Growing Marijuana - An Essential Guide to Lighting

Pivotal to the success of your plants are the lights under which you cultivate them. Now that you've chosen your growroom, and made some preparations, it's time to decide on how much light your plants will need and which type of lamp you choose for maximum growth. There are two main choices of lights; metal halide and high-pressure sodium. Your choice here is crucial as the light is the single most important factor in the success of your crop.

Facts about grow-lights

Both Metal halide (MH) and High-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps are from a group of lamps known as high-density discharge (HID) lamps. The output of the light is much higher than other lamps of their size, making them a powerful and efficient light source for your indoor grow. These HID lamps require a ballast to allow delivery of regular current and proper voltage to the arc. Both lamps also require specialist fittings to allow them to run safely.

Which do I need?

Realistically, you will need both. Metal halide lights are the choice for the vegetation stage of growth, as they emit light in the white/blue end of the spectrum, promoting bushiness and prohibiting upward growth. For flowering, high-pressure sodium (HPS) is more appropriate as it's light consists of yellow, orange and red spectrum light, perfect for flowering and fruit production.

When buying your lights you need to be aware of the wattage of light you will require. The following is a guide to required wattage. This can be used safely provided you have a good reflector on your lamp as well as good reflective wall covering.

2.5 to 3 feet (0.8 to 0.9m) - 400 watt
3.5 to 4 feet (1 - 1.25m) - 600 watt
4 to 5 feet (1.3 to 1.5 m) - 1000 watt

Smaller lamps are available but aren't considered a good choice because the low level of light emitted is not sufficient for decent plant growth.

These lamps are quite an expensive item, so you need to be sure to buy only the highest quality lamps. Find out which brand are preferred in your area and check customer testimonials if buying online. A highly recommended brand is Phillips, but there are others which make the grade. My personal choice for lighting supplies is Esoteric Hyroponics

There are others if you search on Google. At the end of the day it's probably best to go with one that quite local to you as this keeps shipping costs down.

Growing marijuana indoors - what you will need

If you decide to go with an indoor marijuana grow, there are a number of things you will need. Some of these may be costly but are well worthwhile in the long-term. Think of it this way - in six months you spend $ buying sub-standard cannabis or even shit bar. If you take the cost of that, invest in what you need and start a grow you will have an ongoing supply of top quality, usable cannabis, which won't turn your lungs to carbon in a year. The growing process does take time, especially on your first grow, but if you are really desperate and can't wait, you can either nip out an occasional leaf and dry it or you can go for that very potent legal bud I suggested to you before.

The basic requirements for an indoor grow are:

A suitable growing space (this can be a closet or cupboard, a ready made grow-tent or even a metal box)
High-pressure sodium and/or metal halide lights (this is the most expensive item so making the right choice is important. Quality can vary)
Extractor fan for ventilation
Carbon filter to eliminate odor
Light reflecting lining for the walls (again, there are many choices, some more expensive than others)
Compost or growth medium such as rockwool
10lt pots
Timer unit for lights
Exhaust system for extractor to ensure odor elimination
Specialist feeds for vegetation and flowering stages
And finally, and most importantly, good quality Cannabis Seeds.

Stealth is, unfortunately, also an issue in most of the western world. Marijuana really stinks, especially in the flowering stage and you need to take measures to ensure that the odor doesn't travel beyond your grow room. You also need to take account of visibility, especially in an urban setting, as light leakage could be a real giveaway, especially at night. Metal halide and high pressure sodium lights emit a quite distinctive light, soft, tinged with color which has a very incandescent effect.

Your first task is to go and consider your grow space now. Choose where in your home you wish to set-up your grow and begin to make preparations there. If you choose well your self-made grow room should give you years of service and plenty of very successful crops.