The Benefits of Growing Cannabis at Home

Because of the health benefits, cannabis has been made legal in many states in the US. Due to new rules and regulations marijuana is also legal for recreational use. In many states, purchasing, possessing, and using marijuana up to a certain limit are legal both for medical and recreational purposes. Nowadays, many countries including the US have made growing marijuana at home legal because of its benefits.

The National Gardening Survey found that 15 % of the United States households try to grow their cannabis at home. Cannabis is widely used for its medicinal properties. It contains a chemical named CBD that impacts your brain. Making it function more effectively by giving it a high. In addition, cannabis also contains THC that has pain-relieving effect. Some of the few advantages of cannabis are given below.

Relieves from Chronic pain

Chemicals such as cannabinoids along with several other chemicals are present in Cannabis. Due to its chemical property, cannabinoid has been used to provide relief from chronic pain. This is one of the reasons why it is used by cancer patients who are taking chemotherapy.

Improves your lung capacity

Unlike cigarettes, smoking cannabis does not harm your lungs. On the contrary, studies have found out that cannabis helps increase lung capacity. This can also be one of the reasons why you should consider growing cannabis at home.

In addition, some other benefits of cannabis are:

• Cannabis helps in weight loss
• It can help prevent and regulate diabetes
• Cannabis is effective in treating depression
• It can help in mending bones
• Helps in alleviating anxiety
• For treating glaucoma.

There are many other benefits of cannabis which is why it is recommended by physicians. Therefore, many people use it and as it is legal grow it at their homes.  Here are some more benefits of growing your cannabis at home. 

You do not run out of Cannabis at home

If you are a patient and use medical marijuana, running out of cannabis is not an option. Therefore, it is safe to have other options if your dispensary has run out on your specific product.

In addition, by growing their cannabis patients can stop relying solely on the dispensaries. It is even better as patients can monitor the quality and supply directly while growing cannabis at home.

However, you should keep those information in mind such as how much yield, the number of plants, and where to grow. Certain states like Colorado allow up to 6 to be grown with three flowering plants for medical and recreational use.

In addition, there is an option to extend plant count for medical users as well. In other states like Vermont, the law only allows homegrown cannabis to be used. Therefore, every state has different laws when it comes to growth. You should check with your local rules before you start planting.

Convenient factor growing Cannabis at Home

For medical users who are very ill, going out to the dispensary miles away is very exhausting. It's complicated if patients with no reliable transportation. Therefore, many people opt for homegrown marijuana as it is convenient.

Some medical marijuana users who are not healthy to grow their own marijuana can consider registered caregivers. Not all but many states allow registered caregivers to transfer, cultivate, possess, and grow cannabis for qualifying patients. Different states have different rules for caregivers. It is important to check the regulations in your state before you start growing marijuana at home.

Growing Cannabis at home is more affordable

As you become a cannabis user, you may have to make visits to the dispensary often. You pay specific amounts for the product you purchase. Normally, an ounce of cannabis can cost you around $110 to $400, depending on which state you are in. The price also depends on the strain that you purchase.

This cost factor is eliminated when you start growing cannabis at home. Even you might have to spend some extra bucks on water and electricity bills, it is still cost-effective. Your local dispensary may have a wide variety of seeds, they do not come cheap. Dispensaries sell their products at a comparatively higher rate as they are in high demand. This is understandable as they are running a business.

Cost of growing cannabis indoors

Growing cannabis indoors is slightly expensive. It requires certain equipment that you need to invest in. It is also comparatively harder growing cannabis inside than outside. Growing cannabis indoors means you need to have a separate room that has to be kept closed. Therefore, not much sunlight can enter inside.

For indoors cultivation, you will need:

• 1000-watt LED or lighting which costs around $150- 500
• Carbon filter of $120
• pots -$30
• Nutrients for soil-$70
• Potting soil costing $45
• Good quality seeds-$100

The total estimated cost is around $515 to $865. The cost of lighting is the highest. However, you can get substitutes for these items that are less expensive. Remember that it is a one-time investment and it is going to save your money in the long run.

Cost of growing cannabis outdoors

Growing your plants outside is normally a lot cheaper. You do not need additional equipment for this. However, there are few downsides of growing outdoors as well. As you cannot control the environment, the outcome may be unpredictable sometimes.

Here is the average cost of growing plants outdoors:

• Potting soil-$45
• Six pots-$30
• Soil nutrients-$70
• Seeds of Good quality seeds-$100

The total estimated cost is $245. Although growing cannabis outside is a lot cheaper, it has its disadvantages as well. Your plants are at a higher risk of dying and growers should expect the worst possible outcomes while growing outdoors. 

You control the quality of cultivation

In Canada, customers recently complained about getting moldy buds. For people in good health, moldy cannabis may be unnoticed. However, for those people who have a low immune system and compromised health, it can be harmful. In addition, it can cause lung infections and can be a health setback for people.

As the cannabis industry moves towards being a large-scale industry many chemicals and pesticides are being used. Therefore, when you start growing cannabis at home you can avoid such quality issues. You are in charge of your cultivation and quality control. Self-cultivation is also great if it is your hobby.

Some growers enjoy the development process and keep the plant as natural as possible. They do not use any pesticides or chemicals on their cannabis plants. Getting wonderful results without using chemicals is possible. However, you must be careful with appropriate watering, nutritional supplements, appropriate temperature, and each stage of marijuana plant growth.

In addition, some growers also make use of cannabis controls that help control and monitor factors like lighting, CO2 levels, humidity, and temperature. The advantage of control is that it gives you the freedom to cultivate cannabis plants year-round. They allow you to monitor all stages of growth when you start growing cannabis at home. Some types of greenhouse controls are:

Heating controls

This type of control is used in areas that have extreme temperature changes. It increases the temperature of the greenhouse in the cold season and decreases during the hot season.

Lighting control

Lighting is very important in the cultivation process of cannabis plants. The buds need to grow properly. With the advancement in spectrum lighting, you can set and control lighting that helps in maximizing plant growth.

In addition to these, the other types of controls are:

• Irrigation control
• Fertigation control
• CO2 control

There are different types of controls that you can build for growing cannabis. You can make small pop-up controls using a basic frame and some plastic covers. In addition, you can add shelves to hold your plant and a zip-up door that is easily accessible. You can use bigger shelves and similar materials for making walk-in controls at home.

In addition, you can use grow lights as they provide great control over the growing season of the plants. Keeping the lights at a correct distance from the plants is important during the seedling stage. However, one of the mistakes that growers make is keeping the lights too far away from the plant. This results in stretched stems that easily break away.

Making your own experience

Cannabis controls come in numerous designs, shapes, and sizes. If you plan on making one yourself, you must consider choosing one that fits your budget. It also can accommodate the number of plants that you are planning to grow.

Tips for creating your control

Knowing your space

Be careful while considering the amount of space in your control. Similar to an indoor room it is important to divide space for proving your cannabis plants with the best environment.

Use the correct size pots

For plants of average size, you should grow around 2 to 4 plants/m2 in 12 to 15L pots. This helps you easily maintain them and gives plants the accurate amount of space when you are growing cannabis at home.

Knowing your strains

Shop for plants that grow well in greenhouse controls. Make sure to have access to freshwater nearby your greenhouse or inside. Also, do not forget to use carbon filters to mask the smell of your cannabis plants if you’re growing many.

What do you need to grow at home?

To grow cannabis, both indoors and outdoors you need some basic things such as:

• Water: Watering is important for all plants and cannabis plants are no exception.
• Air: Well-ventilated space is important for growing cannabis plants.
• Cultivation material: You need soil, dirt, or any medium for growing cannabis plants. This medium should have good nutrient distribution, oxygenation, and good irrigation to your plants.
• Temperature: The optimum temperature to grow cannabis plants is between 64°F-86°F.
• Nutrients: The essential nutrients can be obtained through composting. These are potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen. Lighting is very important for cannabis plants as they are very light-sensitive. Natural light is what allows your plant to feed, by photosynthesis. For growing cannabis at home average lighting is essential. There are many grow lights that can be used for marijuana cultivation.

As there is advancement in the color spectrum, you can choose from a variety of available lights.

Legally, you need to know

Although cannabis cultivation has been made legal in many countries. It is still considered a highly controversial substance and is still considered illegal under federal law. In Brazil, it is illegal to cultivate and harvest any plants that contain a cause of psychic or physical dependence.

The cultivation of cannabis is prohibited and people who are caught planting are heavily penalized. The laws also vary state-wise. Therefore, it is very important to check the laws in your state before growing cannabis at home. You must check the rules and regulations thoroughly, to stay on the right side of the law. Consumption of marijuana in public places is illegal in almost every state. Also, if you plan on growing cannabis for both recreational and medical purposes, you need to be 21 years of age and above.

In addition, some states require a medical marijuana card to be furnished for the purchase of marijuana. Other states may have a rule where you can grow cannabis only if you possess legal certification. Some states don’t allow the cultivation of cannabis outdoors whereas some days do with legal permission. Therefore, there are a lot of things to keep in mind while deciding whether to grow cannabis at home or not. You should research well and be well versed with the rules and regulations of your area to avoid being penalized.