How to grow weed on a windowsill

Ever find that the sheer amount of equipment necessary to grow weed is enough to make you forget about the idea? It’s true for many people—but it needn’t be! Cannabis plants can grow in many different places, and you can still get a decent haul of buds even when growing in less than optimal conditions.

In this article, we discuss how best to grow weed on a windowsill.

Why would you grow cannabis on a windowsill?

For many of us, setting up an intricate growing operation involving tents, lighting, and ventilation just isn’t an option; nor is growing outside. Given how much attention is paid to the details of growing cannabis, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this plant is incapable of growing outside of a perfect, highly optimised environment. But you’d be wrong.

It’s in the name! Cannabis doesn’t go by “weed” for no reason. While optimal conditions will yield incredible results from this plant, it can still perform in suboptimal conditions. This means that if you can’t afford, or just don’t want, a complex indoor setup, nor do you want to grow in a cupboard, and you have no outdoor space in which to grow, you very much can grow cannabis successfully on a windowsill. Below, we’ll show you how to do it.

Pros and cons of growing weed on a windowsill

Of course, people don’t go to the effort of creating the perfect indoor environment for nothing. Cannabis grown on a windowsill will not match the yield or potency of cannabis grown in more optimised conditions. But that’s not to say it’s without its benefits either.

Pros

There are many good reasons to grow weed on a windowsill. First and foremost, it’s really easy and requires very little in terms of commitment or investment. Here are the pros of growing on a windowsill.

Harnesses natural light

A windowsill grow utilises natural light. And so long as the windowsill isn’t north-facing, it should offer enough light during the summer months for a plant to grow successfully.

Natural light contains everything a plant needs to grow perfectly, and will tell photoperiod plants when to begin flowering. And, on top of that, it’s free! Placing a plant on a windowsill and letting nature take care of it is the cheap and easy option.

Eco-friendly

Bypassing the need to power lights and ventilation systems saves on electricity, which, alongside being more friendly to your bank account, is also an environmentally friendly option for growing weed. Granted, there are probably bigger steps you could take to save the planet than growing weed on a windowsill compared to under lights, but it still makes a little difference.

Perhaps more importantly, the inevitable waste that comes from disposing of tents, lights, ventilation systems, and other equipment is all avoided if you forgo these pieces of kit in the first place.

Saves space

Many of us don’t have enough space to dedicate to growing weed. Even a small tent takes up a significant amount of space in a room. And once you attach pipework and cables, it can become the dominant feature—plus, it can be noisy too!

If you have minimal space, or don’t want to give any of it up, then growing on a windowsill can allow you to cultivate weed without sacrificing anything. Instead of creating an eyesore with a strange, humming tent, why not place some decorative cannabis plants on the windowsill?

Saves money

For those growing weed on a budget, a windowsill is a great way to save money. In fact, compared to more controlled indoor growing, windowsill growing is very cheap. All you really need is a pot, soil, and seeds. Compare the costs of these to those of a tent, lights, and a ventilation system, and you’re making huge savings.

Beginner friendly

For novices, growing on a windowsill is a good option. It’s cheap, easy, and doesn’t involve filling your house or apartment with lots of equipment you may never use again. Simplicity is sometimes best when getting to grips with something.

Cons

As mentioned, there are obvious downsides to growing on a windowsill too. Here’s what you should consider.

Visible to others

If you grow next to a window, it goes without saying that the plants will be visible. Depending on where you live, this might not be a problem—or it could be a huge problem. Assess how visible your plants will be before starting a grow.

Smaller space

Windowsills are usually fairly narrow, which means that you can only fit small pots on them. This, in turn, limits the overall size of your plants. If you’re just growing a little weed for yourself, this isn’t too much of a problem, but you will have to accept that you’ll get relatively small yields.

Limited sunlight

Unless you have a huge, south-facing bay window that has no obstruction, the amount of light you’re going to get will likely be limited. This will inevitably reduce the yield and potency of any plants you grow.

How to grow weed on your windowsill

Growing weed on a windowsill follows the same principles as growing anywhere else. But there are a few peculiarities to bear in mind, and familiarising yourself with these will help you to get the most out of this pursuit.

Choose the best spot

If you have a choice between windowsills, be sure to pick the one that offers the most direct sunlight. Omitting obstructions, south-facing windows are best, followed by east and west. North-facing windows are unlikely to get enough sunlight and aren’t well-suited to growing cannabis.

Another factor to consider is airflow. One or two plants growing on a windowsill is unlikely to result in ventilation-related issues, but it’s still something to bear in mind. Cannabis plants are happiest when there’s some air circulation.

Artificial light

If you only have north-facing windows, or your windows are obstructed, you could supplement using artificial lights. Of course, this renders some of the benefits of growing on a windowsill obsolete, but it can work. However, a cannabis plant on a windowsill is much more obvious when illuminated under grow lights, so be careful.

Pick the right strain

Strain choice is absolutely crucial. A massive sativa that devours sunlight is not going to be suitable. In fact, you’re likely to have issues with most photoperiod cannabis plants. So for those growing on a windowsill, an autoflower will almost always offer the best results.

The reason for this is that autos can thrive in suboptimal conditions and don’t require specific light cycles to develop, making them much more flexible in poorly lit environments.

Choose a good pot

Choosing the right size of pot, which offers the best conditions for your plant’s root system, will also help a lot. For one, you’ll be able to fit it on a windowsill more easily. Moreover, by choosing a fabric pot, for example, you can help to optimise drainage and aeration, which can benefit your plants further. Given that the above-ground conditions might not be so great, making sure the roots are happy can give your plant the extra help it needs.

Use high-quality soil

Likewise, use high-quality, organic soil. This will give your plants the nutrients and structure they need to grow, and will increase the final yield and potency compared to if you used low-quality soil. Given how small your plants are, starting off with organic super soil is much preferable to dousing your specimens in synthetic fertilisers.

Growing weed on a windowsill: Get started!

Growing weed on a windowsill is very possible and can deliver good results, despite not being the ideal setting. Yields are not going to be mind-blowing, but they can be totally satisfactory—and that’s all we need anyway, right?

Perhaps the best choice you can make if growing on a windowsill is to pick a productive and resilient autoflower, and to choose a south-facing windowsill if at all possible.