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This section covers the traditional method of cultivating medicinal or recreational marijuana indoors, growing the plants in a soil-like medium and adding fertilizer when the plants are given water. Traditional outdoor cultivation techniques are covered in the next section, and alternative techniques, such as hydroponics and organic cultivation techniques, are discussed in the last section.
Cultivating marijuana indoors is more complicated and expensive than growing outdoors, but it allows the cultivator complete control over the growing environment. Cannabis grown outdoors can be just as potent as its indoor counterpart if tended to properly.
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The single most important factor for the indoor cultivator to consider is lighting. Since cultivation of cannabis is harshly punished in
 some areas, many cultivators must set up a hidden indoor grow room and provide artificial light. Additionally, outdoor cultivators usually start their clones or seedlings indoors, under artificial light. Lighting types include fluorescent, high-intensity discharge (HID) including metal halide(MH), high pressure sodium (HPS), and LED. Fluorescent lights have the advantage of coolness, and are gentle enough to use on seedlings and rooting clones. HID lamps are the most efficient, and are usually used between 250-1000 watts
While cannabis will grow under most light spectra,all plants prefer a full spectrum light. A test done by Ed Rosenthal found that when a room was set up using both HPS and MH lamps the plants in between the two lights did better than those under MH alone but not as well as those under HPS. However, Cannabis can be grown successfully under both types of light. Metal halide is used for vegetative phase of growth, as
 it encourages short internodes (distance between sets of leaves), and inhibits cell elongation, creating a shorter, stockier plant. Unlike high pressure sodium lamps, metal halide lamps also produce ultraviolet radiation, which may play a role in increasing the amount of THC produced by the plant. High pressure sodium lamps are the choice of most growers who have only one lamp. HPS lamps are an used for the reproductive phase of growth, as they trigger a greater flowering response in the plant. If high pressure sodium is used for vegetative phase, plants will usually grow slightly more quickly, but will also have longer internodes, and may be taller.
Recent advancements in LEDs have allowed for the production of relatively cheap, bright and long lasting grow lights that emit only the colours of light required for plant growth. These lights are
 attractive to indoor-growers since they do not consume as much power, do not require ballasts, and produce a fraction of the heat of HID lamps. The lamps consist of arrays of many wide-spectrum red and a few narrow-spectrum blue LEDs of specific wavelengths. Although LED grow lights have shown promise through plant research by NASA and many universities, it is unknown whether the results are applicable to Cannabis cultivation.
According to the inverse square law, the intensity of light radiating from a point source (in this case a bulb) is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source. So if an object is twice as far away, it receives only 1/4 the light. This is a serious hurdle for indoor marijuana growers, and many techniques are employed to use light as efficiently as possible.
Reflectors are often used to maximize light efficiency. Plants or lights are moved so that they receive equal lighting. Some marijuana cultivators cover the walls of their grow-room with some type of reflective material.
The most commonly used covering is 6 mil (150 µm) PVC plastic sheeting that is white on one side and black on the other. The plastic is installed with the white side facing in to the room to reflect light, and the black facing the wall, to reduce fungus and mold growth. Another common covering is flat white paint, with a high titanium dioxide content to maximize reflectivity. Mylar sheeting is also sometimes used, along with Astrofoil(which also reflects heat), and Foylon(a foil-laminated, reinforced fabric).
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When growing indoors, the cultivator must maintain an ideal atmosphere inside the grow-room. The air temperature must be maintained within an ideal range, with a cooler night and warmer day, and adequate levels of CO2 must be maintained in order for the plants to grow most efficiently. It is also important to promote vigorous air circulation within the grow room, which is usually accomplished by mounting one or more oscillating fans in the room, depending on its size. Using an air extraction fan, sometimes with a smaller fan, ensures air exchange.
Assuming that adequate light levels are present in the grow room, the limiting factor in plant growth is the level of carbon dioxide (CO2). Plants grown with supplemental carbon dioxide will grow more quickly, have larger stomata, and can utilize more light. Ways of increasing carbon dioxide levels in the grow-room include: bottled carbon dioxide, carbon dioxide generators, a milk jug and yeast solution, in which yeast grows in a container, emitting CO2, a baking soda and vinegar mixture in a container, or dry ice.
Most strains of marijuana emit a distinctive odor during their reproductive phase. This presents difficulties to those who are cultivating in places where it is illegal. The most common way of eliminating odor is by forcing odorous air through a carbon filter. Many cultivators simply attach a large carbon filter to their air extraction system, thereby filtering any smell before the air is expelled from the grow-room. Another way of eliminating odor is by installing an ozone generator in the extraction ducting. The air is forced past the ozone generator by the extraction fan, and the odorous air is neutralized as it mixes with the ozone. Cultivators must be sure that the air is thoroughly mixed before it is expelled outside, lest some odor escape. Ozone itself has a distinctive smell.
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Seeds may be germinated by soaking in paper towels, or a cup of water at room temperature, or in wet Jiffy pellets. Jiffy pellets are often used because they make unnecessary the transplanting of fragile seedlings, as the saturated pellets with their seedlings can be planted directly in the intended growing medium with a minimum of trouble and effort.
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When true leaves have formed, the plant begins the vegetative phase of growth. During the vegetative phase of growth, the plant directs its energy resources primarily to the growth of leaves, stems, and roots. A strong root system is imperative, as it is required for strong floral development. A plant needs 1 or 2 months to mature before blooming. The plant is ready when it has revealed its sex. The males are then culled when they are identified, because they don't produce buds or flowers. If males are allowed to pollinate the females their potency will be greatly reduced.
During the vegetative phase of growth, cultivators generally employ an 18 to 24 hour photoperiod, as the plants grow more quickly if they receive more light, although a warmer and cooler period are required for optimal health. While no dark period is required, there is debate among cultivators as to whether a dark period is beneficial, and many continue to employ a dark period.
Marijuana cultivators employ fertilizers high in nitrogen and potassium during this stage, as well as a complete micronutrient fertilizer. The strength of the fertilizer is gradually increased as the plants grow and become more hardy.
The modification of a plant's growth habit is called training. Indoor cultivators employ many training techniques in order to encourage shorter plants and more dense canopy growth. For example, unless the crop is too large to be extensively pruned, cultivators will remove adventitious growth shoots, often called suckers, that are near the bottom of the plant and/or receive little light and will produce poor quality buds.
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Topping
Topping is done by removing the top of the apical meristem (dominant central stem), called the apex or terminal bud, in order to transfer apical dominance (the tendency for the apex to grow more rapidly than the rest of the plant) to the shoots emanating from the two nodes immediately beneath the pruning cut. This process can be repeated on one or both of the two new meristems, when they become apically dominant, with the same results. This process can actually be repeated almost infinitely, but over-diffusion of apical dominance will produce smaller, lower quality buds, so it is usually done no more than a few times. Topping also causes more rapid growth of all of the branches below the cut while the plant heals.
Pinching
Pinching is similar to topping in that it causes the lower branches to grow more rapidly, but the apical meristem will maintain apical dominance, which is especially useful if the plant has already been topped. Pinching is performed by firmly pinching the apical meristem(s) so as to substantially damage vascular and structural cells but without totally breaking the stem. This will cause the lower limbs to grow more rapidly while the pinched tissue heals, after which time the stem will resume apical dominance.
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The plant will be induced to flowering by decreasing light from 18-24 hours a day to dark cycles of 11-12 hours that simulate the oncoming winter in the fall as the days grow shorter. Flowering generally lasts from 50 to 90 days indoors, if growing outdoors it may take somewhat longer, depending on the natural onset of the colder seasons. Once a plant is big enough to mature, dark periods are required for most plants to flower and bear fruit.
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By section 6 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
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