The 🌱 Hobby Grower Toolkit: Everything You Need To Get Started

What you'll need, how to set it up, and things to consider before you begin.

The 🌱 Hobby Grower: Start Your First Cannabis Hobby Grow

If you've considered growing cannabis, you may have gotten overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information available.

This happened to me when I first thought about growing as well. I even had a friend build me an entire grow shopping list in my amazon cart. But you don't need to start the race with a rocket ship; the basics will do just fine.

Before you start, two questions you need to consider:

First, are you aiming for the most affordable entry point or are you looking for durable equipment that will last you more than a few cycles?

Second, what is the space you are working with? 2x2x4? 4x4x6? 4x8x6? 5x10x10?

General recommendation: if you are going the affordable route, start smaller on the tent size (when you upgrade size, you can upgrade quality as well) and the light (You won't need a big light for a small space).

Amazon has some relatively affordable kits and individual options.

If you were to splurge on one thing, I would splurge on your light.

The quality and intensity of your light will have a big impact on the quality of your flowers (more so than the durability of the reflective material of the tent, for example).

I personally have a 2x2 grow going with an Amazon Tent and an HLG 100r light (~$140 on amazon).

I also have a 4x4 Gorilla Grow Tent running bigger/nicer HLG lights from when I upgraded my setup. The choice is yours, and you can grow perfectly nice buds without spending thousands of dollars.

In short:

• Cheap & Small: Amazon Tent & Amazon Light

• Cheap with a Small Splurge: Amazon Tent, HLG Light

• Moderate Entry with Longer Lifespan: Gorilla Grow Tent, HLG Lights

The 🌱 Hobby Grower: Supplies & Set-Up

(You can download the entire Hobby Grower Toolkit for free, including these lists and diagrams, as a PDF here, for ease of printing & shopping)

2x2 Grow Setup: Ideal for The Beginner or Closet 🌱 Hobby Grower

Yields: I have personally pulled 2-2.5 ounces (17.5g/sq ft) per harvest from my 2x2x4' setup, and there is the potential for more, but yields will be smaller with a smaller space.

Supplies:

• Tent: 2x2x4' Grow Tent

• Light: 100w-300w LED

• 2 Fans

  • 1 Small, 6" Clip Fan (to clip to your tent pole)

  • 1 Inline Fan (for your exhaust)

• Ducting (size depends on size of inline fan)

  • 4" Ducting, or

  • 6" Ducting

• Carbon Filter (Optional)

  • If you are worried about smell, a carbon filter for your exhaust will help mitigate issues.

  • Smell will only be a significant factor once you enter the bloom (flower) phase.

• Pots

  • Plastic or Fabric

    • I recommend 3- or 5-gallon pot

  • Number will depend on how many plants

    • I recommend starting with a single plant in a tent this size

  • I personally use 5-gallon fabric pots in a tent this size.

• Saucers

  • Get a size that corresponds with the diameter of your pot. (12-16" should work, but double-check your pot's dimensions)

• Riser(s) (Optional but recommended)

  • This is a small plastic riser that lifts your pot out of the runoff/drainage after each feeding

  • Risers avoid stagnant water sitting at the bottom of your pot, and allow proper drainage

• Genetics

  • Seeds or Clones

  • I recommend starting from seed for your first time.

  • You don't need the most expensive genetics out there (you can start with a bag seed if you want), but purchasing from established seed companies will increase the likelihood of support and viability of the seeds.

• Substrate (Growing Media/What Your Roots Go In)

  • There are a variety of options: Soil, coco, blends

  • Many blends are already "hot" with nutrients; I recommend something like Roots 707 soil for ease and to avoid burning your roots, but there are plenty of other options.

• Nutrients

  • You don't "need" these to grow; a plant will grow naturally, not optimally, as it will be starving throughout its life.

  • For a better experience, even a very basic 2-3 part system will do the trick. I've used both Botanicare's Pure Blend Pro and Dyno-Gro's 2-part line.

  • For the best experience, you can invest in higher end nutrient lines like New Millenium, but if it is your first grow, you may want to start smaller before upgrading (and if you have extra to upgrade, start with your light!)

• Tools:

  • Fluid Measuring Devices

    • Syringes, Graduated cylinder, pitcher, mason jar, etc. Anything that allows you to measure how much you are feeding.

    • Don't guesstimate! I made this mistake my first grow and ended up locking my plants out with nutrient overload.

  • Hydrometer

    • You only need one.

    • This will tell you your temperature and relative humidity levels in your tent.

  • pH & EC Meters (Optional but recommended)

    • Start basic. You can get both of these tools for under $40.

    • When you're ready, upgrading to a nicer meter will extend the life of your tools and shorten your process (especially combo meters)

Set-Up Diagram