How to Grow Small Cannabis Plants in Tiny Spaces
- 1. What your grow space needs
- 2. What to have in mind when growing in tiny spaces?
- 3. How to grow cannabis in tiny spaces
- 3. a. Picking the right strain
- 3. b. Proper pot size
- 3. c. Choosing the correct light fixture
- 3. d. The ideal light spectrum
- 3. e. Performing plant training
- 4. What works best: autoflowers vs photoperiods
- 5. Mini indoor stealth grow tent setup
- 6. Extra tips
- 7. Keep in mind!
- 8. Small grow spaces - faqs
- 9. In conclusion
Everyone wants to have the curing jars full without having to spend too much and the only way to achieve it is to grow your own, but having a 2 meter high grow tent may not be feasible for all. Growing small cannabis plants consists of using low-stress and high-stress plant training techniques to adjust and shape your cannabis plant to your grow space. So if you want to learn how to grow good flowers in tiny spaces, here are the best tips and tricks to help you achieve excellent harvests with your autoflower or feminized seeds!
1. What Your Grow Space Needs
It doesn’t matter how big or small your grow space is, it can be as little as 60 x 60 x 120 cm or as big as a greenhouse, but all of them need the following in order to sustain healthy plant growth:
- Enough space for plant growth as the bigger the plant, the more vertical space you’ll need to keep the light fixtures a safe distance from your plants.
- Cleanliness. Dirty grow tents can attract mold, bugs, and diseases. On top of that, the grow space should be isolated from the outside environment and be able to drain water properly to avoid leaving standing water which can attract fungus gnats, for example.
- Proper ventilation. Plants need fresh air so continual air exchange is needed for healthy plant growth, so make sure to have an extractor or an intake fan to avoid stale air in your grow tent.
Remember, it doesn’t matter how big or how small your grow space is, you need to be able to control the growing conditions (at least to a certain extent) in order to grow healthy cannabis plants without major issues.
2. What To Have In Mind When Growing In Tiny Spaces?
Growing small plants isn’t any different than growing big plants but there are a couple of things to have in mind because you don’t have a lot of space but you still want to get a great harvest. The lack of space basically forces you to adjust minor things, including the genetics, grow setup, and other growing practices in order to minimize vertical growth while maximizing horizontal growth.
Genetics
The most important factor when growing in small spaces is genetics. You definitely can grow any strain and train it daily to control height but it’s a lot of work so you want to grow a strain that naturally stays small. For this type of growing, the best option is short autoflowering strains such as our Strawberry Pie Auto.
This strain grows a maximum of 100 cm and grows from seed to harvest in 8 - 9 weeks. Short photoperiod strains can work too but it’s recommended to go for autos because you won’t need to train them too much, saving you a lot of time.
Grow Setup
When talking about tiny grow spaces, there are a couple of things that can make your life easier and avoid problems further into the flowering stage.
- The first one is to choose the right light fixture; Due to the grow space being small, you can grow from seed to harvest with fluorescent lights or cheap LEDs. Remember that a red spectrum can encourage stretching so use a blue spectrum to keep plants short!
- The second one is to use small pots. As you may know, the bigger the pot the bigger the plant so make sure to grow in the smallest pots possible (around 3 - 5 liters). This will keep your plants small but as long as you provide enough light and food the buds will still develop big and dense.
- The third one is to go for certain plant training techniques such as Scrog, SoG, or the tie-down method which will also help you keep your plants short and will allow you to shape them anyway you want or need to.
3. How To Grow Cannabis In Tiny Spaces
Most growers believe that growing small plants is bad but it actually isn’t. As mentioned, there are a lot of strains that grow short naturally and can produce excellent flowers. As a matter of fact, you can even grow tall plants in tiny spaces (with proper training, obviously) and still get good yields. So if you were looking for how to do it, read along with all you need to know!
Picking the right strain
Some strains are labeled as “XL” or just have a tendency to grow tall no matter what you do so stay away from them. On the other side, this means that you can find small strains that will stay short without doing anything extra. For example, autoflowering strains start flowering in 4-5 weeks from seed and are usually ready for harvest in 2 - 2.5 months. Due to the quick grow cycle, almost all autoflowers stay relatively short but have in mind that even autoflowers may grow too big depending on your grow space so make sure to go for the smallest autoflowers, just to be safe.
Another good option is to go for fast or express flowering strains which usually grow short due to the shorter life cycle. Now, not all fast flowering or express flowering strains tend to grow short so pay attention to the strain description to know what to expect. If you end up choosing photoperiod cannabis plants instead of fast flowering or autoflowers, make sure to grow under 12/12 from seed or flip to 12/12 after 3 - 4 weeks in the vegetative stage.
Proper Pot Size
Restricting root space is essential if you want your plants to grow short. More experienced growers can get away with growing outstanding plants in solo cups but if you’re a beginner you can grow in 3 - 5 liter pots (or smaller if needed) without a problem at all. As long as you keep your plants well-fed and avoid nutrient deficiencies you should get excellent results.
Choosing The Correct Light Fixture
Using the right grow light is essential for growing healthy small plants. Fluorescent bulbs and certain LEDs are perfect for small grow spaces because you can keep them very close to the canopy without burning or bleaching your plants.
Compact Fluorescent Lights
Compact fluorescent lights are great for getting good yields with small plants but they are big and not only do they get hot but also are kinda expensive so it’s only recommended to use them if it’s the only type of bulb you can find.
T5 Fluorescent Lights
T5 fluorescent bulbs are bigger than regular CFLs and can be kept closer to plants while producing excellent yields when growing in a Scrog or SoG (or basically any training technique that allows you to grow an even canopy).
The downside is that when compared to LEDs, T5s get much hotter and for the same electricity consumption, the yields per watt aren’t even close.
LED Lights
LEDs are the best choice because they come in different sizes and shapes, so you’ll be able to fit them in any setup. Most LED fixtures are quite efficient and don’t emit a lot of heat while producing about twice the yields per wattage when compared to T5s or CFLs, making them perfect for small or tiny grow spaces. On top of choosing the right light fixture, keep the light as close as possible because it helps keep plants shorter but make sure it’s not stressing your plants.
The Ideal Light Spectrum
Grow lights with more blue spectrum can help you keep your plants short during the vegetative stage while grow lights with more red spectrum encourage stretching so make sure to know exactly what you’re buying or what you have. If you are planning on using LEDs, try to go for LEDs with separate Veg and Bloom switches, and if you’re growing with light bulbs, make sure the spectrum ranges between 4000 Kelvin and 6500 Kelvin.
Performing Plant Training
Even if you’re growing a strain that grows short naturally, plant training techniques give you the power to control plant growth. When growing in tiny spaces, the best training methods are:
- Sea of Green;
- Screen of green;
- The tie-down method and;
- Super cropping.
Training techniques such as the tie-down method and super cropping are super useful if you’re already growing small plants and need to adjust a couple of branches or any minor adjustments. Methods such as Sea of Green and Screen of Green are also great if you’re already growing short strains but want to even the canopy to get more light coverage or improve bud quality, but if you’re growing plants that are too big for your grow space, you should use high-stress training techniques such as topping.
Topping your cannabis plants causes them to spread out more, which is of great help when dealing with restricted spaces. Remember that when dealing with autoflowers, it’s not recommended to top them because it can stunt growth but in this case you want small plants so you can top your autoflowers after they’ve started growing flowers and you’ll end up with a small plant, filled with extra dense buds.
4. What Works Best: Autoflowers vs Photoperiods
There’s no right or wrong when choosing what strain to grow, as long as your plants don’t overgrow your tent you’ll have great results with any type of strain. Just keep in mind that photoperiods grow taller and do not flower automatically, you need to change the light cycle to 12/12 in order to trigger flowering. When you flip to 12/12, your plants can double in size so don’t wait too long and, if possible, provide a 12/12 cycle from seed or flip to 12/12 once your plant is about half of the desired size.
| Best Autoflowers For Small/Tiny Grow Spaces | ||
|---|---|---|
| Strain | Average Size | Seed to harvest (in weeks) |
| Afghan Kush Auto | 60 - 90 cm | 8 - 9 |
| Strawberry Pie Auto | 60 - 100 cm | 8 - 9 |
| Skunk Auto | 80 - 100 cm | 8 |
| Rhino Ryder Auto | 60 - 110 cm | 9 - 10 |
| Blueberry Auto | 70 - 110 cm | 9 |
If you opt for autoflowers, try to find quick Indica-leaning strains, they should grow fairly short while still being able to produce fat buds. If you’re not sure what to grow, here are our recommended strains.
5. Mini Indoor Stealth Grow Tent Setup
Now that you know everything you know about growing cannabis in small spaces, it’s time to grow! For those of you who got excited and want to get growing asap, here’s a quick DIY small tent set up for you to grow excellent buds stealthy.
As mentioned, when dealing with limited spaces you want to get the best harvest possible while still growing small plants and in the stealthiest way possible so this grow setup focuses on growing as much bud as possible while still being super stealthy so it won’t emit any noises or reek smell, meaning that you won’t have to worry about anything other than taking care of your plants. Here’s what you’ll need:
Light Fixture
For the light fixture, it’s recommended to get a 100 watts full-spectrum LED. This type of LED goes for around $150 and is super small, doesn’t emit much heat, and provides a full spectrum, this way you don’t have to change the light bulb when your plants start flowering, which is a plus. If you don’t want to spend that much on an LED, go for a 4000k bulb for the vegetative stage and around 2100k for the flowering stage. Light bulbs are usually cheaper than LEDs but you’ll have to change one for the other every time your plants start flowering, so make sure to think about what works better for you.
Fertilizers
There are at least a couple dozen fertilizer brands in the market so use what it’s easier for you and what you can afford. There’s no need to spend hundreds on fertilizers. If you’re in doubt, go for slow-release powdered organic nutrients which makes feeding much simpler and works like a charm.
Exhaust Fan and Carbon Filter
If you’re planning on filling your grow tent or just don’t want to attract unwanted attention, you need an exhaust fan and a carbon filter. The exhaust fan will ensure the humidity doesn’t get out of control while the carbon filter ensures there’s no weed smell reeking off your grow tent.
Due to the size of the grow tent, you don’t need a huge carbon filter and exhaust, so just get the smallest or cheapest you can find. A simple exhaust fan should go for around $35 and a carbon filter for as little as $40.
Pots
For the pots, you can basically use whatever you want. You don’t even need to use pots, you can use any type of small container. Just remember that the containers should be around 3 liters (or 5 if you want to grow slightly bigger plants, make sure to use the right pot size) and have drainage holes on the bottom. And, for the best results possible, try to go for fabric or smart pots which provide the best oxygenation to the roots, this way you avoid overwatering. Smart pots go for about $2-3 and fabric pots for around the same, so you shouldn’t spend more than $10.
Grow Tent
As for the grow space itself, you don’t actually need to buy a grow tent because you can grow inside your closet or any small cabinet but for those who don’t have the required space, you can go ahead and get the cheapest 60 x 60 x 90 cm grow tent which should cost less than $60.
If you can afford it and have enough space, go for a 60 x 60 x 120 cm tent, it will be much much better and prevent problems further into the grow cycle. Remember, there are a lot of different grow tents in the market and you can also build your own tent so don't worry about finding the right one.
Optional Equipment
Now that you have the basics, it’s time to get the smaller things. In order to get your tent up and running, you’ll also need a timer, a thermometer, and a humidity monitor.
Getting a timer is not obligatory but you want to get one in order to automate tuning the lights ON and OFF. You don’t need to get an expensive one, get the cheapest one and you’re done. As for the humidity and temperature monitor, get the cheapest one but make sure it shows you both temperature and humidity, this way you’ll be able to know if something goes wrong and fix it asap.
Once you get everything together, it’s just a matter of setting up your grow tent but if it’s your first time growing, check the scheme in the image above to learn how to do it. Also, have in mind that this small grow tent can fit up to 4 - 5 plants but you can build your own grow spaces to fit just 1 or 2 plants. For example, if you don’t smoke too much, you can build a space bucket and harvest excellent flowers with $100 - 180, or you can even spend less and grow in your closet, it’s just a matter of seeing what works best for you.
6. Extra Tips
On top of the things mentioned above, there are other growing practices that may not be suited for all growers but can definitely give you an advantage if you can or know how to do it.
Keep the light fixture as close as possible
Keeping the light fixture as close as possible from the canopy will help keep your plants shorter, but make sure you’re not stressing your plants!
Top your plants when possible
If your plants are in good health you can top them to promote more horizontal growth, minimizing plant height while creating more flowering sites.
The Tie-Down Method
You can tie down the branches to get your plant to stay in the desired shape and size. This method works even if your plants are already too big.
Don’t Veg Photos For Too Long
If you’re growing photoperiods do not let them grow too much because some strains can double in size when flipped to 12/12. If possible, grow them under 12/12 from seed so they start flowering as soon as possible. Obviously, this doesn’t apply to autoflowers, for autoflowers just let them do their thing and they’ll flower as soon as they can.
7. Keep In Mind!
Now you know everything you need to grow beautiful healthy cannabis plants in tiny spaces, but remember that it doesn’t matter how small or big your grow space is, keep the following things in mind to avoid issues throughout the grow cycle.
Prevent Light Burn
One of the most important things when growing in tiny spaces is the lights because grow lights usually run hot and need to be kept at a certain distance from your plants to avoid light burn. So you have two options, either keep the plants super short or elevate your lights as the plants grow. Now, elevating the light fixture can be difficult if you don’t have enough space so make sure to keep your plants short!
Keep in mind that LED fixtures can be a game-changer for tiny spaces as they provide high-intensity, full-spectrum light while emitting minimum heat, this means that the lights can be closer to the plants without running the risk of damaging or burning the buds. Also, you can use an AC unit to bring down the temperature and have the lights closer. Just keep in mind that LEDs can still burn your plants but the risk is lower than with regular HPS or MH bulbs. Using LEDs will allow your plants to grow bigger, which results in bigger yields.
Maintain Healthy Roots
As you may know, the substrate is the home for the roots and it’s where roots absorb water and nutrients. In order to get the most out of cannabis plants, especially smaller plants, the roots should be 100% healthy. So it’s highly recommended to use super soils or pre-fertilized substrates that contain everything or at least the majority of the nutrients your plants need from seed to harvest or as long as possible.
Remember to use a big enough pot to prevent plants from becoming root-bound. Make sure to check under the pots at least once every 2 weeks to see if the roots are exposed, if you see them coming from the drainage holes under the pots it’s time to transplant them to a bigger pot to avoid major issues.
8. Small Grow Spaces - FAQs
Should I grow photoperiod or autoflowering strains in small space situations?
Look, in most growing situations there are a bunch of variables that will go into making this decision. But, unless you are starting from clones, you are going to want to grow autos in small space grows. They just make so much more sense than traditional genetics for tiny grows, for a couple of main reasons.
Autoflowering cannabis strains usually take up less space, don’t need to be managed nearly as closely, they require less training and fewer nutes, and can be grown under any lighting schedule. In a small space situation, you want to make life as simple as possible, and autos go a long way to helping you achieve the simplest grow option.
Should I start my autos in their final pot?
Yes indeed. While autos are easier to grow in general, they do require just a little more care in certain aspects. Thanks to the fact that they have a predetermined vegging cycle length, you want to give them the best chance at growing as large and as vigorously as possible during the veg period. Transplanting will always place a certain amount of stress on the plant, and stunt growth slightly. For tiny grow spaces, we recommend 2 to 5-liter pots. The general rule is to use the largest sized pots possible for your space and the number of plants you want to grow.
Why can't I use my HID lighting rig for a tiny grow space?
Although technically you can set up an HID rig in a small space, you probably don't want to. Sure, HID lighting can produce top-quality buds, but it comes with a huge amount of heat, and if you don't have perfect heat removal in place you'll end up with very unhappy plants. These days, LEDs are the gold standard for all sizes of grow rooms and are far better suited to small space grows.
Heat management will be one of the biggest issues you, as a tiny space grower, will have to deal with - so make your life easy and grab a decent LED panel. Look for one that offers both an inbuilt fan unit and a heat sink for the best results. The other option is to go with fluorescent lighting, which is the second-best option for the smallest of small space grows. CFLs and T5s are both good choices here. Keep in mind that fluorescents do produce far more heat than LEDs, and with the price of top-shelf LED panels falling heavily in the past 2 years, it's pretty hard to argue for any other lighting option.
What common household spaces work best for tiny, discreet cannabis grows?
Small cannabis grows are all about being discreet. You want to make sure that your plants stay hidden, and out of sight of any nosy neighbors. The most common spaces for tiny weed grows are closets and cupboards, but you can also use any space that can be closed up tight and has enough room to hang a light fixture. There is also a huge range of tiny grow tent kits available online, and in all reputable hydroponic supply stores. You'll even see some pop up from time to time at your local big box garden and hardware supply centers, and while not always the very best quality, they do the job.
If discretion is your number one worry, you will want to make sure you have room for a small carbon filter and fan setup. If you have never had the pleasure of growing your own weed, you won't understand the level of stank even one small plant can produce in the final two weeks of flower. Carbon filtration is essential. Last but not least, you want to make sure your weed-growing area has access to both electricity and water. If you're planning on growing in a closet or cupboard, this won't be an issue - but if you've got something more off-the-wall in mind, make sure you map everything out first.
How about training my autos? Should I top them?
No, for the vast majority of autoflowering strains, we do not recommend topping. As mentioned in an earlier answer, autos do not respond particularly well to topping as they don't have the necessary time to bounce back from the stress.
When growing autos, it's best to just stick to LST forms of plant training. The tie-down method works great, and so does SCROGging. SCROGs are actually perfect for tiny space grows, as they help maximize the horizontal footprint of the space, and allow the plants to full fill the whole grow area while keeping the canopy at the same height.
What about watering? Should I just give them a little water so I don't have to deal with any runoff?
No! Hell no! When watering cannabis plants, no matter the size of the crop or the growing situation, it's super important to always water until you see about 25% runoff. This is the only way to keep your plants healthy and make sure they are not suffering from nutrient lock-out or underfeeding.
When designing your grow space, watering should be high on your list of priorities. If you can work out a way to have the plants drain into some sort of runoff dish that is easily emptied, you are going to do yourself a massive favor, especially as the flowering cycle nears the end.
What growing medium works best for tiny spaces?
Unless you are super experienced with growing cannabis, we do not suggest going down the hydro route for small space grows. The setup itself can take up too much space, and if you are looking for discretion then hydro is probably not the best option. Soil or coco-coir are always going to be your best bet for small weed grows. If you go with soil then be sure to start with either a premium cannabis blend or (even better) make your own soil mix.
There are a bunch of great recipes online to choose from. Soil growing comes with the added benefit of not needing to constantly feed your crop, but can also lead to both over and under-feeding issues if you don't get the mix right. Coco-coir is also a great option, but you will need to be prepared to feed your weed plants daily. This is actually very straightforward, and you'll be watering daily with soil based grows anyway, so it's really only adding a few more steps to the process. With coco, you have way more control over what the plants receive, meaning you can dial everything in nice and tight.
9. In Conclusion
Achieving big yields in small or even tiny spaces is definitely possible but it can be difficult if you don’t have much experience growing so it’s essential you know the basics about growing autos or photos, plant training, and everything you need for the specific grow setup you’ll be growing in. Once you know the basics, growing small plants is basically the same as growing big plants so don’t be afraid of trying, it’s definitely worth it.
If you've grown tiny plants before, feel free to help fellow growers by leaving your tips and tricks in the comment section below!
