Whether or not to grow weed? (does it actually save money?)

[wannabeagrower]

I'm technically a "medical marijuana" patient with a recommendation and everything. But if I'm honest, the weed is for fun and relaxation.

I've been going to dispensaries and it's like a Wonderland with the candy and the drinks. But everything adds up fast. In the end I get a bunch of flower since that's way more economical.

But even with the the best deals on flower, it still ends up costing hundreds a month for a daily smoker like me.

After my last trip to the dispensary, I started thinking about how much money it would really save if I grew it.

I was wondering, for people who grow:

• Does it really save money?
• What made you decide to start?

Pictured: One tiny eighth of "Runtz" from the dispensary. It looks and smells good, but I know it won't last long.

[golfnrl]

Hi wannabeagrower...The short answer is yes. It is less expensive to grow your own weed than to purchase your medicine from a dispensary. Though I'm in the same boat as you as far as being a medical patient goes. I buy from a dispensary every now and again to compare my grows with the government approved flower and/or to purchase a disposable vape. My home grown weed is better than or comparable to what I can buy. Even though I have a flower vape I like a disposable for travel. I can't make my own disposable so I buy those.

There are calculators on the GWE site to help you determine your electrical cost per Kw hour. I've never messed around with it. Regardless of the cost I believe its worth it just to know what is in the weed I am consuming. If I bought my daily consumption in flower I'd be spending about $15 - $20 a day (3-5 reefers) x 7 days a week or about a buck forty a week. Growing is less expensive for me than buying.

Even after the initial startup costs growing is less expensive. But that does not mean that growing weed is cheap. It can be a money pit. I learned that the hard way. My best advice is to look at grow set ups in the examples at the top of this page, choose the method and how you want to grow weed and give it a go. But remember, even the best and most expensive equipment cannot overcome a poor growing environment and does not guarantee success. You'll still have to put in the time and effort to do it right.

You are at the right place though to learn how to grow MJ. The internet is full of advice about how to grow weed, but If you stick around here and follow the advice and examples on GWE and the pharmers on this forum you will grow top shelf weed.

I use what I grow to mainly smoke and every now and again to make gummies and salves. Occasionally, I make some bubble hash. If I had to purchase enough flower to do those things it would be cost prohibitive. Growing alleviates that problem. And there is no more satisfying feeling in the world than to be as high as a kite with your very own home grown weed.

I decided to start growing because I have wanted to since I was a teenager in the 1970's. Medical MJ became legal in my state in 2019. I never expected that in my lifetime. Summer 2018 I happened to be in Seattle and sampled some weed, that's after about a 4 decade pause in consuming it. It was an experience. Shortly thereafter I saw a grow tent at a home and garden show, asked what that was and was immediately intrigued. I jumped in with both feet and haven't looked back.

[wannabeagrower]

I also want to smoke, make gummies, and hopefully make hash. Yeah, I'm shocked it's anything approaching legal now. It was so hard to get my whole life. I dreamed of having it, but couldn't find a good source. Then with the dispensaries I realized I really like smoking weed after work.

I had a similar moment as you where I've realized dispensary weed isn't in my budget. I work at the disability office at a state university, which I love but not the highest paying job.

If I could spend ~$100 a month and get a consistent few ounces to smoke and make things, that would be perfect for me. I'm not sure how realistic that is though.

But hearing your Seattle story reminded me of how I feel. I think growing is in the near future.

[golfnrl]

I hope you decide to take the plunge and grow. You wont be sorry.

[Gator]

Think about it, let's say you spend $400 on a complete 2 x2 tent setup, you get the tent, light, inline fan and carbon filter and even a few fabric pots, now you need soil, let's say you spend $50 on that, are you going to reuse the soil,or buy new for every grow?? Now you need seeds, let's say you spend $60 on a 5 pack of auto flowers, now you plant a seed and grow a nice plant and you harvest it and you get 4 ozs,at $10 a gram , that's $1,120 per grow, now let's say you get 4 harvests per year, that's $4,480 per year, for the initial investment of about $500, not including the electric bill, also, where do you plan on growing? you might have to invest in other stuff like humidifier and heater or AC,I'm going down the rabbit hole here, but I think you get where I'm going here, what nutrient line are you going to use,or do you want to go with a living soil that can be used over and over again??

[wannabeagrower]

I was thinking maybe a 2x4 grow tent. I saw some grow journals that got a pound in a 2x4 with a 300W LED grow light. If I could get even half that (8 ounces) every 4 months, I think that would be good enough to be able to cut out dispensaries.

I saw here https://www.growweedeasy.com/mars-hy...orial-300w-led that I could get a full kit on Amazon for $430, and spend about $600 in total to get the seeds, coco, nutrients, etc. Which is 365 watts in total to run the light and fans, which according to the growweedeasy electricity calculator is under $200 for the grow.

So if I could get just 8 ounces, that would be $100/ounce in total. And then the second grow would be a lot cheaper.

That seems within the realm of possibility, but is that genuinely realistic?

[ductwizard2]

Where i live weed can be $50 an 1/8 or more. I thru some seeds i got from a friend last year into some 5 gal. pails i salvaged off a job full of dirt i dug outta my leaf pile and ended up with about 12 oz for the price of some tap water. for me it's def. worth it

[wannabeagrower]

Prices here are similar I feel your pain!

[Ckbrew]

• Does it really save money?
• What made you decide to start?

I started when covid hit and boredom followed. It was a bet/dare between my son and myself. We germinated bag seeds before we even had pots or media, and zero idea of how to do it or what it entailed. As for money, an outdoor grow is extremely inexpensive. With experience I learned that outdoor grows where I live is a fools errand due to the short season with a cold, damp ending resulting in everything going to rot. This transformed the grow to exclusively indoor. Save money, hell yeah. $800 investment in hardware. Production costs, mostly electricity, are $8-10/oz. Can't beat that with a stick. That doesn't include my time which is 30-45 minutes per day unless there is a big event happening. Then it can be all day. Being retired, I can afford the time commitment. And the flower is better than anything I have ever had, not bragging, just a fact.

[wannabeagrower]

My dad has tried to grow outside around here in Mass, and said the same thing that our winter comes too early for a good outdoor crop. So indoors it is for me. I don't want to feel that frustration.

Just curious, when you spend the 30+ minutes a day, is it satisfying or feel like a chore, or a bit of both? I've had relatively limited experience growing plants, but it seems like it could be fun if I actually got good at it.

[Ckbrew]

It is a satisfying chore. It gets me up in the morning and starts my day. Every morning I get to see the progress, make and feed the nute solution, check temp and RH for the last 24 hours, make adjustments, and play some tunes. I have the process down so well that I know what is coming next and don't need to stress about it.

[Beeman]

Gulf sums it up pretty good.yes in the long run it is. The way I look at it is if you were to consume 1 gram a day approximately everyday over a month you would consume approximately 1 ounce over the course of a month so a year about 12 ounces. So for instance you grow 3 autos which take about 3 months to grow out. Do that every 3 months you could have 12 plants for the year. Say you get 3 ounces each grow, conservatively speaking that would get you 12 ounces. I’m not sure of the current market price but if you say 100-200 $per ounce well do the math and you see.. if you can grow outside you could possibly get a bigger harvest.. that being said you do have to invest in seeds,tent lights etc… growing is fun and educational growing weed can help you grow just about any plants. This forum is a great place to learn. I came here 3 years ago. I live in Missouri where we have rec and medical. I renew my permit every year and follow the rules. I waited over 30 years for legal weed so I don’t want to lose it. I only grow for myself and wife and always have extra around.

[wannabeagrower]

As someone who has learned over 3 years, how long do you think it takes on average to start getting decent grows?

Like can I expect a few ounces on my first grow if I pay attention, or does it take a while to absorb enough info to start getting multi-ounce harvests?

[Beeman]

I have something of a green thumb so I jumped right in. On my 1st grow got about 3- oz per plant started with 2 photos. I would suggest starting with photos much more forgiving than autos. Follow the advice on here and read…. I say with a little work I think 3 oz could be reasonable

[Bowhunterwoody]

Like everyone else said here its definitely worth it, and this is a great place to learn. And the biggest thing for me, like Beeman mentioned, is it's just plain fun. I dont even partake. I have friends and family who both have the med card and are recreational and I give it all away. I just love growing it. My wife thinks I'm nuts and she's probably right, but I just love it.

[wannabeagrower]

That's inspiring man. You're just making the world around you better.

[Orggrwr]

I agree with everything everyone else said, growing your own is definitely cheaper, especially if you're an everyday consumer as im sure most of us are. But the benefits go way beyond the cost savings. First of all it's just plain fun usually, although there will be times it will drive you crazy. I've grown a garden all my life and have always enjoyed growing things but when growing cannabis became legal here 5 years ago i discovered their is something special and uniquely challenging about this plant that really draws you in. It is one of the most satisfying hobbies I've ever tried. And it has grown into a full time hobby, some would say obsession. Another benefit is you know exactly how it was grown and what's in it, no pesticides or chemicals. Another benefit i never even thought about is when you grow you're probably going to have a lot of extra to give away or trade. When your friends realize you have a lot of top shelf weed you're willing to give away suddenly everyone wants to do you a favor. I just traded an Oz. for a 350$ repair on my lawnmower and dude was happy as hell. The only thingI would caution against is getting disappointed early and giving up. It's a definite learning curve even if you have experience with other plants so don't be discouraged if your first harvests aren't what you're expecting. Stick with it and it will get better as you're growing skills increase. Just remember that cannabis isn't addictive but growing it definitely can be. Good Luck

[wannabeagrower]

Your repairman must have been psyched! That reminds me of this one time a lady in my neighborhood was talking to me about weed once, and when she found out I love weed bud didn't have any, she gave me a one-hitter and a gram of weed. I've never been happier in my life. That's cool you do that for other people.

[Gator]

I couldn't have said anything better, great job guys

[Gator]

The key is to use your initial investment wisely,do the research and spend what you can afford,then build from there

[Allotrope1000]

Hey, Wannanbe...
Let me toss out this idea. You can grow 6 plants in MA with a cultivation license, 12 plants if you have an adult roommate. Why pay for lights, tent, fans, etc. when you can grow 6 XXL autoflowers outdoors in 50/50 coco/perlite, 7 gallon fabric pots for $100 plus seeds and General Hydroponics nutrients. Autos started now should finish well before the damp NE fall. 6 XXL autos will give you at least 1 1/2 lbs of cured bud and lots of trim for RSO, dry ice hash and edibles. Using fabric pots and coco is fool proof and easier than doing a lot of inground soil prep. You can even make lots of fem'd, auto seeds for future use.
Just an idea.

[bboyfromwayback]

I smoke weed because I like it, nothing medical here. I started a long time ago because I was tired of dealing with the shady people who sold it but only grew every now and then. Since 2019 I’ve pretty much had something going in my tent 365 days a year

Currently there’s a few dozen brownies and cookies in my freezer plus a few sticks of canna butter to be turned into something. I have oil and tincture in my fridge. I have a big ass jar of canna caps. All made from plants I’ve grown. Not to mention I have over 2lbs of dried and cured smoke in jars and a few ounces of hash pucks. Oh and I just harvested 4 plants that are looking like 28-30oz more that I didn’t count

In a few years you could have that much by consistently growing 3-4 plants every 3-4 months and I also give a bunch away to family. We’d go broke if we depended on the dispensary

[wannabeagrower]

Yeah, it seems like a lot of growers say after you do a few grows, you end up with more weed than you know what to do with.

[bboyfromwayback]

Like anything, there’s a bit of a learning curve. You likely wont get much yield off a plant at first but you can solve that issue by growing a bunch of plants at the same time. There’s some cost upfront on equipment, your light being #1. Once you get your setup figured out cost is minimal. I spend less than $100 a year on nutrients and buy a new batch of grow bags every 5-6 grows

[bboyfromwayback]

Like anything, there’s a bit of a learning curve. You likely wont get much yield off a plant at first but you can solve that issue by growing a bunch of plants at the same time. There’s some cost upfront on equipment, your light being #1. Once you get your setup figured out cost is minimal. I spend less than $100 a year on nutrients and buy a new batch of grow bags every 5-6 grows and replace my filters once a year to be safe

[bboyfromwayback]

Sorry, I tried to edit and it made a double post. Seems to be happening a lot on here lately

[Smallgrow]

I agree with what the others have said. Get over the initial investment and the ongoing cost is quite low. I figure I’m about 1-2$ Canadian per day for electoral costs.
Obviously if it’s about money the price of dispo weed is the main consideration. We’re lucky here in Ontario the prices are pretty damn low, like good ounces from $100. I’d say at that price it’s debatable what’s cheaper, but like others I’m just hooked on growing and yes after a few grows if you get the hang of it you will have more than you can use and that opens the door to making other products which can be more expensive to purchase.

A couple words of advice
-Do your research on gear. Many of us have bought cheap gear to get started and ended up spending more cause it wasn’t adequate. That said there is lot of good gear for reasonable prices.
-I think you mentioned being in Massachusetts. I would think this means you will likely need a dehumidifier to keep you humidity down. It’s not always necessary base on your location but it is often left out of the discussion and a decent dehumidifier can be quite expensive. Skip the cheap ones on Amazon they won’t do it.
-Super soil or living soil in my opinion is the easiest cheapest system (and you grow great weed). Search on GWE main site there are a couple great grow guides like this one

https://www.growweedeasy.com/just-add-water-super-soil-grow-guide-easy-organic-weed

-Be prepared for failure in the beginning but don’t give up. Most of us got some decent smoke off our first grows, by the third or fourth most have more than they can handle
-If you pick out a set up post it here before you buy and get some feedback first.