Even the most modest home grow can be an expensive undertaking. It seems simple in theory, but when you consider all your trips to the hydroponics shop, utility bills, seasonal considerations, and updating or maintaining equipment, your simple project can turn into a kind of money pit.
The easiest way to decrease your overhead is to use sustainable practices in your home operation. If you haven’t already, you’ll soon learn that even the smallest decisions will impact your grow and your cost. We’ve put together a few cost-effective and sustainable practices to help you with your indoor cannabis garden.
Low Energy Output Grow Lights
For home growers who have a 1000w light system, electrical issues probably haven’t played a big part in your grow. But learning just a little about your homes electrical system can pay off. The goal is to maximize output while reducing wattage.
Think about it, you’ve got fans, lighting, air conditions, dehumidifiers, heaters, and more working at maintaining your garden. You’re sucking up a big share of your homes wattages. Using LED or LEC grow systems is a big money saver. Though pricier on the front end, over time, they will save you a ton of money. You’ll get the same results that your standard lights give, for a fraction of the cost.
Sustainable Cannabis Grow Mediums
Take a look at no-till organic gardening practices. The trick here is to build (and then maintain) an active food web in your soil. This way, containers rarely have to be changed. You can just remove the root ball and transplant. Over time, an organic garden with proper soil needs almost no amendments. To feed it, a reverse osmosis water treatment is often all that’s needed. This eliminates your reliance on expensive nutrients that needs to be regularly refilled.
DIY Garden
When it comes to cannabis, there are a lot of companies selling a lot of ‘essential’ equipment. And yes, to have a good home grow does require an investment in some of these items. But rather than invest money, consider investing your time and do a DIY buildout. It’s practically guaranteed that a DIY buildout will cost less up front.
You will have to educate yourself and it will require some elbow grease. But the community of growers is strong – and supportive. The internet will give you access to blueprints and much of what you need to know to get started.
Get Creative
Every garden is different. Some people enjoy the biology and the details that a lot of equipment can allow, while others enjoy a more back to basics approach. Whatever reason you’re in it for, get creative when it comes to sustainability. This is, along with planning and good techniques, hands down the easiest way to save.
