To grow, or to grow like a pro

This is the story of the Pro and the Nave: The Pro makes sure his product grows as healthy as possible. He treats his plants with care, spending extra money on necessary supplies. The Nave enjoys his product himself. He doesn’t spend the extra money, rather buying cheap supplies and more often than not losing products. How do they do it, though? How does one build a grow room?

First, space is needed. With space, one can determine the amount of plants they’ll be able to grow. Space isn’t cheap and neither are walls. Most Pro growers will build separate rooms – one room for flower, the product, and the second room for vege, smaller plants that will be cycled through as they grow larger. Each room will need electrical hookups, then one has to cover and seal the walls, then paint or put panda film over them. By this point a grower has spent roughly $7,500.

Next comes appliances. Every plant needs three things to grow: water, sun, and nutrients. By growing inside, one can simulate plant growth and control it. To control water, plumbing and water lines need to be installed (costing $3,500). Trays and drain systems also need to be installed. Sitting water can create mold and mites, ruining the product. In order to simulate sunlight, LED or fluorescent lighting is hung with timers. Both trays and lighting need to be adjustable as plants grow over time.

With “sunlight” comes heat. Fans necessary for air flow, along with AC to keep rooms at a controlled temperature, can cost up to $9,800. A CO2 line also needs to be installed, as it is beneficial to the plants. Along with CO2, soil and nutrients are important. Good soil is important to plants’ health because mites and mold can stunt plant growth. Nutrients can be expensive – $900 a gallon – but are vital to the growth of plants. Most nutrients are measured out and mixed with water to be given to the plants.

At the end of this process, all that’s left is the actual plants. Plants can be purchased as clones or seeds. Clones are small stems cut from previous growth that have been potted.

Growers have a series of plants at different stages in their growth. Licensed growers are only able to have four plants per household. Whether or not growers really only have four plants is not for us to determine, but legally, adults age 21 and older are allowed four plants per household, and they must be at least 1,000 feet away from a school.

What we can determine is that wallets will be down $35,500 – not including the cost of your space… or the electric bill.