Is It Worth It To Grow My Own Weed?
Many people who use medical cannabis for a time eventually wonder whether they might benefit by growing their own from home.
Legal Considerations for Growing Cannabis at Home
As states legalize medical cannabis they typically add additional laws that allow citizens to grow a specific amount of marijuana for themselves. This amount differs from state to state and is updated frequently. If you want to know how much you are legally allowed to grow in your own state then be sure to check with your own state's medical cannabis regulatory agency.
Growing Cannabis Legally in Maine
Here in Maine we have the OCP, Maine Office of Cannabis Policy. As of the writing of this article, residents 21 and older within the State of Maine are allowed to grow up to 6 mature cannabis plants, 12 immature plants, and an unlimited number of seedlings for personal use. This is per person, but a municipality can limit the total number of mature plants on any single property. It is important to check with your city laws as well before growing your own.
Financial Considerations: Saving Money by Growing Your Own
Growing your own medical cannabis from home can save you money if you can manage to pull it off successfully. There are so many variables. But in general, customers here in Maine who grow their own report that it is best to grow outdoors. The cost of growing indoors makes it an unprofitable venture by the time you consider all of the factors plus the intense demand on your time. Growing indoors is far more labor-intensive than growing outside under the natural sun and climate.
The Labor of Growing Cannabis
Outdoor growing still requires a considerable amount of labor though. Cannabis needs extremely regular watering. Just a few missed waterings can seriously lower the yield of smokable or edible cannabis that you can grow. In general you never want the plants to be stressed. They need regular water and regular feeding. If you are fortunate to have good ground water then the chore of watering will be significantly reduced once the plant(s) are established.
Some customers report they do very little work and get pounds of viable cannabis in their back yard every year. But admittedly if you want very strong THC levels then you have to put the labor in with good water, feeding and pest control. People are often surprised to hear that growing good medical-quality cannabis requires much labor. After all, it is called ‘weed’ right? And it is true that cannabis is a very sturdy plant, much like a weed, and also it grows fast when it has everything it needs but in general growing good cannabis flower requires hard work. Many professional growing facilities spring up and close just as quickly when it is discovered that growing cannabis can be very costly.
The plant itself will survive even the toughest drought period but the amount and quality of the cannabis you get differs depending on the quality of the care and the growing conditions.
Ideal Growing Conditions
While cannabis can survive just about any conditions (other than cold weather under 50-degrees F), it thrives in rich soil with lots of water and full sun. But temperature wise cannabis prefers temps under 90-degrees F. Between 70 and 85 is the desirable temperature and the warmer it is the more water will be required. In a very warm climate watering may need to happen twice or more per day. Here in Maine most days are mild and a once-a-day watering plan is likely sufficient but will need to be ramped up during hot periods where temperatures get above 85.
Indoor Growing Challenges
Growing indoors in the summer requires expensive air conditioning as the indoor lights generate a lot of heat. A double-whammy to your electric bills, running air conditioning to counter the heat put off from the grow lights. It gets expensive very quickly. And then indoors you also have to provide humidity control.
Outdoor Growing Benefits
Growing outdoors in good soil, with the right conditions, our customers report they have very successful harvests that help subsidize their retail costs and make it worth it.
Many professional growers here in Maine grow outdoors and produce medical-quality cannabis that tests free of mold and insects but they do work hard at it. Customers who grow their own rarely have the product tested so it is difficult to judge what the end quality was in comparison.
Key Considerations When Growing Cannabis at Home
In summary, the things you have to consider when growing from home include;
The labor to care for your own plants on a very regular basis
The cost of plant foods and pest control
Locating the plant(s) in a relatively private location so your plants do not become a neighborhood target
The plants begin to smell very strong at a young age and the odor increases rapidly as the plants begin to flower. This can travel to neighbor’s yards
Learning enough about growing to know when it is time to harvest and how to identify issues in your cannabis crop
12 weeks of indoor drying and curing time are required after you harvest the plants. They smell very strong and this smell will quickly overwhelm an entire home if the plants are stored in a back room or basement, for instance. People will know you are drying and curing cannabis nearby
These are just some of the considerations of growing from home. But interestingly, as more states legalize medical cannabis and also approve growing from home, a new industry is emerging. Lots of people are successfully growing their own.
Getting Help from Your Green Thumb Caregivers: Local Cannabis Experts
If you need growing advice we do have knowledgeable staff members and we sell high-quality popular strains of cannabis seeds all year around. In the early spring we have clones and seedlings known as ‘autoflower’ for sale. Feel free to contact our staff if you have further questions about growing from home.
We can even start seedlings for you at any time of the year.
