Growing cannabis takes a lot of effort, time, and resources, and not all those aspiring growers out there have the luxury to cultivate this way. For many reasons, a lot of people have to settle down on growing their weed indoors.
However, there is a huge challenge by doing it because of the lack of the needed space to grow it; that is why space bucket grow rise into popularity because of its minimalist method of cultivating weed.
To add more, a lot of growers needs to provide their nurseries or growing areas that can imitate or mimic the natural outdoor environment or processes so that it can grow healthy. For a lot of newbies in cannabis cultivation, there are many techniques. However, many of them are sometimes intimidated; thus, it hinders their motivation to get into cannabis cultivation.
Fortunately, thanks to the creativity and resourcefulness of many cultivators out there, this once daunting responsibility to grow your very own weed have become a lot easier nowadays.
What is the Space Bucket Grow a type of Planting?
Space buckets are one of the best ways to grow cannabis at the very comfort of your home since you don’t need a lot of money and a lot of space to grow one instead of the conventional indoor cultivation that needs a grow tent.
This is perfect for a single plant; however, many people have grown more than ten buckets in just a single space and even more. It may not yield as many as you expect; however, this will reward you an ounce per flower that you will grow.
It is ideal also to try new strains or genetics that can supplement your personal stash or collection of different strains of cannabis seeds.
Basically, space bucket grow is micro-growing cannabis plants to get over the obstacles of indoor growing by downsizing your cultivation. This is very effective in growing cannabis in small batches because you can grow it in a closed area such as cabinets, cupboards, and under a table.
Using buckets are very popular among many home growers that want to start indoor growing without putting holes in their pockets. It only needs plastic buckets or containers since the growing process is very modest and very manageable that encourages newbie growers to start their cannabis cultivation at the very comfort of their home.
Growing Mediums in Space Bucket Grow
There are two main grow mediums that are utilized in space bucket growing, which is hydroponics (water) and soil.
Soil-growing- This needs lesser work in setting up and maintaining this kind of growing method, especially for newbies. If you’re planning to use soil for your space bucket growing, you have to secure a reputable soil that is organic and contains beneficial organisms such as bacteria, worms, fungi, and insects that help your weed grow healthy.
Hydroponics- This type of growing method uses more materials and resources; however, this will allow you to gain more control in the growing environment of your plants. This may cost you a lot of money, time, and effort to assemble, but it is worth it and doable. Also, there is already a pre-made hydroponic system that you can purchase or improvise and go DIY.
What are the Benefits of Setting up a Space Bucket Growing Method?
There are various advantages and benefits that you can get in space bucket growing, especially for newbies. This provides the needed learning and the proper practices before they decide to transition to the mainstream method of cannabis cultivation. For seasoned cultivators, meanwhile, using plastic containers or the so-called space buckets lets them maximize the efficiency of the space available in their indoor growing setup.
There are several cannabis growers out there consider their space bucket growing method as their project, thus they
Small space needed- Growers don’t have the chance to grow their weed outdoors for many reasons. That is why indoor growing grows very popular. For space bucket growing, you only need a small amount of space to start. You only need a few square meters of space inside your home or even less, depending on how many plants you want to grow.
Small Investment
Since this is a small setup, this only costs you less money compared to other methods. According to those that tried space bucket growing, they only spent between $60 to $100, very affordable compared to using a grow tent that costs you $300 and above, not to mention the ventilation and lighting.
Best Way to Learn Cannabis Cultivation
Even though this type of cultivation can only cater to a limited number of plants, however, this will help you as a newbie cultivator understand and learn the basics of cannabis cultivation that will surely help you when you take the advanced methods of growing in the future.
Personal Touch
Since space bucket growing requires you to utilize the available materials in your home, this is considered as a DIY project. Growing several buckets of cannabis feel more personal since you can focus your attention more on these plants compared to the conventional way of growing cannabis.
Important things to consider when practicing Space Bucket Growing
There are a lot of aspects that you have to consider first before you plan and establish your space bucket growing method in your home since this affects the entire growth of the cannabis plant inside the bucket. Also, being able to understand the considerations will help you balance the proper raising of cannabis and the optimum results that you want to achieve.
Here are the important considerations you have to put in your mind:
Type of Strain
To tell you the truth, it is not all the strains of cannabis are ideal to space bucket growing. So, when you choose a strain, make sure you select the most suitable one. Just so you know, Sativa strains can grow tall, especially when it reaches its full mature growth while Indica strains grow wider and stockier so, make sure to use bigger buckets. Auto-flowering varieties, on the other hand, are small and the most ideal among the types of cannabis that are suitable for space bucket growing.
Water Supply
Just like other plants, cannabis needs water. Compared to the outdoor set up of growing cannabis, indoor growing such as space bucket can’t sustain water on itself, that is why you have to supply these plants with ample water supply. Always remember that growing cannabis in small space, especially in buckets, needs more watering.
Proper Lighting
Also, these plants need proper lighting since this will generate their food and energy to grow healthy. Since there’s no sunlight available in indoor growing, you need to install UV or LED lights to provide enough light to your plants.
pH Levels
This is often overlooked, especially the pH levels of your soil and water. Make sure that your water and soil pH level is balanced and suitable for your cannabis plants since if it is not evenly balanced, it will only deprive your plants of the nutrition it needs.
Ventilation
Proper ventilation is badly needed for your space buckets. This is because the carbon dioxide that your plants utilized during its photosynthesis will slowly decrease, especially inside the bucket. So, you have to provide your plants with a continuous airflow that will supply inside the bucket.
How to Start your Space Bucket Growing that is Affordable?
Using a bucket, there are two parts of it. The first one is the grow chamber that contains the medium (hydroponics or soil) and the plant, while the other part is for the lighting where it is going to be installed.
The materials needed are:
- 4pcs. Gallons (20 liters)
- 23-watt bulb (CFL preferred)
- E27 socket for bulbs
- Fan (2pcs)
- 12-volt power supply (2A preferred)
- 1pc power chord
- Standard timer (24 hours)
- White paint (for reflection)
The procedure:
Step 1
Choose a single bucket that will serve as the main chamber for growing. Punch a hole at the bottom for the excess water to be drained.
Step 2
After that, create a line inside the bucket using the paint to serve as the reflection that will provide more light inside the bucket. If your bucket has white color or any light colors inside, you can skip this step.
Step 3
Punch or drill two holes on the opposing sides of the main bucket that will serve as the ventilation. Measure the openings properly so that the fans can fit perfectly. One of the fans must serve as the intake of air from the outside while the other one serves as the exhaust that must be pointing out. After installing the fans, you have to connect them with the electric supply to make it function.
Step 4
Cut a hole in the middle of the lid so that you can insert each of the socket and the wire for the lighting. Wire them in a parallel position as well as the plug and the cable (chord). If you are using an adapter for the socket, you can place it at the bottom part of the lid. After you successfully installed the lighting, you have to connect also the timer of the light.
Step 5
Start gluing everything properly by starting with the power strip at the side portion of the bucket. Glue the fans properly and tightly so that it won’t fall off once you turn it on. You can also adjust the chamber by cutting off the top portion of the other buckets. You can stack these buckets on top of the main bucket or the main chamber so that the height can be adjusted properly as well as the lighting.
Final Words
Now that you’re done reading this entire post, for sure, you are ready to start your cannabis cultivation following the space bucket grow method. Aside from practicality, this also channels your resourcefulness and your creativity.
