What supplies do I need to grow my own organic Cannabis?
To get started growing your own organic cannabis, you'll need the following items if you don't have them already. These are the same things I use for growing. It looks like a lot to buy but it really doesn't cost very much (except for the Compost Tumbler) and it's certainly cheaper than having to buy nutrients all the time. Also, pretty much everything listed will last for more than one summer grow so you won't have to buy them again for at least a year. (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases —they forced me say that.)
- Jeweler's Loupe for inspecting your cannabis.
- Rubber Gloves for mixing organic soil. Get some thicker ones (like dishwashing gloves) since you'll be a little rough with them as you mix up your soil.
- Tote, 20-gallon or larger for mixing your organic soil.
- 1 gallon smart pots, one per plant (I recommend growing three plants). You'll grow your seedlings in these.
- 5 gallon smart pots, one per plant (I recommend growing three plants). Transplant your seedlings into these larger pots.
- 5 gallon utility bucket for mixing organic soil. You can buy one for about $2 at Home Depot.
- Small Fiskars trimmer for trimming dried buds.
- Large trimmer for cutting branches at harvest time.
- Compost Tumbler for making your own compost. Make sure you get a 2-chamber tumbler as discussed in the How to Make Homemade Compost for Cannabis section.
- Mason Jars for curing and storing your dried cannabis. Just buy one 9pk for now and buy more if you need them.
- 4-ft stake, one per plant (recommend three plants). You can buy these for a few bucks at Home Depot.
- Kelp Meal: For making organic soil.
- Crab Shell: For making organic soil.
- Espoma Garden Lime: For making organic soil. Buy it cheap at Home Depot. You need a very specific type of lime which is discussed further in the How to Make Organic Soil for Cannabis page.
- Sphagnum Peat Moss: For making organic soil. Buy this cheap at Home Depot, if you buy online you'll pay too much for shipping.
- Alfalfa Meal: For making organic soil.
- Tomato-tone: For making organic soil.
- Neem Meal: For making organic soil. See the How to Make Organic Soil for Cannabis page for alternatives.
- Azomite Rock Dust: For making organic soil. See the How to Make Organic Soil for Cannabis page for alternatives.
- Earthworm Castings, 30lbs to have enough for 15 gallons of soil. I highly recommend buying these locally from a farm supply store or local vermicomposter since it's very hard to get good fresh castings online. If you're in Southern California, OC Farm Supply has good castings from AgroWinn that are fresh enough that worms still hatch inside.
- Monterey Garden Insect Spray w/ Spinosad: For organic pest control of Thrips, Budworms, Aphids, etc.
- Neem Oil: More organic pest control for your cannabis during the vegetative growth phase.
- Monterey Bt Caterpillar Spray: Yet another organic bug spray for weed plants. You'll use this one specifically for killing caterpillars and budworms. Killing is a harsh word to use in nature but believe me those fuckers deserve it.
- Azamax Spray: This is my nuclear option when it comes to getting rid of spider mites organically. I don't use it much and the tiny bottle I have has lasted over 3 years. It's good to have on hand if you need it though.
The list below features items I would use if I wanted to grow cannabis scientifically with space-age tools and instruments. I don't use any of these since I have my process down but I suppose one day I'll buy them and make the cannabis drying and curing process much easier.
- Boveda Micro Humidipak: You use these to keep the humidity at the right level for your curing buds and maintain freshness of your cured buds throughout the year. I've heard nothing but good things about these.
- Digital Hygrometer: Monitor the temps and humidity in your cannabis drying room with this cheap gadget. It displays the daily highs and lows so you can see what happens to your humidity when the sun goes down. This is quite honestly something I should buy for next year since it's so cheap and useful.
- Carson zOrb Digital Microscope: Did somebody say space-age? I've always wanted one of these for getting really nice views of my cannabis buds, both before and after harvest. If I had one of these I would use it to inspect my trichromes and take nice close snapshots of my buds. And let's be honest here...I'd be looking at boogers too.
- My book, Lunch Special: Yes that's my book. It's cheap and a good read for stoners—after all I'm a stoner and I wrote the goddamn thing. Add it to your cart today so you don't forget!
What nutrients do I need for growing cannabis?
If you're growing cannabis organically this section doesn't apply to you and you won't need anything here. But since I began growing with nutrients (ie not organically), I owe it to my cannabis growing brothers and sisters to at least point you in the right direction for growing with nutes. The items below are what you'll need to get started growing your own cannabis and it's what I used when I grew outdoor weed with nutes.
- Foxfarm Ocean Forest Soil: This is as good as you're going to get without spending ridiculous amounts of money for ProMix soil. The nutrients will last about a month and then you'll need to start adding nutes. Are you sure you don't want to just build your own organic soil instead?
- Foxfarm Grow Big: Use this when your plants are growing foliage in the vegetative growth phase.
- Foxfarm Big Bloom: You'll use this only when your marijuana plants are in the flowering phase.
- Botanicare Cal-Mag: Calcium and magnesium deficiences are common during a nutrient grow. A watering with some Cal-Mag fixes them. Dude, are you sure don't want to just go old-school and grow cannabis the natural way with organic soil? It's so much easier!
- General Hydro pH drops: You will use these drops every time you water to verify the pH of your water before adding it to your soil. I repeat, you will use these drops EVERY TIME you water. Incorrect pH is the first mistake that every new cannabis grower makes.
- General Hydroponics pH Down: You will use this to adjust your pH prior to watering. Nearly all water will have a pH that's too high, which means you'll add pH down to get it into the proper range for your cannabis (between 6-7 pH). It's a pain in the ass that organic growers don't need to worry about...are you sure you wouldn't rather grow weed organically instead?
- pH meter: Want to go space-age with your cannabis grow? I never had one of these but it's sure a hell of a lot quicker and more accurate than using pH drops.