have room for growth. An easy way to tell they are ready to move is when the roots start coming out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot.

At some point, you want to stop giving them larger pots, to keep them from growing ever larger. A good rule of thumb for the largest pot size is this: you need about 2 gallons of container per 12″ in plant height.

Thus, if you want your plants to reach a height of 3 feet, you would need a 6-gallon pot. If you are using fabric pots (as I recommend) go twice as big.

 Add A Grow Light

There are a ton of options for grow lights, but we’re keeping it simple. Just get an LED grow light. They cost less to operate and they’re easier to use. Nowadays, they actually cost the same or less than an equivalent HID system, once you account for all the equipment you need to run HID grow lights.

Those lights will work great for the growth of one plant. If you have a bit of a larger grow space, I highly recommend these ECO Farm grow lights. They are the best value lights on the market right now and work great for growing plants.

Strike the Right pH Balance

Regardless of whether you’re using soil or hydroponics, the pH level of your growing medium will make a significant difference to your yields. The optimal pH range for plants is between 6.0 and 7.0, although it drops 0.5 or so in hydroponic setups. Some experts go even further and suggest that Northern Lights works best in a pH range of 6.2–6.7.

For the uninitiated, the pH of a substance is a measure of its acidity or alkalinity. On the pH Scale, anything below 7.0 is acidic and anything above 7.0 (to 14.0) is alkaline. The decimal points on the scale are crucial because the concentration changes by a factor of ten for every whole point. Therefore, an increase from 6.0 to 7.0 is a tenfold increase! If you are even 0.2 or 0.3 outside the optimal range, the growth of your plants will suffer.

For the record, the pH of rainwater is 5.5–6.0, which should interest outdoor growers. If you use soil as your growing medium, you are less likely to encounter pH difficulties. This is especially the case when using a potting mix that feeds your plants automatically and eliminates the need for any additional nutrients.

Otherwise, it is possible to continue adding nutrients to fix a deficiency and reach the point where your unfortunate NL plants are unable to consume anymore. At this stage, the growing medium can experience a buildup of salts which blocks the roots and results in starvation. In other words, overfeeding causes your plant to go hungry!

If your soil is too alkaline, use rainwater to water the plants. On the other hand, if your soil is too acidic, add a tablespoon or two of Dolomite lime per gallon of soil. If you are using a hydroponic setup, make sure the pH remains in the 5.5–6.5 range. You should invest in pH strips or a digital meter to check the pH of your growing medium regularly.

Eliminating Pests & Diseases

These are the biggest issues facing plants growers today, and cultivating plants indoors does not spare you. Prevention is always the best option, which means maintaining a clean growing area and excellent personal hygiene.

You can stop pests or infections from gaining a foothold by ensuring the humidity and temperature of your grow area are at optimal levels. You must filter the air intake because it blocks a significant path for pests. A high-quality household filter should prevent most insects, hair, and dust from getting in.

Here are a few pests and diseases to watch out for:

Fungus gnats: Their larvae attack roots, seedlings, and weak plants that invite further infections. You typically find gnats in dark and damp conditions. To remove fungus gnats, you need a solution consisting of Bacillus thuringiensis. If you are growing in a soilless medium or are using soil, drench it with insecticidal soap or neem oil and prevent infestations by reducing humidity.
Whiteflies: These pests suck the chlorophyll from your plants and are noticeable by the yellow/white spots they produce on top of the leaves. Add pyrethrum every five days or introduce two Encarisa Formosa (tiny wasps) per plant.
Spider mites: These are the most common pest and appear as tiny dots that hide underneath the leaves. You may need a jeweler’s loupe or magnifying glass to spot them. A spray consisting of pyrethrum or neem oil works very well on spider mites.
Gray mold: Also known as Botrytis, gray mold is the most common fungal disease that afflicts plants grown indoors. It takes hold around two weeks from harvest and can kill your crop in a week. Prevent this mold from appearing by ensuring your grow room’s humidity is below 50% during flowering. If you spot the mold, remove it with sterilized scissors and destroy it.
Root rot: This happens when your roots don’t receive enough oxygen. You can create the problem by using un-aerated water or by overwatering your plants. It halts growth and prevents the plant from transferring nutrients. Rotting roots become a pale brown color initially and start to darken. Prevent it by keeping your growing medium clean and avoid overwatering your Northern Lights plants.

Ventilation

Plants love fresh air. They achieve the best growth when they get a slight breeze. It also serves to prevent mold. The best way to give your plants the breeze they need is with an inline fan on the lowest setting. You can also remove larger leaves or lollipop your plants to improve airflow.

There is no need to spend a lot of money on a specialized “grow tent” fan. You can basically use any fan you may already have. If you don’t have one, you can buy them anywhere.

It is small and comes with both a clip and a stand. That means you can clip one to the tent pole above the canopy and have a second one standing on the ground, blowing fresh air below the canopy. It does not oscillate, but that is not really necessary in a smaller grow tent or grow space.

Conclusion

I hope that this article turned on a few light bulbs in that noggin’ of yours, and helps you plan your grow light set up for the happiest plants possible! I also hope I made this somewhat complex subject nice and easy to understand. Please let me know if you have any questions or feedback in the comments below. Also, please help spread the love and knowledge by sharing or pinning this article. We appreciate you coming to us to learn something new. See you next time!