A friend was recently asking me how much money I've spent on some automated watering and other things for my grow tent. And they're right that getting started with growing cannabis at home is not exactly cheap. But the returns are substantial, with a typical ROI of 5 months -- the time it takes for your first grow. And if you're an avid or chronic smoker like me, the cost savings explode from there.
In this post I'll put forth the costs and returns of home cannabis grows, aimed at new growers.
Your Habits
Before jumping into the cost/benefit, it's important to understand your goals. Which really means "how much do you smoke?" This will influence the up front costs and returns. If you're a casual smoker looking to experiment, you can buy smaller setup. If you're a heavy smoker you'll want something that yields enough to last you about 4-6 months. (depending how tight you get your grows)
My projections use 2 models: a moderate user consuming 14g/month (an eighth each week), and a heavy user , consuming 1-2 ounces per month. I had to recheck my math because that seems way high, but it's only 2g per day. My habit of 2 good joints and a couple bong rips add up.
Costs
Most high end seed retailers will include harvest estimates. If this is your first grow you are very unlikely to hit anything like that (and don't need to). But in my experience, even bumbling along you can easily get 2 ounces per 2x2 space.
Understanding our habits we can size our grows.
- So 1.5 ounces*6 months=9 ounces ; meaning I want at least 9 ounces each harvest for heavy use
- .5 ounces * 6 months = 3 ounces; meaning I want atleast 3, for light user.
Cool, we want 3-9 ounces per harvest. For these models I'll size a smaller tent and a larger tent, with equipment sized to match. We'll use a 2x2 and a 4x4 tent accordingly.
Assuming first grow ever you'll need everything! I hope your sitting...
| Item | Cost | Small Tent # | | Large Tent # | |
|---|
| seed | $10 | 1 | $10 | 4 | $40 |
| 2x2 tent | $100 | 1 | $100 | | $0 |
| 4x4 tent | $150 | | $0 | 1 | $150 |
| 1000 LED 2x2 | $130 | 1 | $130 | | $0 |
| 4000 LED 4x4 | $450 | | $0 | 1 | $450 |
| fan & filter 4" | $100 | 1 | $100 | | $0 |
| fan & filter 6" | $150 | | $0 | 1 | $150 |
| cloth pot | $10 | 1 | $10 | 4 | $40 |
| soil per pot | $30 | 1 | $30 | 4 | $120 |
| Totals | | | $380 | | $950 |
Ok, ok , not cheap. But I personally was spending $400/month buying elsewhere, so let's start crunching our yields and potential value!
Benefits
By benefits we of course mean yield! How much beautiful dry bud do we harvest?
As I mentioned most retailers will share estimated yield. This Super Silver haze estimates 19 ounces for a 3x3 space. But not on your first go! We're going to cut that dramatically.
Firstly that's a 3x3, and this project uses costs for 2x2 per plant (cause it's how equipment comes). So immediately we knock 1/3 off - about 12 ounce / 2x2. Since it's your first grow, I'd aim to be happy with 25-50% of that. But 2nd, 3rd, 4th -- you'll be pulling in pounds, honestly -- but not yet.
So let's say amateur grower get's about 3-4 ounces of usable buds of a single plant in a 2x2 space. A 4x4 tent allows 4 plants each their own space, so 12-16 ounces.
| Small Tent | Large Tent |
|---|
| 3-4 oz | 12-16 oz |
ROI Calculations
Our ROI for growing has 2 major caveats :
- it's vested with "cliffs" - you only yield any value at successful harvest, which comes 2-3 times a year.
- Success is not guaranteed. You can touch and smell dispensary bud before buy, growing is a risk.
To offset #1 we'll keep it simple and look only at first & 2nd grow. I can only offer up the community's support for #2, but to keep our comparison fair, I'm using a really low price on sourcing weed elsewhere @ $280/ounce for light user, and an even bigger discount for heavy users. But feel free to substitute your actual market's prices.
| Small Tent | Large Tent |
|---|
| Costs | $380 | $950 |
| Yield | 3 | 12 |
| $ / oz | 200 | 150 |
| Profit 1st Grow | $220 | $850 |
| 2nd Grow | $540 * | $1720 |
That's significant ! Especially considering we do this 2-3 times a year!
Say that again?!
So, after a single grow, assuming all costs upfront, growing marijuana at home can not only earn every penny back, but save you an additional $200-$1700 in offset purchases of marijuana! And save $700-$3600 per year
Author's note
My most recent harvest from a 4x4 tent yielded 17 oz after 5 months. It's probably enough for me to ride our the year, but I also have a nasty habit of dropping it where my friends find it, so nice to have extra 🙂.
Please checkout more of the site if this was interesting, or ask any questions you might have. Growing your own marijuana is fun and cost effective.