Like any plant marijuana needs light to grow. If you grow your plants outside then you will be dependent on the weather, mainly the sun for your light. If you grow your marijuana inside you will definitely need to purchase some lights. We know that marijuana and lights go together and lights are necessary to grow marijuana inside. However, what type of grow lights do we need?
Type Of Lights
So we know our marijuana plant is going to need light. How much light does it need? Does more high intensity light help you to yield more from your plant?
Even though you can over light your plant, normally, the more light your plant is exposed to the higher yield you will have. So when it comes to choosing your lights you will be surprised at the various choices you have. There are three main choices when it comes to growing marijuana and they are:
- Fluorescent Grow Lights
- High Intensity Discharge Grow Lights (HID)
- LED Grow Lights
Let’s first take a look at the Fluorescent Grow Lights. The grow lights used for your plants are the CFL grow lights. The CFL stands for Compact Fluorescent Light. This light is great to use if you have limited space to grow. So for the grower that is only growing one or possibly two plants the CFL is a great light to use. Also even though the price may be higher in the long run they do last longer so they work out to be cheaper. Another great aspect about the CFL is they are environmentally friendly. Replacing just one of these in your home will keep CO2 out of the atmosphere.
The next type of fluorescent grow light is the T5 grow light. This light is tubular and when used to grow it is found in a fixture holding more than one bulb. This fixture will need to be hung up over the plants. Since this light does run cool it can be close to your plant without the fear of harming your plant. These lights are good for the vegetative state but in order to increase the crop many growers will switch to a stronger light for the flowering stage. There is a way to get around that however and that is to train your plants to grow short. Training your plants to grow short will give you the best yields with T5 Grow lights.
Next we have the HID, High Intensity Discharge Grow Lights. These lights are great for growing marijuana but they do run hot so you need to be careful. They are usually screwed into a hood or reflector and the light is then directed down onto the plants. Although the HID’s are a very efficient type of grow light there are other things to consider. Because of the heat generated by this bulb growers need to additionally add an exhaust fan to draw out the heat. so by using this light there are other hidden costs such as the vent.
Now let’s look at the LED’s. Many growers like using LED’s because they tend to run cool thus there is no need to have a venting system in place for the heat. They are also easier to use. The smaller LED’s can just be hung up over the plant and plugged into the wall. Now if you are using the bigger LED’s you may have a problem with heat and then it will be necessary to put in a vent. You will also need space between the lights and your plants to avoid burning your plants. Even though these lights do run cool the light can burn and do damage to your plant.
The Start-Up
So as a first time grower what should you be starting with? Many first time growers will try growing there plants outside but for those who live in cooler climates and cannot take advantage of the outdoors then inside it is. The following is just my opinion and I am sure if you search around to ten other blogs you will find 10 different opinions. To start growing marijuana for the first time I would start out with just a couple of plants. I would look for seeds that are easy to grow and possible auto-flowering. You may not get a big crop but it will be a good learning experience. As far as lights I think I would start with CFL’s. These lights are good for a first time grower since they are inexpensive to purchase, you can find them just about anywhere and they are environmentally friendly. However if you do have a bit of extra cash and you think that growing maybe be more than a one time thing then the LED’s would be the way to go. LED’s generate less heat and use less electricity. In the long run they are cheaper.
In The Beginning
Now that you have started to grow your own marijuana you may find it harder than you thought or you may discover that you really enjoy it. If you find it harder than what you thought it was going to be and it is much easier to just buy some then you have not lost much as far as investing into lights, grow boxes etc. On the other hand if you have had success with your first crop and enjoyed it you now may want to expand and grow more. I would suggest when you do this to go-slow. Growing marijuana is not cheap. I remember when I asked my doctor about getting a grow license compared to just ordering it from a supplier he warned me that it was not all that much cheaper to grow then to buy. He was right in one aspect and that is if you run out and buy all the equipment that is needed for a great grow op at once. Build it up over time is the way to go.
A Bright Future
I hope you have found this information useful. If you are thinking of growing your own marijuana and have not done so in the past start out slow it may not be for you. It is a lot of work and it can be expensive. Once you get going at it and start to get good crops you will get that feeling of satisfaction.
Happy Growing!
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