Can You Grow Hydroponics Cannabis at Home? Yes, Here's How

Hydroponics offers one of the most efficient and convenient ways of growing plants, particularly those that do well in water. As a soilless mode of growing crops, it offers the grower a level of control over the development of their plants that is mainly hassle-free and ensures rapid growth and a healthy yield. 

Cannabis is one of the plants that do well in a hydroponics system. And given its nickname, why wouldn't it? "Weed," the universally accepted nickname for cannabis, derives from its ability to grow almost anywhere under varying conditions.

Many cannabis growers have been using various hydroponics methods to maximize their production and speed up growth while increasing the potency of their yield.

Read on for some of those methods: learn about the most straightforward method you could use for a start.  

Hydroponics Methods You Can Use to Grow Your Cannabis

A hydroponics system to grow your weed can take any form. It can be passive or active. In active systems, the nutrient solution is kept in constant motion by an electric pump and air stones for oxygenation. In contrast, passive systems are much simpler and rely on the crop's capillary action to deliver nutrients. 

Some active methods you could use to grow hydroponics cannabis include Deep Water Culture, Ebb and Flow, Drip System, or Aeroponics. While these methods offer numerous advantages, they are not particularly suitable for beginners. 

Passive systems are the best for beginner-growers. They are easy and inexpensive to set up and operate and only require low-tech methods for delivering nutrients to cannabis roots. 

Although there are several, there are two main hydroponics methods that take the passive form:

The Wick System, 

This uses the natural method of capillary action to deliver nutrients to the plant's roots and up the stem. The plant is grown in a medium connected to a water and nutrients reservoir using a wick. The wick helps draw water and nutrients from the reservoir to the crop's roots through the crop's own capillary action.

 

 

The Kratky Method 

which is much simpler and involves suspending crops over a nutrient solution in a container. The plant sips water and nutrients from the solution and drains it throughout its growth. One only needs to put enough solution laced with all the nutrients the crop needs for its entire growth period. This may sound a little complex, but it isn't something to get you worried.  

 

Using The Kratky Method to Grow Hydroponics Cannabis 

Developed in the 1990s by Bernard Kratky, the Kratky method is arguably the simplest, most affordable, and accessible hydroponics method to grow your cannabis. It relies on a stagnant nutrient solution and an airspace above it for plant growth. It is a non-recirculating method (you don't need to keep circulating the nutrient solution in the system) that doesn't require electricity, pumps, or wicks. Instead, a grower chooses from various containers to hold the stagnant nutrient solution, including buckets, jars, and plastic boxes. The crop is then suspended above the solution in a net pot from where it sips in water and nutrients. 

As the plant, in this case, your marijuana, grows, it takes up the water and nutrients in the solution lowering the solution's level in the container and leaving airspace to aerate the roots. The solution doesn't need replenishing. However, one needs to calculate the amount of solution needed by the crop. You can be helped with this at the local gardening store. 

Upon maturation and harvest, the nutrient solution is almost used up, and one can now replenish it for another grow. 

But what do you need to set up a Kratky Method hydroponics system to grow your weed? 

Precisely, here's what you need for the system and how it works for growing hydroponics cannabis: 

A container. Depending on how many plants you want to grow, this can be anything, a bucket, a jar, or a tank. You need to choose one that can perfectly fit your plant's roots and hold enough nutrient solution to support your cannabis for the entirety of its development. The container should be opaque to prevent light from reaching the water and foster algae growth. Algae is bad. 

A lid for the container. This is very important to prevent the evaporation of the nutrient solution before the harvest of the cannabis. It will also hold your net pot(s) for suspension over the solution. 

Net pots. These are webbed plastic containers used in hydroponics systems to hold the plant. They have holes at the bottom to allow the roots to protrude out, access nutrients and water in the solution and drain it out to allow the roots to breathe.

Grow media. Since soil is not used, your cannabis will need a pH-neutral substitute to anchor its roots on. The media could be anything from perlite, gravel, clay pebbles, or coconut fiber. For your cannabis, clay pebbles would do well. 

Hydroponic fertilizer and nutrients. Last but not least, you need to have your fertilizer and nutrients appropriately calculated depending on the size of your container and the plant's needs. 

Other things you may need to have include a pH level test kit and a thermometer to check the temperature. 

Now, to set up the Kratky method hydroponics system, take your container, fill it up with the water and nutrients solution, check the pH to ensure its optimal and adjust accordingly, and then cover the container with the lid. Before covering, perforate the lid enough to fit the diameter of your net pot. Place your cannabis plant in the net pot and add your chosen grow media. Lastly, plant the cannabis by placing it on the lid's hole. 

Besides knowing how to grow your hydroponics cannabis using the Kratky Method of hydroponics, it would also be great to know some of the strains of cannabis you could use for your first grow. 

Suggested Cannabis Strains for Your First Hydroponics Cannabis Grow 

As someone trying to grow hydroponics cannabis for the first time, here are two great strains you could begin with. Smaller and compact strains would be best for your first hydroponics cannabis project: you can grow several of them indoors, in a small space, and still be able to manage them.

Royal Dwarf 

This Sativa-dominant strain, with a THC level of 13% that delivers a motivating and inspiring high, can grow to lengths of up to 40-70cm and yield about 200g/m2 within 8 weeks. It is compact yet capable of a good, moderately potent yield. 

White Widow 

This is yet another logical strain for your first grow. Scaling heights of 60-100cm, white widow meets the spatial demands of an indoor hydroponics cannabis grow. It can yield up to 450-500g/m2 of produce over an 8-9 weeks flowering period. It delivers a mind-blowing psychoactive experience that can last for hours. 

Growing hydroponics cannabis can be intimidating, particularly for beginners. With the above knowledge, however, you are good to start your own grow. You now know what to grow and how to grow it and enjoy.