10 Reasons to consider growing your own cannabis
With marijuana legalization becoming a hot trend across the globe, many people are now wondering whether or not they should learn how to grow marijuana for themselves at home. There are both benefits and drawbacks to taking on such a challenge. Here we will touch on both of those with ten reasons why you should, and four reasons why you might not want to grow cannabis.
1. Cost savings
One of the most significant reasons that so many people choose to grow their own marijuana plants is the amount of money it can save in the long run. Though the initial investment of setting up an indoor grow room can be costly, there is always the option to plant it outside while you save the money you would normally spend on bud after a harvest. The average total cost to purchase the tools, utilities, and materials necessary for an indoor marijuana plant harvest run an average of $200-$600. That same price can provide a large amount of cannabis. One that could be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars more than the initial investment. The most substantial cost savings will come after the first harvest when marijuana seeds and replacement bulbs are the only recurring purchases necessary.
2. Save time
This one seems sort of counter-intuitive seeing as the average growing season for marijuana plants is 7-12 weeks. However, if you are purchasing from a government website like OCS, there will be time spent waiting for every single order that you place. When visiting black market dealers, you will need to travel there and back which adds up throughoutthe year. Save time and gas by learning how to grow marijuana and produce your plant’s instead.
3. Health conditions
Cannabis produces a wide variety of cannabinoids that can be beneficial to a person’s health. The most primary elements are CBD and THC which provide medicinal and euphoric effects when the bud flowers are consumed. CBD is excellent for inflammation and can even help to control rapid changing blood sugar levels in diabetics. THC is psychoactive and can be incredibly beneficial for pain, anxiety, stress, and a host of medical diagnosis from cancer, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, and seizures, to more minor or temporary discomforts like headaches or menstrual cramps. Since buying cannabis products from legal sources can be cost and or location prohibitive, learning to grow marijuana plants may be the only way to gain access to cannabis as a medicine.
4. Quality
So far there have been complaints of harmful contaminants like mold in products sold by several government retailers with the most concerns stemming from purchases that were made using the OCS website. Unfortunately, due to so much regulation in the production of marijuana plants, the products have a long way to travel before they make it to customers which leaves them more susceptible to improper storage or bacterial contaminants. Another frequent problem with mass-produced cannabis is an excessivelack of moisture to avoid those issues. The process is ripe with quality concerns that can be avoided by learning how to grow marijuana for yourself.
5. More options
Legal dispensaries seem to offer an average of 12-30 weed strains on average which is minimal and often more catering to the recreational crowd with cannabis that contains the highest amounts of THC and least of CBD which isn’t ideal for most people, especially those who are new consuming pot. When you grow your own marijuana plants, you have thousands of different options to choose from. Some may taste better; others will be more or less potent. Some will grow like giant trees while others resemble small bushy ferns. These limitless choices allow for a much more personalized experience when you are growing cannabis to consume yourself with certain expectations in mind.
6. Consistent supply
Depending on where a person might be located there may be no cannabis storefronts that are accessible. Though the hope is that the number of dispensaries will eventually make that a problem of the past, for now, access is very much an issue in many regions. Even if you are one of the lucky few who can make it to a cannabis vendor, the cost may not always be feasible, and the hours may not jive with work schedules or other daily responsibilities. If you learn how to grow marijuana plants, you will never be without green again which will leave you unaffected by business dealings and product shortages.
7. Discretion
One of the best parts about growing cannabis is the discretion that it allows a consumer. Not everyone wants their boss, friends, or parents knowing about their habit and having to make an appearance at a dispensary or ordering packages that mail folks might recognize is probably going to make it so at least a few people you don’t even know will be aware of your substance of choice. Growing your own marijuana plants at home can be done in a small space that is never seen or noticed by the outside world relatively easily offering an extra level of discretion that cannabis vendors just can’t provide.
8. All natural
Cannabis rarely requires much more than the most basicnutrients and light which makes it one of the easiest plants to grow successfully to full maturity without any added fertilizers. Since marijuana plants are natural soil cleansers, they will completely absorb everything within the surrounding dirt including fertilizer which is then stored in the bud flowers. Even thorough flushing of fertilized marijuana plants can leave behind residual traces of toxic and potentially harmful chemicals that you might not want to ingest. Learn how to grow marijuana yourself, and you will never again have to be worried about awful tasting and hazardous elements in your cannabis.
9. Safety
The most that people might expect to be in their cannabis is fertilizer, but the truth is that depending on where you are sourcing the products from, there could be anything sprayed on or added to either dry herb or concentrates before they are sold. This is especially true with unregulated black market dispensaries that do not conduct any form of third-party testing to be certain of their products safety. When you grow your own cannabis, there is nothing going into a plant that you aren’t in complete control of which will eliminatethis issue.
10. Personal enjoyment
Thousands of individuals take real enjoyment from watching a beautiful green garden prosper. Though a marijuana plant likely won’t have giant colorful flowers, many weed strains are visually appealing with or without the additional flair. Much like succulents, ferns, or any other average house plant cannabis can be incredible to watch and enjoy as it matures into robust and crystal coated bud flowers.
4 Reasons to not grow marijuana
Though there are many incredible benefits to learning how to grow marijuana for yourself, there are also a few reasons that choosing to produce might not be the best idea.
1. Lack of space - Marijuana plants will require at least two square feet per plant. Growing outdoors will also need the same amount of room which many people in the city just don’t have. If you do not have a sufficient space to grow in than starting your own cannabis plants may not be a good idea.
2. No access - If you do have a fair amount of space but are not able to access the plants dailythan you probably shouldn’t consider producing your own. It can take mere hours to devastate an entire crop if the right pest or issue shows up during your absence which could lead to a giant waste of time and money.
3. Lack of knowledge or interest - If you do not have any experience growing any type of plant and you aren't interested in what it will take tomaintain one than you probably shouldn’t try to produce your own. Cannabis is robust and hardy, but ignoring plants can have dire consequences leading to a waste of marijuana seeds, time, and money.
4. Legalities - Many regions of the world are slowly introducing some form of marijuana legalization. However, there are still plenty of places that do not allow any kind of growing despite cannabis-derived products achieving a legal status. If you choose to grow marijuana plants in an area where it is illegal, you can face jail time, fines, and other penalties.