What Do You Need to Grow Cannabis Indoors

If you’re about to start out in the passionate world of growing cannabis indoors but you’re overwhelmed because you’re not sure where to start, don’t worry! We’re going to go over, step by step, how to choose everything you need to guarantee a successful harvest.

When it comes to indoor growing, the idea is to simulate and even improve upon the environmental conditions found in nature in order to grow cannabis. In order to do this, you’ll need to replace natural sunlight with artificial lighting and create air currents using extractors and fans etc. The only factors these two types of grows have in common are the substrate (if using soil), fertilizers and seeds.

Materials Needed for Starting an Inside Grow

Just like we explain in another post, before you start growing cannabis indoors you’ll need to decide if you want to use a grow tent or an entire room. We recommend grow tents because they make the entire process much easier, especially if you’re just starting out.

Step 1: Choose a Grow tent

If you’ve never grown cannabis indoors and you’re still wondering if you should use a grow tent, let’s have a look at the benefits of growing in a grow tent.

Benefits of Grow Tents Indoors

Grow tents can create the ideal environment for your plants and are isolated from the rest of your house or room. This allows you to easily adjust the light and dark periods.
It’s much easier to create a microclimate in a grow tent than a grow room; it’s easier to ventilate and renew air.
Growing in an indoor grow tent allows you to grow without needing to make any holes in the walls or do any work on your house.
There are grow tents that cater to all types of needs; from small grow tents that should be used with low energy lighting or LED panels to large grow tents designed for more demanding needs. Grow tents allow for many different options such as using different lighting.

Other characteristics

The yield obtained from your grow tent will depend on the type of lighting used, the conditions your plants are in and the strain grown.
Having more plants in your grow tent doesn’t necessarily mean larger yields; you want to fill the grow tent while making sure that there’s enough space for the flowers and leaves to get enough light.

For example:

60 x 60 cm Grow Tent: 4 6L flowerpots
80 x 80 cm Grow Tent: 6 7L flowerpots
1 x 1 m Grow Tent: 9 7L flowerpots
1.2 x 1.2 m Grow Tent: 12 7L flowerpots
1.5 x 1.5 m Grow Tent: 15 7L flowerpots

Different Types of Grow Tents

Like we were saying above, there are different types of grow tents for all types of needs, so let’s have a look at which is the best for your project:

If you want to maintain a mother plant and take clones…

In order to maintain mother plants all you need to do is keep the light cycle at a steady 18/6. Beginner growers usually won’t have any more than 3 or 4 mother plants designed for providing clones to grow in cycles. In this case you won’t need much space, which is why we recommend smaller grow tents such as the Dark Propagator which comes in various models; V4 60 X 60 X 60 cm, V4 90 x 60 x 98 cm, and V4 120 x 60 x 190 cm.

cannabis plants — Keeping your own cannabis mother plants allows you to grow the same strain whenever you want.

If you want to grow, but don’t have much space…

For city growers with small homes we recommend small growing and flowering grow tents like the Dark Street range by Secret Jardin, which comes in the following sizes:

60 x 60 x 158 cm
90 x 90 x 178 cm
120 x 60 x 178 cm
120 x 120 x 198 cm

If you have a tight budget

If you’re looking for standard sizes and affordable prices, have a look at the Pure Tent range, which sells grow tents in the following sizes:

60 x 60 x 160 cm
80 x 80 180 cm
100 x 100 x 200 cm
120 x 120 x 200 cm
240 x 120 x 200 cm
240 x 240 x 200 cm

If you need a large grow tent at an affordable price

In this case, the Hydro Shoot range is your best bet these grow tents are easy to set up and have a high price/quality ratio. This range includes various sizes:

150 x 150 x 200 cm
240 x 120 x 200 cm
240 x 240 x 200 cm
300 x 150 x 200 cm
300 x 300 x 200 cm
595 x 300 x 200 cm

If you’re looking for the highest quality…

The highest quality range of grow tents is the Dark Room range by Secret Jardin, covered in high quality Mylar with reflection up to 95% with a strong structure made of 25mm steel bars. Available in the following sizes:

150 x 150 x 217 cm
237 x 120 x 200 cm
237 x 237 x 200 cm
297 x 297 x 217 cm
297 x 150 x 217 cm

growing cannabis — Grow tents indoors allow you to isolate your plants in their ideal climate without ruining your room.

Step 2: Indoor lighting

Lighting when it comes to indoor grows, contrary to what some believe, isn’t just the lights you need to hang; it also depends on how the light is reflected. This is why it’s important to choose the right type of reflective material.

Light in your indoor grow is designed to replace natural sunlight. However, electrical lighting has a series of issues that you’ll need to0 make up for. For example, the distance and strength of the sun allows for light to reach the top and bottom of the plant in a balanced fashion.

On the other hand, in indoor grows this effect is considerably lessened. In order to compensate for this, you’ll need to cover the walls with reflective plastic.
Reflection from the walls of a good grow tent make the lighting more efficient and effective, making for high quality and larger yields when it comes times to harvest.

If you’re using a full room to grow in…

Grow tents already come with reflective walls, but if you’ve decided to go for a full room rather than normal grow tents you can cover the inside of the walls with one of these reflective sheetings:

Black and White, 85 and 125 microns thick and 2m wide: the most affordable option, reflects up to 80%.
Lightite Diamond, 1.25m wide, provides the highest reflection.
Mylar anti-detection: reflects over 85% of light and is crease-resistant; ideal for large grows.

Typs of Indoor Cannabis Grow Lights

Once you’ve chosen your reflective material, it’s time to choose your lighting. There are various types of indoor lighting:

Low energy lighting

These types of lights have the following characteristics:

Low electricity cost.
They don’t produce much heat which allows them to be closer to the plants.
When compared to other lighting systems they produce less yield.
They come in different light spectrums, such as bulbs designed specifically for growth, flowering and mixed bulbs that can be used for both.
This type of lighting is generally used for the growth period, maintaining mother plants and rooting clones. They can be used during the flowering period although you’ll obtain larger yields with other types of lighting. They’re used a lot to save electricity during the first growth weeks.

CFL and Fluorescent Lighting

CFL Lighting (Compact Fluorescent Lighting) is essentially a fluorescent tube with a socket and a ballast attached. At La Huerta Grow Shop you can find the following:

Energy Saving Superplant Flowering Light: this low energy 125w grow light is perfect for small spaces. Its spectrum is ideal for your cannabis plants’ flowering period.
Pure Light CFL Greenpower: this mixed bulb can be used during the growth and flowering stages.
Pure Light CFL Grow: this Pure factury grow light has a 6400k spectrum and is ideal for the growth stage, clone rooting and maintaining mother plants. Available in 125w (25w x 5 elements); 200w (40w x 5 elements); 250w (50w x 5 elements).
Pure Light CFL Bloom: this light is ideal for small grow tents or for growing in the summer. Available in 150w, 200w and 520w.

Fluorescent tubes as low-energy lighting

Compact tubes aren’t as fragile as CFL lighting and come with an attached reflector. They can also be used as an additional helping hand for other lighting systems or as the main light in small grow tents.
The 4x55w fluorescent light is ideal for a 1m2 growing area.
The 2x5ww fluorescent light is ideal for maintaining mother plants and for rooting and germinating clones and seeds, respectively.

Available in three light spectrums:

6500k for growth
9500k for higher yields during the growth period.
2100k for flowering.

At la Huerta Grow Shop you can get low-energy lighting systems with 2 and 4 fluorescents.

Flowering and LED Lights in Cannabis Cultivation

Discover everything you need to know about LED lighting during one of the most important phases of cannabis life: the flowering.

indoor cannabis grow — Depending on the type of lighting you want to use in your indoor grow, the ventilation conditions may change. For example, sodium lighting generates much more heat than LED panels.

MH Metal Halide Lighting

These types of lights use high pressure to function. They have the perfect light spectrum for maintaining mother plants and growing cannabis plants indoors. This type of light needs a ballast to function correctly and uses an E40 bulb.

At La Huerta Grow Shop you can find the Philips Master HPI-T Plus 250w, which cover 0.5 square meters, or the Pure Light MH grow light by Pure Factory, which a 6400k spectrum available in 250, 400 and 600w.

Sodium Bulbs

HPS bulbs (High Pressure Sodium ) are the most used type of lighting systems in indoor cannabis grows. However, they’re slowly being surpassed by LED and LEC lighting systems. When it comes to LED systems, they’re more efficient energy-wise and don’t produce as much heat. LEC systems have the advantage of producing higher quality and quantity yields.

HPS grow lights are available in 250, 400, 600 and 1000 w.
They’re ideal for the flowering period, although there are mixed bulbs such as the Sylvania Grolux, the Pure Light HPS Grow Bloom Max or the potent Philips Son – T 1000w E E40 for flowering and growth. You can also check out the Philips Master HPI-T Plus 250w for the growth stage.
These lights need a ballast to function.
They use an E-40 socket.

LED Lighting: Energy Saving and Heat Reducing

LED is an acronym that stands for Light Emitting Diode. Ever since they first came out, LED lighting for cannabis plants has been improving, and it’s now a great option for cannabis growers. However, when it started out LED lighting wasn’t that effective, although nowadays LED lighting in grows can provide amazing results.

LED Lighting Benefits

Compared with HPS lighting, LED lights produce more lumens and their light penetrates deeper than HPS lighting.
They improve light distribution.
They can be used during growth and flowering.
This type of lighting improves the quality of your buds; the heat produced by HPS lights destroys a lot of terpenes, which are in charge of aroma and flavour in your cannabis plants.
They last longer than HPS lighting.
They consume less electricity, reducing up to 60 – 70% while also reducing the need to cool the room down.
These models allow for increased growth along lower branches, more lodes and larger yields.
They don’t need ballasts or reflectors.

LED Lighting Downsides

LED systems are more expensive than HPS systems.

At La Huerta Grow Shop you can find renowned brands such as Lumatek LED systems such as the Zeus LED 465w and 600w panels in their standard and pro versions, or the Attis range which is designed for grow tents 1m2 in size or less. You can also find Pure LED panels which are high in quality and more affordable in 480 and 645w formats. For larger growers, we have the VYPR 2p LED system for grow rooms.

cannabis LED — LED panels have advanced a lot in recent years. You can obtain amazing results from the latest models such as Blooming LED or the acclaimed Lumatek Attis and Lumatek Zeus.

LEC Bulbs

CMH lighting (Ceramic Metal Halide) or LEC lighting systems consist of high intensity ceramic discharge bulbs.

LEC Lighting Characteristics

They produce more lumens per watt.
They produce a more natural spectrum, although you’ll need to use eye protection when going in to your tent with the lights on. We recommend the Newlite Vision Protection HPS Full Equipe.
It lets off more heat than LED systems and less than HPS.
A LEC light produces about 1.5 – 1.7 g per watt. You can get LEC lighting in 310 and 630w.
You’ll need a ballast hat’s compatible with LEC technology.
315w LEC lighting uses a PGz18 socket, although you can use your old reflector with the E-40 Adaptor Socket for CMH/LEC.
630w LEC bulbs use Double Ended sockets.

At La Huerta Grow Shop you can find 315w 3100k and 4200k LEC lighting. Both can be used for growth and flowering. The 3100k spectrum is ideal for growing clones or indica plants. These 4200k bulbs are ideal for growing from seed or for more sativa plants, making their growth even stronger. You can also find 630w LEC lighting in our catalogue.

Flowering Light Comparison

When it’s time to get your indoor plants to flower, it’s not enough to just switch your lights to 12/12h, you’ll also need to keep in mind the light spectrum they’re receiving. Let’s compare the different options:

Fluorescent: these are the cheapest and don’t let off much heat, although their yield is low.
HPS: maximum yield is 1g per watt. They let off heat and use the most electricity, needing additional climate control.
LED: produces high yields, uses the least electricity and lasts the longest. Plus, it’s also the cheapest in as far as cooling down your growing area because they hardly produce heat. LED’s are more expensive than LEC and HPS lighting, although they save long-term due to the low amount of electricity they use.
LEC or CMH Lighting: these produce the most yield per watt and the most efficient lighting. You’ll need to have good climate control.

Ballasts: an Essential Lighting Accessory

Ballasts are in charge of keeping the electric current stable and limiting the intensity produced by your grow lights. Without a ballast you can’t use HPS and MH lighting. LEC/CMH lighting use a special type of electronic ballast compatible with LEC technology.

There are also different types of ballasts:

Magnetic or analogue ballasts

They’re cheaper although they use more electricity than electronic ballasts.
They can’t be used to adjust light intensity. For example, when your plants are small you’ll need to keep them further away. These ballasts also use more electricity.
They heat up more and are noisier than digital ballasts.
They generate an alternate current, losing around 20-30% lighting capacity.

At La Huerta Grow Shop you can find magnetic ballasts such as the Sodium/Halog. ETI 400w ballast or the Pure Light V2 ballast which has a fuse to avoid issues and increase lifespan. Available in 400 to 600w.

LEC Ballast — In indoor grows, sodium, MH and LEC lighting systems need a ballast to work.

Electronic Ballasts

They allow you to adjust lighting intensity, making the most of your wattage during the first few growing weeks.
These ballasts produce a continuous current and the bulbs last for longer.
They generate less heat and they’re more silent than magnetic ballasts.
They’re safer.

Plug & Play, in our catalogue you can find some of the best electronic ballasts:

The 600w Lazerlite Ballast allows you to choose up to 4 strengths; 250, 400, 600w and super lumens, which increases the strength by 10%.
Electronic Bolt Ballast: this ballast has a dimmer that allows you to adjust it to four settings: 50%, 65%, 600w and Super Lumens.
The Lumatek Ballast is an electronic, high quality ballast which has a dimmer. Available in 250w adjustable to 175 and 150w; 400w, adjustable to 300 and 250w; 600w adjustable to 450 and 400w and 100w, adjustable to 600w – all of these models have lumen increasing settings.

LEC Ballasts

LEC bulbs use a special type of ballast. Some 310w LEC systems have a ballast attached to the reflector, such as the Aurora 315w CMH Lumatek kit, and the 3100k bulb LEC CMH 315w kit. If you’re looking for 630w, you can use the CMH/LEC DE 630W ballast and bulb kit and the ECO DE Lumatec Reflector 630w kit.

Reflector

If you’ve decided to go for a lo energy bulb, fluorescent, MH, HPS, or LEC/CMH, you’ll need a reflector. Your reflector is just as important as your lighting. An average to high quality light with a low-end reflector is a waste of money; we don’t recommend skimping when it comes to getting your reflector.

Reflector for Low Energy Lighting

At La Huerta Grow Shop you can find:

The 2 x 55w Lighting Kit
The 4 x 55w Lighting Kit, including bulbs and a reflector, ready to start.

Reflectors for HPS and MH lighting

When it comes to HPS and MH lighting, you can use the classic and affordable hammertone reflector. It’s the most basic model of all and produces standard results. If you can afford to spend a bit more on a reflector, you’ll be making the most of your lighting system while increasing the quality and quantity of your yield.
If you want to go a step further you can try the Adjust-a-Wings Enforcer Medium reflector with a micro-hammertone pattern and 85% reflection. You can also try the Azerwing Medium Reflector with a reflection of up to 86% and decent heat dissipation. The highest quality reflector for its price is the Pearl Pro-XL by Garden Highpro.

buy sodium lighting — Sodium lighting lets off a characteristic orange light that simulates the same spectrum as natural sunlight.

Professionally speaking, if you’re looking for the best possible results in your lighting system you can choose between:

The Azerwing Medium Vega Reflector, which reflects up to 95% of all light. You can also adjust the angle and height of the bulb depending on your needs.
The Azering Grande Reflector has the same reflection capacity. This reflector allows you to place 2 400w bulbs, 2 600w bulbs or 1 1000w bulb in your grow.
The highest reflection (97%) that you’ll be able to get is from the Adjust a Wings Medium Professional reflector, which now includes a spreader that the manufacturer guarantees can increase your final yield by 30%.

LEC Reflectors

The E-40 CMH/LEC Socket Adaptor will allow you to use a 315w LEC light with large hammertone screen reflectors or the Pearl Pro-XL reflector by Garden Highpro. The double ended socket adaptor for lights allows you to attach a 630w LED light to Adjust-a-Wings Medium models such as the Adjust-a-Wings Enforcer Medium which reflects up to 86% of light. If you’re looking for even better quality, try the Adjust a Wings Medium Professional Reflector, reflecting up to 97%.