GrowWeedEasy.com teaches you how easy it is to grow weed. Growing weed can be easy when you know what to do, but most “how to grow marijuana” tutorials make it seem like you need a degree in horticulture.

Stop Feeling Lost. It Gets Easier.

Here’s a stress-free way to learn how to grow great weed at home. Sign up below and get the knowledge delivered in small chunks.

Sign up for our newsletter and get growing tips, tactics, and tutorials delivered to you weekly.

Even first-time growers produce great harvests when they follow our tutorials.

Who Made GrowWeedEasy.com?

Grow Weed Easy.com was started in 2010 by home growers Nebula Haze and Sirius Fourside. Together, they built a free online “encyclopedia of cannabis home grow” with 650+ expert home cannabis cultivation tutorials about every aspect of growing weed.

GrowWeedEasy.com is now the biggest and most comprehensive source of free home grow information in the world.  We show you how easy it is to grow your own marijuana at home.

The GrowWeedEasy.com Ethos

Our Goal: You grow as much top-shelf weed as possible, with as little time and effort needed to grow your desired yields and cannabis bud quality.

Whether you’re a total beginner who wants to start growing cannabis indoors for the first time, or an experienced grower who wants to upgrade your skills to Pro level, this website was built for you.

Looking for a complete harvest system?

If you want dense, beautiful, great-smelling weed, our new digital book gives you our complete harvest system. Follow the straightforward instructions and massively upgrade your results every harvest. A few small changes can make all the difference.

Get our fool-proof harvest system.

FOR SERIOUS GROWERS ONLY

🌟 $200 Off Special Offer: Enroll today in Home Grow Masterclass!

If you’re reading this right now, you want to grow great cannabis at home.

Cannabis plants isn’t a regular house plant, but learning how to grow isn’t as complicated growers make it seem. We’ve spent the last 16 years breaking down the home grow process so anyone can learn it.

The key to consistent harvest results is simple: follow a proven system developed for home growers.

You could waste an entire grow learning through trial and error…

Or take the shortcut and harvest a sea of fat, dense, beautiful buds that smell great. At home!

Follow our 5-week course and get walked through each part step-by-step. Build by experienced home growers and honed with hundreds of students since 2019, we ensure you achieve great results on your very next harvest.

Learn How To Grow Top-Shelf Weed at Home!

Start Your First Class TODAY!

You may be asking yourself these common growing questions:

“How do I grow marijuana indoors?”

Read this guide on how to grow marijuana indoors. Or check out this article to learn what materials you need to get started growing your own marijuana!

Luckily, it’s really easy to get a cannabis seed to sprout!

“How much money will it cost to get started?”

If you’re considering growing weed, it costs as little as $300 to get started growing or a bit more for a semi-automatic, high-yielding bubbleponics grow system. See examples of yields to expect, electricity use & startup costs for different setups. Read this article to see even more growing styles with different price ranges.

“Where can I get marijuana seeds?”

Check out our How to Buy Marijuana Seeds Online Guide (with delivery to every state of the USA) to safely get your hands on good genetics. Starting with good seeds lets you choose the looks, smell, and effects of your buds!

Learn where it’s safe to buy cannabis seeds online (2026 update).

What do good cannabis seeds look like?

Learn about the best marijuana beginner strains and how to research and find the right strain.

Cannabis buds are generally green, but can also be pink or purple with certain strains.

“How much will electricity cost each month?”

If you’re just growing a few marijuana plants for personal use, it will cost you $20-$100+/month for electricity, depending on what grow lights (electricity) and nutrients you use. On average, I’d say a hobby-size grower might pay about $50/month to grow, but it depends greatly on your setup and local electricity costs! How much will electricity cost each month?

“How can I increase my marijuana yields?”

We have quite a few techniques to choose from or combine! See some of our most popular pages:

• Super Cropping – A simple technique to bigger yields
• Simplest Guide to Growing Short & Bushy Marijuana Plants
• LST (Low Stress Training) – Training your plants can easily double your harvest!
• Or check out our page on the controversial defoliation technique

Even More Ways to Increase Cannabis Yields

1. Increase Light Intensity (plus choose right light for desired yields & possibly add CO2)
2. Manipulate How Plants Grow (a free way to yield more bud indoors)
3. Provide Right Nutrients (low Nitrogen in the flowering stage, and remember sometimes less is more!)
4. Control Growing Environment (let the growing environment work for you)
5. Harvest Plants Properly (most importantly, don’t harvest early!)
6. Lastly, it’s important to remember that the strain has a major effect on yields!

Two small cannabis plants can yield several ounces of premium weed!

“How can I grow weed privately?”

Read guide on growing weed indoors without anyone knowing. But remember the most important factors to stealth growing: “No tell, no smell, no sell.” Never tell anyone, not even your best friend, that you’re growing. Be on top of preventing smells, and never ever sell cannabis. Breaking one of those 3 principles is how 99% of growers get found out!

“What if my plants get sick?”

The most common issue a grower runs into is a pH imbalance. Barring that, your marijuana plants likely either have a nutrient deficiency, heat or light stress, or are being attacked by some sort of marijuana mold, pest or bug. Whether you call it weed, cannabis, sinsemilla, skunk, pot, marijuana, or something else, the plant known as Cannabis Sativa is a hardy weed in the wild and can actually be easy to grow indoors at home when you know what to do.

Growing Medical Marijuana

“Medical marijuana” has become a household name. The body of evidence for medical marijuana in the treatment of cancer and other illnesses is growing every day. And for those who need medical marijuana, growing weed indoors is the perfect way to ensure a safe, regular supply of buds, for cheap.

In fact, when you grow weed indoors for personal use, you often end up with way too much. If you catch the growing bug like I did, and if you start enjoying the process of tending your cannabis garden just for the sake of gardening, you’re going to have to find a way to press, cook, freeze, and concentrate all your extra buds. 🙂

As you probably know, both medical marijuana and recreational cannabis have been decriminalized or legalized in many places around the world and weed is becoming legal in more places every day! Yet there still aren’t many simple indoor “how to grow weed” guides for beginners (even for those who legally grow, such as medical marijuana users and those who live in places where marijuana is legalized for personal use).

If so, I know how you feel. It can be hard to weed out all the bad information on the internet and find well-researched, free tips or instructions on how to grow your own cannabis. That’s why Grow Weed Easy.com aims to be a simple online resource that explains from start to finish what you need to do when growing cannabis so you can learn how to grow cannabis with great yields and potent buds, even if you only have a small grow space like a closet or even a computer case.

We’ve grown cannabis out of closets and have gotten ounces of buds and you can too. Grow Weed Easy.com covers many popular cannabis cultivation topics, including:

• A comparison between different cannabis grow lights including experience-based information about LED grow lights
• A page that teaches you the basics of how to grow weed
• Detailed how-to weed growing tutorials
• How to start growing weed tomorrow  (simplest cannabis growing guide!)
• Grow 4 oz with a 100W LED <– An Easy Way to Start Growing!
• Our famous grow guide that teaches you how to grow weed using bubbleponics (hydro).

Start Growing Weed Today!

Grow Weed Easy is run by a panel of experienced cannabis growers, including the founders Nebula Haze and Sirius Fourside, who originally teamed together to bring you GrowWeedEasy.com. Due to the demand for more marijuana growing information, we’ve also started an inbox magazine all about how to grow weed, with additional tutorials, tips, and tactics sent to you each week. Simply sign up to start getting free expert growing articles delivered to you! All the information available at GrowWeedEasy.com is completely free and we regularly update the site and make new additions.

Looking for a growing book?

If you are interested in doing a bit of reading or would like to know more about the science behind marijuana hydroponics or horticulture, I strongly recommend viewing our page of Marijuana Grow Book Reviews. Read reviews of marijuana grow books. We would love to hear about your experiences with growing cannabis. Whether you are a pro grower already or are just starting your first plant, we have learned so much from our readers both beginners and masters! If you have any suggestions, comments, concerns, or just want to ask some questions about your marijuana grow, please contact us!

Happy Growing!
Nebula Haze & Sirius Fourside

Get our fool-proof harvest system.

Home Grow Masterclass – FOR SERIOUS GROWERS ONLY

The post Grow Weed Easy – Learn How to Grow Cannabis Tutorials appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

Table of Contents

Which Cannabis Growers Should Use a Grow Tent?

Create the Perfect “Pop-Up” Environment

What Size Grow Tent?

How to Set Up a Grow Tent for Ultimate Stealth

Who Should Use Grow Tents?

Grow tents keep things simple for a hobbyist cannabis grower. A 4’x4′ grow tent can produce 1-2 pounds per harvest with the right grow light, and as a bonus, a grow tent with a carbon filter keeps all smells inside so no one knows you’re growing! Although grow tents are not designed for huge marijuana grow operations, they are excellent for hobby growers who are growing weed in a room or closet.

Cannabis grow tents come in many sizes, to fit your current grow goals and space limits.

For growers who want to grow a ton of weed at a time, there are also bigger cannabis grow tents, up to the size of a small room!

Pros of Growing Cannabis in a Grow Tent

• Relatively Cheap – Prices are around $70-150 for your average grow tent. Setting up a grow space to have all the same characteristics (reflective walls, air-tight vents, lightproof, a waterproof tray at the bottom to catch spilled water, etc.) can easily cost the same amount or more. Plus it’s difficult to DIY a space so that it works as well as a grow tent (which has been designed for this purpose) and it will often take more time, planning, and effort than simply buying a pre-made tent.
• Easy & Quick to Set Up – Assembling your grow tent and getting completely set up to start growing weed will take about an afternoon and can be done by just about anyone (full instructions below). Overall, the work of setting up a grow tent reminds me of putting together an old-fashioned camping tent, only weed comes out of it a few months later!
• Stealth – A grow tent prevents smells and light from escaping the tent when set up properly, and can be tucked away in a big closet or the corner of a room without necessarily drawing a whole lot of attention.
• Perpetual Harvest – Grow tents work very well if you want to keep two separate grow spaces, for example, if you want a separate vegetative and flowering chamber for a perpetual harvest. Grow tents create a completely self-enclosed environment that can be managed separately.
• Helps Prevent Bugs – The intake holes of most grow tents are covered with mesh, which allows air to pass but stops many insects. This helps prevent incidental bugs like spiders or carpenter beetles from getting to your plants. A grow tent with strong grow lights is also a pretty hot and inhospitable environment for many cannabis pests!
• Keeps Buds Clean – In addition to preventing bugs from getting on your plants, the mesh intake holes help keep out dust and impurities. The sticky trichomes on cannabis buds are surprisingly good at holding on to fibers, animal hair, and anything that floats by. A surprising amount of random debris can get onto your buds even if you keep your grow room pristine. A grow tent helps keep buds clean and looking good!

Example of a happy cannabis plant in a grow tent.

Some grow tents don’t look particularly suspicious. On the left is a homemade stealth grow cabinet and on the right is a 2’x4’x5′ grow tent that looks vaguely like a clothes wardrobe. They’re just about equally nondescript!

When all is said and done, a stealth cabinet with fans on the inside (even one done very professionally so it’s completely lightproof) is only marginally more stealthy than a black grow tent with a zipper down the middle. When it comes to stealth, don’t expect any grow tent or cabinet to be stealthy enough for someone to be hanging out in your room without noticing the fact that it’s emitting light/noise/heat. Instead, you’re looking for something that can fool someone who is quickly passing by it for a moment or two.

Grow tents also let you easily set up a perpetual marijuana harvest. This grower (Manzfoo) keeps young plants in the purple LED tent, and older plants in the yellow HPS tent. As soon as he harvests the big plants, he rotates in the young ones and starts a new batch. This lets him harvest every 2 months or so!

If you’ve seen the examples and want to keep it simple and get a grow tent, here’s more information on how they quickly create the perfect environment for your growing marijuana plants!

Quickly Create the Perfect Cannabis Environment

When used correctly, a grow tent lets you recreate nature under its ideal conditions! Possibly the most challenging part of being able to grow cannabis in these ideal conditions is getting set up. However, once everything is set up, it’s mainly a matter of planting a seed and watering your plants until you harvest bud!

If you’re trying to create a cannabis growing environment from scratch, you may have to do some DIY which can feel overwhelming if you’re just getting a grasp on growing. Utilizing a grow tent takes care of a bunch of environmental factors in one fell swoop.

• Maximize Your Grow Lights – A grow tent has reflective walls and the reflectivity is equal to or often even better than what you could do yourself. Reflective walls ensure all the light from the grow light reaches your cannabis plants, which can increase your yields.
• Designed for Common Grow Equipment – It’s easy to hang and adjust your grow lights, hook up your fan, find ports and vents, etc. A grow tent accounts for most growing situations.
• Light Proof – A grow tent is constructed to prevent light from leaking in or out of the tent. Not only does this help your plants (cannabis needs complete darkness at night to make as many buds as possible), but it also prevents light from spilling out; you don’t want to possibly alert others that there are some very bright lights inside your home! Sometimes DIY light proofing a space can be tricky, and a grow tent takes that problem out of the equation.
• Waterproof & Easy to Clean – A grow tent usually has a waterproof floor that contains regular spills so you don’t have to worry about water leaking out onto your floor. It’s also easy to wipe down the walls and floor of a grow tent, making it simple to keep things clean.
• Designed for Airflow – The sealed nature of the tent combined with vents and air-ports make it so you can set up a whirlwind of air in the tent simply by installing a strong exhaust fan in one of the included ports. This constantly pulls fresh air in to circulate through the tent from the intake vents near the floor, replacing all the air in just minutes while giving plants plenty of CO2 and preventing problems from heat buildup.
• Smell-Proof – Grow tents make it really easy to take advantage of a carbon filter. The negative air pressure caused by the sealed space prevents any smells from leaking into the home as long as the carbon filter is attached, the exhaust fan is on and the doors are kept closed.

At its simplest, a grow tent just needs an exhaust fan and a grow light. At this point, you’ve already created a great cannabis-growing environment! See a grow journal in this setup!

What Size Grow Tent for Your Cannabis Grow?

There are hundreds of models of grow tents, and they come in many different sizes. It can be confusing to know which one to get for your situation, and which ones are best overall. This should help clear things up!

Best Hobbyist Sizes – 2’x2′, 2’x4′, and 4’x4′

When it comes to cannabis grow tents, three of the most common sizes (in the US) for hobbyist growers are the 2’x2′, 2’x4′, and 4’x4′ tents. These are also made to fit the most common grow lights.

I believe a 2’x4′ is one of the best sizes for new growers because it gives you enough space for decent yields (get up to several ounces a month) but it isn’t big enough to be overwhelming. You get easy access to all the plants, including the ones in the back, but still get all the advantages of a full-size grow light. You can start with a small LED grow light in this size tent and still have room to eventually upgrade up to a 300W grow light.

For bigger growers, a 4’x4′ grow tent is great because it can be used with the next class of grow lights up to some of the biggest grow lights. It can support a 600-1000W HPS or LED grow light as long as it’s 6-7′ tall.

If you want to double your yield from a 2’x4′ but don’t want to have to set up a whole grow room, a 4’x4′ is the way to go! It’s big enough for monster yields (a pound or more!) but still small enough to be manageable by just one person.

Height Helps – At least 4-5′ tall, and 7′ is better

Short spaces are difficult to grow in because you have to worry about your cannabis plant “growing into” the grow light. A 6′ tall tent will support up to a 300-400W grow light, and even with smaller grow lights, more height makes things a little easier. Having an area that is 7′ tall makes it unlikely you’ll ever be limited by the height of your grow space. A little extra height can increase your potential yields, in some cases, because a taller space lets you support more powerful grow lights and grow larger plants.

Short marijuana plants can only yield so much even if they’re completely covered in bud.

Extra height lets you use more powerful lights and grow taller plants (with bigger, longer buds!)

Cannabis Grow Light Compatibility

• 2’x2’x4′ – LEDs up to 100W.
• 2’x4’x5′ – LEDs up to 200W, 250W HPS
• 2’x4’x6′ (same size but taller) – LEDs up to 300W, 250W or 400W HPS
• 4’x4’x7′ – LEDs up to 650W, 600W or 1000W HPS

Examples & What to Look For

It can be tempting to try to get a really expensive grow tent with all the “bells and whistles” because you want to give your plants the best possible home! But honestly the cheapest grow tent has 90% of the features of a far more expensive grow tent. If you’ve never grown marijuana before and are reluctant to invest a lot of money, I recommend starting cheap when it comes to tents!

If possible, I recommend getting a tent that’s as tall as you can support so you never have to worry about running out of height. A 6′ tall grow tent easily supports up to a 300W or even 400W grow light. However, taller tents are relatively rare and it’s much more common to see grow tents that are only 5′ tall or shorter. The shorter versions will also do the trick (and can support bigger lights if you have a great exhaust system to vent heat and use careful plant training). Another advantage is that smaller tents are a little less conspicuous looking and people sometimes mistake them for a cheap Ikea-style clothing wardrobe. Just remember, with a short tent, to keep a close eye on plant height to make sure you don’t run out of headroom as plants get taller.

2’x2’x4′ – Example of Cheap Yet Effective 2’x2’x4′ Grow Tent (~$55) – I love the CoolGrows branded tents. I’ve tried them in a few different sizes and they are generally higher quality (better zippers, more sturdy) and yet cost less on average than many other brands. However, almost any grow tent by any brand works well to grow cannabis plants.

Grow Light Compatibility

• Small LEDs (up to 100W power draw) like Spider Farmer SF-1000

Spider Farmer SF-1000 LED grow light in a 2’x2′ grow tent. Check out the full setup.

2’x4’x5′ – Example of Cheap Yet Effective 2’x4’x5′ Grow Tent (~$90) – Vivosun branded tents are inexpensive and get the job done. However, almost any grow tent by any brand should do the trick.

Grow Light Compatibility

• Small LEDs (up to 200W power draw) like Spider Farmer SF-2000

Spider Farmer SF-2000 LED grow light in a 2’x4′ grow tent

2’x4’x6′ – Example of Cheap Yet Effective 2’x4’x6′ Grow Tent ($100) – This is the same size except for a bit taller. The extra height is useful in case a plant grows unexpectedly tall, or if you have a grow light that needs to be kept far from plants like some LEDs.

Grow Light Compatibility

• Mid-size LEDs (made for 2×4 size, typically 200-300W power draw and dimmable)
  • 200W LED – Spider Farmer SF2000
  • 300W – Mars Hydro TSL2000 or newer Mars Hydro SP3000
• HID grow lights – these get hot!
  • 400W HPS (dimmable 400W MH/HPS fixture plus 400W HPS bulb)
  • 315 CMH/LEC (dimmable 315 CMH fixture plus 315 CMH Bulb)

An example of marijuana plants I grew under the Mars Hydro TSL2000 in a 2’x4’x6′ Grow Tent

Exhaust Fan

At this size, grow lights put off significant heat that will raise the temperature in the tent by several degrees. Luckily it’s an easy fix. Get a 6″ exhaust fan to vent the heat out of the tent and bring in fresh air for your plants. Full instructions with pictures are below. I use the AC Infinity S6 exhaust fan (big and expensive but effective and quiet). Before that, I used a 6″ iPower exhaust fan (smaller and cheaper but much louder).

4’x4’x7′ Tent – 4’x4’x7′ Cheap But Effective Grow Tent ($80) – Another CoolGrows tent. This size tent can support even the legendary 1000W HPS but I personally think it’s the perfect size for a 600W HPS or LED grow lights with a total of 500-700W power draw. LED examples that would fit this tent:

Grow Light Compatibility

• Large LED fixture or two mid-size LEDs (450-700W total power draw and dimmable)
  • 480W LED – – Mars Hydro FC-E4800 (great results and produces less heat than most LEDs for a 4’x4′)
  • 600W LED – HLG 600 R-Spec (I’ve received excellent bud quality and high potency when I’ve grown weed under this light)
• HID grow lights
  • 600W HPS (dimmable, on a 6″ hood”) hooked up with 6″ ducting to a 6″ exhaust fan.
  • 630W CMH (dimmable, double 315W bulbs) hooked up with 6″ ducting to a 6″ exhaust fan.

Exhaust Fan

This much grow light power puts off a ton of heat. You need an extra strong 6″ exhaust fan like the Vivosun 6 inch 390 CFM fan and carbon filter kit (this kit actually includes a carbon filter and ducting so you can set your tent up to filter all smells) and if you want a quieter fan you’ll have to bump up to the 8″ size of AC Infinity as the 6″ version isn’t strong enough.

How to Set Up a Grow Tent for Stealth

What You Need

• Grow Tent (examples above)
• Grow Light
• Exhaust Fan
• Possibly Ducting
• (Optional) Carbon Filter (get this if you want to filter smells)

1.) Clear Space & Put Together Tent

Before getting started, take a minute to clean up the space where you will be building your tent. It’s easier to do it all in the beginning as opposed to while you’re working. Make sure to put together your tent at its final destination. You don’t want to build it only to realize it doesn’t fit through the doorway 🙂

Build tent at the place you plan to keep your grow tent. You don’t want to move it after it’s been assembled.

Lay out all the parts. Your grow tent should also come with directions.

Start assembling grow tent according to instructions. The directions should tell you which pole to put where. If you’ve ever put together a camping tent, this should seem familiar.

First you build the base.

Add the side poles. If you get confused, the poles should be labeled, and the directions will tell you which one goes where.

Add the top poles. You’ll notice you add two extra poles crosswise. These give you a place to easily hang your grow light. The full frame is now complete. Now you need to put on the reflective covering, kind of like giving your tent a jacket. Set the frame in the bottom.

Pull the jacket over the bars.

Add the waterproof tray to the bottom. This can catch up to several gallons of water, which protects your floor in case you ever spill water in the tent.

Your tent is now fully assembled!

2.) Hang Grow Light

It can be difficult choosing exactly which grow light you want, but once you’ve made your decision at least it’s easy to hang your light. Compare different grow lights

Example of LED Grow Light Hanging In Tent with Rope Ratchets

The best way to hang your grow light is using rope ratchets if you can; they are cheap and easy to set up. Your grow light may have come with some, or you may need to get them separately.

Rope ratchets make it incredibly simple to adjust your lights at any time without the chance of dropping the light on your plants. They let you quickly and easily move your grow light up or down. This can be useful if you want better access to the back of the tent without the light beaming on your head, or even just to take better pictures of your plants.

Make sure whatever you use to secure the lights (again, use rope ratchets!) can handle at least twice the weight of your grow light, just to be safe!

Cheap rope ratchets allow you to move a grow light up and down with a few clicks, so you never need to hold up your light or worry you might drop your light on your plants. This ones can hold up to 150 lbs, which should be plenty for any modern grow light.

3.) Hang the Exhaust Fan

Hang the exhaust fan with rope ratchets from the top bars inside the tent to help muffle the sound of the fan running. This is also the most efficient setup for removing heat because it creates short straight path for the air to leave the tent.

Use strong nylon rope or rope ratchets to hang your exhaust fan inside the grow tent from the top bars to dramatically reduce sound and vibration. Your fan will sound louder if it’s located outside of your tent and not hanging.

These days, most growers will be using LED grow lights, which have heat sinks that help direct heat up and away from your plants. This means your exhaust fan, which is located near the top of the tent, should already be well positioned to remove extra heat.

If you’re using a grow light that has an air-cooled hood that contains all the heat, like many MH or HPS grow lights, you can connect the exhaust fan to the hood directly for extra efficient cooling. This lets you vent hot air directly out of the tent so heat is never beaming down onto your plants.

Learn how to set up a hidden exhaust for MH/HPS grow lights.

You can continue ducting out a window to vent the heat completely out of the room

For the best results with any grow light, make sure there is a way for fresh air to get in. Grow tents almost always have adjustable vents near the bottom of the tent to let in fresh air. Some growers remove the covers completely, but that increases the chance the light will leak into the tent.

To get better airflow without light leaks, you can make a little “window” or light trap facing down (using the built-in intake vents) to let air through, but not light

4.) Connect Carbon Filter – No Smells!

Although some growers don’t use a carbon filter, that can unintentionally make a “smell trail” leading straight to their grow. Carbon filters ensure that no smells whatsoever escape to where they aren’t supposed to be. This provides peace of mind even if you aren’t worried about stealth. Plus some cannabis plants smell so hard the smell can get baked in your hair and on your clothes.

Just like the exhaust fan, I recommend hanging your carbon filter with rope ratchets because a carbon filter is surprisingly heavy, and rope ratchets make it easier to make adjustments.

It’s important that there is an air-tight line from the carbon filter to the fan (without any air leaks) in order to prevent smells from escaping the tent.

Growers often hang a carbon filter in the back of the tent so it’s less in the way.

Sometimes it makes more sense to tuck the carbon filter behind or above the grow light.

If you have an air-cooled hood you connect the carbon filter > light > exhaust fan. This is considered a “complete” exhaust system because it cools the grow light and scrubs all smells in one fell swoop while keeping everything completely inside the tent. Notice how the carbon filter is tucked behind the light and connected to the grow light with ducting.

If you don’t have space in your grow tent (for example you’re grow tent isn’t very tall), you can put the carbon filter at the “end” of your exhaust and sit it on top of your grow tent. This isn’t quite as effective as keeping the carbon filter in the grow tent, but as long as you don’t have any holes in your ducting or other ways for air to leak out besides through the carbon filter, it gets the job done.

Put the carbon filter after the fan on top of your tent if starved for space inside the tent. Note: This configuration gives you the most space inside tent, but is often louder since fan is outside tent. It’s very important to have a tight seal at the outlet, or the fan won’t effectively pull air out of the tent and through the filter.

Alternatively, hang the fan in the port, and use ducting to connect to the carbon filter on top. Note: Quieter than above option, but can be a bit less effective at smell filtering, since the air doesn’t push as strongly through the filter.

Remember: Carbon filter must be at ends (either the beginning or end of the line). If you put it in the middle, it doesn’t work!

No matter how you end up doing it, the main idea is to ensure any air leaving the tent must pass through this carbon filter and then have no air leaks or holes in the venting until the air is completely out the tent.

As long as you keep the tent closed and the fan on, you should never be able to smell cannabis in your home or outside. The negative air pressure caused by the sealed tent prevents any air inside the tent from leaking out.

Note: When you open the door of the tent it breaks this seal, which means smells may flood out the door or get pulled into the exhaust fan prematurely. To deal with smells when you open the tent, you can use a product called ONA gel, which is surprisingly effective at covering up odors on a short-term basis. However, if you put one of these inside your grow tent, the smell will get on your buds, so only use this as a “spot treatment” and not your main way to cover up cannabis smells..

Also, here’s a trick I learned from a dispensary owner: set up a carbon filter with a fan attached inside the room itself (in addition to the one in your tent), and run it alongside some ONA gel whenever you need to make sure all smells are gone quickly in the room, even if you’ve opened the tent. It works to keep a dispensary smelling neutral and it works just as well in the home!

If you have a smell emergency, you can use an exhaust fan directly attached to a carbon filter sitting on the floor. This isn’t as effective as a “real” exhaust system, but it will clear an entire room of smells in just minutes. Some growers who can’t fit a carbon filter in their grow space have even used this technique to control smells for a whole grow!

5.) Sound, Stealth, and Safety Check

You’re at the home stretch! Your grow tent should already be set up, and now it’s just a matter of double-checking everything and adding your plants!

Sound Check

You can dramatically reduce the sound of fans by hanging them as opposed to letting them sit on something. Keeping fans clean will also make them as efficient as possible while preventing sounds from developing.

For both air and water pumps, it makes a difference to place them on something besides directly on the ground. For example placing them on a piece of wood will muffle the vibration.

Light & Smell Check

You want to make sure no light or smells will make it outside the tent!

After everything is set up, turn on your grow light and exhaust fan for a day to test out your new space.

• The sides of the tent should bow inward slightly when you turn on the fan. Inward bowing means you have created negative air pressure, which is perfect because it will prevent smells from leaking into the home as long as the tent is kept closed.
• Ensure that your carbon filter is securely attached to your exhaust fan, with no way for air to leak in or out. A strong seal between the carbon filter and the fan will ensure that any air leaving the tent passes through the carbon filter first, which will completely scrub it of any smells.
• Take a minute to check around your house to see if you can hear anything that seems odd when your equipment is on. A constant hum or rattle can be suspicious, so listen carefully.
• Go outside and walk around your house once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once at night to see if there’s any noticeable sounds or if you can see suspicous looking light from outside.

Safety Check

Lastly, take a good look around inside the tent. Everything should be secure. Make sure that any electronics are off the ground (power strips, ballasts, wires) just in case there’s ever a water spill.

A good rule of thumb is to keep all electronics above the waist, while anything to do with water is kept below the waist. Don’t leave cords hanging around in the tent. It’s not only safer, but it looks a lot nicer when you wrap cords up neatly and secure them in place 🙂

Learn more about electrical safety!

Get Started Growing! You Are Ready!

Now that you’re all set up, the major work is over! Here’s a very quick summary of what’s next:

1. Add container with growing media (soil, coco coir, hydroponics)
2. Add seeds
3. Give nutrients and water regularly
4. When plants are about 6 weeks old, put your grow lights on a timer so they turn off for 12 hours each day. Buds will start growing in 1-2 weeks.
5. Harvest sweet, sweet buds a few months later!

Get step-by-step instructions for the rest of your marijuana grow or read the 10-minute beginner’s guide to growing cannabis!

The post Complete Guide to Grow Tents for Cannabis appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

Examples of Common Cannabis Growing Setups

This page will lead you to some setup shopping lists for a handful of the most popular styles of growing cannabis. You can use the information below to help decide which type of lighting you want to use if you don’t already know. The type of lighting you use will steer you towards some guides that will show you everything that’s needed to get started growing potent homegrown cannabis. You’ll get the initial setup cost, the cost to reach your first harvest (the highest cost), and the cost of subsequent harvests (much cheaper after the first).

2’x2′ Grow Tent – Small

• Ultra short edition – 3′ tall
  • 65W – HLG 65 LED Grow Light
  • 1-3 oz per harvest
  • $300 to get started
• Room to grow – 4′ tall
  • 100W – SF-1000 LED Grow Light
  • 2-4 oz per harvest
  • $430 to get started

Example of a 2’x2′ grow tent with 100W LED Grow Light (up to 4 oz)

2’x4′ Grow Tent – Medium

• Standard Power – 5′ tall
  • 200W – SF-2000 LED grow light
  • 5-11 oz per harvest
  • $555 to get started
• Max Power – 6′ tall
  • 300W – Mars Hydro TSL2000 LED 
  • 7-13 oz per harvest
  • $575 to get started
• Over Power – 6′ tall
  • 300-400W range (dimmable) – for growers who go crazy with power
  • Up to 16 oz per harvest
  • $495 to get started with a 400W HPS
  • $745 to get started with 315 LEC
  • $890 to get started with HLG 350R (Massively overpowered LED)

Here’s my current grow inside one of these right now. I think this is the perfect size for most home growers because it can yield many ounces up to a pound per harvest depending on the grow light you use.

200W LED grow light by Spider Farmer (up to 11 oz – see the grow journal)

3’x3′ Grow Tent (Square shape is better in some spaces) – Medium

• Max Power – 6′ tall
  • 300W – Mars Hydro FC-E3000
  • 7-13 oz per harvest
  • $475 to get started with FC-E3000
• Max Power (cold grow room) – 6′ tall
  • 315 LEC or 400W HPS (dimmable)
  • 7-16 oz per harvest
  • $745 to get started with 315 LEC
  • $495 to get started with a 400W HPS

Example of a single hydro plant growing in a 3’x3′ grow tent with a 400W HPS. You could fit more plants if you use pots instead of hydro

Mars Hydro has a remarkably cheap yet effective new 300W LED (harvest up to 13 oz) for a 3’x3′ released in 2025

4’x4′ Grow Tent – Large

• 1+ lb LED Producer – 6.5′ tall
  • HLG Blackbird 600W LED grow light
  • 11-22 oz per harvest
  • $995 to get started
• 1+ lb HPS Producer 6.5′ tall
  • 600W HPS (dimmable)
  • 10-21 oz per harvest
  • $495 to get started

Example of a 4’x4′ grow tent (easily yield a pound – see the grow journal)

Now that you’ve got an overview, let’s look at each of the cannabis grow kits a little closer.

Example Setups for Different Lighting Types

65W LED Mini Tent

Average Yield: 1-3 oz Per Harvest

Initial Setup Cost: $300

100W LED Grow Light in Mini Tent

Average Yield: 2-4 oz per Harvest

Initial Setup Cost: $430 to get started

200W LED (Only need 5 feet of height)

Can fit in some closets

Average Yield: 5-11 oz Per Harvest

Initial Setup Cost: $555 to start

300W LED Setup

Average Yield: 7-13 oz Per Harvest

Cost: $575 to Start

315W LEC Grow Light

Average Yield: 7-13 oz per Harvest

Cost: $745 to Start

350W LED Setup

Average Yield: 8-14 oz Per Harvest

Cost: $700 to Start

400W MH/HPS

Average Yield: 7-14 oz Per Harvest

Cost: $495 to start

600W MH/HPS Grow Setup

Average Yield: 10-21 oz Per Harvest

Cost: $495 to start

600W Premium LED Grow Light Setup

Average Yield: 10-22 oz per Harvest

Cost: $995 to start

Although there are larger size grow lights available (1000W and beyond), at that size it starts going outside the scope of a “hobbyist” grower as far as ease and yields. Also, I’ve found it’s typically better to have multiple 300W or 600W lights than one enormous grow light

Learn the basics of growing weed: Beginner’s Guide

These Cannabis Growing Setup Examples Assume You’re Starting From Scratch and Don’t Plan to DIY Anything

I tried to include everything in these lists, as if someone were growing marijuana completely from scratch. For each example I calculated the cost as if you were buying everything online off of Amazon.com from the included links. A lot of these items cost less money if you shop around online or buy them in person, and you may already have some stuff lying around the house already.

For each example I also included a matching grow tent, because I believe grow tents are the best way to create a perfect environment for your plant at a really low cost. But if you want to skip the tent and make your own grow space in a grow box or closet, learn how to create the perfect growing environment for your plants!

2 healthy, manifolded plants under a 600W MH (Metal Halide)

Over the years we’ve had lots of people request “starter” shopping lists for new growers – it can be frustrating trying to figure out exactly what supplies you need to start growing cannabis indoors! So today I decided to make a few comprehensive shopping lists for common setups that include everything from nutrients to grow lights to rope ratchets. I’ll even tell you what yields, electricity cost and cost/ounce to expect with each setup.

If you don’t want to have to figure out exactly what to buy to start growing, this article is for you! I will break down what to expect based on your space limits and desired yields, so you can get the exact perfect setup for your situation.

I need more/different help! Take me to the 10-Step Quick Start Grow Guide

Don’t Forget to Budget Money for Growing Medium and Plant Containers!

Remember to consider the growing medium (not included in totals). Here’s my very general estimate for 1-2 plants (you will need more to grow more plants). So consider you will need to spend an extra $30-125 for your growing medium + the cost of your container.

Choose One:

• Super Soil $40 (for 10 gallons of super soil) + container
  https://www.growweedeasy.com/super-soil
• Soil $30 (for 10 gallons Happy Frog soil) + container
  https://www.growweedeasy.com/soil
• Coco Coir $30 (for 2x coco bricks + perlite for 10 gallons) + container
  https://www.growweedeasy.com/coco
• Hydroponics $150 (to make reservoir)
  https://www.growweedeasy.com/hydro

Compare different growing mediums for growing cannabis

Learn the basics of growing cannabis!

Jump to…

10-Step Quick Start Guide to Growing

How Long Does it Take to Grow Cannabis?

Where do I get seeds?

Check These 7 Things & Cure 99% of Marijuana Growing Problems

The post Complete Cannabis Grower’s Shopping List Examples appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

Many beginner cannabis growers struggle because they pick the wrong marijuana strain. After 16 years of teaching home growers, I recommend beginner-friendly cannabis strains like Blue Dream, Mandarin Cookies, or Purple Ghost Candy for reliable germination, healthier growth, better bud quality and bigger yields. Learn where to safely buy cannabis seeds online.

Blue Dream naturally grows long and fat buds, even for beginners.

Recommended beginner strain #1: Blue Dream

This is my #1 beginner cannabis strain. This particular version of Blue Dream (the Seed Supreme version) took over 5 years of dedicated breeding, and has developed into a masterpiece that checks all the boxes.

The good:

• Easy to grow – Reliable seed germination, and the resulting seedlings grow fast. Not picky about nutrients. Plants respond well to topping and bending. Can handle stronger light and higher temps than other strains.
• Crazy yields – Even if left alone without any training, plants naturally make lots of branchy bud sites with enormous buds.
• Lovely smell – Classic sweet “Blue Dream” odor (no funk or skunk). Could be a good “stealth” strain because it has an overall lighter smell.
• Special potency – Smooth and lovely smoke that won’t put you to sleep, but you feel it. Get long-lasting and relaxing effects without being weighed down. Blue Dream is a legend for a reason.

Blue Dream – Fast, easy to grow, gets big. Huge yields. Indoors and Outdoors.

Watch out for:

• Plants grow big & FAST – Plants grow faster than most other strains, so it can quickly overtake other plants in the grow space. Outdoor plants can overgrow a greenhouse or get taller than the fence. It can help to keep the plant in a 7-gallon pot (or smaller) to limit height.
• Flowering Stretch – Plants grow 2-3x in size after you initiate 12/12, so make sure to initiate when plant is half the final height, and bend over any tall branches for the first 3-4 weeks after 12/12. You will be rewarded with a sea of colas.
• Big bud problems – Buds get bigger and bigger for a surprisingly long time. After a while they can become susceptible to bud rot. Indoors, add a gentle oscillating fan blowing on buds if they get wider than two fingers.
• May Need to Harvest Earlier – Watch out for bananas after 10 weeks or so. They may pop up via the “rhodelization” mechanism, which for this strain, is a sign the plant is done and buds are ready to harvest. Even if buds have lots of white hairs left, you may be surprised to find buds are solid underneath.

Some of those Blue Dream buds after drying (See the Blue Dream grow journal)

Recommended beginner strain #2: Purple Ghost Candy 

I love this strain, which was developed by Seedsman over several years.

I have grown it multiple times, and every plant produced big, sparkly, dense buds. Plants and leaves usually turn purple, but buds only sometimes turn purple.

Very tall, forgiving plants, but they get HUGE quickly, so give them room just like the Blue Dream. In fact, this strain pairs really well with the Blue Dream because they can keep up with each other. Branchy  plants with lots of bud sites.

Note: Purple Ghost Candy produces VERY potent buds. Not for the first-time smoker. Lovely sweet smell, though much stronger than the Blue Dream.

 Purple Ghost Candy is forgiving to mistakes (See our full home grow review)

Purple Ghost Candy buds are STRONG. Don’t plan to do something else that day.

Recommended beginner strain #3: Mandarin Cookies

Another personal favorite strain. It is one of the most popular Ethos Genetics strains since it first came out. Pungent sweet diesel smell, with strong hints of citrus and cookies. Buds are literally encrusted with sticky trichomes. Even the leaves close to buds are good enough to smoke. Extremely potent yet anti-anxiety, “chill” and happy effect. Perfect for relaxing after a hard day, enhancing creative pursuits, or just making a funny show funnier. Plants are easy to grow and produce great bud quality even if you make some mistakes.

Those Mandarin Cookies buds after being dried and cured. HAPPY RELAXATION EFFECT.

When I first started growing cannabis, I was so excited to finally pick my own strains, but I was also very confused about marijuana strains.

Hopefully, learning about 3 different beginner-friendly strains has started to give you an idea of what makes each marijuana strain different.

These 5 different strains made wildly different buds. See the grow journal.

But you probably still have so many questions… What’s the difference between strains? Which strains are most potent, and what about yields? What other strains are great for beginner growers? Let me break it down.

Does strain actually matter? YES!

Cannabis strain effects:

• Seed germination rates
• How plants grow
• How buds develop
• Smell, potency, taste
• And more!

Years of non-stop experimentation and breeding for positive traits has resulted in a superabundance of available strains. The sheer number of choices can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, it’s pretty fun to shop for cannabis strains when you start with a little bit of information. Choosing the best strain for you is rewarding.

Based on personal experience, I’ve put together a list of popular cannabis strains with exceptional genetics which makes them…well, just plain better to grow.

I’ll explain why I picked each strain so you can use the knowledge to further your own research and help you pick the ultimate strain for your next cannabis harvest!

Click for a strain that is…

• Quick – Fastest Time to Harvest
• Easy – Most Forgiving and Easy to Grow
• Big Yields – Produce As Much Bud as Possible
• Special Potency – Specific Effects, Legendary Strains, Cup Winners, etc.

Plus some bonus info about…

• Strains that Thrive in Small Spaces
• Medical Marijuana Strains
• Further Strain Research

​Want to grow more than one strain at the same time?
Learn about growing multiple strains together!

This is Amnesia by Greenhouse Seeds (manifold technique used to maximize bud size)

Super Skunk can be a great strain for medical marijuana patients, but is it the best cannabis strain for all growers? Unfortunately, there is no “best” of anything, including cannabis strains. The good news is there’s tons of amazing strain choices no matter what you’re looking for. This article will help you find the best strain for you. Here are a few quick favorites, then on to the main article!

Dos Si Dos 33 by Barney’s Farm (grown by Max)

Platinum Cookies by Seed Supreme

Quick – Fastest Time to Harvest

For when the most important thing is getting to your next cannabis harvest as fast as possible!

When it comes to trying to get to harvest as quickly as possible, your best choice is often to grow an auto-flowering strain of cannabis. With an auto-flowering strain, you’ll have the option to harvest your plant 2-3 months from seed germination, and it’s typical to harvest 1-3 ounces off each plant. Under powerful grow lights with a big pot and with some room to grow, auto-flowering plants can produce 5-6 ounces per plant or even more.

Auto-flowering strains tend to stay small and grow fast, while still producing excellent yields and bud quality

Although there are quick-flowering or “fast” photoperiod strains, they are rarely ready to harvest in less than 3 months from seed. That means you can usually get an even quicker harvest with auto-flowering seeds.

Auto-flowering seeds grow plants with some unique qualities:

• Ready to harvest 2-3 months from seed – quickest time to harvest of any strain of cannabis (though there are some auto-flowering strains that have been bred to take longer and get bigger, most are ready to harvest in 3 months or less)
• Autos don’t need special light periods – “Regular” (photoperiod) plants need 12 hours of darkness each day in order to make buds, while autos will make buds and be ready to harvest no matter what light schedule they receive. This can be helpful if you can’t avoid light leaks, or if you want to keep your lights on all the time (for example if you need your lights on to keep plants warm)
• Relaxing effects from higher CBD – Many auto-flowering strains (though not all) have 1% CBD levels or higher from their Ruderalis ancestry. This can make buds more relaxing with more of an anti-anxiety effect, also reducing some of the inner “racing” mental effects some people get from cannabis. This means that auto-flowering strains can be a good choice for medical marijuana patients, or those who’d like to get extra relaxed from their buds. However, these days there are also some very high THC, low CBD auto-flowering strains which provide more of a psychedelic “in your head” experience, especially those that have been hybridized with Sativa and Haze strains.
• Need your full attention first few weeks – Auto-flowering strains are generally pretty easy to grow, but you’re on a strict time schedule. During the first several weeks, it’s incredibly important you pay close attention to your plants and react quickly to any problems. If an auto-flowering plant runs into major problems during the first part of its life, you may end up with tiny plants and tiny yields because an auto-flowering plant stops growing bigger after about 6 weeks. However, when nurtured through the first few weeks, these strains can produce surprisingly high yields in a crazy short amount of time.
• Crucial to pick a good auto-flowering breeder – the ancestor of all auto-flowering strains was a type of wild hemp with low levels of THC. As a result, the original auto-flowering strains were generally poor yielding and far less potent than photoperiod plants. Luckily, we now have dedicated breeders who put a lot of focus on breeding auto-flowering strains (Mephisto Genetics, Sweet Seeds, Nirvana, Seed Supreme & Dutch Passion are some famous auto-flowering breeders that cater to home growers, though many new breeders are appearing on the scene). As a result, modern auto strains have been carefully bred for many generations to be just as potent as their photoperiod counterparts. When you choose a good autoflowering strain, you’ll be very happy with your bud quality. Yet because there are poor genes out there, it’s important to avoid unscrupulous breeders and choose a trustworthy breeder to ensure you grow excellent genetics.

Here are 5 recommended auto-flowering strains for beginners (and connoisseurs!)

• Quickest Time to Harvest – Green Crack Auto by Fast Buds – The breeder Fast Buds is known for producing stabilized autoflowering strains with extremely fast harvests. One thing I like about Fast Buds is you always get exactly what they tell you to expect in the strain details. Their Green Crack Auto strain is the result of generations of careful breeding. The resulting buds have a creative, energetic effect that also comes with a body “buzz” and is ready to harvest as soon as 2 months from seed germination. However, giving the plant an extra week or two before harvesting can dramatically increase your yields and bud potency. This strain produces dense chunky buds that look beautiful and have a lovely fruity skunky scent.

Green Crack Auto buds are covered in trichomes (grown by Crazyhorse)

• Most Forgiving Auto-Flowering Strains – Happy Valley Genetics produces extremely forgiving auto-flowering strains, especially Shortcut Auto and Easy Button Auto. These are the definition of easy-to-grow autoflowering strains. Shortcut stays short and small, while Easy Button grows to a medium size. But if you’re looking for a really fruity yet forgiving autoflowering strain, the crowd favorite is Pineapple Daddy Auto. All three strains are ready to harvest in under 70 days from germination, yet produce surprisingly big yields with bud potency above 20% THC.

Pineapple Daddy Auto makes green buds with a sweet fruity smell (by Dan)

• Ultra-Potent Auto-Flowering Strain – MSNL produces some extremely high-THC auto-flowering strains, including their famous Kushberry Moonrocks Auto, which tests around 25% THC. However, MSNL’s most potent autoflowering strain is Permanent Marker Auto, with buds that shockingly test above 30% THC. I haven’t grown Permanent Marker Auto yet myself, but our readers have RAVED about it so I feel confident recommending it here. Ready to harvest at 70 days from germination, though an extra week or two maximizes yields and potency.

This Permanent Marker plant by MSNL was grown by Marky Mark in Australia!

• Medical Strain (Very Relaxing) – Black Jack Auto. This strain had some of the most chill effects of all the auto-flowering strains I’ve grown so far. I grew two Black Jack Autos at the same time. One was 7.5/10 in relaxation, but the other left me feeling on Cloud 9. Both had an immediate nose-tingling head effect, and then longer lasting pleasant mental and body effects. Great for relaxation, but didn’t weigh me down. The smell was pungent and skunky yet had sweet notes. This strain seemed to do better with somewhat lower levels of light, so it would be perfect to tuck one of these plants in the back or to the side of your main grow.

An example of a Black Jack Auto I grew, just before harvest at 75 days old.

The buds grew fat with relaxing and interesting effects

Easy – Forgiving and Easy to Grow

In order to get the best results with growing cannabis, you need to pay regular attention to your plants. However, that’s a lot easier said than done. Maybe you don’t have a lot of time, and you just want to do the “bare minimum” and still get to harvest. Although I highly encourage you to take great care of your plants, if this sounds like you, you may get the best results by choosing a hardy cannabis strain that’s been specifically bred to be easy to grow and can roll with the punches.

Although they’re generally hardy, in some ways, auto-flowering strains can be tough for a beginner because they don’t leave a lot of time for mistakes. If you mess up in the first 3-6 weeks, you can sometimes end up with a tiny plant and small yields at harvest and unfortunately there’s really nothing you can do about it at that point.

On the flip side, a photoperiod plant gives you as much time as you need to dial in your grow and make mistakes because it won’t start making buds until you “tell” it to. That gives you time to conduct experiments and/or really see what a plant can do.

They don’t say it grows like a weed for nothing! With a photoperiod cannabis plant, you can bring it to the brink of death and back, then continue on with your grow without much consequence.

For that reason, I highly recommend sticking with photoperiod (“standard”) strains if you’re specifically looking for a strain that’s particularly easy to grow and can bounce back from problems.

• Low Odor – Northern Light is a hardy, potent strain that tends to have less of a smell than other strains, which can be helpful for stealth reasons. This strain is a classic that has won many awards for its effects. Northern Light plants tend to stay short, bounce back easily from problems, and are relatively quick to harvest. It’s one of the first strains I ever grew, and lived through a lot (heat, overwatering, dropping a light on it….). Despite all that mistreatment, the plant produced amazing results and yields.

Northern Light buds aren’t as smelly as many other strains of cannabis, and plants tend to be very forgiving and easy to grow.

• Quick-to-Harvest – Sour Lime Haze plants are a breeze to grow. Buds are ready to harvest 8 weeks after you initiate the flowering stage. That means with a 4 week vegetative stage you could have buds in hand under than 3 months from germination. Although a short-flowering photoperiod strain like Sour Lime Haze is not quite as fast as the fastest auto-flowering strain, it’s close and more forgiving if you mess up at the beginning!

Sour Lime Haze responds very well to stressful conditions.

• Good for LEDs and Can Handle Tight Spaces – Pineapple Chunk plants respond well to LEDs by producing extra potent, extra sticky buds. This strain is also very hardy & resistant to many common plant problems (over watering, underwatering, stress…). It’s important to get a strain that can resist mold and diseases if you’re growing in the high humidity of a small grow space, which may not have enough air circulation for proper growth. This strain is overall just easy to grow and high yielding, and because of its effects, I always choose it if I see it available at a dispensary!

Pineapple Chunk is easy to train and produces well in tight spaces, like in this tiny 3′ (1 meter) tall grow tent.

Closeup of a Pineapple Chunk bud not long before harvest. Sparkly!

High Yields 

Sometimes the most important thing is producing as much bud as possible!

• Legendary Effects – Blue Dream by Seed Supreme – Incredible strain that makes huge, dense buds with a legendary dreamy effect and yields that can’t be beat.

Each Blue Dream plant can yield multiple ounces of weed. Some plants may turn purple.

• Insane Potency – Purple Ghost Candy – This strain produces buds with 27%+ THC and higher with low levels of CBD, for a truly vivid, “in-your-head” Sativa-style trip. Plants can grow tall and lanky, producing very well both indoors and outdoors. Plants respond well to training and are easy to grow. You just need to be careful because these plants can get really big overnight and crowd out your grow space!

A ​Purple Ghost Candy bud from Sirius’ last harvest, grown indoors.

This Purple Ghost Candy plant took over the tent and made incredible yields of epic quality buds.

• Perfect for Social – Green Crack – Massive yields and the buds produce a “friendly” and relaxing effect that is ideal for social settings. A popular strain for a gathering with friends.

Green Crack (aka Cush) is a huge yielder, with buds that make people feel happy and at ease.

Special Potency, Famous Strains, & Cup Winners

Some of the most potent strains available today have won quite a few awards! Cup winners have an air of credibility around them that makes them really attractive and some strains are just straight-up legendary now.

I wanted to share two types of strains with you – Cannabis Cup Winners & Top Dispensary Strains!

3 Cannabis Cup Winners

Sometimes you want to grow something that has won dozens of awards around the world! These strains have become famous for a reason!

• Easy-to-Grow Legend – Dos Si Dos 33 by Barney’s Farm – A strain with legendary bud quality. Plants stay short and can handle a few mistakes, yet still produce big, beautiful buds.

Dos Si Dos 33 by Barney’s Farm (grown by Max)

• Pungent – Sour Diesel – This plant is very stretchy which means it needs to be topped and trained to reward you with the highest yields. It has a Sativa background and you should expect it to double in size or more after the switch to the flowering stage unless you make sure to take time to continue bending and securing stems down so all the branches stay short. It comes from a warm climate and can handle very high temperatures and tends to grow slower in cooler temps. When well taken care of, it produces huge, long and thick colas. Its trichomes do not turn amber when the plant is mature, so this strain should be harvested when all the trichomes are milky white, as this is when the buds will have the highest levels of THC.

Sour Diesel makes long, spear-like buds.

• Weirdly good – Jack Herer by Seedsman – Sometimes called the “champagne of strains”, Jack Herer is a world famous strain with buds that blend some of the best tropical Sativa genes for an “up” effect, combined with strong Indica genes to give it a heavy body effect. The best of both worlds. It has amazing resin production that extends from the buds to the leaves, producing valuable trim. It has only average yields and can be a little tough to grow, so it’s meant more for the connoisseur who just wants the best as opposed to growers who care about getting the highest yields possible.

Jack Herer offers unique and smooth mind/body effects.

Bonus: Coffee Shop Weed – White Widow is the gift that keeps on giving. A true “legendary” strain, it continues to win Cannabis Cups and show up in coffee shops and dispensaries around the world, in part because of its ability to make you feel uplifted and happy. It’s known as White Widow because its buds become so covered in trichomes/glitter that buds can actually look white.

​

3 Top Dispensary Strains

I live in Southern California (San Diego) and when I go to dispensaries there are certain strains that show up over and over again. On the top shelf, consistently selling out. Because of that, I know from personal experience that these strains are proven to produce incredible buds no matter who grows them.I wanted to share my own personal “insider” list with you. Most of these strains are on the pricey side, though I believe they’re worth the cost.

• Platinum Cookies – Years ago, a strain called “Girl Scout Cookies” appeared on the California market and exploded with popularity. The clone-only strain went on to receive several cannabis cup awards, and one of those cuts was developed into Platinum Cookies. Now it regularly appears on the top shelf of dispensaries, only to quickly sell out. Platinum Cookies seeds grow into huge yielding plants that take a few extra weeks for buds to mature. Your reward is outstandingly high potency (our last harvest of Platinum Cookies buds tested at 26% THC).

These two Platinum Cookies produced huge amounts of weed under a SF-2000 LED grow light

• Gorilla Zkittlez – Gorilla Zkittlez is remarkable for several reasons. It gives the best of Gorilla Glue #4 and Zkittlez. It’s popular is this strain produces buds with particularly powerful effects that are often described as “couchlock,” “stoney” and ultra-relaxing. When I see this strain on the menu, I get it every time!

Gorilla Zkittlez buds produce outstanding effects

• Jelly Donutz – A unique taste/smell is part of what make this particular strain so memorable alongside its spectacular effects, which have been described as “enormous”, “mind-blowing” and “energetic”. As a result, this strain and has won many awards including cannabis cups. It’s one of those strains where if I see it on a menu I know it will always be good, no matter who grew it.

More Popular Dispensary Strains in 2025 in San Diego, Ca (where I live)

• Cereal strains like Fruity Pebbles
• Candy strains like Candy Games #38
• Cherry strains like Cherry Gar-See-Ya R1
• Permanent Marker (weirdly popular right now)
• Wedding strains like Wedding Cake and White Wedding

Strains for Growing with LEDs

When it comes to growing cannabis with LED grow lights, photoperiod or auto-flowering strains are both suitable for growing with LEDs. You can make LEDs work with any strain. Just make sure to take good care of your plants and watch upper leaves for signs of light stress.

Train plants to grow flat with many buds sites to get the best yields from LED grow lights

Good for Short Spaces, Mini Tents, and Grow Boxes

In a grow box it’s important to grow a cannabis strain that…

• Naturally stays small/short – helpful when you don’t have a lot of extra space. Indica-hybrid strains are recommended because they tend to stay on the smaller side.
• Resistant to heat – some strains are more resistant to high heat and lack of good air circulation. Ideal for a small space.
• Resistant to mold – mold can happen from high humidity in a small grow space. Especially if it doesn’t provide enough fresh air and circulation for proper growth. “Cheese” strains and strains with Hawaiian ancestry tend to be more mold-resistant in general, but it’s also a strain-by-strain thing.
• Can stand high levels of light – this helps because plants are normally kept very close to grow lights in a short space. Many Sativa and Haze strains tend to be more light loving, while Indica strains are more likely to suffer from light burn. However, Indica strains tend to grow short, which is helpful, so if possible you want to find a hybrid that has both traits.

Example of good strains for grow boxes

• Peyote Critical – This strain can be a great candidate for a small space. It stays a manageable size, is ready to harvest quickly, and produces mold-resistant buds. It also has a relatively light smell that’s a little sweet and spicy, with less of a “cannabis” smell than many other strains. It produces a “couchlock” stone that’s heavy on body effects.

Peyote Critical is an easy-to-grow plant that stays relatively small.

• Aurora Indica – Another strain that’s well-suited to micro grows in small spaces. Buds produce an initial mind effect that develops into a deeper “body stone.”

This is an Aurora Indica plant I grew. It stayed very short but buds were thick and dense.

Medical Marijuana Strains

When it comes to growing medical marijuana, the goal is usually to grow strains that are either very high in THC (psychoactive effects), high in CBD (relaxing effect), or high in both.

Learn more:

• Medical vs Non-Medical Strains
• How to Increase THC
• How to Increase CBD

Further Strain Research

If you’re still looking for the exact right strain, check out our tutorial with tips on how to research strains so you find the right one! Learn about some resources you might not know about to get more information about each potential strain!

How to Research and Find Strains to Grow

Jump to…

Growing Cannabis with different grow lights

Top-Fed DWC (Bubbleponics) Tutorial

How do I produce top-shelf buds every time?

Where can I get seeds?

The post Best Marijuana Strains for Beginner Growers appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

Hands-down the best way to control the smell of your growing cannabis plants is to use a carbon filter (learn more about different options for covering up cannabis growing smells). When installed correctly as part of an exhaust system, a carbon filter will not only prevent the smell of cannabis from leaking outside, but it will also prevent it from smelling up your home. A carbon filter can be more effective than any other method for controlling smells, and it won't alter the smell of your cannabis.

A carbon scrubber can completely hide the smell of growing cannabis plants, even really smelly ones!

A carbon filter is usually shaped like an enormous tube, and they're usually pretty heavy. The way they work is they are filled with carbon inside. When air passes through the carbon it neutralizes any smells, and when the air is passed out the back it is completely odor-free. However, for a carbon scrubber to work the air needs to be pulled through the filter, which is usually done using a strong exhaust fan.

In the left pic the carbon filter has a sleeve to help keep out extra dust, while on the right is a "naked" carbon filter so you can see how air can pass through the sides.

When using a carbon filter, the way you set up your exhaust is important; if you don't set it up properly it won't work well, if at all!

Get a Carbon Filter on Amazon.com!

1.) To Prevent Smells From Leaking into the Grow Room

The exhaust fan needs to be strong enough to create a vacuum in the grow space (in a grow tent you'll see the side bowing in). That means that all the smelly air is getting vented out the tent so fast that the suction prevents any from going back into your room. Even without a carbon filter, if you have good suction you won't smell anything outside the tent!

Learn how to set up an efficient exhaust system
 

2.) To Prevent Smells From Leaking Outside

Once you have suction in the tent and you're venting all the smelly air outside, the next step is to "scrub" smells out of that air before it leaves the house. This is where the carbon filter comes in!

This is the most common way to set up a carbon filter:

Carbon Filter > Grow Light > Exhaust Fan > Outside

This simple diagram shows how many growers set up up their exhaust system

This is an example of a carbon filter in action

​

Get a Carbon Filter on Amazon.com!

As air is pulled in through the sides of the carbon filter it is scrubbed of all smells. That air then passes through the ducting, blows over the hot light, and the hot unscented air is then vented outside.

No air leaks in your exhaust system! It's important that the only way air can enter the system is through the carbon filter, and that air should go straight outside. If there are leaks in the ducting or around the grow light, then smelly air can escape that way instead of passing through the carbon filter first.

That's pretty much it! You now know the basis of how set up your own effective and efficient exhaust system so odors never escape again!

Get step-by-step instructions on how to set up your carbon filter with exhaust

Jump to…

7 Tips to Growing Top-Shelf Buds

How to Set Up Your Grow Lights – Step-By-Step Tutorial

Stealth Growing: How to NOT get Caught Growing Weed

How (and Where) To Get Marijuana Seeds in the USA (and around the world)

The post How to Use Carbon Filters for Cannabis appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

In addition to the search bar, this link guide helps you navigate through the Grow Weed Easy website. Learn about growing topics you won’t find anywhere else! This is a shortened list of all our cannabis growing tutorials, as the website has over 500 articles and tutorials!

Full List of EVERYTHING on GWE  ← Over 500 Articles & Growing Tutorials!

Start Here – Beginner Grow Guides

• Complete Beginner’s Guide
• How do I start growing my own weed indoors? (get help choosing your setup)
• How to Grow Weed in 10 Steps
• Simplest Cannabis Grow Guide Ever!
• How Long Does It Take to Grow Weed? (Marijuana Growth Timeline)
• 3 Steps from Beginner to Legendary Grower
• Complete New Grower’s Shopping List

Cannabis Life Stages

• Germination
• Vegetative Stage (Getting Bigger)
• Flowering Stage (Making Buds)
• Harvest

Choosing…

• Best Type of Nutrients
• Choosing the Best Grow Light
• Soil vs Hydro
• How Many Plants Should I Grow?
• What Part of the House Should I Grow In?
• What Setup Should I Get?
• Best Strains for Beginners
• Where to Get Seeds (including the U.S.)

Common New Grower Topics

• How Much Will Electricity Cost?
• Stealth Growing: How NOT to Get Caught Growing Weed
• What Equipment Do I Need?
• Germinate Your Seeds
• 7 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I First Started Growing Weed
• How to Save Money When Growing Weed
• How to Store Weed Properly (so it never loses smell or potency!)
• Ask Questions & Get Answers From Real Growers! (In Our Free Growing Community)
• Cannabis Grower’s Glossary

Problems & Symptoms

• Cannabis Problems Guide
  • How to Help Yellow Seedlings
  • How to Fix Yellow Cannabis Leaves
  • How to Fix Curling and Clawing Cannabis Leaves
  • What Causes Dry or Crispy Leaves?
  • What Causes Brown Spots on Cannabis Leaves?
  • What Causes Bananas (“Nanners”) on Cannabis Buds?
  • Is This Nutrient Burn on My Marijuana Plant?
  • What causes red stems in cannabis plants?
• Diagnose Your Sick Plant
• Bugs & Other Cannabis Pests
• How to Prevent Nutrient Deficiencies
  • Which Nutrient Deficiencies are Caused by pH? (picture guide)
  • How to Stop Flowering Stage Nutrient Deficiencies
• 7 Reasons Why Cannabis Plants Grow Slow
• 5-Step Remedy That Fixes 99% of Grow Problems
• All-Natural Pesticides – Safe Up to Harvest!

Plant Training (Indoor Tricks for Bigger Yields)

• Simplest Plant Training Guide Ever!
• How to Control Height of Indoor Cannabis Plants
• Complete Plant Training Guide
• Breakdown of Techniques​
  • Low Stress Training (LST) Tutorial
  • Topping vs FIMing Tutorial
  • LBH’s Famous ScrOG Tutorial
  • Supercropping: Magic Technique to Control Cannabis Plant Height
  • Sea of Green (SoG) Tutorial
  • 12-12 from Seed – Flowering Plants Early
  • Nebula’s Manifold Tutorial
  • How to Manifold Clones
  • Nebula’s Bud-Based Defoliation Tutorial
  • Alternate Defoliation Tutorial ​
  • What is Re-Vegging / Monstercropping?
• How Can I Train an Auto-Flowering Plant?
• 7 Unfortunate Plant Training Mistakes

Grow Mediums

• What’s the Best Growing Medium?
• Soil vs Coco vs Hydro
• Basic Soil Guide
• Organic Soil Compost Guide (Super Soil) – Just Add Water!
• Coco Coir Guide
  • Coco Coir: The Most Flexible Cannabis Grow Medium
• Hydro/DWC/Bubbleponics Guide
• “True” Organic Growing vs Just Using Organic Nutrients
• Can You Use Miracle-Gro?

Nutrients

• Which Nutrients Are Best For Growing Cannabis?
• Soil Nutrients
• Coco Coir Nutrients
• Hydroponic Nutrients

Grow Lights

• 5 Best LED Grow Lights 2025 (Yields, Speed, & Bud Quality)
• Compare Types of Cannabis Grow Lights
  • Fluorescents (T5s) – Good for Seedlings Only (not powerful enough to produce potent buds or big yields)
  • CFLs (Spiral Bulbs) – Not Recommended (LEDs are much better)
  • LED Grow Lights – Recommended for Most Home Growers
  • MH/HPS Grow Lights – Good Alternative to LEDs, But Run Much Hotter
  • CMH / LEC Grow Lights – Good Alternative to LEDs, But Run Much Hotter
  • Plasma / Magnetic Induction Grow Lights – Not Recommended (poor cannabis growth)
• How Does Light Spectrum Affect Marijuana Plants?
• How Far Away Do I Keep My Grow Lights?
• You Can Actually Give Plants Too Much Light?!
• Grow Light Upgrade Guide: Yields & Potency Explained
• Cannabis Grow Lights: What’s the Best Size?

Best LED Grow Light Articles

• 5 Best LED Grow Lights 2025 (Yields, Speed, & Bud Quality)
• LED Grow Lights: Too Much or Not Enough Light?
• LED Grow Journal: Mars Hydro TSL-2000W vs Spider Farmer SF-2000
• LEC vs LED Grow Lights: Side-by-Side Cannabis Grow Journal
• Nebula’s Auto-Flowering Grow Journal (Topping vs Natural) – cannabis plants are grown under LED grow lights

Environment

• Create the Perfect Growing Environment
  • Temperature Tutorial
  • 5 Secrets to Heat Control
  • Control Humidity for Better Buds
  • How to Use Reflective Walls to Increase Yields Indoors
  • How to Make Plants Grow Faster with CO2
• Where’s the Best Place in the House to Grow Your Plants?
• How to Control Odors
• How to Set Up an Exhaust
• How to Set Up a Grow Tent for Better Yields (and Stealth)

Plant Care Tutorials

• Cloning
  • How to clone weed in a cup of water (easy!)
  • How to make cannabis clones with an aero cloner
• Intro to Plant Training for Bigger Yields Indoors
• How Often to Water Plants
  • The Easiest Way to Water Plants & Remove Runoff
• How (and When) to Transplant Cannabis
• Male vs Female Plants
• When to Harvest?
• Drying & Curing

How to Improve…

• Yields
• Bud Quality
  • 7 Environment Effects on Bud Quality
  • The Secret to Excellent Bud Quality
• THC Levels
• CBD Levels
• Smell/Taste
• Density
• Bud Color (How to Grow Pink or Purple Buds)
• Glitter (Make Buds Sparkle with More Trichomes)
• Bonus: What Determines Yields?

Buying Seeds

• Where to Get Seeds
• How to Find the Right Strain
• What are “Feminized” Seeds?
• Which Breeders to Trust?
• Photoperiod vs Auto-Flowering Cannabis Strains
• Bag Seed vs Hype Seed: Is it worth it to buy cannabis seeds?

Recommended Strains

• Best Autoflowering Cannabis Strains for Yields & Potency
• List of Sugar-Dusted Strains (Heavy Trichome Genetics)
• 10 Cold-Resistant Cannabis Strains
• 14 Heat-Resistant Cannabis Strains
• Which cannabis strains stay short? (Best strains for small spaces)

Auto-Flowering Strains

• Nebula’s Guide to Cannabis Auto-Flowering Strains (Photoperiod vs Auto-Flowering)
• Should I “Top” or Train an Auto-Flowering Plant?
• What’s the best light schedule for auto-flowering strains?
• Nebula’s Auto-Flowering Grow Journal (Topping vs Natural)

Edibles

• Decarboxylation: How to Decarb Your Weed (crucial step for just about every edible recipe)
• Best Weed Butter Recipe
  • How to Make Great Brownies with Weed Butter
• Canna Caps
• How to Make Cannabis Gummies (Weed Gummy Bears)
• How to Make Cannabis Tinctures
• How to Make Hash Oil (aka Cannabis Extract Oil, Rick Simpson Oil, or RSO)

Extracts (No Solvents Used in Any Recipe)

• Solventless Extraction Showdown – Bubble Hash vs. Dry-Ice Hash!
• Dry Ice Hash (Made with Dry Ice)
• How to Make Bubble Hash (Made with Ice Water)
• How To Make Your Own Homemade Rosin (dabs)

And Lots More!

• How Long Does it Take to Grow Weed?
• Vegetative vs Flowering Stage (Long Days vs Long Nights)
• Germination & Seedling Mistakes
• Simple Guide to Plant Training
• What’s the Best Pot / Container?
• Perpetual Harvest
• What Determines Yields?
• 5 Time-Savers for Busy Growers
• Breeding Techniques
• 7 Gift Ideas for Cannabis Growers
• Grow Journals
• How long can I store nutrient water?
• What is High-Frequency Fertigation?
• Where is it legal to grow weed in the USA?
• See EVERYTHING on the Site!

Safety & Preparation

• Fire Protection in the Grow Room
• Electrical Safety Tips & Tricks
• Prepare Yourself for Growing Emergencies
• Stealth Growing Indoors: How to NOT get Caught Growing Weed

Just for Fun

• Weird or What? Cannabis Mutations & More!
• Creatures on Cannabis (Cute Photo Gallery)
• 10 Gift Ideas for Cannabis Growers

Submit Pics

• Submit Trophy Pictures of your Plants!
• How to Take Better Plant Pics
• How to Fix Yellow HPS Pics

Want More?

• Complete List of EVERYTHING on GWE  ← Full List (Over 500 articles & growing!)

Thanks for visiting! We hope our website helps you find the growing tutorials you were looking for. We’ve written hundreds of growing marijuana articles and unfortunately we can’t fit them all on this page, so we encourage you to use the search bar on the right side (or top of the page for mobile users) to search for articles you don’t see here.

Happy growing!
Nebula & Sirius

Use this “Navigation” page to find the pot growing topic you’re interested in, or click here to see every single page on the website!

The post Link Guide to Growing Cannabis Tutorials appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

Table of Contents

What Are the Benefits of Great Air Circulation?

Fans: Everything You Need to Know

• Small or Oscillating Fans
• Exhaust Fans (plus how to calculate CFM and which fans are quiet)

Temperature & Humidity Cheat Sheet

Deep Dive into Airflow & Exhaust Systems (transpiration, CO2 injection, suction, seals, and negative air pressure)

How to Control Smells

How to Set Up a Stealthy Exhaust System

How to Make a Hidden Window Exhaust (Examples)

• Fake AC Unit
• Wicker Blinds
• Homemade Fake Window

Cannabis plants love a nice breeze and fresh air. When growing cannabis indoors, you have the ability to control the air circulation and use your exhaust to create the perfect indoor environment for your garden that mimics the best parts of nature.

A good growing environment copies the best parts of nature. This tutorial will show you how to create happy cannabis plants with the perfect environment

This air circulation and exhaust tutorial teaches you how to recreate an environment that makes cannabis thrive, and as a bonus it’ll prevent some types of bugs and mold. By venting out the hot air from your grow lights and pulling in fresh air, you increase your cannabis plant’s speed of growth and yields. Good ventilation pays for itself.

Here are some important points about great air circulation…

Plants Love It

• Faster Growth, Bigger Yields – Plants in the right environment grow faster and produce more buds
• Temperature & Humidity Control – An exhaust system helps control the temperature and humidity levels in the grow area by venting out hot and humid air, while replacing it with fresh air. Fans within the grow area circulate the air to prevent hot or humid patches.
• Prevent Mold & Pests – Many molds and pests like stagnant air, high humidity, and heat. Fresh, cool air blowing over and under your plants will reduce the chance they attack your plants.
• Stronger Stems – A breezy environment strengthens stems so they’re less likely to droop and fall when buds get heavy.

During my first indoor cannabis grow, I didn’t pay much attention to air circulation or creating an exhaust. I had a fan blowing directly on my plants and thought I was good to go.

I found out that growing weed plants without any way to exhaust heat caused the grow area to become too hot and humid, even with small grow lights. This led to several issues, including root problems, white powdery mildew, and heat burn. It could have been much worse because these same conditions can also lead to bud rot, fungus gnats, spider mites, and other unpleasant guests in the grow room.

This grow tent was too hot for optimal growth. I added a cheap ducting fan to vent hot air out and the temperature came down several degrees. A huge improvement.

But there was still a major hot spot directly under the grow light. I added a lot of small fans in this grow space, which helped.

But as soon as I upgraded to a stronger exhaust fan, the inside of the tent turned into a wind tunnel (in fact I had to turn the fan down). I was able to get rid of the small fans and plants still got more than enough fresh air. Bonus: Connect a strong exhaust fan to a carbon filter and completely erase smells before the air gets vented out. With this setup, you can’t smell the plants even in the same room.

Once I started exhausting out air from my grow area, cannabis plants grew faster, and certain problems like persistent droopiness and inexplicable nutrient deficiencies disappeared. It made me realize how many indoor cannabis growers may be unintentionally hurting their plants and yields by missing a few key points about air circulation and creating an exhaust to vent out heat.

Tips for the Best Environment

• Blow Hot Air Out – When it comes to cooling, typically it’s far more effective to blow hot air out of the tent than to try to blow cool air in. Just like how a computer fan is always pointed out.
• Exhaust Fan is Most Important – Small fans in the grow area move air around, but can’t reduce the overall temperature or humidity. On the other hand, a good exhaust fan not only keeps the air moving, but vents hot air out and draws fresh air in. That means if you can only afford one type of fan, it’s better to get a good exhaust fan. Venting and air movement are both important, and a good exhaust fan can do both.
• Use Powerful Fans with Big Plants or Hot Grow Lights – Each leaf is constantly adding water vapor to the air and raising the humidity. If your grow space is full of plants, you need a strong breeze to move the humid air. Along the same line, the more heat produced by your grow lights, the more powerful the fans need to be to move all the heat.
• Erase Smells with a Carbon Filter – If you connect your exhaust fan to a carbon filter, the smells get filtered out of the air before they leave the grow space. This is the most common setup to keep your cannabis plants from stinking up the place.
• Exhaust Systems Can Be Cheap & Stealthy – There are cheap and stealthy ways to create a great ventilation system without a lot of time, money, or effort. You have more options than drilling holes or ducting, and many window exhaust options are undetectable from the outside. Learn how to make a stealthy exhaust!

A grow tent is an inexpensive sealed grow space with built-in holes to vent heat. With a strong exhaust fan pointing out, you don’t need any other fans to get excellent air circulation. This gives you more room in the grow space for your plants.

Looking for a quiet exhaust fan?

If noise is a concern, the AC Infinity Cloudline series fans are a great choice. They’re essentially silent on lower settings, and still pretty quiet at full power compared to traditional exhaust fans.

Make sure to get the right size. AC Infinity fans are quiet but also less powerful than regular exhaust fans like the CanMax. If in doubt, size up.

The AC Infinity Cloudline Series is the quietest exhaust fans we’ve used. In my experience…

• the 4″ version can handle up to a 2’x2’x5′ grow tent and 200W of light*
• the 6″ version can handle up to a 2’x4’x6′ grow tent and 400W of light*
• the 8″ version can handle up to a 4’x4’x7′ grow tent and 600W of light*

*when I used smaller sizes for these setups, the fans couldn’t keep tents cool enough when attached to a carbon filter.

Air Circulation

Air circulation (the way air moves around in your grow space) is an important ingredient in creating a perfect growing environment for your cannabis. Indoor growers strive to create a better-than-nature environment for their plants. The way that air moves has a surprisingly big effect on how your plants will grow.

In nature, cannabis plants thrive in a gentle breeze

Why is Air Circulation Important?

Indoor cannabis plants are normally grown in a relatively sealed environment such as a closet, tent, or room dedicated to growing. The lack of wind indoors can cause some problems compared to growing outside. Outside, in ideal conditions, there’s a breeze flowing through plants, giving them fresh air and strengthening stems. Photosynthesis requires CO2, and a steady supply of fresh air helps cannabis grow faster. Air movement protects plants from certain pests and molds.

Benefits of good air circulation and an exhaust system include…

• Protection against mold, bud rot, and white powdery mildew

• Some protection from pests like fungus gnats and spider mites

• Stems get stronger due to bending & swaying (like in nature)

• Better heat & humidity control for faster growth and bigger yields

Reduce Chance of Mold, Bud Rot & White Powdery Mildew

As air blows over the leaves, it carries away moisture released during transpiration. This allows your plants to drink more water (and pull in more nutrients) at the roots. This regular removal of moisture on the leaves also greatly lowers your chance of running into mold, bud rot, or white powdery mildew.

Protects Cannabis Against Spider Mites & Fungus Gnats

Air flowing over the plants and soil fights against nasty garden pests like spider mites and fungus gnats by making it hard to fly and drying out the top layer of soil.

Spider mites and fungus gnats both love stagnant air and have trouble living in a strong breeze. A breeze also creates a lot of air circulation over the plant containers, which keeps the top layer of soil relatively dry. Dry topsoil makes it hard for pests like fungus gnats to breed (moist topsoil creates a perfect breeding ground for molds & fungus gnats).

Whether growing inside or outside, growers with a nice breeze blowing over their plants and soil tend to get less pests.

Temperature & Humidity Control

Great air circulation combined with an exhaust system helps disperse water vapor and heat evenly throughout the grow space. Small oscillating fans blowing above and below the plant canopy helps equalize the air so there are no hot or humid spots.

An exhaust system ensures that all the air in the grow space is replaced regularly, so plants stay cool, get a fresh supply of CO2, and live in the right humidity. It’s important for plants to be exposed to fresh, moving air for the best growth rates. Learn more about temperature and humidity.

Strengthens Stems

A nice breeze strengthens stems by allowing them to bend and sway like in nature. This builds up the strength of stems over time, which comes in handy when plants start to get big and heavy from buds.

Placing Fans In The Grow Area

Many indoor cannabis growers use small fans to blow air around within the grow area. This creates a nice, breezy environment that cannabis plants love. If your temperature and humidity is under control with your grow lights on, small fans are all you need.

Placing Fans

• Ideally, you’d like a nice breeze surrounding the main canopy, which means you want air blowing above and under the plants.

• Don’t point a strong fan directly at plants because too much wind can damage the leaves and stems. Sometimes you get the best air movement by pointing fans directly at the wall. This disperses the breeze so it’s not too strong.

• After placing fans, gaze around the grow area to make sure that all parts are getting a slight breeze. If you feel stagnant air or a lack or breeze, you may want to adjust your fans.

• Small oscillating fans provide a breeze to a relatively wide area without blowing on any one part too long.

Be Careful! Too Much Wind Causes Clawed Leaves

When there’s too much breeze, the affected leaves will start getting “wind-burned.”

Wind-burned leaves are often curved under and form “claws.” They can look like they’re droopy from overwatering, underwatering, or possibly a nitrogen toxicity, but you know you’ve got wind-burn when the leaves in front of the fan are making claws while leaves further away from the fan look fine.

Just for reference, here’s what too much wind/fan looks like!

Too Much Fan!

Choosing the Right Exhaust Fan & Exhaust System Tutorial

Even when you’re not worried about heat, it’s still important to regularly replace all the air in the grow area, which means you need a way to vent out old air. An exhaust system uses fans and often ducting to move hot and humid air out of the grow space.

Designing an efficient exhaust system will be much simpler if you take the time to understand airflow in a room – the whole idea of setting up an exhaust system is to create negative airflow in the grow space or grow tent so that any hot air is regularly replaced with new, fresh cool air.

All the air in the tent should be replaced by new air every 1-3 minutes for the best results. I recommend aiming to replace the air every one minute unless you live in a cool place. You can calculate the strength of the exhaust fan you need based on the dimensions of your grow space.

In order to move air out of the tent and vent it outside, you need to use at least one strong fan as part of your exhaust system.

How to Calculate Exhaust Fan Strength

In the US, most exhaust fans have a “CFM” rating. This means “cubic feet per minute” and is talking about how much air the fan can move each minute. It’s important to get a fan with the correct CFM rating for your size space.

In addition to CFM, there are 3 sizes that exhaust fans come in as far as diameter (how wide the fan is). They usually come in 4”, 6” or 8”. Generally it’s recommended to get a 6” for most setups since most air-cooled hoods and ducting have a 6” opening. You can also use converters if you need to convert a 6” hold to a 4” fan. 8” fans are usually used for more high-powered grows.

Here’s a short equation to help you roughly determine what CFM rating you need for your fan in your space.

How to calculate CFM needed

1. Determine the cubic area of your space by multiplying Length x Width x Height. You want to exhaust this amount of air at least once a minute.

2. Exhaust Efficiency –  Every exhaust system has some level of inefficiency, which will lower the amount of air being moved by the fan. This step tells you how much extra air-moving power is needed to compensate. In an efficient exhaust system, air goes in a short, straight line after passing through the fan. An inefficient path is when air has to go a long way after leaving the fan, or if the air has to go around turns instead of being in a straight line, or if it has to go through a carbon filter. This step will help make sure your fan is moving enough air to properly ventilate your space.
   • Efficient path / No Carbon Filter- multiply previous number by 3
   • Inefficient path / Carbon Filter- multiply previous number by 5

3. Pick your fan. Inline exhaust fans are measured by CFM (cubic feet/minute), so you need a fan that has a CFM higher than the number you figured out in the last step. However, not all CFMs are equal. If something is listed as a “Booster” fan, it typically is no nearly as strong as an inline exhaust fan with a similar CFM.

Fan CFM Rating Table
(here are some examples of possible setups using the equation above to figure out CFM)

* Of course fans don’t come in these sizes, so round to the closest fan size available.

You’ll generally need a higher CFM rating if your grow space tends to get hot or humid, and it’s usually better to get an exhaust fan that is too big than one that is too little since you can turn it down if necessary.

For example, I used the following exhaust fan in my 2’x4’x5′ tent with a 250W HPS. It’s stronger than I needed by far, and I usually have it set to Speed 1 or 2, but it’s better to have too much airflow than not enough. There have definitely been times, such as during heat waves, where I’ve turned it up all the way to control the temperature.

Some fans are very strong, like this Can Max 6-inch inline fan with 334 CFM. This is the fan I use and I’m very pleased with it even in smaller tents like the 2’x4’x5′. If you get an extra strong fan with a variable speed controller, it means that you can turn the power of the fan up or down at will. This can come in handy if you have a heat wave. For an extra investment, you get a lot more power. This fan has a 201 CFM “low” setting, which uses about ~60W watts, a “medium” 264 CFM setting, and a “high” 334 CFM setting which uses about 75W of electricity.

Avoid “Booster” fans like the one below. I’ve used them before because they are just so cheap (often only around $25 brand new), and the truth is they are better than nothing. BUT, they use a surprising amount of electricity considering how little airflow you get, and you can’t really trust the strength of their CFM ratings. The following 6″ Booster fan uses 37W of electricity for “240 CFM” and yet the airflow is extremely weak compared to the Can Max fan above on its “201 CFM” low setting.

When do you need a booster fan? Most indoor growers with hobbyist-size setups won’t ever need to do this, but if the exhausted air has to travel a long way after going through your fan before it’s vented outside (for example the air has to go through several feet of curved ducting after passing through the fan), a single exhaust fan might not be enough. You may need booster fans along the way to keep the air moving especially around long stretches or tight turns.

Bigger Grow Lights Need Bigger Fans

HPS grow lights are known for producing a lot of heat. This 600W HPS grow light needed a powerful exhaust fan but I was able to keep it cool and breezy with a Can Max 6-inch 334 CFM inline fan.

I quickly need to dispel the common myth that LEDs don’t produce any heat. Although LEDs are known to run cool, even ultra-efficient LEDs produce significant heat at higher wattages. The electricity use of a grow light hints at the amount of heat it will produce. If one grow light draws 300W from the wall, it will generally produce significantly more heat than a grow light that pulls 200W from the wall, regardless of the type of grow light. In other words, power draw from the wall is a rough indicator of the heat to expect from a grow light whether it’s CFLs, LEDs, HPS, or CMH/LECs.

These plants grew under 600W of LEDs (the same electricity as the 600W HPS above) and grown in the same grow tent. Although they produce less heat than the HPS, they still make the tent hot enough that I used the same size exhaust fan. The heat reduction wasn’t enough to allow me to go down a fan size.

If you’re concerned about heat, pay attention to the real power draw when shopping for grow lights.

NOTE: When using a powerful exhaust fan, hang the fan from the top bars inside of your tent to help keep it quiet. If you set a fan on top of your grow tent it will make it sound a lot louder. Learn more about setting up a grow tent for cannabis.

Hang your exhaust fan from inside the tent to help reduce noise

The AC Infinity Cloudline Series are the quietest exhaust fans we’ve used so far.

In my experience…

• the 4″ version can handle up to a 2’x2’x5′ grow tent and 200W of light*
• the 6″ version can handle up to a 2’x4’x6′ grow tent and 400W of light*
• the 8″ version can handle up to a 4’x4’x7′ grow tent and 600W of light*

*when I used smaller sizes for these setups, the fans couldn’t keep tents cool enough when attached to a carbon filter.

When in doubt, it’s usually better to get a bigger exhaust fan than you need, as long as you can adjust the fan speed. You can always turn down the fan if it’s moving too much air. You could also use a speed controller or put the fan on a timer if the exhaust fan is moving air out of your space too fast. There are often times during a grow where it’s helpful to be able to move more air, so size up if you can when it comes to exhaust fans.

In addition to the exhaust fans above, these are two more examples of suitable choices for exhaust fans. These are loud but very effective:

• 4-Inch Exhaust Fan – 195 CFM <– You need a separate speed controller to change the speed of this fan since one is not already built-in.
• 6-Inch Exhaust Fan – 440 CFM <– Not as high quality as my trusty Can Max 6-inch 334 CFM fan listed above (which I prefer), but it’s quite a bit cheaper

This 4-inch exhaust fan is good for small tents with up to ~200W grow light (true power draw)

This 6-inch exhaust fan is good for 4’x4’x7′ tents with up to ~600W grow light (true power draw)

A cheap ducting fan may have a high CFM rating (this 6″ duct fan says it moves 240 CFM) but they don’t have enough power to move a lot of air. If a fan looks like this, it’s going to be much weaker than you’d think from the CFM rating.

Don’t get this type of exhaust fan if you can afford something better!

Passive Intake

A passive intake means that you have a hole for cool air to get in, but aren’t using an intake fan to help bring in extra fresh air.

With every passive intake, make sure your intake holes are in total 3-4 times bigger than your exhaust hole to achieve proper suction and prevent your fan from working too hard blowing out air it can’t replace. You can also help bring air in by having more than one passive intake hole. In other words, the holes/spaces for new air to come in (vents, intake fans, doors, windows) should be bigger than the hole/space where the air is being pulled out of the tent by your exhaust fan.

Active Intake

An active intake simply means that you’re using an extra fan to intake more air. So in addition to your exhaust fan, you also have a fan at your intake hole blowing air in. With an active intake, it’s not as important to have a huge intake hole, since the intake fan will help replace the air. An active intake is often a good idea if your intake hole is the same size as your exhaust hole, or if your exhaust fan is struggling to move all the air.

Keep your grow tent closed if using an exhaust fan. Opening the tent reduces suction and actually prevents the fan from being able to pull the hot air out.

Easy “Exhaust System” Example (No Ducting)

A lot of people want to grow a lot of cannabis but are not willing to install ducting or make a real exhaust system. I understand why – most exhaust systems do not look “stealthy.” Ducting looks incredibly out of place in the home environment. But here’s how to control heat for relatively smaller grows.

Main Idea: Vent hot air directly into the room, then use a window fan to blow it outside

What You Need

• Relatively small grow light (under 300W)

• Access to a window (for example a grow tent in a bedroom)

• Exhaust fan – An exhaust fan that matches your grow light and grow space (examples above)

• Window Fan – I use the Bionaire BW2300 Twin Window Fan because it moves a lot of air and actually fits my huge windows. Another option is the Holmes Dual 8″ Blade Twin Window Fan. Any strong fan that fits your window will work.

A small grow tent provides a great growing environment for smaller grow lights but doesn’t look too suspicious. A few people have seen this grow tent and didn’t mention it.

Here’s what you do (it’s easy)

1. Set up your grow tent with grow light inside

2. Install your exhaust fan at the top of your tent, blowing air out. Make sure there’s an intake hole for new air to get in. The intake hole should ideally be bigger than your exhaust, and should be located on the bottom of the tent on the opposite side of your exhaust fan. This isn’t always possible, but ensures the best results. Most grow tents already have a suitable intake hole, so this is another reason I like grow tents – less work needed on your part to make a good environment for your plants

3. Install window fan blowing air out in the same room as the tent. This window fan will only be effective if the room has an intake hole, just like your grow space. For example, you could open the door to a cooler room or hallway. If it’s cool outside you could open another window in the same room, though be aware if bugs can get in. Basically, there just needs to be a source of cool fresh air to get sucked in when the window fan blows hot air out. In some cases with certain window and room setups, for example if you don’t have a good source of cool fresh air indoors, you might find it more effective to have the window fan pointing in. Experiment if you’re having trouble. Sometimes small changes make a big difference.

This may not be a permanent solution, but it gets the air moving through the tent and keeps the air moving out of the house. You’re basically building an exhaust system without the ducting. It’s not as efficient as using ducting, but for a lot of growers with just a few plants, it’s all that’s needed to control temps in the grow room and tent. As long as it’s cooler outside than inside, the window fan will cool down the room.

This window fan is a “Bionaire BW2300 Twin Window Fan” but any strong window fan will work. They’re available in hardware stores, Best Buy, Walmart, and on Amazon.com. They have extenders so they’ll fit any window snugly, without gaps on either side.

What about smells? All the normal techniques used to control smells will work for this system. The best option to control odors is to create an exhaust system that gives your tent good suction/negative air pressure. Then have your air pass through a good carbon filter just before going through the fan and leaving the tent. With a good strong exhaust system and a quality carbon filter, this will prevent smells in the bedroom or outside except when you actually open the tent. Learn more about carbon filters and controlling smells

Now for growers with bigger grow lights, such as 400W and greater, usually a more robust exhaust system is needed to keep lights cool if the grow space isn’t naturally cool.

Temperature & Humidity Control Cheat Sheet

1.) What is the temperature and humidity where the plants are? If the plants are experiencing temperatures above 85°F (30°C) or humidity above 60%…

• You need to vent air out of the grow space and replace with fresh cool air (full tutorial below)
• Remember that the inside of the space near the grow light is always going to be a few degrees warmer than the room. No amount of fans can make the grow space cooler than the temperature of the room itself
• That means if the room itself is getting warm, you need to find a way to cool the room before you can achieve a cooler grow space

2.) What is the overall temperature and humidity of the grow room? If the grow room feels hot or humid, you can either…

• Vent air out and replace with cool fresh air (for example venting out a window), or
• Use equipment that will actually change the overall temperature/humidity
  • Air Conditioner (AC) – Lowers Temperature, Lowers Humidity
  • Swamp cooler (Evaporative Cooler) – Lowers Temperature, Raises Humidity
  • Dehumidifier or Heater – Raises Temperature, Lowers humidity
  • Humidifier – Raises Temperature, Raises Humidity

Transpiration – Leaves Adds Humidity to the Air

When it comes to air circulation and exhaust, humidity is something you need to pay attention to in addition to temperature.

Leaves are constantly giving off water vapor into the air; in fact, that’s how the plants bring up water from the ground. As the water transpires through the leaves, it pulls up more water from the roots like a straw.

This is known as “transpiration.” Transpiration is a process where leaves give off water vapor. That means that the humidity will always be rising in your grow area unless you find a way to vent that humid air out (or use a dehumidifier to remove the extra moisture).

Transpiration happens via the stomata, little pores that are located on the leaves of the plant. Stomata let oxygen and carbon dioxide in for photosynthesis, while letting water vapor out. A closeup of a single stoma from a tomato plant is pictured to the right.

Plants will open and close the stomata based on the environment. Stomata generally are open during the day and are much smaller at night (when there’s no photosynthesis happening and no need for CO2). Stomata get smaller when the air or roots get dry, which helps the plant stop losing water. By maintaining the proper humidity, your plants grow faster and healthier.

Stomata get bigger when there’s bright light and high humidity since leaves need air for photosynthesis and the plant isn’t “worried” about losing too much water vapor in humid conditions. Because stomata must be open as part of the photosynthesis process, it also means that photosynthesis stops when the plant gets too dry.

Stomata must be open for transpiration to happen, so when the stomata are closed the plant has a hard time taking up water and nutrients through the roots. When there’s too much water in the plant, sometimes the stomata can’t let enough water vapor out, which is part of what causes the symptoms of being overwatered.

Plant leaves can’t get access to CO2 and constantly lose water when the stomata are open, so the plant can’t take in CO2 without also letting water vapor out.

So what you need to remember is that leaves are constantly adding humidity to the air. It’s important to remove this humidity from the grow area if the humidity climbs too high, or it can set up conditions that cause mold, bud rot and powdery mildew.

• To Lower Humidity – Vent out humid air via an exhaust system – the humidity will drop (as long as the new air is less humid)

• To Raise Humidity – Plants can usually adjust to low humidity but if it’s really dry you can turn down the exhaust fan to help raise humidity. Typically, once plants get bigger they’ll be giving off enough water vapor that you don’t need to worry about too-low humidity.

• Large plants raise humidity fast – Small plants don’t put off a lot of water vapor, but larger plants have a lot of leaves releasing water vapor into the air, causing the humidity to rise quickly unless the humid air is being vented out. Remember that most of the water you’re giving to your plants is being released into the air of your grow space, so you need to find a way to get that humidity out, especially in the flowering stage when high humidity can lead to bud rot.

• Dehumidifiers and humidifiers can help control the humidity when an exhaust system isn’t enough

Aim to keep humidity at these levels…

How to control humidity in the grow room: https://www.growweedeasy.com/humidity

CO2 Injection Requires a Sealed Grow Space

In order to use CO2, it’s important to completely seal up the grow room. CO2 is only effective at very high amounts, and you need a sealed grow space to get the concentrations up high enough to benefit plants.

More importantly, CO2 is dangerous to humans at the levels that are recommended for plants. Sealing the grow area is incredibly important to prevent CO2 from leaking into the home.

Learn more about how to use CO2 here: https://www.growweedeasy.com/co2

Suction, Seals & Negative Air Pressure

As far as seals, it’s important that you seal the entire exhaust system after air passes through the exhaust fan. This helps keep the exhaust system efficient. If you’re using a carbon filter, this also makes sure that all air passes over your filter before being vented out of the grow space. A sealed exhaust system along with a carbon filter will prevent smells from escaping outside.

Negative air pressure is something you can create to keep smells from escaping the grow room, so you don’t have smells leaking into the rest of your home..

In order to create negative air pressure, you seal the grow space except for the intake and exhaust holes, which creates suction when you turn on the exhaust fan.

In other words, suction is what you create with seals and negative air pressure.

When your grow tent is bending in from the exhaust fan, it means you’ve got good suction going in there and have created negative airflow. You can also check by burning incense near the intake hole; if the smoke is moving straight to the intake hole you know that you’ve got good negative air pressure bringing fresh air inside.

When you’re in an open grow space without suction like a room or closet, there are not as many universal principles. You may have to experiment with a few different exhaust system setups until you find the best way to manage heat.

Controlling Smells With Your Exhaust

The best way to control smells in the grow room is to use a carbon filter. It is the only method of controlling smells that I recommend for everyone, because it is the most effective and can actually completely scrub smells from the air so they never escape the grow area, either inside or outside the home.

But when using a carbon filter, the way you set up your exhaust is important. Most importantly, the air from the grow area should pass through the filter and be brought straight outside. It needs to completely air-tight after air passes over the filter.

You can set things up a few different ways:

• Carbon Filter (inside) > Air-Cooled Grow Light > Exhaust Fan
• Carbon Filter (inside) > Exhaust Fan 
• Exhaust Fan (inside tent) > Carbon Filter (outside tent)

Important: The Carbon filter needs to be either at the beginning or the end of the line to be effective at reducing smells.  Here are examples of effective carbon filter setups.

Example of carbon filter with air-cooled hood (old fashioned). Note: This worked but the system would be much more efficient with shorter ducting (the longer the air has to travel, the less efficient the system)

Air-cooled hoods are much less common these days. In that case, connect the carbon filter directly to the fan.

Here are some examples:

Carbon filter inside, Fan outside

Carbon filter inside behind light, fan in port

Same setup from a different view. This allows you to move even a big hood almost to the top of the grow space.

An example with an LED grow light

If you’re using a carbon scrubber, it’s important that all air from the grow room goes through the carbon filter before it gets outside. If there are air leaks at any point in the system, smells will escape and the system won’t efficiently cool. By ensuring an airtight exhaust with good suction in the tent, you’ll prevent smells from making it outside or inside the house.

Learn more about controlling smells in the grow room: https://www.growweedeasy.com/how-to-control-smell-when-growing

How to Create a Stealthy Exhaust System

The carbon filter (to scrub smells) isn’t needed in all setups, but the principle for all exhaust systems is the same: Intake cool air and vent out hot air.

What you need:

• Grow Tent (or any sealed grow space with a way to hold up lights and carbon filter)
• Rope Ratchets to hang grow light and carbon filter (usually comes with your grow light, but it’s nice to have extras)
• Grow Light – compare cannabis grow lights
• Exhaust Fan – discover which fan is right for your space
• 6″ Ducting with Ducting Clamps (if you plan on using ducting)
• Carbon Filter (if you want to prevent smells from leaking out of your grow tent) – learn about carbon filters
• A way to hide exhaust vent from outside (if needed, explained below)

Step 1: Set up your grow tent

Step 2: Install both fan and carbon filter(if you plan to use one). These items are often tough to install after the grow light, so get these parts in place before you go to the next step

Step 3: Install your grow lights in the tent with rope ratchets. Don’t plug in anything until you’re about to start growing.

Step 4: Inside the grow tent, connect everything with ducting if desired.

Step 5: Outside the grow tent, install ducting to bring air from fan to exit outside. Use ducting to connect the exit port on your fan to wherever you’re going to exhaust hot air. Try to create a short, straight path that’s as air-tight as possible until air is safely outside.

Step 6: Ensure an intake hole is open so new fresh air can enter the tent. Also make sure that there’s a window or door open in the grow room so fresh air can come inside to replace the hot air being vented out.

The following exhaust system ideas take heat from the grow light and vent it directly out a window with ducting

Tip: Make sure there is no extra slack in the ducting if possible. you will need extra ducting to be able to adjust your lights, but use something like binder clips or chip clips to bunch together extra ducting.

Keeping a straight path that air has to go through will help make the whole exhaust system more efficient.

If things are getting too cold in the grow area (for example in winter months), you can exhaust the heat back into the grow room to help warm things up, or you could turn down the overall air being moved by your fan by putting it on a timer or using a fan speed controller. Some growers even exhaust the heat into the house in the winter for free heating.

Building a Stealthy Exhaust

The next big problem is that a lot of people want to be able to exhaust their hot air without anyone being able to tell from the outside.

Here are some ideas for setting up a stealthy exhaust in a window that looks completely normal from the outside while allowing air to pass through easily.

Fake window AC unit – Use window kit to disguise the exhaust from a grow area.

This method takes advantage of the fact that portable air conditioners come with a special window kit that fits into most windows. This looks completely normal from the outside.

A portable AC usually looks something like this. Notice the classy window fitting.

You can buy a replacement window kit and install it in your window. It has a hole to vent air outside, but looks like you just have an AC. While most ducting won’t fit it without extra help, you can use adhesive foam to help the ducting make an air-tight fit with the exit hole.

What You Need

• Window kit for a portable AC
• Adhesive foam, duct tape or hot glue to connect ducting to window kit
• A way to blackout the rest of your window (for example blackout curtains that don’t let light through but look like regular curtains)

Here’s an example of a window kit available on Amazon.com

This is what a fake portable AC vent looks like in your window from the inside

Wicker Blinds to Hide Exhaust

Having trouble finding a cheap & easy way to stealthily exhaust out hot air from your grow tent? I used a combination of the following items to create an awesome exhaust system for about $45 (just add your fan).

This method takes advantage of the fact that wicker blinds do not allow anyone to see in, but they do allow air to pass in and out.

Wicker blinds offer privacy but still allows air to pass through

What You Need.

• wicker blinds that fit your window
• foam about the size of your window (usually cheaper to buy in person at a hardware store like Lowes or Home Depot)
• corrugated plastic sheet about the same size as your window (also known as “Twinwall Plastic Sheet” or “fluted polypropylene sheet” or “plastic cardboard sheet”). This is often cheaper to buy in person since you can only buy packs of them online. This item can be replaced with another sturdy backing material like wood since you are using this to give structure to the foam, but corrugated plastic is simple to work with and can easily be cut with sharp scissors or a box cutter (no special tools needed).
• duct tape
• 6″ ducting (should match the width of your fan, but the most common exhaust fan size is 6″)
• super glue or hot glue (with any glue, it’s a good idea to read the directions even if you’re already familiar as they sometimes have helpful hints and tips for different types of surfaces)
• staple gun

*All these items can be found at a home improvement store, as they are common items for upgrading around the house

First, hang the wicker blinds in your window like normal. Air can escape through these blinds, but you can’t see through them to the other side. They are commonly used in bedrooms and other windows that lead into private areas.

I bought a huge sheet of foam and glued (super glue and hot glue for best results) it to a sheet of corrugated plastic. You can buy both these items for a few bucks at a home improvement store like Home Depot.

Next, use some ducting to trace a round, duct-sized hole on the foam/plastic. Note: Cut out the duct-sized hole in the foam/corrugated plastic near the top of where it will be mounted. Remember, heat rises, so having the air exit near the top of the window is most efficient.

Run the ducting through the hole you cut, and right up to the wicker blinds. The ducting should be butted up against the wicker blinds so that heat escapes directly outside (since it will be able to pass through the blinds easily). Use duct tape to hold the foam/plastic in place, then use more duct tape to hold the ducting in place. At the end, after everything is placed and you’re happy with how everything looks, you will use a staple gun to staple all your duct tape in place, but don’t worry about that yet.

I also used duct tape to secure the foam to the window because it’s cheap, easy to use, and is very durable when combined with staples.

Normally you want to ensure ducting is as straight as possible, but in this case, make sure that the ducting bends a little during its path. The bends act as a “light trap” to prevent light from being visible behind the wicker blinds.

Use a staple gun to reinforce anywhere you use duct tape, including where the ducting goes through the hole you made in the foam.

I like using foam + corrugated plastic because it’s inexpensive and easy to cut the hole for the exhaust. Having the foam/plastic combo in the window increases the suction in the room so more hot air is vented out and blocks light (no light gets in or out). As an added bonus, the foam dramatically reduces the noise of the fan (so you can just barely hear it even when you’re standing right outside the window).

Awesome Homemade Fake Window

Sent in by a reader named Ray. Love this idea!

This grower needed an entry and exit hole in this window, which is why there are two holes cut out. The hole at the top is going to become the exhaust port to vent out hot air. The hole at the bottom will be how new fresh air enters the grow space.

With a small entry hole like this, the grower would need an intake fan to help move air into the grow space. If this were just a passive intake (no intake fan), then the intake hole should be about 4 times the size of the exit hole. This helps prevent the exhaust fan from working too hard, and will cool the area more efficiently.

This next picture shows the side that will become the front (outward-facing) part of the fake window. This setup allows air to pass in and out freely but blocks light from both sides.

After adding some fake curtains, this secret window exhaust is really starting to come together.

Here’s what that window looks like from the inside when it’s been hooked up. The heat exhaust is on top while the intake is on the bottom.

Completely undetectable from the outside. No one would ever give this window a second glance.

From the grower: “I prefer to use mini blinds, but these curtains were all I had at the time.”

Jump to…

Secrets to Stealthy Growing

How to Control Smells

Choosing the Right Grow Light

MH/HPS Grow Light Tutorial

The post Air Circulation & Exhaust Tutorial appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

A lot of cannabis growers are worried about the odor of flowering (budding) cannabis plants, and may be trying to avoid letting smells leak out of the grow room.

Many of you may have heard of “ONA Gel” or other ONA products.

ONA products don’t just cover up smells, they actually get rid of them permanently!

ONA products are regularly used at dispensaries to cover up the smell of cannabis.

ONA products are powerful stuff and they work incredibly well at neutralizing smells in your living areas, but I wanted to warn you about one thing…

Never let ONA products share air with your flowering cannabis plants! ONA products are so strong they do not have to physically touch your buds in order to have a permanent effect on their taste and smell.

If air which has been treated with ONA Gel comes in contact with your buds for a significant amount of time, the treated air will begin to permanently change the taste/smell of the buds (giving them a perfume-like smell and taste). This happens even if the ONA and cannabis buds never touch each other.

If ONA Gel is kept in your tent or grow room throughout the entire flowering stage, the effect can be overwhelming and buds may smell like ONA Gel or taste like perfume or chemicals after harvest.

This is because the ONA gel actually binds to smells instead of covering them up. Smells are permantly changed when they come in contact with ONA products. The perfume smell seems to actually become “attached” to your buds, and there’s no way to get rid of it at that point, even after months of curing.

Don’t use ONA products near your plants in the flowering stage unless you want buds that smell like perfume and taste like chemicals.

Febreeze too! Any type of “odor neutralizer” can have the same effect. Even if you never get any ON your plants, the buds can still be affected if they share the same air. Although ONA offers some of the strongest and most effective products on the market (and therefore ONA seems to have the greatest effect), you shouldn’t be using any other odor neutralizers anywhere near your grow room either.

What Exactly Is ONA Gel?

The ONA formulations have been around for a long time – initial development began over 25 years ago. The scientist who is credited with inventing the first forms of ONA gel noticed that when terpenes were released into the air, strong smells were reduced.

More development created formulations that not only masked smells, but permanently removed them from the air.

“AiR8” is the term to describe ONA gel when it’s used for industrial or commercial applications (for example to neutralize smells in sewer plants). The basic formulation is the same – AiR8 is used by big businesses, while ONA products are packaged and sold to individual consumers or small business who want to permanently remove smells.

According to Odorchem Manufacturing Corp., the people who make ONA: “This hydroscopic polymer has been saturated with a water-based formulation of active ingredients in order to slowly release into the air. AIR8 GEL is NOT a MASKING AGENT. It is a permanent solution for the treatment of numerous odors.” Learn More About The Science Behind ONA (aka AiR8)

Here are the 3 mechanisms used by ONA products to get rid of odors:

1. Absorption: retains the smell through absorption
2. Adsorption: collects and holds on the smell
3. Chemical Reaction (The “Pairs” Theory) — This is probably the most problematic part of ONA products for cannabis growers. The chemical reaction caused by ONA gel involves the permanent bonding of the odorous molecule (VOC) and the ONA active ingredients. This mechanism transforms the original smell from what it was into something new. As a result, the original odor disappears, to be replaced with a new molecule that is meant to smell like ONA gel.

How Cannabis Growers Can Properly Use ONA Gel

If you’re going to use ONA Gel to cover up smells that are being exhausted out a window, make sure the ONA gel is an actual part of the exhaust (air blows over ONA on the way out to neutralize the smells, so no ONA air ever comes in contact with your plants).

If you’re worried about smells in the home, it is recommended you keep ONA products in your living areas (or otherwise outside the grow room). For example. ONA gel can be placed in your living room or hallways to make sure the smell of cannabis does not leak into your living areas.

The main idea is to prevent ONA products from ever sharing air with your buds.

There Are Better Ways to Cover Up Smells!

If you can afford it (and have room), I definitely recommend installing a carbon scrubber as part of your exhaust system to neutralize smells as the hot air escapes out your exhaust hole. With a carbon scrubber, there’s zero worry about affecting the smell/taste of your buds.

Carbon scrubbers will pull scents out of the air, so exhaust air smells neutral, but carbon scrubbers don’t permanently alter smells the way that ONA products can. A carbon scrubber also lasts a lot longer than a single package of ONA gel.

As long as you make sure there’s enough suction in the tent from the exhaust fan (tent should be bowing inwards slightly), no smelly air will be able to escape. It won’t just protect the air coming from your exhaust, if set up properly it will also prevent smelly air from leaking out of the grow room into your living areas.

For example, with the carbon filter and negative air pressure set up in my grow tent, I can’t even smell the flowering plants in my grow room until I actually open up the tent.

Learn More About Carbon scrubbers

How to Make an Effective Exhuast System

Conclusion: ONA for living spaces only!

A few readers have written in who unfortunately used ONA gel in their tents during their cannabis plant’s flowering stage, and they had to find out the hard way that it changes the smell and taste of their buds…

Hopefully this Public Service Announcement will prevent that from happening to you!

Better Taste, Better Smell – Produce The Best Buds You Can!

Bring Out the Natural Taste and Smell of Your Buds

Next harvest, want to make sure your cannabis plants produce buds with the best taste and smell possible?

The following article will teach you exactly what you need to do to maximize the natural taste and smell of your cannabis buds.

In addition to learning about everything you can do to increase smells, you can also learn how to avoid common mistakes (like using ONA Gel too close to your plants) that can get in the way of your goals!

Better Taste, Better Smell: What Growers Need to Know

Jump to…

Learn How Terpenes Affects the Taste & Smell of Buds

Set Up Exhuast System with Carbon Scrubber

7 Tips to Growing Top-Shelf Buds

Indoor Grow Light Upgrade Guide

The post PSA: Don’t use ONA to control smells IN the grow room appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

Table of Contents

Introduction: How to Grow Cannabis That Smells Great

5 Common Reasons Buds Smell or Taste Bad

1. Improper Drying Technique: Learn How to Prevent “Hay Smell”
2. Mold: Avoid Harsh Buds that Taste Bad
3. Bacteria: Ammonia, Sweet, and Rotting Smells
4. Heat: Invisible Killer of Smell, Taste, & Potency
5. Stuff On (or In) Your Buds: Pesticides, Foliar Sprays, Too Many Nutrients, etc.

9 Ways to Make Weed Smell Better (Maximize weed smell)

1. Use the Right Nutrients & Supplements
2. Which Grow Light? (hint: UV light helps)
3. Grow in “Living” Soil (Super Soil)
4. Flowering Temperature & Humidity
5. “Flush” Plants Before Harvest
6. Harvest at the Right Time
7. Dry & Cure Buds (CRUCIAL – don’t skip this!)
8. NO Scent Neutralizers
9. Start with the Right Genetics

List of Strains that Smell Amazing

Introduction: How to Grow Cannabis That Smells Great

Do you want to improve the smell of your cannabis? Ready to defeat “hay smell” for good? When it comes to homegrown cannabis, the smell of your buds contributes greatly to the overall perceived quality. Just like how food tastes better when it smells great, producing buds with a great smell can greatly improve the overall experience. In addition to strains with “common” weed smells like diesel and skunk, there are also strains that produce exotic fruity and sweet smells like pineapple, blueberry, or chocolate. We’re even learning that certain combinations of terpenes (which cause the smell of cannabis) can change or increase the perceived potency.

This tutorial will teach you how to grow buds that smell incredible

Unfortunately, many marijuana growers, new and experienced, are unintentionally making mistakes that prevent buds from smelling their best. The most common reason is growers accidentally giving their buds a bad smell through some kind of mistake. The next most common reason is poor growing practices that prevent buds from living up to their potential. Lastly, some strains just produce low smells or bad smells due to their genetics.

Summary: The Main Reasons for Low or Bad Cannabis Smell

• Grower mistakes that directly cause a bad smell (especially during the drying and curing process)
• Poor growing practices that prevent buds from reaching their full potential
• Genetics that produce either a low or unpleasant smell (many strains smell like a skunk and some even have tinges of cat pee)

This tutorial will teach you how to stop bad smells and increase the natural smell of your cannabis buds. We’ll also show you how to achieve a more complex and appealing smell overall. You’ll learn not only what to do, but just as importantly you’ll learn what not to do!

Each cannabis strain has its own unique smell. Learn how to stop bad smells and increase their natural scent using the tips below

How to Fix 5 Common Problems that Ruin Bud Smell

1. Proper Drying Technique: How to Prevent “Hay Smell”
2. Mold: Avoid Harsh Buds that Taste Bad
3. Bacteria: Ammonia, Sweet, and Rotting Smells
4. Heat: Invisible Killer of Smell, Taste, & Potency
5. Stuff On (or In) Your Buds: Pesticides, Chemicals, Foliar Sprays, etc.

Proper Air Drying Technique: How to Prevent “Hay Smell” or “Chlorophyll Smell”

What causes the dreaded cannabis “hay smell”? This is one of the biggest complaints new growers have when they start growing their own weed. Typically their plants smell like normal weed during the flowering stage, but buds lose their “weed smell” during or after the drying process. The resulting buds often smell like wet hay, fresh-cut grass, or some cannabis growers describe it as “Chlorophyll Smell”.

“Why does my cannabis smell like hay?” is one of the most common beginner growing questions. The problem typically appears during the bud drying process.

What Causes Hay Smell when Drying Cannabis Buds

• Mold or Mildew – visible or invisible mold is a common cause of hay smell (mold and decomposition are why hay smells the way it does). In fact, mold and mildew can cause hay smell even while buds are still on the plant. But it is most common to see during drying when there is not a lot of airflow and/or high humidity, especially if you’re drying a lot of big fat buds close together. You want to avoid wet or humid pockets while buds are drying for the best smell at the end.
• Buds Drying Unevenly – Buds may smell like hay, chlorophyll, or fresh cut grass after being dried unevenly (typically when drying too fast in a warm space without adequate ventilation or air movement). Buds smell much better when dried evenly. You don’t want a situation where the outsides of the buds are completely dry while the insides are still wet. Another cause is when a fan or air current dries parts of the buds while unexposed parts are still moist. This uneven moisture situation harms the drying process. When entire plants are hung upside down, the buds deep inside the plant rarely dry at the same rate as the outsides of the plant, and that can occasionally cause hay smell (though if you’re drying in low-humidity conditions, sometimes you may want that extra moisture to prevent buds from drying too fast). Commercial growers get the best of both worlds – they typically cut branches and hang them individually, then use a mixture of AC, air circulation, and dehumidifiers/humidifiers to maintain the perfect conditions on every single bud during drying.
• Heat + Unmoving Air During Drying – Buds tend to smell like hay or be harsh to smoke or vape when they are exposed to warm temperatures along with stagnant, unmoving air during the drying process. This causes uneven drying conditions and invites invisible or visible mold (or other microorganisms) to grow.
• Buds Drying Too Close Together – This is kind of the result of the above factors, but you can get hay smell from drying too many buds in a small space, drying buds on their sides so they create wet spots against a surface, and/or stacking buds on top of each other. The issue has to do with putting your buds in an environment that can cause the above factors to take hold.
• Trimming Buds Before Drying – There’s controversy about whether to trim your buds (remove the leaves and make them pretty) before or after they dry. For growers trying to air-dry in a humid climate, buds that are enveloped by leaves may stay too wet during the dry process. Some strains produce extremely leafy buds and buds will physically feel soaked during drying if at least some of the leaves aren’t trimmed off. However, in a hot or low-humidity climate, trimming off the leaves before drying can cause the outsides of the buds to dry too quickly. Some plants don’t produce a lot of leaves near the buds so there’s no benefit to trimming them. In that kind of environment, a little bit of protection from the air can help even out moisture as buds dry. Conclusion: If it’s dry and hot, trim after drying. If it’s humid, consider trimming before drying (especially if you’re having a hard time getting buds to dry).

How to Prevent Hay Smell

Traditional Air-Drying – There are many ways to dry cannabis buds but this is the most common and time-tested way to ensure perfect drying conditions every time. If you follow the directions below, you will not get hay smell from drying.

Air-drying branches upside down is the most common cannabis drying method.

1. Cut Branches Off the Plant
   • If there are lots of leaves, remove the biggest ones before drying (unless it’s extremely dry and you’re trying to help buds dry more slowly).
   • If it’s very humid or you’re having trouble getting buds to dry, you might consider trimming the buds before drying.
2. Hang branches upside down to dry
   • Hang branches upside down and try to space them evenly
   • Don’t let buds touch but hang them within a few inches of each other to maintain a stable microclimate around each bud.
   • If humidity is less than 40%, hang branches from inside a cardboard box or in paper bags. Being surrounded by a paper product helps buds dry evenly and more slowly.
   • If humidity is over 60%, consider increasing air circulation and keep buds a bit further apart from each other. In extreme cases over 70 or 80% RH, you may need to remove the buds off the branches and dry them in a mesh drying rack or even use a food dehydrator (always at the lowest temperature, and it’s even better if you can open it and disconnect the heating element so buds are dried without any heat at all). This Presto dehydrator is one of the cheapest dehydrators on Amazon, but it doesn’t let you set the heat (always operates at way-too-high 165°F). However, I’ve got one and it’s easy to open the unit and disconnect the heating element by snipping the wire (there’s really nothing else inside so it’s hard to miss), which gives you a no-heat dehydrator for under $50.
3. Perfect Drying Environment for 4-14 Days (big buds take longer, small buds dry quickly)
   • Cool temperature: 60-65°F is ideal. Warmer temperatures, especially above 75°F,  invite mold and can burn off terpenes/potency if it gets too hot.
   • 50-60% RH – 50% RH if it’s hot (this helps prevent mold growth) and 60% if it’s cool (this helps prevent smell/potency loss, and won’t grow mold as long as it’s cool)
   • Slight air movement – There should be air circulation to prevent moist pockets but no air blowing directly on buds. It’s common to hang branches in a tent with the exhaust fan on low, or in a room with a fan pointed at a wall.
4. Jar Buds
   • Bud are done once small stems snap, and buds pop off the branches without strings
   • At this point remove the buds from branches and put in jars
5. Cure Buds
   • Open jars at least daily for 2-4 weeks
   • Use a hygrometer to try to maintain humidity between 55-62% RH in the jars (lower humidity for bigger buds to help them dry thoroughly, higher humidity for smaller buds to prevent them from getting too dry)
   • Consider using Boveda or Integra Boost humidity packs to automatically maintain the desired humidity in jars (58% and 62% are most common for curing weed)
   • The curing process magnifies the “weed smell” and slowly reduces the smell of hay, grass, or chlorophyll
   • Wet buds can cause bacteria and mold growth, so ensure buds always feel dry on the outside before closing the jar
   • Read full curing tutorial

The most important factors for air-drying buds are: temperature (cool), humidity (middling), and air circulation (gentle but even air movement)

Cannabis buds curing in jars. The little black devices are hygrometers to measure the humidity in the jars.

Humidity packs like these Boveda 58% humidipaks automatically maintain the humidity around 58% (as long as buds aren’t too dry or wet)

Conclusion: The most important factors for air-drying buds are: temperature (cool), humidity (middling), and air circulation (gentle but even air movement). After that, curing buds properly in jars will make an enormous difference by increasing smell, removing harshness, removing hay smell, and increasing perceived bud potency.

Learn more about drying your cannabis buds, including alternative methods to airdrying.

Mold: Avoid Harsh Buds that Taste Bad

We kind of touched on mold when it comes to drying/curing, but let’s explore how mold can hurt your bud quality in the flowering stage. The fact is, a lot of people aren’t thinking about mold around harvest time, but it can be a huge harvest killer if you accidentally set up conditions that favor mold. If your buds get moldy, they become incredibly harsh and are not safe to smoke, meaning moldy buds should always be tossed 🙁 It’s very common to get mold right around harvest time if you have big hefty buds.

Bud rot can destroy fat buds in the flowering stage if the humidity is too high

As sort of a cruel joke, the more successful your grow is (the bigger and denser the buds), the more likely it is you’ll be hit by mold. There are different types of mold and too many growers have lost buds to this nasty killer.

While buds are forming in the flowering stage, your environment has a huge effect on their smell, taste, and harshness.

• In the flowering stage, keep humidity around 45-50% once buds start fattening. Keeping the humidity under 50% RH is also the number one thing you can do to prevent bud rot. As a bonus, lower humidity causes buds to produce more trichomes, grow more dense, and may even increase THC production. If your humidity gets too high, be extra careful to control temperature (mold loves heat) and make sure there is plenty of airflow and a strong exhaust fan to remove humid air from the grow space. Every leaf is constantly adding moisture to the air so removing some of the lower or unnecessary leaves can help bring down the humidity in desperate cases.
• Bigger buds or colas should always have airflow around them, especially as harvest approaches. If the buds are surrounded by too many leaves, or if there’s no air circulation from fans in the grow space, it creates a breeding ground for many different types of mold. As an added bonus of strategic defoliation, buds that are exposed to plenty of light and air tend to fatten up. I highly recommend defoliating any leafy plants near harvest, to make sure there’s airflow actually going through the plant. It’s especially helpful to remove leaves that are in the bottom or middle of the plant which don’t get any light, or fan leaves that are covering the buds from getting light and air. Note: It’s helpful to read a defoliation tutorial before removing leaves so you know what to do.
• Keep flowering stage temperatures in the 70-80°F range as best you can. Below 70°F causes buds to grow slower and be less dense, especially if it’s humid. Temperatures above 80°F increase the chance of white powdery mold, fuzzy mold, and mildew. Heat also lowers smell and potency (THC), can make buds less dense, or cause them to become discolored/crunchy. Avoid heat when buds are forming for the best bud quality. Although it’s okay for your plants to be hot during the first part of the flowering stage, as you approach harvest, the environment matters more and more because buds are greatly affected by the environment as they develop.

Read the full tutorial on preventing this unexpected crop killer!

Noooooo. If you see any visible mold whatsoever, the buds are not safe to smoke or vape.

Bacteria: Ammonia, Sweet, and Rotting Smells

Bacteria growth is most common during the curing process if buds are too wet after being jarred. It’s the result of wet, low-oxygen conditions.

Why do my buds feel wet after sitting in jars? It’s common for buds that felt dry on the outside to slowly start feeling moist as the moisture from inside the buds works its way to the outside. That’s why it’s important to check buds and make sure they’re dry during your daily “burping” of jars. If buds ever feel moist on the outside or smell musty / ammonia / sickly sweet / rotting, you need to remove buds from the jars and dry them a bit more before putting them back in. If they’re only a little moist or feel dry but the humidity seems high, just keep the lids off the jars for a few hours and close them back up. However, the humidity of your air has a big effect. Humid air isn’t good at drying, while dry air may dry buds quickly. Using a hygrometer plus a Boveda humidity pack makes it a lot easier to maintain the perfect moisture in the jars during curing.

If you smell ammonia or other bacterial stank when opening jars, it means there is too much moisture and buds need to be dried more before getting sealed back in

Heat: Invisible Killer of Smell, Taste, & Potency

Heat may be the most common culprit for poor-smelling buds. That’s because heat can kill bud smell and make them harsh from when they first start forming all the way until they’ve been fully cured in jars. When it comes to great bud quality, it’s important to keep buds from ever getting hot (over 85°F quickly reduces bud quality) at any point once they start forming.

Heat does terrible things to buds when they’re forming

It dramatically improves bud taste, smell, and potency if you prevent any exposure to high temperatures while buds are forming, drying, and/or curing

Stuff On (or In) Your Buds: Pesticides, Chemicals, Foliar Sprays, PGRs, Too Many Nutrients, and Artificial Fragrances

This may not need to be said, but generally, when you put stuff “on” or “in” your buds, it has the possibility of affecting the taste, smell, or harshness.

• Don’t spray anything on buds (foliar sprays, chemicals, pesticides, etc.). If you must kill bugs while buds are forming, use the safest options available.
• Don’t use synthetic PGRs – Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are dangerous substances that can be deposited inside buds and harm both their taste/smell and make them unsafe for human consumption
• Don’t overload with nutrients & supplements – Overloading plants with nutrients and supplements, while buds are forming, can discolor them with nutrient burn and may cause bud harshness or poor taste after harvest. Give cannabis plants just the right amount of nutrients for the best bud quality (not too much, not too little).
• Use “bloom” nutrients in the flowering stage – Make sure you’re giving “bloom” nutrients after buds start forming. These are lower in Nitrogen and higher in Phosphorus and Potassium. All-purpose or “vegetative” nutrients contain a lot of Nitrogen that can make plants extra leafy and impart a “green” or chlorophyll taste to buds (especially if used in the second half of the flowering stage).
• Avoid pests – Bugs can leave poop, webbing, and dead bodies on your buds, which can all contribute to poor taste and/or harshness even if you never use any chemicals
• Avoid using artificial fragrances around buds – Never try to cover up the smell of weed using strong perfumes or fragrances around buds. When strong fragrances are used throughout the flowering stage, the smells can get deposited on buds and they may still have an artificial or perfume-like scent after harvest since the smells were essentially baked in as buds formed.

Protect your cannabis buds from outside influences while they’re forming.

How to Improve & Strengthen the Smell of Buds

Now that you know how to prevent the most common problems, let’s get to the fun stuff. As a grower, you have the power to dramatically improve the taste and smell of your buds by increasing the levels of terpenes and terpenoids they contain.

Learn more about the science of terpenes and terpenoids

Your plant produces essential oils with terpenes that change not just the scent but the perceived potency and effects of cannabis. By promoting terpene production in your buds during the growing process, you are encouraging your plants to produce the strongest scent possible so you can enjoy the complete effects of the strain.

Before You Get Started: Before you read this tutorial and start going crazy with new supplements or techniques, you should already be able to produce healthy plants without any bugs, mold, or other major problems in the flowering stage, as well as controlling temperature during the crucial second half of the flowering stage. Extreme plant stress can make buds harsher, and pesticides have the potential to get on buds and alter their taste/smell. Plus no one wants to smoke pesticides.

So as annoying as it probably is to hear, “Step 0” is to master the basics of growing!

1.) Use the Right Nutrients & Supplements

When it comes to nutrients and supplements, you have several choices that can help improve the overall scent of your buds. In fact, many products have been formulated specifically to increase and enhance the smell of cannabis buds.

A local hydroponics store contains shelves and shelves of nutrients and supplements designed for plants like cannabis. Which do you choose?

Here’s what you need to keep in mind when it comes to enhancing smells with cannabis nutrients and supplements…

Use “Bloom” (Low Nitrogen) Nutrients in the Flowering Stage

When using regular potting soil without adding any nutrients, growers often notice nutrient deficiencies during the budding stage because the plant has used up all the nutrients in the soil. Nutrient deficiencies will hurt bud quality if ignored and even if the plant seems healthy, adding extra Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K) can help enhance bud development.

If you do decide to give plants nutrients in the flowering stage, only use specially formulated “flowering” cannabis nutrients. These nutrients are designed for the budding stage and will have lower levels of Nitrogen and higher levels of Potassium and Phosphorous – exactly what your plant wants for optimal bud production. On the other hand, vegetative nutrients are high in Nitrogen and can give cannabis more of a “green” taste.

Buds develop best when given the right ratios of nutrients while forming

Organic Nutrients

In our side-by-side tests, we’ve noticed that growing cannabis plants in composted organic “super soil” can increase the number of terpenes in buds that are lab-tested (which we’ll discuss later in this article). However, we haven’t yet noticed a similar increase in terpenes from using purely organic nutrients. It seems (at least in our tests so far) that the biggest smell benefits of “organic” growing comes from the plants getting nutrients from the soil as opposed to just organic sources of nutrients in the water with regular soil. The overall health of the plant also seems more important than the exact source of nutrients. In general, it seems like a happy plant with perfect green leaves on chemical nutrients produces significantly more terpenes and better than an unhealthy plant even if it’s being given organic nutrients. However, we have only done a few tests so that’s anecdotal evidence at best and many growers have found that using organic nutrients can enhance flavor and smell so it’s worth including in this list.

So far, we haven’t found a fully organic nutrient system in bottles that seems to consistently produce impressive smell results in regular soil. Not to say there aren’t any, but most of the fully organic bottled nutrients work best when some of the nutrients are still being obtained naturally from the soil from organic sources. Good soil with a healthy colony of microorganisms seems to be what’s most important to increasing smell.

But if you want the fast healthy growth of mineral nutrients made mostly of organic sources, the Fox Farm nutrient trio is a great option. We have gotten excellent results with this nutrient system when it comes to producing amazing bud smells and taste even when used in regular potting soil from the store. This is a complete cannabis nutrient system that can support your plants from seed to harvest. Although “Tiger Bloom” and “Grow Big” are not 100% organic, they use high-quality ingredients and consistently produce great results in soil as far as smell and appearance when you water plants properly and manage the root pH. Be careful with “Tiger Bloom” as it’s extremely strong. Going overboard with nutrients is counterproductive. The “Big Bloom” part of the trio is completely organic and although it’s not a complete food source on its own, it can be used by itself as a Bloom Booster for plants in soil. It’s difficult to give too much “Big Bloom” to your plants since it’s basically a soup of gentle natural sources of nutrients. (Still, don’t go crazy!)

Check out the Fox Farm trio for Soil on Amazon (quart-size bottles)

Don’t Overload with Nutrients Towards End of Flowering

Cannabis plants do a lot of vegetative growth during the first several weeks of flowering and need a lot of nutrients to power that growth. However, around 6 weeks after the switch to flowering, they mostly stop growing new stems and leaves. At this point, their nutrient needs go down quite a bit. If you look at a nutrient schedule for plants like cannabis, you’ll notice they start tapering down overall nutrient (NPK) levels as harvest approaches and switch to more gentle NPK doses. Even though you may be tempted to give plants tons of “food” during the crucial flowering stage, it’s important to keep plants healthy and avoid going overboard. If your plants are green and healthy at this point, continue what you’re doing. Go light on anything new and watch plants closely for negative reactions.

By week 6 of the flowering stage, you’ve already done a lot of what you can do for the plant. The absolute best thing you can do after week 6 is to ensure buds get a great environment (bright but not too bright light, warm but not hot, gentle constant air circulation, and humidity around 50%) and keep them from getting sick or unhealthy in any way. Maintaining the right environment will give you a much greater improvement to bud smell than any supplement if it causes nutrient burn or makes your plants unhealthy.

Around week 6 of the flowering stage, your plants will mostly stop growing new stems and leaves and needs lower levels of nutrients (especially Nitrogen) until harvest. After week 6 of the flowering stage, focus on plant health, giving a good environment, and preventing nutrient problems. Aim to keep plants looking happy for as long as possible in the flowering stage to maximize smell.

Too much Nitrogen during bud development can deposit a “green” or “chemical” taste/smell to buds. This is true whether you’re using chemical or organic nutrients, though it’s difficult to over-fertilize with organic nutrients that were composted into the soil because any nutrient “burn” would have already happened in the vegetative stage. Plants in a super soil environment are great at giving themselves the exact right amount of nutrients at the right time.

High levels of nutrients, especially the kind found in liquid plant food, can deposit extra nutrients into the buds themselves, possibly altering the taste and smell. After buds are fully formed you don’t want to overdo it with Nitrogen or other nutrients. In addition to hurting the smell, too much Nitrogen can also prevent buds from fattening properly.

Now, you don’t want to starve your plant of nutrients in the flowering stage because that will cause early leaf yellowing and ultimately hurt yields, smell intensity, and bud appearance. If your plant already looks pale green all over, you don’t want to reduce nutrient levels further. That’s just harming the plant in a way that won’t increase the smell.

Don’t go overboard with nutrients, but don’t starve plants of nutrients either. Healthy plants produce better than unhealthy ones. Keep the leaves green as long as possible in the flowering stage to ensure the plant is able to put its full “strength” into every aspect of bud development including terpene production.

Smell-Boosting Supplements

Supplements can be a controversial topic when it comes to growing cannabis, and there are hundreds of options with new products frequently appearing on the market. It can be tough to cut through all the marketing speak and figure out what actually is going to make a difference in your grow. This is the last time I’ll say this, but it’s worth repeating. Keeping plants healthy and providing a good environment during the flowering stage will increase bud quality/smell/potency far more than any supplement, especially if the supplement makes your plant unhealthy in any way. That being said, there are some supplements that are effective when used properly in the right situations. Okay, now on to what you were looking for 🙂

Here’s a list of the most common (and least controversial) supplements that improve smell:

Sugar-Based Supplements

Many sugar or carbohydrate-based supplements claim to improve the smell/taste/sweetness of buds. A cheap alternative to expensive sugar-based bloom-boosting supplements is blackstrap molasses. Giving this to your plants for the last few weeks before harvest can help them get bigger and smell/taste better.

It’s not specially made for plants; it’s the regular stuff you’ll find in your kitchen or at the grocery store). Blackstrap molasses adds sugars, amino acids, and trace minerals. Unfortunately for hydro growers, anything organic like molasses is not suitable for a hydroponic reservoir. But molasses works great for soil and 🙂

For the last 2-3 weeks before harvest in soil, give 1/2 tsp of Blackstrap Molasses per gallon when watering (avoid this if you get ants)

Improve or Enhance Natural Bloom Processes

This group contains ingredients that are meant to “enhance” or help the plant do its job better. In addition to carbohydrates or sugar, these types of supplements also contain extracts from plant, marine, and mineral sources, as well as things like vitamins, amino acids, polyflavonoids, etc.

The jury is still out and which is the most effective supplement, but some popular cannabis supplements based on this type of formula include…

• Floralicious Plus & KoolBloom (by General Hydroponics)
• Beastie Blooms & Cha Ching (by Fox Farm)
• Flower Fuel
• Terpinator (go light or this will severely burn your plants)
• Dr. Earth Flower Girl

Note: When possible, get supplements from the same company as your regular nutrients. This greatly reduces the chance of negative interactions that could distress the plant.

Supplements that “add” a smell to buds

I’m really intrigued by Botanicare’s Sweet Carbo line. According to Botanicare:

The natural esters in Sweet are easily absorbed by the plant, but are not broken down further once deposited within the plant tissue. This means that as new flowers develop they will contain small amounts of these natural esters which contribute to the overall flavor and aroma of the finished product.

They offer flavors such as citrus, berry, and “raw” (which is just a generally sweet smell). These should be used throughout the flowering stage to help build smell/flavor in the buds as they mature. However, since these contain a small but significant amount of magnesium, they should not be used while flushing during last 2-3 weeks before harvest. At this point, the smells have already been deposited into the buds. Another cool thing about these supplements is they contain amino acids and some other enhancers, so it’s kind of like getting a lot of different products at once.

Other growers who’ve tried the “raw” version have said they can definitely notice an increase in the amount of “sweet” smell in their buds.

Clearing or Leeching Supplements

These claim to help remove buildup of nutrients or other unwanted compounds. They don’t seem to hurt anything though I have yet to see significant evidence of measurable improvement to buds. Contact us and let us know what you think!

Clearex is a popular “leeching” supplement

With all supplements, be careful not to give too much

The more types of supplements you use, the bigger the chance you might end up burning or causing a nutrient lockout problem with your plants. If possible, always try to use all supplements and nutrients from the same nutrient company. This lessens the chance of unwanted interactions since the whole line is designed to work together. When in doubt, go for an established nutrient company that has been around for years over one that has just appeared recently.

2.) Light Quality (Use Strong Light with UV-B)

It’s common knowledge that you need strong light to get cannabis buds to live up to their potential as far as density, potency, and smell. The most common types of grow light for flowering cannabis plants are LEDs, CMH/LECs, and HPS, in part because these produce great yields and potent buds.

However, they’re not equal when it comes to increasing the level of smell. There is some evidence that some types of light, specifically a type of light known as UV-B light, can possibly enhance trichome production and smell. This is backed up by the fact that grow lights with high UV production often produce some of the highest levels of terpenes in lab tests.

On the spectrum of light, UV-B is below blue/violet (that’s why it’s called “ultra-violet”) and outside of our range of vision. However, even though we can’t see UV-B light, it still has a big effect on both humans and plants. It tans humans and may increase terpene/trichome production in cannabis plants.

But it’s not completely safe. too much UV-B light is bad for humans (we use sunscreen to protect ourselves from UV light from the sun) and can actually hurt plants, too. In fact, we believe trichomes may help protect the plant from UV-B rays, kind of like how humans get a tan.

This could be why increasing UV-B exposure seems to increase trichome production. However, because of the danger of UV-B light, always make sure to protect your eyes and skin from exposure and never look directly at the light. It’s also a great idea to wear protective glasses that block UV light whenever you’re around a grow light that is producing UV.

Supplementing your flowering plant with UV-B light may increase the potency and smell production by triggering a natural stress response

These sources of light provide UV rays and are shown to produce extra cananbis terpenes…

• The Sun – one of the best sources of UV light.
• CMH / LEC grow lights – I’ve found CMH/LECs with the 4200k Philips CMH bulb in the flowering stage consistently produce significantly more terpenes (and trichomes) than any other grow light or bulb (including 3k CMH bulb, all LEDs tested so far, or HPS). However, the 4200k bulb does get lower yields than HPS, LEDs, or CMH bulbs designed for the flowering stage. So there’s a tradeoff where the 4200k CMH bulb gives more trichomes and terpenes, but lower yields.

Note about LED grow lights: Some specialized LED grow lights these days are coming with a few UV-producing diodes. At this time, it’s unclear whether these produce enough UV light to actually make a difference to the cannabis plant. Most panels have just a handful of small UV diodes at most, and in side-by-side grows with lab testing, a CMH grow light with a 4200k Philips bulb produces higher terpene levels than any LEDs it’s gone up against.

Note: Glass blocks most UV light, so if your light is separated from your plants by glass (for example by a greenhouse or hood) it will prevent a lot of the UV light from reaching your buds. When it comes to UV light, there should always be a clear and direct path from the light source to the plants.

3.) Grow in “Living” Soil (Super Soil)

Even better than giving your plant organic nutrients is to grow with your roots in a living soil. In other words, this is a type of soil with an active colony of microorganisms. It is like the soil a plant would be using in nature, only it’s even better because it’s been amended with exactly the right kind of nutrients and supplements. We did a side-by-side with clones grown in Nature’s Living Super Soil vs coco, and found in lab tests that the super soil buds had higher THC and terpene levels. Although the differences weren’t huge and there could be other factors at play, it’s possible that super soil growing may lead to cannabis buds that smell better.

Green House Seed Company was leading the way in cannabis terpene and terpenoid research by growing cannabis in a variety of ways and then directly measuring the terpene content in the buds. They have found that while hydroponic grows tend to get much higher yields (with the exception of a few Indica strains), soil-grown buds tend to have a more complex terpene profile. You can see the results of the terpene analysis here. The results have since been removed from the site for unknown reasons but here’s a link to see the old version of the page on the WayBack Machine (I encourage everyone who values knowledge to please support the WayBack Machine for preserving important information like this for future generations).

Living soil is often referred to as “Super Soil” in the cannabis world; this just means soil that has been amended and composted. This creates a “micro-herd” of microorganisms in the soil, which break down and feed nutrients directly to your plant roots. As a result, you don’t have to provide extra nutrients or worry about the pH of your soil, because your micro-herd is doing all the work for you. You just water your plants and that’s it. Learn how to grow cannabis in “Just Add Water” Super Soil.

The main downsides are plants tend to grow a little slower compared to using liquid nutrients and are more likely to get bugs than coco or hydro, but as a reward for using super soil your buds will be fragrant with a lovely bouquet of smells.

If you’re serious about maximizing the taste and smell of your buds, growing in super soil is a great choice

4.) Temperature & Humidity After Buds Start Forming

This may be difficult to control depending on your grow situation, but controlling the temperature and humidity for the last several weeks of flowering can make a significant difference in your bud quality.

If you’re not sure when to start, I recommend starting this effort 6 weeks after the switch to 12/12, as that’s a common halfway point for many strains. However, if you’re seeing buds fattening, it’s time to zero in on the environment.

Keep Day Temperature Under 80°F

Keep the temperature between 70-80°F in the second half of the flowering stage because high temperatures can “burn off” some of the smell contained in your buds! It can also make buds feel hard and crispy on top, and cause buds to grow airy and loose with foxtails. Don’t let your buds cook under hot grow lights.

It is especially important to make sure buds are not exposed to too-high temps after they start fattening, as this is when the terpene content in the buds really starts to ramp up.

Night Temperature Should Be a Few Degrees Cooler

Having somewhat cooler nights can help cannabis produce more terpenes, and cooler night temperatures towards the end of the flowering stage also help bring out colors like pink and purple if your plant has the genetics.

Flowering buds like slightly cooler temperatures during their dark period. Bonus: Slightly cool nights can enhance your strain’s natural colors if the genetics allow

Keep Humidity 45-50% RH

Keep grow space around or a bit under 50% relative humidity throughout the flowering stage for the best terpene production and overall plant growth. The lower levels of humidity not only prevent bud rot, but dry air can also cause the plant to produce more trichomes as a stress response.

Temperature & Humidity Adjustment Cheat Sheet

• Dehumidifier – Raises Temperature (somewhat), Lowers Humidity
• Space Heater – Raises Temperature, Lowers Humidity
• Air Conditioner – Lowers Temperature, Lowers Humidity
• Evaporative Cooler – Lowers Temperature, Raises Humidity
• Humidifier – Raises Temperature (somewhat), Raises Humidity

5.) “Flush” Plants Before Harvest

If you’ve been giving your plants extra nutrients in their water, then it’s recommended to stop using them for some amount of time before harvest. This gives the plant time to use up any extra nutrients contained in the plant so they are less likely to come through in the taste of your buds.

Give just plain water to plants before harvest

If you’re not giving your plants extra nutrients in their water (for example if you’re growing in super soil) then there’s no need to flush before harvest because you’ve already been giving your plants plain water from the beginning. Your micro-herd is taking care of getting the nutrients to your plants without going overboard, and by this point in the grow you will have used up a lot of the extra nutrients.

In regular soil, it’s common to flush for 1-2 weeks before harvest because there’s still some amount of nutrients contained in the soil.

In coco or hydro, there are no extra nutrients as a buffer, so it’s recommended you flush for only a few days to a week. Giving a really long flush in a soilless medium can cause leaves to turn yellow and die too early. This hurts yields and can make buds look less attractive if the sugar leaves turn yellow too.

Click here to learn more about flushing your cannabis plants

“Clearing” or “Salt Leaching” Solutions

We mentioned these briefly in the supplements section, but they are even more relevant here. These products are formulated to help remove extra minerals or salts when watering the plant, which may reduce the chance that these minerals end up altering the smell or flavor of your buds.

They’re meant to be used if you’ve been giving your plants extra nutrients in their water; they aren’t necessary when the plant has been getting all its nutrients from the soil. If you’ve got an active microbial colony in your soil, these might do more harm than good, but they’re a great choice for growers in soilless mediums like coco or hydro where the plant is getting all its nutrition from liquid nutrients.

• FloraKleen (by General Hydroponics)
• Clearex (by Botanicare)

6.) Harvest at the Right Time

More than any technique or tactic for harvesting cannabis (and there are lots of them) there’s one that really makes a difference when it comes to increasing terpenes…

Harvest at the right time. Smells (terpenes) build up throughout the flowering stage. If you harvest too early you will have far lower levels of terpenes, and your buds won’t be nearly as fragrant as they would be if they had been allowed to develop to maturity.

Buds are ready to harvest once they appear solid and all the white “hairs” have darkened and curled in

7.) Dry & Cure – (CRUCIAL – don’t skip this!)

Drying Your Buds

Follow the drying and curing tutorial given at the beginning of this article to give plants optimal drying and curing. Other tips include…

• Dry buds slowly. Fast-drying can give them a “green” or minty sort of taste and smell that doesn’t go away even after curing.
• Buds are dry when they snap off instead of bend. When buds feel completely dry and pop off their stems without leaving strings behind, they are done drying and ready to put in jars. At this point, the small stems on the branches will snap, but the bigger ones may still bend without snapping (bending means there is still water contained inside).

Curing Your Buds in Jars – Read the Full Curing Tutorial

The curing process may seem unnecessary if you’ve never done it before, but it is going to significantly improve the taste, smell, and overall smoothness of your buds. You simply cannot skip the curing process and get cannabis that lives up to its potential.

Chemical processes in the buds during the curing process can drastically change their scent. These processes also increase the perceived potency of buds and many find the mental/body effects of buds to be much stronger and/or more pleasant after buds have been cured.

Put buds in jars. Place your newly dried and separated buds in quart-sized mason jars as this is the beginning of the “curing” process. Fill jars 80% full of buds and close them up.

Watch out for rising humidity levels. If you’ve dried your buds slowly and put them in the jars at the right time, the overall humidity in the jar is going to rise over time as the moisture from inside the buds works its way to the outside. If buds ever feel moist or are sticking together in the jar, it means there’s too much water contained inside and the jar should be left open for a few minutes to an hour to help dry things out. If this happens to you, check on buds frequently until the humidity has stabilized. Buds should always feel completely dry.

Optimal practices…

• Open jars at least daily for 2-4 weeks
• Use a hygrometer to try to maintain humidity between 55-62% RH in the jars (lower humidity for bigger buds to help them dry thoroughly, higher humidity for smaller buds to prevent them from getting too dry)
• Consider using Boveda or Integra Boost humidity packs to automatically maintain the desired humidity in jars (58% and 62% are most common for curing weed)

The curing process magnifies the “weed smell” and slowly reduces the smell of hay, grass, or chlorophyll

Boveda humidipacks automatically maintain the humidity in jars (at 58% or 62%) for you during the curing process

Watch out for the smell of ammonia or an unpleasant “funk.” Whenever you open your jars and take a little whiff, watch out for the smell of ammonia or a bad “funky” kind of scent. That could mean that extra moisture in the jar is causing anaerobic bacteria to grow when it’s sealed up. If you smell something that doesn’t seem right, keep the lids off your jars for an hour to help buds dry out a bit, and check again tomorrow to make sure the smell has cleared up.

Read the complete drying & curing tutorial

8.) NO Scent Neutralizers

Some products are great at neutralizing the smell of cannabis… Almost too good.

ONA products are strong enough to neutralize a whole room of almost any smell (it was designed for sewers), leaving a strong chemical-y clean scent. The problem with scent neutralizers is they can actually alter the smell of the buds themselves. If you use a lot of products that leave a strong artificial “clean” smell (perfume, cologne, Febreeze, ONA products, etc) in the air near your developing buds, it can affect your buds even if they never get touched.

If a product leaves a strong smell of chemicals or perfume in the air, don’t use it near your plants

The Glade plug-in in your bathroom isn’t going to affect the smell of your buds, but if you spray a lot of Febreeze in the grow space whenever guests come over, or put something like ONA gel in your tent with your plants, your buds may come out smelling just like Febreeze or ONA even if they never come in direct contact. If you don’t know what’s causing the odd taste/smell to your buds, this can be really frustrating.

Learn how to completely scrub all smells using a carbon filter – they work better than any spray product and won’t affect the scent of your buds.

9.) Start with the Right Genetics

No matter what you do as a grower, you can’t get a plant to overcome its own genetics. If a plant doesn’t have the genes to make fragrant buds, than there’s not a whole lot you can do. There’s no way to make ditch weed smell great. Today’s tutorial has covered all the things you can do to maximize an individual plant’s potential, but if you want something really special you have to grow a plant with the good genes.

Most strains of cannabis will smell to some extent when grown properly. However, there are also some strains (like Northern Lights) which have a particularly light smell, so working on increasing the terpenoid content of this strain won’t do much to make a difference.

If you want to grow something really special like this Purple Kush Auto, you have to have the right genetics

Every breeder has something different they’re breeding for and there are many strains with unique smells including pineapple, chocolate, blueberry and more!

If there’s something particular you have in mind, you will be much happier if you start with a strain that matches your preference!

List of Suggested Strains

These strains are either particularly pleasant smelling or have a downright pungent odor. There are growers who want both kinds. The strains below have been hand-picked by us because they’re exceptionally strong and aromatic, as well as being stable strains from known and trusted breeders.

Peyote Critical produces great yields, sparkle, potency, and a sweet smell. Easy to grow and fast-to-finish flowering. A perfect beginner strain.

Critical Hog by TH Seeds. Not only does this strain make beautiful, sparkly, STINKY buds, it also gets exceptional yields. Check out a grow journal from one of our readers featuring Critical Hog.

Aurora Indica (by Nirvana) – Diesel smell, almost like gasoline or fuel. This plant was a breeze to grow, and had seemingly had no problem even after several mistakes were made. Quick to harvest.

Here are the freshly trimmed buds at harvest. The smell was intense, almost like fuel

Pineapple Chunk (by Barneys Farm)

A lot of the time when someone says a strain smells like a fruit, they mean that you’ll get small hints of that smell in the undertones. With Pineapple Chunk the buds actually smell sweet, and some really do smell quite a bit like pineapple. Although not the highest yielding, this strain produces buds that always get a surprising number of positive comments about the taste and smell, and the bud effects are very smooth.

You will be able to start smelling the pineapple when the plant is still in the flowering stage, but the smell is most pronounced after the buds have been dried and cured.

Blue Cheese – Smells fruity, sweet and spicy, with hints of the powerful “cheese” smell. Incredibly strong smell in flowering may be overwhelming. Powerful and stoney effect has been described as euphoric.

Note by Nebula: This strain is forgiving (easy) to grow indoors and produces incredible yields. Naturally mold-resistant (which is partly why this strain is popular in humid climates like the UK). It is not as good outdoors because the powerful smell gives it away. Most plants grow short and stocky with lots of side branching, though certain plants tend to grow a bit taller. Responds well to plant training.

Here’s another example of a different Blue Cheese plant. It doesn’t smell exactly like blueberry or cheese, but the smell definitely has strong undertones of both!

Super Lemon Haze (by Greenhouse Seeds)

Smells lemony, and certain plants will end up smelling just like a Lemonhead with a mix of citrus, sour and sweet. The potency is surprisingly strong, energetic and creative, perfect for daytime use. Doesn’t usually cause ‘couchlock’ so many people like this strain for daytime use.

…and a Super Lemon Haze cola

Liberty Haze (by Barneys Farm) – Liberty Haze is a potency juggernaut, and the only thing as strong as its potency is the diesel smell it produces.

Note from Sirius – This strain is seriously a powerhouse in terms of both potency and smell. The smell is so strong that you probably shouldn’t open a jar of it with other people in your house. They are definitely going to notice when it smells like an 18 wheeler is filling up on gas in your home!

Autoflowering Strains (learn more about autoflowering strains)

Amnesia Auto (autoflowering) by MSNL produced excellent yields, smelled like a dream, and had trichomes everywhere. When we grew it we got hints of kush and citrus scents.

Blue AutoMazar (by Dutch Passion) – A cross between two autoflowering strains from breeder Dutch Passion, this strain is as much about taste and smell as it is about potency.

Jump to…

7 Tips to Growing Professional-Quality Buds

Cannabis Terpenes & Terpenoids

Odor Control in the Grow Room

Learn more about LED grow lights

The post How to Make Weed Smell Better (and Stop Hay Smell!) appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

Quick Summary: Best way to stop weed smell is a carbon filter in a grow tent. Example no-smell cannabis setup with grow light (~10 oz harvest).

What’s that smell?

Have you ever caught a hint of marijuana smell in the breeze?

Even if you couldn’t spot the source, you wouldn’t doubt what your nose told you.

I love that pungent, unique marijuana smell. Unfortunately, this delightful aroma is instantly recognizable and can stir up trouble for a cannabis grower.

Why? A grow room with flowering marijuana plants is a factory of that delicious tell-tale weed smell. To protect your girls, you must make smell a non-issue.

Here are the main ways to get rid of cannabis smell in your grow room:

• Carbon Filter/Scrubber (Best)
• Odor Neutralizers – Chemical method (Avoid)
• Masking Agents – Natural oils & things like incense (A bit effective)
• Air Purifiers – Works a little (Not the best)
• Ozone Generators – (DON’T USE!)

Best option: Carbon filter in a grow tent, like this setup (apparatus behind the LED at top-back of tent) – check out the grow journal!

In today’s “no smells in the grow room” tutorial, get up to speed on the options available to neutralize smells made by growing cannabis plants, and learn which methods are effective to…

• Cover up weed smell – Find a way to hide or cover up the smell. This can sometimes work for small plants, or a strain with a very mild cannabis smell.
• Filter the aroma (use filter to “scrub” weed smell from air) – Use a proven method to “scrub” the smells out of the air, typically using a carbon filter in a grow tent. #1 most effective method.

If you think about it, there are really only two real options when it comes to stopping smells in the cannabis grow room so no one can ever smell anything. Either hide or actually filter out the smell.

You could vent smelly air directly outside, which keeps smell out of the house, but neighbors can still smell marijuana when they come near. It’s best to filter the weed smell from air first. We don’t cover venting in this no-smell tutorial, but learn everything about stealthy venting here.

For a small grow with just 1 or 2 plants, you can sometimes get away with covering up the smell.

For a larger grow, you need to “scrub” the air in some way. Carbon filtering is the best way to ensure you don’t leak any weed smells to catch the attention of nosy neighbors.

Example no-smell cannabis setup (up to 11 oz harvest). Check out the grow journal.

1. Carbon Filter/Scrubber (Scrub odors from air)

These are hands-down the best option for controlling marijuana grow room odors. Carbon filters (also called ‘carbon scrubbers’) will actually pull the smells out of the air, neutralizing any odors that pass through.

Carbon filters are what you need if it’s important to neutralize the air coming out of your exhaust. A good carbon filter will make sure you never accidentally leak the smell of cannabis out through a window into your neighborhood.

These devices use activated carbon to chemically absorb smells and other impurities from any air that is pushed through the filter.

With a carbon scrubber, you need to set up a situation where the smelly marijuana air is being forced through the filter. In other words, you need to use a fan to push or (even better) pull air through the carbon filter.

The most common way to do this is to set up a carbon filter as a part of your exhaust system in a sealed grow tent, and use an exhaust fan pulling hot air away from your grow area. As hot air is pulled out and away from your plants, the carbon filter scrubs odors from the air on the way out.

Example of a carbon filter set up in a grow tent – this device scrubs all smells from the air so odors never leak outside the tent

Carbon filters are…

• highly effective
• extremely easy to maintain once they’ve been set up
• last a long time

How to Find & Install The Right Carbon Filter

1.) Identify the diameter of your exhaust

Many standard air-cooled marijuana grow lights are fitted with a 6″ exhaust hole (listed as 6″ air-cooled hoods). For most small-scale growers using a tent, you will want to get everything in 6″: including fan, carbon filter, and ducting.

Why 6 inches? 6″ fans are strong enough to exhaust the air from nearly any small-scale grow. Unlike 4″ fans which are often too weak for 4″ carbon filters & will not fit standard air-cooled grow lights. 8″ and bigger filters are generally for more commercial applications; they require extremely powerful (and expensive $$$) fans suitable to moving huge amounts of air from a large enclosed area, plus they can’t be hooked up directly to standard grow lights.

2.) Match up CFM rating between fan and carbon filter

Make sure the “CFM” rating of the carbon filter is the same or slightly higher than the one listed on your fan. This ensures maximum efficiency but also has an added security benefit: it makes sure your carbon filter is only taking in as much air as it can effective scrub for odors.

For example, if the carbon filter says “300 CFM”, your fan should be rated as 300 CFM or just a little lower. A 600 CFM fan would pull more air than the 300 CFM filter could deodorize.

Recommended 6″ Carbon Filter setup

Quiet option – For a smaller 2’x4′ grow tent (quiet fan), the Vivosun 6 inch smart filtration kit works great.

High Yield option – This Vivosun 6 Inch 390 CFM fan & carbon filter kit fits a bigger 4’x4′ grow tent (this has a louder but more powerful fan)

3.) Install fan and filter into exhaust system

Refer to the diagram below to see how a carbon filter should be set up in your exhaust system. The carbon scrubber being placed at the back of the exhaust system minimizes the risk of flowering cannabis smell escaping.

Learn more about setting up a grow light with an exhaust:
https://www.growweedeasy.com/hps-grow-lights-setup

Smell Emergency?

One trick to clear a room of smell that I’ve learned will work in an emergency is to put an exhaust fan on top of a carbon filter, and place it wherever the smell is strongest. I’ve done this when I’m cooking cannabis in the oven (which can smell up the house) or if I’ve been smoking and suddenly realized I have guests coming. It looks like this:

You don’t even have to attach the fan to anything, you can just let the scrubbed air go back into the room. It’s pretty amazing how fast this can clear up a smelly area! I learned this from a dispensary owner. Here is an example of a fan/carbon filter combo.

2. Odor Neutralizers (Use chemical means to cover up the smell)

Note: It is recommended you do not place these products in your grow room or tent with flowering cannabis plants. Strong odor neutralizers work so well they can actually reduce or alter the flavor of buds over time. However, these are incredibly effective at neutralizing odors outside the grow area.

Unlike a carbon filter, odor neutralizers don’t “scrub” the smells from the air.

These products are designed to bind with unpleasant smells so that the smell is “neutralized”. Often they also have a very strong fragrance to help cover up smells.

I’ve heard of growers using everything from incense to “bathroom sprays” to cologne to try to cover up the smell of a flowering marijuana plant.

Most household products like wall plug-ins and sprays just aren’t strong enough to cover up the smell of a marijuana grow room for long, if at all.

Also, using these products on your cannabis plants can reduce or alter their natural smell.

Any odor neutralizer or fragrance needs to be constant since your plants don’t stop making their unique flowering scent once they start. Once the smell arrives in your grow room, it basically keeps getting stronger until harvest.

However, there are a few heavy-duty products available that are effective for small-scale marijuana grow rooms.

Sprays, Glade Plugins, etc – Generally these are only effective for a few hours at most. Only recommended in an emergency!

Best spray to cover up smells in an emergency: Ozium Air Sanitizer – this smells very “citrus clean” that seems to do pretty well at covering up cannabis odor without smelling like you just sprayed a bunch of Febreeze. The only thing to keep in mind is a little bit goes a long way. A quick spritz is all you need!

I think the vanilla version smells better, but a little goes a LONG way.

Warning: Never spray any odor neutralizer near your plants in the flowering stage or the smell can stick to the buds!

Recommended Marijuana Odor Neutralizer – Ona Products

Ona Gel and Ona Blocks were originally developed to control the smell inside sewage facilities. They are now available to consumers because they are remarkably effective at neutralizing odors.

Ona products are quick and easy to use. They are effective at covering up smells in a small grow room, though they will only work for a relatively short window of time and must be replaced every few weeks up to a few months.

Ona Gel in the original scent seems to be the most effective for covering up marijuana smells in our tests. With a few flowering plants in a grow tent or closet, you will be able to cover up almost all smells with one or two of these placed outside the grow room.

Never place Ona products in with your flowering plants!

If you use Ona products in your living room, den, or other open areas, no one who enters those rooms will be able to smell any sign of your cannabis plants, even if the plants are just a room away.

But Ona products can reduce or alter the smell of your cannabis buds if they share the same air, so you should never place Ona products in the same area as your flowering plants.

If you need to neutralize the smell coming out of your exhaust, a carbon filter (#1 on this list) is highly recommended. You could also have your exhaust air blow over an Ona product right before being vented outside. It is not recommended to use Ona products in your grow area alongside your plants. Ona products are meant to be used outside the grow area.

PSA: Don’t use ONA to control smells IN the grow room

How long do they last? It depends on the size Ona Product you buy, as well as the temperature/humidity of your grow area.

Generally, they seem to last at least 4-6 weeks for most growers, which is long enough for a few of these to provide coverage throughout the smelly second half of the flowering stage.

Ona Gel Pro

(stock up on these to make sure no one can smell cannabis in your home)

3. Masking Agents – Natural oils & things like incense (A bit effective)

These are the types of things you might already have around the house to improve/change the smell.

• Essential oils – somewhat effective, but only can effectively cover up very small smells. Otherwise you just have the smell of weed mixed with the essential oil.
• Perfume / Cologne – Even less effective, and it seems weird for a room to smell strongly of a personal scent, so not the best choice.
• Incense – Usually more effective than essential oils, especially the really strong/smelly incense. “Patchouli” scented incense (and others) can be powerful stuff. The bigger issue with incense is that the smell of incense itself can be bothersome for some people, especially if you burn enough incense to cover up the smell of a cannabis grow operation.
• Scented candles – Less effective than essential oils, typically. Usually you get a “weed plus the candle” kind of smell.

The strongest (and cheapest) incense is usually found at a head shop (bong shop) or local market. Online incense tends to smell much weaker.

4. Air Purifiers (Air Filters)

We all love the idea of having pure air to breathe. Many air purifiers come with the claim of reducing smells, usually by means of a filter. Do these work to get rid of smells in a marijuana grow room?

Not really.

It is true that some air purifiers do help remove some smells from the air. However, these are not strong enough to pull all the smells from a grow room.

A regular air purifier only removes a little weed smell (marginally effective)

Therefore, while air purifiers may be a good choice for other reasons, I do not recommend getting one just to try to get rid of smells in your cannabis grow room.

But it never hurts to keep one near the front door so everything always smells super fresh when you open your door.

I have the following ridiculously expensive air purifier, which I keep near the front door. I originally got it for allergies, which it helped with a lot (If anyone else struggles with allergies, it worked well enough I got a second one for the bedroom). But unlike other air filters I’ve tried, it actually does a pretty good job of removing weed smell, too.

Yet even this industrial air purifier has nothing on the cheapest carbon filter to get rid of weed smell!

5. Ozone Generator – DO NOT GET ONE!

Ozone generators are sometimes added to grow rooms to neutralize smells. Ozone generators claim to remove odors, clean the air, and kill mold and mildew.

Although some growers claim that ozone generators are the best means of eliminating odor, at GrowWeedEasy.com, we strongly recommend against having one in your grow room.

What’s the big deal?

Well, ignoring the fact that Ozone is not as effective as a carbon filter at reducing odors, one problem is that they’re bad for the environment. So much, in fact, that they’re illegal in the state of CA where I live (see: http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/indoor/o3g-list.htm).

More importantly, ozone generators are actually bad for YOU!

Here are just a few of the many links to research from reputable institutions all saying the same thing: Ozone generators are bad for humans!

• EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
  • “When inhaled, ozone can damage the lungs.”
• OSHA (U.S. Occupational Health & Safety Administration)
  • Ozone is listed as a “Major Indoor Air Contaminant”
• American Lung Association
  • “Ozone is a potent lung irritant and exposure to elevated levels is a contributor to the exacerbation of lung disease”
• California Air Resources Board
  • BANNED!
• Texas Department of State Health Services
  • “Ozone-generating devices should not be used in occupied spaces. Ozone is a lung irritant.”

Some growers claim to have safer ways to use ozone in their grows, such as venting ozone out of the house or making sure ozone only goes into the exhaust. Again, we would strongly recommend against using ozone since in the best case, it’s only doing what a carbon scrubber can do. In the worst case, it’s hurting the lungs of you, your pets and your family!

Make Sure Only YOU Get To Enjoy Your Plant’s Smell!

Start growing a Low Odor Marijuana Strain today!

These strains produce neutral, non-marijuana-like odors… even as they approach harvest!

1.) Frisian Duck

Frisian Duck is the quintessential stealthy, low odor strain. Frisian Duck was designed from the beginning to be a “stealth strain” by the breeder Dutch Passion, who has continued to maintain and improve the strain. Frisian Duck gives you purple buds, duckfoot-shaped leaves, and a mild smell of spicy pine

On “duckfoot” strains like Frisian Duck, the leaves don’t look like regular cannabis leaves! Purple buds with a mild, spicy pine scent.

Where to get Frisian Duck seeds:

• North Atlantic Seed Co. (Maine, US)
• Seedsman (US, UK & Europe)

2.) Blue Mystic

Blue Mystic was originally designed by Nirvana and then Royal Queen Seeds took the mantle with their version. This strain tends to stay short, the buds get big, and the smell stays mild.

Where to get Blue Mystic marijuana seeds:

• North Atlantic Seed Co. (Maine, US)
• Seed Supreme (California, US)

Blue Mystic is a famous low-odor marijuana strain that stays short and produces high quality buds.

3.) Blue Sunset Sherbert

Buds that grow on Blue Sunset Sherbert plants by Barney’s Farm tends to have a lighter, sweeter smell than most cannabis buds, and lack the distinctive “skunk” odor.

Where to get Blue Sunset Sherbert cannabis seeds:

• North Atlantic Seed Co. (Maine, USA)
• Seedsman (US, UK & Europe)

Blue Sherbert Sunset grows with a relatively low cannabis smell, and produces pretty, potent buds up to 28% THC.

Special mentions

Photoperiod strains

Jump to…

How to Set Up Your Grow Lights – Step-By-Step Tutorial

Stealth Growing: How to NOT get Caught Growing Weed

7 Rules You Must Follow If You Want to Grow Weed and Never Get Caught

How (and Where) To Buy Marijuana Seeds

The post How to Control Smells & Odors in the Cannabis Grow Room appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.