Not all of us have deep pockets and one of the reasons we want to grow our own cannabis is because we can’t afford to buy It, assuming of course, you live somewhere it is legal to buy cannabis!
So, here are some helpful tips to reduce your growing costs.
First, think quality and not quantity where seeds are concerned. Only buy from a reputable source with a good reputation. We’d recommend London Seed Centre for the finest genetics.
Choose an autoflowering strain – they produce great yields and are ideal for the novice grower.
Once you have established cannabis plants, rather than buying new seeds, you can consider growing clones instead, though this is only cost effective when growing multiple plants.
Re-use and recycle. Plastic pots can last for years if properly looked after. Soil can be re-used providing you mix in some new soil each time and fertilise it well.
Obviously, you’ll keep using the same tools – knives, pruning shears, gloves, etc. However, remember to keep them clean and disinfected from time to time to avoid spreading disease.
Now, fertiliser costs money, so why not consider composting your household waste instead – it doesn’t cost much to buy a bin and a few composting worms, and your set for years!
You don’t need to fork out a small fortune on a small grow tent when a closet or cupboard in your home will work just as well. All you need to do is line it with a reflective material to maximise the efficiency of your lights.
When it comes to lights, investing in an LED panel may cost you money today, but it will save you a great deal on electricity costs, and these panels will last for up to 10,000 hours!
Your ‘grow tent’ or cupboard will also need to be well ventilated, but don’t buy a system that can ventilate a ballroom when all you have is a two-cubic metre cupboard! Get an extractor fan with a cubic metre rating and multiply the size of volume cupboard or tent by 70 to get the perfect extractor.
The air needs to be changed around 70 times per hour, so a two-square-metre cupboard will require a ventilator with a 140 litres per hour rating, and remember to get a carbon filter to stop the smell invading your home!
So, there you have it, and while first time around a little expense will be involved, next year your plants can be grown with virtually no additional expenditure!
