Growing Marijuana in the Home Growing Marijuana in the home is no different than growing any house plant. Planting, watering and fertilizing is similar to house plants and the garden. What does it take to grow marijuana in the home? Lights and ventilation are the main items needed. What are the concerns and hazards of growing in the home? Many of the concerns and hazards are no different than those everyday issues we deal with in our homes. A little common sense will go a long way when growing marijuana. A good ventilation system and cleanliness will solve most concerns and hazards. Some Nutrient safety, Electrical safety and CO2 safety education will solve the rest of the concerns and hazards. Process Building a grow room. Even if a room exists an outside vent must be installed. A fresh air intake must be install (drawing tempered air from inside the home is best). Install GFI Plugs.
Concerns or Hazard Destroying the structural integrity of the home. It is a code violation to build a room in the home without a permit
Solution/Recommendation Local Cities and Counties determine the type of building permits needed. It may be better to purchase 1 or 2 grow tents or boxes in lieu of building a room. Note: Most grow tents or boxes are complete growing systems with the lights and ventilation included. Venting the tents or Boxes outside is still necessary.
Lighting Vegetative- use T5 lights (48 to 432 watts) Or (Metal Halide {MH} lights 400 to 1000watts) Lighting Flowering - use T5 lights (48 to 432 watts) Or (High Pressure Sodium {HPS} lights 400 to 1000 watts).
As with all electrical devices and appliances used in the home there is a danger of Electrical Shock /Electrical Fire.
All lights should be plugged into a GFI plug. Do not install more than 2000w of lights without consulting a licensed electrician. (the average home has enough power for (2) 1000w lights). Note: to save power and the expense of an electrician use T5 lights for vegetative and HPS lights for flowering. Keep all cord and plugs up off the floor and secure them in a manner that will insure they do not come into contact with water.
Ventilation, Odor Containment, Cooling Room. This is the most important factor associated with growing indoors.
High humidity will cause molds to form if not well ventilated. If room is too hot the plants will die. Neighbors and family members may be annoyed or feel sick from the smell. Some Fertilizers are poisonous. Water could cause damage and molds in the home if allowed to spill or leak from the growing container
The grow room must ventilate outside. It is important that the ventilation system exchanges the air in the room every couple hours. This will eliminated all of the hazards listed. A carbon filter can be attached to the ventilation system to control the odor or a carbon filter in the room constantly running will clean the order as well. See more information below Fertilizers should be kept out of the reach of children and pets. Clean up water spills and leaks. The nutrients used for growing marijuana are the same nutrients that would be used in the garden. Note: Flushing the plant(s) with plain water for the final 10 days before harvest will remove nutrients from the plant(s).
Watering and fertilizing
CO2 It is the personal belief of the author of this paper, that CO2 burners should be banned from home use.
Carbon monoxide poisoning or death. See attached MSDS sheets.
Molds (powdery mildew, Downy mildew, Gray mold, Black mold, Blight) Certain rooms in the home are susceptible to molds and mildew like bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, and basements
Mold and mildew can cause health problems that range from itching eyes, sneezing and coughing to serious allergic reactions, asthma attacks and even permanent lung damage. Molds are harmful to the plants. Some pesticides are poisonous and harmful to humans and animals and should not be used on marijuana plants.
Pests The pests that infest marijuana plants are not harmful to humans and animal but are harmful to the plant
Large CO2 tanks and burners are not recommended for home use because valves could malfunction and release enough CO2 to harm the people and animals in the home. Small Co2 tanks (not enough Co2 inside to do harm), CO2 Bags, CO2 buckets, and Dry Ice are the safest ways to add CO2 to in home grows. They emit such small amounts of CO2 that humans and pets are safe. Always install CO2 detectors. See more information below Controlling humidity and tempter with a good ventilation system will minimize or eliminate molds and mildews. Sulphur burners are a safe way to eliminate molds and mildew. Sulphur is essentially non-toxic but dust respirators should be worn for the comfort of workers. Other natural solutions: Vinegar Is #1 Solution over the Globe, Tea Tree Oil Is More Than Effective, Grapefruit Extract Is One More Popular Natural Product. Controlling humidity and tempter with a good ventilation system will minimize or eliminate Pests. Never use a poisonous pesticide on marijuana plants. There are many safe and natural pesticides on the market. Always check the pesticide packaging for warnings and it is recommended that you check the MSDS sheets before applying pesticides.
Kids and Pets Safety There are several house plant that are more dangerous to children and pets than marijuana but a flowering marijuana plants do have cannabinoids on the leafs and flower. (marijuana in its vegetative state has no THC or cannabinoids on the plant and is safe)
Children and pets should not touch flowering Marijuana plants to eliminate any exposure to the cannabinoids.
The law requires that marijuana is grown in a locked and secured area. It is recommended that industrial storage room locks are used. (These types of locks remain locked at all times and are key entry only, they insure that doors are not accidently left unlocked.) Note: grow tents can be place in an extra room that is locked.
Cleanliness “Is next to godliness” The issue of cleanliness that we address every day in the Kitchen and Bathrooms is the same in the grow room.
Molds, mildews, pests, bacteria.
A safe grow room should be keep as clean as your kitchen or bathroom. The floors and table tops (surfaces) should be cleaned with soap, bleach or other safe disinfectants daily. Grow equipments (Pots, water container, utensils, ect) should be cleaned between each use with some form of soap, bleach or other safe disinfectants. This will eliminate all of the listed hazards.
Harvesting Marijuana
The smell of drying marijuana is very strong and can make people feel sick from the odor. Marijuana can mold while drying
It is important that marijuana is dried in a well ventilated room to avoid the plant molding before it is dry. The smell of marijuana is the strongest when the plant is drying and curing so a Carbon filter is a must to avoid annoying family members and neighbors. Remember that the smell of marijuana drying can make some people feel nauseous. Children and pets should not be in the room while trimming the plants.
Ventilation is the key to safe healthy grow room. All of the hazards listed above including CO2 issues are eliminated by the proper ventilation system. You could have the best lights, the best growing system and the best nutrients in the world – if you don’t get your grow room ventilation right then your crops won’t do very well at all. A grow room without a good ventilation system is a breeding ground for molds, mildew, bacteria and pests. It does not matter whether or not you vent the lights separately or just exchange the air every couple hours in the room the right ventilation system will create a safe room and the marijuana grown will be safe.
Using CO2 tanks in the home are common for fountain soft drinks and draught beer beverages in 2.5lbs to 20 lbs tanks. These are perfectly safe because there is not enough CO2 to be harmful. I have not done enough research on 50 lbs tanks to know the hazards in the home but any tank 100 lbs and over is a health risk in the home. High Pressure CO2 tanks must be secured so they will not tip or fall. Please see attached:
CO2 Material Safety Data Sheet
Sample Home Grow Rooms
Grow Tents & Boxes
