August 13, 2020
Among the many topics concerning indoor plants– e.g. global regulatory frameworks, activists, technical innovations and growing methods – today we will be focusing on an issue that affects beginner and expert growers alike: space limitations. For those of you who aren’t lucky enough to own a garden, here’s how you can make the most of a tiny indoor space and indoor grow kit (here we recommend ECO Farm 2x2ft Grow Tent Kits) by optimising the available resources and technical means.
Know Your Genetics
Sativas, indicas, and hybrids all grow differently. Sativas are known for their lanky growth and more open bud structure, while indicas tend to grow short and stocky and have denser buds. Hybrids can have traits from both.
For a tiny grow, indicas will probably be easier to maintain when looking to maximize your space and yield because of their short and stocky nature. Sativas can work too, but you might have to spend more time and attention in pruning them.
Keep in mind that this is a generalization of strains—some indicas grow tall, and some sativas grow short. Be sure to check out Leafly’s strain explorer for growing tips on specific strains.
You can also try growing autoflowering indoor plants, plants that start flowering when they get to a certain age, rather than when the light changes. They also grow short and small.
Tents
Indoor grow tents are easy to set up (usually requiring one or two people to install) and just as easy to take down, making them the stealthiest choice for someone who may have a landlord or a meter reader to fool every once in a while. All of them come with holes for outtake fans and secure poles from which to hang your grow lights. Some even have separate chambers for vegetative growth and cloning, making them perfect for people living in one-bedroom apartments or studios with limited space to grow.
Grow tents offer the advantage of mobility, and the best ones are both airtight and light- tight, with flood-proof bottoms to ensure that neighbors aren’t alerted to your project by rain showers from their ceiling. All in all, tents are an affordable and efficient way to get growing in a small space.
Lighting
The sun is the best source for strong UV light but that isn’t an option for indoor growers who must choose and monitor lighting carefully. Though some lights (like HIDs) have strong penetration, they can be costly to purchase and maintain. They may also burn plants if the room isn’t properly ventilated or if they get too close to the light source.
Conversely, some cooler lights (LEDs or tube lights, for example) have decent penetration but only for a few inches from the light source. In these cases, multiple lights may be required throughout the grow enclosure and even then, may still produce “fluffy” buds as the light struggles to penetrate deep into the cola. A combination of HID and full spectrum LED grow lights is common practice amongst professional growers for improved intensity and reduced electrical usage and may be a good option for you, as well.
Of course, intensity doesn’t matter if branches don’t have access to the light in the first place. All buds need direct access to light if they are to grow thick and dense which means that any branch that is to produce colas (the dense buds that everyone wants) needs ample light to thrive. This requires physical manipulation of the plants by holding branches to the sides so that others deep within the plant can receive the light they need, as well.
This form of low-stress training is often done by suspending a net above the plant(s) to help guide branch growth. As branches grow through the netting, a canopy of beautiful buds will start to grow just above the net’s surface to create a ScrOG or “Screen of Green”.
Ventilate In and Out
Air movement is important in tight situations because fresh, CO2-rich air is quickly depleted, stifling the photosynthetic process and causing new plant-cell growth to slow to a halt. Heat buildup also plays a big role in inhibiting growth in small spaces.
Intake fans must be employed to bring in fresh air. Always use some kind of small micron filter on these fans to avoid bringing in unwanted pests, dust, molds, etc. Set up your intake fans so that they bring in air at a low point, and make sure your exhaust fans suck out air from up high — as we all know, heat rises, so you want to remove the hot spent air and bring in cool fresh air to replace it. An inline charcoal filtration unit on the out- take fan is an absolute must to remove telltale odors from the exhausted air.
A small oscillating fan is another requirement for your micro-grow. Place it at the canopy level in order to keep air moving and avoid stagnation. A good rule of thumb is that if your leaves are always slightly moving, you have good airflow in your garden. If not, add more fans until you see a gentle breeze stirring the leaves.
Control the Climate
Climate control is also crucial in a tiny grow. Ideally you want to maintain a healthy temperature of 70-75 degrees with a relative humidity between 40-75%. Using LED lights will reduce the overall temperature and your need to cool down your grow, but you will still need a fan to pull fresh air into your grow space.
Fresh air circulation is crucial to getting high yields, as your plants use CO2 in the process of photosynthesis. Fresh air will give them a boost of growth and will also be effective in cycling new air into your garden while pulling out stale air, keeping the temperature and humidity in check.