A Checklist for Growing Your Own Plants Hydroponically at Home
Growing your own plants at home hydroponically can be extremely rewarding for gardeners of all skill levels. However, before you get started on your new cultivation project, I would suggest picking up some home gardening books, discover some MMJ cultivation blogs online and get acquainted with all things horticulture in order to determine which strain(s) you want to start growing first. (Leafly is a great resource for strain hunting.)
There are many outstanding horticulture books and blogs by seasoned cultivators such as Danny Danko from High Times Magazine and legendary horticulturist and MMJ pioneer, Ed Rosenthal just to name a few. Danny's latest book is easy to read and follow as well as very informative. He touches on all aspects of growing from seedlings to harvest and includes info graphics for visual references as well.
Once you've done your homework, start envisioning where and how many plants you wish to grow inside your home. Don't take on more than you can handle. I suggest you start growing 1-3 plants to start and make sure you use a grow tent to control the plant's environment. For newbies, stick with soil or soil/soilless mixes first as that's the best way to understand a plant's true nature - in soil. Once you've mastered soil, you can then move onto more hydroponically-based methods such as rock wool, clay pebbles, DWC (deep water culture), etc.
(Photo: home gardening and cultivation pioneer, Danny Danko)
Here's a check list of what you're going to need to get started growing at home:
- Small grow tent (with zippers for zero light-leak. 3' x 3' x 5' should be fine to start with. Height should be at least 4' high btw.)
- LED grow light (make sure you get one that "flips" from veg to bloom)
- In-line fan and ducting (cleans the air inside the tent)
- Small, clip-on fan (MMJ loves a little air flow above the top kolas)
- 1 gallon pot (either a plastic or felt pot will do)
- Liquid plant nutrients. We recommend Suite Leaf, of course :)
- Pro-mix soil or any soilless mix
- Seeds (Our favorite growers are Crockett, Exotic Genetics, Mosca Negra)
- pH pen (this will be your most important tool)
These days, you can pick up the above-listed items online for between $300 - $800 depending on how large your home grow is going to be. Always make sure you're following local and state MMJ guidelines for what you can grow at home. Most states allow between 3 - 6 plants in flower at one time.
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