Marijuana laws are becoming more relaxed every year. Thirteen states have already decriminalized the non-medical use of cannabis, with another 9 (plus the District of Columbia) going so far as to legalize the substance.
For a recreational smoker, weed can be a bit expensive. Legal cannabis is taxed heavily, which means you won’t be getting the same deals you might be used to. Because of this, more people are starting to look into growing their own cannabis for their use at home.
In states where cannabis is legal, you can usually have enough plants to sustain you for some time. Commercial operations are picking up, leading to massive grow houses that can drain the local environment of its resources.
If you want to make sure your personal or professional setup stays eco-friendly, take the following precautions.
1. Go Organic Where You Can
Going organic is the first essential weed-growing tip when it comes to staying eco-friendly. If you have a commercial operation, you can’t technically advertise that you’re an organic shop, since you won’t be able to obtain a federal certification. If you want to stay eco-friendly, though, this detail shouldn’t matter.
Stay away from synthetic nutrients and leftover products from the meat industry when feeding your plants. Take a look at the organic grower’s list from the Organic Materials Review Institute to get you started. This list provides some safe, eco-friendly products that you can use to grow your weed.
2. Water Responsibly
Using too much water on your plants is a common gardening mistake, and growing weed is no different. Your plants will need a specific amount of water for each stage of their development, so pay attention to where your plants are in the growing process.
You want to make sure your plants aren’t straining to get water, but you don’t want to drown them either. Using too much water is one way to remove the eco-friendly tag from your grow operation.
3. Feed Your Plants What They Need
It’s essential that you understand what to feed your plants at the different stages of their growth. How much nutrients they need will depend on size, strain, and stage, so fertilize appropriately at all points for the best eco-friendly result.
Fertilizer is one of the best places to go organic. Choosing the right fertilizers will promote healthy growth and development for your plant.
4. Pest Control
Eco-friendly doesn’t mean you’re letting nature run wild. In fact, it can mean the opposite in many cases. Pest management is an important part of any gardening ritual, and growing weed is not the exception.
Diligently look for infestations on your plants. Look everywhere for signs of pests and pathogens, because catching them early is far easier to deal with than finding them weeks into an infestation.
If you’re trying to be as eco-friendly as possible, you want to find the most non-toxic products to rid yourself of the pests. Buy an organic product and read the label carefully before you use it. “Organic” doesn’t necessarily mean “safe to breathe,” so be careful here.
More importantly, if you experience a pest infestation, you need to change something. Investigate the possible cause of the infestation, and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Predatory Insects
Using organic pest control products isn’t the only way to keep pests in check. Some organic gardeners hate the thought of spraying their plants with chemicals, even if they have the “organic” tag attached.
If you’re one of these people, place an order for a friendly, carnivorous insect to take care of the problem for you. These insects would rather eat other insects than your weed plants, so set them loose and let nature take its course.
5. Grow Outside!
Many weed gardeners tend to keep their grow operations in a small indoor area, hidden from outside world. Since marijuana laws are becoming more relaxed, you won’t need to hide your plants in the closet anymore.
Indoor grow operations waste far more energy and money on air conditioning and lighting. If you grow outside, you can slash your costs and energy consumption by a substantial percentage.
If you live in an area with frequent inclement weather, use a greenhouse instead. A greenhouse will give you the control of indoor growing without the high cost and energy consumption.
6. Understanding the Soil
The soil is the foundation of your plant, and without appropriate soil, the quality of your plant will suffer. Test your soil’s composition for both indoor and outdoor growing. This information will give you a better understanding of the care you need to take during the growth of your plant.
Testing your soil will help you avoid making costly and time-consuming mistakes throughout the lifecycle of your plants.
7. Climate Control
Proper climate control will keep your plants healthy, reduce energy consumption, and limit the potential risk of a pest infestation. Don’t try to cut corners by setting and forgetting the climate in your growing space. Climat is one of the most critical elements in gardening and disregarding it will lead to a sub-par yield or even no yield at all.
Keep your plants warm but don’t’ let them get too hot. Make sure they’re constantly watered but that the humidity isn’t too high. It’s a delicate balancing act to make sure your plants grow steadily without attracting pests.
Not only will these practices help your plants grow, but they’ll reduce the environmental impact of your cannabis garden.
Growing Weed Responsibly
Since growing cannabis is a cheap way to produce a consistent flow of the substance, and laws regulating growth are loosening, more people are turning to growing their own.
To make your dollar go the furthest and keep your local environment undisturbed, it’s critical that you become as eco-friendly as possible. Use these seven tips to save time and money while keeping your grow operation eco-friendly.
When you’re finished, you can enjoy your home-grown product with a beautiful Brothers With Glass product.
Want more tips on going eco-friendly in your garden? Take a look at our blog!
