Perhaps growing your cannabis indoor garden is a thing you have had in mind for a while now but you just can’t seem to make this a reality because of space limitations. Well, the good news is that you do not need a huge place to have your cannabis dream garden come to life. Indoor cultivation only requires you a grow tent to give your plants a controlled environment where they can thrive and flourish. In this article, we will give you an overview of what are key items when setting up a cheap indoor grow setup and their approximate costs.
Whether you have a small studio apartment or is limited with only a side patio with no planting areas, there is no need to fret. The most basic setup will only require a few items on your shopping list:
Grow Tents
First, you need to assess the maximum amount of space you will require for your cannabis plants to grow. Then, choose a place that will provide the needed space available for you and your plants. Keep in mind your plants’ needs while growing – enough headspace and ground space. For many indoor growers, setting up their tent at one end of a bathtub is a popular choice.
The next step is to choose a grow tent that will fit your space. Whip out those measuring tapes and start measuring. Thankfully, there are several cheap grow tents available in the market today and they work extremely efficiently in creating the right environment for your cannabis plants. These tents can even allow you to accommodate multiple strains or plants of different ages at the same time. Most grow tents are easy to install, waterproof, and lightproof. They are also equipped with inlets and outlets to allow proper air circulation through your tent while filtering the distinctive smell of your plants. Depending on the size and technical design of your grow tents, these could cost you anywhere between $100 to $120.
Light
The type of lighting available is one of the key aspects of a cheap indoor grow setup. As we all know, marijuana plants rely on lights and the lack thereof to be able to grow beautiful buds. Three specific lighting setups are commonly seen in grow rooms – CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lights), HPS (High-Pressure Sodium) lights, and LED (Light-Emitting Diode) lights. While all three types of lights serve the same purpose, each, of course, comes with their own sets of pros and cons.
- Compact Fluorescent Lights. A standard CFLs of 40watts come very cheap and are especially suited for small grow tents with one to two plants. You can get these conveniently in many home improvement stores and grocery stores. While these lights are quite an energy-efficient during the plants’ vegetative phase, the lights do not offer a broad UV spectrum, which makes not as efficient during the bloom stage. However, when choosing a light that is cost-efficient for a short run of indoor cultivation, this is your best bet.
- High-Pressure Sodium Lights. Unlike the CFLs, HPS lights offer the full spectrum of UV rays. These lights, particularly the 600 watts lights, are the most popular types as they are very helpful in the acceleration of the growth of the plants and are very simple to set up, even for beginners. On the flip side, however, these lights can become very strong that they can easily spike up the heat levels of your grow rooms and burn your plants. So, it is imperative to keep an eye on the temperature levels. Additionally, HPS bulbs need to be replaced periodically and can cause a significant jump in your electricity bills.
- Light-Emitting Diode Lights. While these bulbs cost a lot of money upfront when compared to CFLs and HPS lights, they will help you save some serious money in the long run. For one, these lights work well on both the vegetative and flowering stages of your plants. They are also able to provide a solid light intensity while being extremely energy efficient. They also last for a very long time, up to 5 to 10 years. That being said, when you are building a slightly bigger grow tent, consider getting a LED light of anywhere between 400 to 600 watts. There are popular cheaper options in the market costing around $20 for a beginner setup.
Aside from choosing the right type of light for your grow space, consider investing in a reflector. This piece of equipment promotes brighter lighting without having to invest in more bulbs or lights or increase your consumption of electricity. A reflector, of course, is only practical if you have a big grow room with more plants in proportion to your basic lighting setup.
Proper Sealing
To create a perfectly balanced indoor grow room with the right levels of temperature, humidity, airflow, and cleanliness, proper sealing is crucial. A cheap indoor grow setup, or any indoor space for that matter should have no exchanges between the interior and exterior environment.
Proper sealing is very important for some reasons. First, you should ensure that there are no light leaks during your plant’s dark periods. As we all know, any leaks will have significant negative impacts on your final harvest. Adversely, there should also be no light escaping from the space as any wastage of precious light can lead to stress on your plants. This is why an indoor grow space should be 100% light proof. Second, there must be no holes that will allow any kind of harmful infestations – bugs, pests, excessive humidity, and other hazards – into your tent. Spider mites, aphids, and fungus gnats are the most common cannabis pests that love to set up shop on your cannabis plants. And last but not the least, proper sealing ensures that you contain the smell of your plants, away from the noses of neighbors, family members, and cops.
Creating a grow setup indoors allows you to control the factors of your harvest, including temperature, humidity, lighting, and airflow. However, many people are under the impression that setting up one cost a lot of money. On the contrary, there are several ways to build your own cheap indoor grow setup. All you need to do is understand the key basic requirements of setting up one.
