Even with legalization efforts quickly growing around the country, which have resulted in lowered overall product costs for consumers, buying weed on a regular basis from a dispensary can get very expensive after time. This can make growing your own marijuana at home seem like a pretty attractive option for enthusiasts trying to save some dough. However growing weed can be a little tricky, so we’ve put together a few basics for getting your own successful personal grow operation going within the privacy of your home. Of course, we would only suggest growing your own pot where it is legal to do so and even then, please be sure to research local regulations on the amount that you can lawfully grow.
While growing your very own weed will save you money in the long run, starting a grow operation of any size will still cost you some time along with startup money. So as to not end up wasting your hard earned cash and valuable time, you’ll want to make sure that you first do as much research and homework as possible. For starters, you’ll want to decide whether you want to begin growing from seeds or by using clones. We would recommend going with clones of strains that you are familiar with if this will be your first time attempting to grow, as growing from seeds usually requires a little more experience in order to produce a successful harvest.
Next, you’ll want to make sure that you are able to water and feed the plant appropriately. There is a fine balance one needs to consider with regards to watering your plant as too much water can dilute the soil’s nutrients while too little can lead to the plant drying up and withering. As a general rule water should be added to your plant every other day but this can vary due to a number of different factors such as strain, soil, etc., so again, doing your homework comes into play heavily. With regards to feeding your plant, we recommend that first time growers invest in store bought supplements and fertilizers to ensure that they are providing sufficient nutrients for the plant to flourish. After some experience under your belt and thorough research, you should be able to perfect your very own blend of supplements.
The next important step is to figure out what type of lighting you are going to use. The main types of grow lights available are: light-emitting diodes (LED), high-pressure sodium (HPS), metal halide (MH), and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). If energy consumption is a concern, we would recommend LED’s since they require less electricity but if upfront cost is a factor, many folks starting out choose CFL lighting because it’s less expensive than LED set ups. Lastly, as proper ventilation is another important factor to consider when growing your own weed, if you have limited grow space you will want to stay away from HPS and MH lighting as they can make the temperature too high for your plants.
Would you ever consider trying to grow weed in your own home? If you have grown your own cannabis, do you have any tips, tricks or suggestions to add?
