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Low-Budget Grow Room: How to Save Money on Home Cultivation Efforts
Ever thought of growing marijuana? If you have, you might be scratching your head, unsure of where you’re going to get the money to start. A booming harvest takes some work and creativity, providing marijuana seeds and plants the perfect conditions so that they grow and keep on budding.
That’s why we’re here with a way for you to create a budget grow room that has all the proper conditions, yet won’t cost you an arm and a leg. Not only will we let you in on the essentials that you need to have, but we’ll also guide you on how to get the cheapest essentials and provide you some tips to get started. The grow room of your dreams takes a few items and some creativity to help your green dreams become a reality.
What’s a Grow Room?
If you’ve followed along until now and still don’t know what a grow room is, we promise you’re not alone. A grow room is an area to grow plants – in this case, marijuana plants. Although they can grow in a lot of conditions, it’s best to give them the most favorable ones so that they produce the most bud. Grow rooms these days can get pretty sophisticated once you throw in all the gear, lights, and other essentials for your green plants. But fear not, we have some ideas on how you can create a cheap marijuana grow setup that will get you growing (and hopefully sharing)!
Where Should I Set Up My Grow Room?
Setting up your budget grow room means keeping it away from any wandering eyes. However, it isn't only visibility you should concern yourself with but odors as well. Marijuana plants have a reputation for releasing skunk-like, sweet, or dank smells, even while still maturing. Therefore, if you aren't planning to invest in a carbon filter, ensure that the scent won't become a problem.
Thankfully, many strains don't become too tall or too smelly, and most can get grown stealthily. Some of the most popular places to start your first harvest include:
- Bedroom closet
- Indoor grow tent
- Unused room
- Garage
- Shed
- Basement
No matter where you begin, ensure your tent or room remains sealed to avoid any unwanted light leaks. If you choose photoperiod seeds, even the smallest interruption in the light schedule could cause problems when the flowers form.
What’s Essential for Healthy Growth?
Growing plants outdoors is a great choice, but there’s a lot that can go wrong. From the weather to animals to people, sometimes you just can’t leave it to nature to get things growing the way you hoped. That’s where indoor growing can come in handy, allowing you to set up the perfect conditions and get the maximum yield from your strain. You can adjust for all aspects, including lighting, nutrients, temperature, and humidity, all of which require some essential gear to make happen. If you’re considering a grow room, here are a few essentials that your plants need to have.
Light and Darkness
We all know that most plants need sunlight, right? But what we might forget from Biology 101 is just how important darkness is too. Marijuana plants crave darkness, especially when they start to sprout. During that time, they typically need about 6 hours of darkness a day to restore and store their food from a day in the sun.
When they start flowering, marijuana plants need 12 hours of sunlight and 12 hours of darkness to keep the cycle going. It’s not just the amount of time that’s important – it’s also the fact that they need 12 consistent hours of complete darkness, as exposure to light could send them back to their vegetative stage, in which they don’t produce the good stuff.
A Tightly Closed Space
While a closed space is great for plants because of keeping the temperature controlled, it's also a good thing for you. One of the downsides of growing in the home is the fact that marijuana is pungent. Some strains can take over the entire home, filling it with a strong stench that you might not be happy to come home to every day. A quick fix is an airtight space with a carbon filter that gets clean air out and filters some of the smell.
Some Air
All plants need fresh air. This is especially crucial because of the fact that you’ll have some lights on the inside, which could account for a bit of extra heat. An air extractor will do the trick, sucking up the hot and still air and pushing it out.
CO2
Another thing we learned from our junior high biology teachers is that plants love CO2. However, if they’re in a closed space, they might suck up all the CO2 quickly and need more. That’s where some sort of small opening can come in handy, allowing CO2 to seep in so that the plants can absorb it and change it into oxygen and sugar for healthy growth.
Some Heat
You never want the temperature in your grow room to dip too low, which is why you should have some heat lamps or heat pads. These are especially useful for evenings and nights, helping the room maintain a comfortable temperature that doesn’t get too hot or too cold.
A Breeze
So far, we’ve mentioned a few things like heat, CO2, outside air, and inside air. To get all of that mixing together and creating a nutritious cycle for your marijuana plants, you should get a bit of a breeze blowing through. This will get things circulating and ensure that your plants have all the fresh air they need to thrive.
Water
Apart from sunlight and CO2, plants also need water to get all their natural processes rolling. You could give them water by hand or go a step above and create an automatic watering system. Whichever one you choose, make sure that you waterproof your floor, as that could cause major issues for your home and foundation.
After looking at all that goes into making marijuana plants happy and productive, you might be left wondering how to afford it all. However, a cheap grow setup is definitely possible as long as you know what to look for. You can create a budget grow box with all of the essentials plants need, and we’ll tell you where to start.
Top Steals on Low-Budget Grow Room Essentials
One of the cool things about creating your own grow room at home is that you can do it without spending an arm and a leg. Below, we’ll share some budget items that will help you create a cheap grow room setup, some of which even come with free seeds to get you started!
A Go-To Grow Tent
$55-$435
We know we broke down all the things your plant is going to need above, but what if you could have most things all in one place? A grow tent is essentially an all-in-one growing machine for your marijuana plants, usually filled with most of the things you need all under one roof.
Prices for grow tents mostly range depending on the size, brand, and equipment included – some options come fully equipped while others don’t, so do your research. In most cases, it would likely be cheaper to invest in a more expensive tent with equipment included instead of buying parts separately. That said…
Top-Rated Cheap Choice ($63): GreenHouser Reflective Grow Tent
The Perfect LED Light
$20-$1500
Fluorescent lamps are the ultimate choice for the cheapest grow light setup, but don’t underestimate LED lights. LED might be a higher investment at first but, they last forever, allowing you to keep them going long and strong for plenty of growth cycles. 600W proves to be more than enough for a small grow room.
Top-Rated Cheap Choice ($69): WAKYME Plant Light
Light Timer
$6-$55
Your photoperiod plants require different lighting schedules for each growth phase that they enter. At first, they can benefit from 24 hours of illumination, but that will change come flowering time.
Purchasing a timer for your lights, while optional, makes adjusting their schedules a breeze. Alternatively, if light pollution becomes a problem, try autoflowering seeds, which don't mind extra illumination.
Top-Rated Cheap Choice ($6): GE Basic Timer
Plenty of Reflectors
Getting the cheapest grow room takes thinking smart and making your grow tent essentials work for you. That’s what you can do when you add reflectors, allowing the light to reflect and cover more surface energy without wasting it. Don’t throw away heat on the ceilings or walls – reflect it back onto your plants in your budget grow tent for better yields. The tried-and-true method of reflecting the light back to the plants is to cover the walls of your grow enclosure with Mylar blankets, which are cheap and effective. For extra productivity, you can also add a grow light reflector.
Top-Rated Cheap Choice ($30): Apollo Horticulture Gull Wing Grow Lights
Top-Rated Cheap Choice ($10): Swiss Safe Mylar Thermal Blankets
Air Exhaust System
Carbon Filter: $30-$1,000
Ducts: $3-$100
Exhaust Fans: $25-$200
Just because you have a cheap grow tent setup doesn’t mean you have to miss out on all the good stuff. Take an air exhaust, for example. This won’t only help your plants get fresh air but also ensure that they get some CO2 exposure. Make sure your fan is sufficient enough to bring in enough air to ensure it reaches all your plants.
Top-Rated Cheap Choice ($27): VIVOSUN Fan
Top-rated Cheap Choice ($30): Vanleno Carbon Filter
Top-rated Cheap Choice ($9): Appliance Pros Vent Hose
A Fan
$10-$64
You don’t have to splurge on a fan to keep air circulating inside your grow tent. Instead, buy a few steals and aim the air toward your plants. You want a mixture of cold and warm air coming through, so the key is to make sure your marijuana plants are exposed to both.
Top-Rated Cheap Choice: Comfort Zone 2 Clip-On Fans
Heating and Thermometers
$5-$160
A thermometer is a necessity for maintaining your plants' ideal temperatures. We recommend 70-78˚F (21-25˚С) for vegetative stage plants and 75-82˚F (25-28˚С) for flowering ones. Although some options can rely on lasers, these thermometers tend to cost more. Even a simple thermometer will do in helping you keep your plants cool (or warm).
While it doesn’t have to be anything fancy, it’s a good idea to go for one that you can attach inside your cheap indoor grow setup and read from the outside so that, when you go to check, you don’t disturb the environment. Plus, if you find your grow space a little chilly, you can set up some heating equipment
Top-Rated Cheap Choice ($19): BN-LINK Digital Heat Mat
Hygrometer
$3-$735
A hygrometer works similarly to a thermometer, only it measures humidity instead of temperature. Luckily, you can find some that also doubles as a room thermometer for improved savings.
Knowing how moist or dry your plants are goes a long way toward healthier growth. Not only do they remain adequately hydrated, but it prevents fungal infections, too.
Top-Rated Cheap Choice ($5): Mini Hygrometer
Humidifier
$5-$1,000
What do you do if your grow tent becomes too dry? Simply add a bit of water vapor to your plants' enclosure to keep humidity levels at healthy 40-60% levels. Although some people are most familiar with bedroom humidifiers, even small desk-sized ones work well. Alternatively, skip them altogether and use a spray bottle to gently mist your plants as necessary.
Top-Rated Cheap Choice ($6): Portable Humidifier
Tips to Create Your Dream Grow Room
Now that you have all the essentials and can score them for a steal, you might be ready to get things set up and started. We know the feeling, and you’re probably already off exploring potential gadgets. However, before you take off, we’ve got some tips for you to help facilitate your growing experience. By learning how to grow marijuana cheaply, you can get maximum production and enjoyment without having to make a huge initial investment. To create a killer cheap weed grow setup, follow these few tips:
Amp Up Your H2O Game
Watering your plants with tap water is fine. However, some of the pros use what's known as corrected water, as it has a pH from 5.5-6.5. This is said to be the optimal pH for marijuana plants, helping them reach their fullest growth potential.
Pro tip: Use nitrogen during the growth phase (you can find it at any garden center).
Keep CO2 Abundant
The amount of CO2 that plants are exposed to is important for many reasons, one of the most important ones being for their growth. While you can be fancy and add a CO2 tank, you can also easily create a setup where you bring in plenty of air from the outside for your plants. Take some time to plan and set up, making sure your plants get exposed to enough CO2.
Pro tip: Add a fan in front of your ventilation system, placing it as high up as you can. Remember, heat rises!
Maintain the Temp
While marijuana tends to have what it takes to survive in many climates, optimal growth occurs between 64°F-86°F. While you may think this is pretty simple to maintain, keep in mind that you have a heat lamp, reflectors, and a closed space to deal with, all of which can drive the temperature up. So, be sure to monitor the temperature often and make sure it’s in the right range.
Pro tip: The pros all swear by 77°F, claiming that that’s where your marijuana plants will grow best.
Set Up Your Indoor Grow Room
The first step to setting up an indoor grow room is locating an enclosed space – it can be a grow tent, a separate room, or even just a closet. However, you must ensure that air can still circulate somehow to keep your plants healthy. Therefore, if you decide to grow in a closet, you might need to cut a hole out for air circulation or your air exhaust system.
You must also ensure that the bottom of your grow room remains waterproof. Watering gets messy, and you don't want to cause mold and mildew spores.
Next, decide what equipment you’re going to install. While you’ll definitely need to use lights, fans, and thermometers, you don't necessarily need carbon filters, humidifiers, or light timers for your plants to thrive.
Your plants will need several feet of space to grow, so configure things around them. Larger items should be installed first to leave room without causing any light leaks.
Don't Lose Money Buying Seeds
Because growing equipment can get bought relatively inexpensively, some harvesters spend more on seeds. However, you don't need to fork over a fortune to see healthy plants sprout.
One way that we at Herbies save you money on cultivation is by including free seeds with every order. You get one no matter what you order, and also get another free yet high-quality strain for every 20 EUR spent in our shop. Learn more about it here.
Purchasing from us also means having access to a huge selection of affordable products and deals running all year long. See why we’re the trustworthy brand for all home growers online.
Herbies Head Shop expressly refuses to support the use, production, or supply of illegal substances. For more details read our Legal Disclaimer.
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