Saving money growing cannabis? Your thoughts?

SG420

SG420

Active Member
Hey guys new to the site but was wondering from some people with experience if growing cannabis for personal usage would actually save me money? Common sense tells me yes but I've never done it before. Obviously it's going to cost some money ordering from a seedbank and investing in tools as well as 3-5 gallon pots etc. Hate buying locally here cause nobody even knows what strains they are selling I hate not knowing what I'm smoking on and I hate getting ripped.
 
.Pinworm.

.Pinworm.

Well-Known Member
SG420 said:
Hey guys new to the site but was wondering from some people with experience if growing cannabis for personal usage would actually save me money? Common sense tells me yes but I've never done it before. Obviously it's going to cost some money ordering from a seedbank and investing in tools as well as 3-5 gallon pots etc. Hate buying locally here cause nobody even knows what strains they are selling I hate not knowing what I'm smoking on and I hate getting ripped.
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Welcome to RIU. Best suggestion I can give you atm is do some reading for a couple months, so you will be able to ask some more in-depth questions about what you want to do, what sort of setup you want to run, etc.
 
SG420

SG420

Active Member
Should have clarified I plan on doing an autoflower grow outdoors probably going to have to wait until next summer to start up that way I've got more knowledge and can apply it.
 
spilly1

spilly1

Well-Known Member
I grew 4 trees in my backyard last season. I sold half and still have 3 ounces in sealed jars. I haven't bought weed since last summer. Hell yes , you save money.
 
GroErr

GroErr

Well-Known Member
Never calculated my costs for outdoor but I can tell you it's a hell of a lot less than indoor. Indoor I grow for less than $1/gram all costs and depreciation in. Not sure where you are but in Canada black market weed is anywhere from $7 - $10/gram. legal medical weed is $8 - $15/gram. I'd consider that a saving, plus I get to grow what I want and imo way better quality than anything I can buy from medical or black market.
 
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Bacala

Well-Known Member
Any chance you can do photos instead? If you are looking for return, autos are not even close when you compare yield against dollars invested. Here's some info on one of my outdoor plants last year.

OG Kush seed $10
Ocean Forest soil for 10g pot $12.50
MaxSea Ferts ~$10
Misc ~$5

Total outlay of $37.50, say $40.00 with taxes.

Grew in 10g and topped/trimmed/super cropped to keep it shorter, finished at about 4.5 - 5 feet. Lost probably 20% of the production due to a screw-up on my part with a home-brewed mite killer. Didn't bother to harvest popcorn and some other smaller buds. Still put away 7oz, so final cost per oz was $5.71. Dispensary prices around here are in the $225 - $300 range.
 
SG420

SG420

Active Member
GroErr said:
Never calculated my costs for outdoor but I can tell you it's a hell of a lot less than indoor. Indoor I grow for less than $1/gram all costs and depreciation in. Not sure where you are but in Canada black market weed is anywhere from $7 - $10/gram. legal medical weed is $8 - $15/gram. I'd consider that a saving, plus I get to grow what I want and imo way better quality than anything I can buy from medical or black market.
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Yea cause Indoor is fucking expensive it costs well over 500 bucks for a good setup I'd say cause all the lighting and electricity.
 
SG420

SG420

Active Member
Bacala said:
Any chance you can do photos instead? If you are looking for return, autos are not even close when you compare yield against dollars invested. Here's some info on one of my outdoor plants last year.

OG Kush seed $10
Ocean Forest soil for 10g pot $12.50
MaxSea Ferts ~$10
Misc ~$5

Total outlay of $37.50, say $40.00 with taxes.

Grew in 10g and topped/trimmed/super cropped to keep it shorter, finished at about 4.5 - 5 feet. Lost probably 20% of the production due to a screw-up on my part with a home-brewed mite killer. Didn't bother to harvest popcorn and some other smaller buds. Still put away 7oz, so final cost per oz was $5.71. Dispensary prices around here are in the $225 - $300 range.
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I could do photoperiods but as a beginner I really wanna start an autoflower grow. I plan on growing two strains right now it looks like "AutoMazar" and "THC Bomb" strains. Also say I buy 5 seeds of the Automazar or THC bomb.. how much would live out of 5 you think? I'm guessing 2 or 3 would survive out of the 5 seeds but idk
 
MeJuana

MeJuana

Well-Known Member
There's start up costs for the items you don't own. Sometimes tge learning curve can hurt or destroy your harvest. But anyone with the talent should grow. Yes it is a fraction of the cost but if you sale some of it then it's free. Also you are growing what you want, taking the choice buds and after you get it going you will never truly be out of smoke again.

Those whom can't should partner with those who can.
 
SG420

SG420

Active Member
MeJuana said:
There's start up costs for the items you don't own. Sometimes tge learning curve can hurt or destroy your harvest. But anyone with the talent should grow. Yes it is a fraction of the cost but if you sale some of it then it's free. Also you are growing what you want, taking the choice buds and after you get it going you will never truly be out of smoke again.

Those whom can't should partner with those who can.
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Yea man cheers. Definitely gonna read up and do my studies and try a grow next summer. Such a wonderful thing knowing I can grow buds of my choice without ever wondering what I'm smokin on. Please if you could give me a general idea of how much you think TOTAL it's going to cost me for supplies (nutes, soil, etc) plan on growing 4 or 5 plants (not seeds I'll calculate that on my own) I already have a shovel as well as canisters for water.
 
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Bacala

Well-Known Member
SG420 said:
.... Also say I buy 5 seeds of the Automazar or THC bomb.. how much would live out of 5 you think? I'm guessing 2 or 3 would survive out of the 5 seeds but idk
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Are you going guerrilla, or will this be in a place you can tend closely? I have no experience dong guerrilla so don't know about losses, but if it's in a garden I think anyone with general gardening knowledge should expect near 100% survival.
 
SG420

SG420

Active Member
Bacala said:
Are you going guerrilla, or will this be in a place you can tend closely? I have no experience dong guerrilla so don't know about losses, but if it's in a garden I think anyone with general gardening knowledge should expect near 100% survival.
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See the thing is Bacala I live near the woods. I plan on walking a good 5 or 6 blocks out into the woods and growing out there so yes it's a guerilla grow but its not gonna be SUPER far out it's going to be within walking distance if all goes according to plan but yet quite a good walk. And 100% survival rate? Jeez are you sure?
 
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Bacala

Well-Known Member
SG420 said:
Please if you could give me a general idea of how much you think TOTAL it's going to cost me for supplies (nutes, soil, etc)
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Not much. Can't say since we don't know your possible sources in your area, what type of nutes you'll use, etc., but in my area of California I could buy everything I need for what you describe for no more than $75 and could do it for less with a little shopping around. Of course, some of that will carry over to the next year, so your yearly costs are less. Pots, left-over nutes, etc.
 
Lucky Luke

Lucky Luke

Well-Known Member
5 seeds? lets say all germinate so we are potting 5 seedlings.

Enough soil for 5 large pots (if your using pots) and some slow release fertilizer. Under $50 not including pot cost.

Handy items are a PH tester. These can be had on ebay for under $10 and a 60x jewelers glass is under $5 on ebay for harvest times.

So say under $60 for lots of ounces...cheap. (auto flowers in general dont get as much weight as natural flowering ones do but its in the ground for less time.) If all plants are female you will get AT LEAST and ounce per plant. $60 for 5 ounces minimum is pretty cheap IMO

Keep your first grow simple. Its a plant it wants to grow. Common mistake is to "over watch it"
 
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Bacala

Well-Known Member
SG420 said:
And 100% survival rate? Jeez are you sure?
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You know what? You're right. I was thinking of plants already in the garden when I wrote that. Before that point, you could have a seed not crack or a new seedling damp off or something. Still, I'd figure a good 4 out of 5 should make it if you receive quality seeds and don't make big mistakes.
 
CallinCarRamRod

CallinCarRamRod

Well-Known Member
I bought a setup for about 800 bucks. Grown about 3 lbs so far. Including soil, bulbs, etc it was about 400 extra. So 3lbs/1200 dollars. 400 a lb. And it will get cheaper as I get better.
Outdoor forget about it. Soil and nutes are less than 40 dollars a plant. Each plants gives me almost a pound to more than a pound.
I sell my excess for 250-350 an ounce so technically it pays me
 
Larry {the} Gardener

Larry {the} Gardener

Well-Known Member
What you need more than anything is experience. Why don't you buy a bag of weed and grow out the seeds this summer. Bag seeds will give you the freedom to screw up without feeling terrible about it.

And the number one thing you can do to improve yield is read. {or watch You Tube} Invest some time in reading up on outdoor grows, then pop you a few seeds. Even if only a couple of them make it, you will have a little smoke, but more importantly, you will have your first grow under your belt.

Not sure if it will help with you so far north, but here is some of my thoughts on clandestine growing.

https://www.rollitup.org/t/bushcrafting-the-weed-addition-bugout-patch.898431/
 
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