Although most people have enough space to grow cannabis, many growers are limited to small indoor spaces. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t grow excellent cannabis; it’s quite the opposite. You can maximize your growing space and create incredible cannabis from small areas with the correct techniques.
In this article, we will give you 11 key tips to make your cannabis growing space more efficient.
1. Choose the Right Strain
Choosing the right strain is paramount to maximizing your growing space (especially in a small growing space). Typically, ruderalis strains or indica strains offer more advantages over sativas because of their lack of stretch during the flowering period, compact size and short internodes.
With that said, that doesn’t mean you can’t use sativa strains in small growing spaces. If you have the right vegetative period and training, you can achieve incredible results with sativa, even if you’re a hobbyist.
2. Maximize the Size and Density of the Plants
Each strain comes with specific properties and behaviors; these can offer clues to the grower to bring the best out of the plants. For example, if a certain cannabis strain continues to branch after the switch to flowering, you may require more space per plant.
Most importantly, finding the best balance between the size and density of your preferred strains allows your plants to achieve healthy, strong and dense buds. If you get the balance wrong, you’ll likely end up with underdeveloped buds which fall short of their maximum yield.
3. Make Sure Your Light Distribution Is Maximized
You must ensure you get the maximum possible light on your floor space, regardless of how small. More importantly, you need to distribute the light evenly around the growth space. Therefore, you need the right lighting system built around your growth space.
4. Regulate the Temperature
You’ll need to ensure the room’s temperature stays between 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit when the lights are on and 58 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit when the lights are off. However, the room’s temperature should depend on the cannabis strain.
For example, sativas are more tolerant of high temperatures, whereas indicas prefer colder temperatures. There are three primary tools to measure and regulate temperature:
- A thermometer
- A hygrometer
- An infrared thermometer
You can also control the temperature through lighting, airflow, ACs and heaters. In addition, you can control the humidity through dehumidifiers, airflow, water, and humidifiers.
5. Use Vertical Space
If you have limited floor space, you should grow upwards. Indoor tent technology is improving all the time. As a result, there are increasing options for tents that divide vertically. However, if the high price tag puts you off, you could create your own vertical compartments.
But if you choose the DIY option, ensure the floors of your compartments and the side supports can withstand the weight of mature cannabis plants.
6. Use Compact Lighting
Compact lighting is key to achieving excellent cannabis growth. Many small growing spaces—especially indoor ones—struggle to use high-wattage lighting. That’s often because of heat issues and the size of the lights.
However, if you have small tents—such as less than a meter squared—you should use LED lighting systems or CFL because they’re often small and compact. In addition, they also include built-in reflectors, which offer unidirectional light without requiring reflectors.
7. Optimize Your Equipment
There’s no point buying expensive equipment if you’re not going to optimize it. If you have a small grow space, the equipment you choose and how you use it will hugely impact your cannabis growth.
If you’re using HPS lighting, you could use a cool-running ballast, such as the ReVolt. It claims to run 15% cooler than other ballasts, which ensures the room temperature doesn’t spiral out of control and ruin your cannabis.
Another superb option is the fans that you can place on the sides of your tent; this will ensure you save floor space.
8. Apply the SCROG Technique
The SCROG technique is essential for smaller growing spaces because it promotes the neat growth of flowers and enables light to penetrate equally across the flower sites. The SCROG process is straightforward. You place a screen between the plants and the light source. As the plants grow toward the light, the branches will grow through the screen, and you can tie them with a string or twine. As a result, you can maximize light penetration by training the branches to fill out.
9. Use Hydroponics
Hydroponics can preserve enormous amounts of space compared with classic container grows if you have the ideal setup. For example, when you use containers, you’ll need substantial space for the roots to grow freely and access the required number of nutrients.
However, when you use hydroponics, the roots can occupy a much smaller space because nutrient-rich water is continually renewed, which helps the roots to grow in a smaller area.
10. Discourage Stretching
Stretching is a complete nightmare for any grower because it often results in loose and light buds—which can reduce yield and waste money. However, stretching is even worse for small-scale growers; it can result in your plants growing beyond their light source. If you’re using hot lights, you can badly burn your plants.
The best way to minimize stretching is to ensure your light source is at the perfect distance from the plants. For example, the further away your plants are from the lights, the better it is when growing in a small space. However, if all else fails, use topping and training techniques to prevent stretching.
11. Find the Right Cannabis Soil
First-time growers need quality potting soil to provide their plants with enough nutrients. The cannabis industry regularly calls this soil “super soil” because it can grow a cannabis plant from start to finish without any issues. You can make this soil yourself by using worm castings, bat guano and other components mixed with good soil.
However, you’ll likely feel overwhelmed when you look for soil in a store. You may find words like biochar, compost, plant food, bone meal, etc. Many companies will offer a superb structure with basic nutrients; they allow you to fill in the nutritional gaps.
In Summary
Having a small space to grow cannabis doesn’t mean you can’t grow superb marijuana. If you follow the tips above, you’ll maximize your growing space, regardless of how small it is.
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