It’s one of the most commonly asked questions among newcomers to cultivation - it’s also one of the toughest to answer.
Cultivating cannabis at home can be rewarding in a variety of ways. Along with the satisfaction that comes with growing your own, it’s also possible to save a small fortune on dispensary pot prices. Particularly in some regions of the US, where taxation and levies have made pot impossibly expensive for many.
So whichever way you look at it, cultivating cannabis at home is a cheaper option than buying it commercially. But exactly how much does it cost to set up a viable grow space?
A while back, the Marijuana Business Factbook published a report suggesting that the average cost of cannabis cultivation is $42 per square foot.Nevertheless, this is a rather sweeping (and perhaps misleading) generalisation, when you consider the limitless options available.
Space Vs Costs
For the most part, the cost of any cannabis grow space will be determined by its size. For obvious reasons, an enormous commercial cannabis farm is going to cost far more to set up than a tiny back bedroom cupboard.
What’s more, you’ll usually find that the smaller the grow space, the easier it becomes to control things like temperature, humidity, lighting, and so on. So if costs are your primary concern, the solution could be to think small.
Otherwise, it’s a case of combining the costs of the various electronics and accessories you’ll need to successfully cultivate cannabis. Examples of these include but are certainly not limited to the following:
Grow Lights
Cannabis grow lights range from budget-friendly bulbs to the most elaborate multi-spectrum setups for commercial applications. Basic grow lights start from around $20 - professional lighting rigs often costing several thousand. You can spend as little or as much as you want on grow lights, but it’s never advisable to compromise on quality to cut costs.
Temperature Control
Controlling temperatures in a relatively small grow space can be as easy as setting up an oscillating fan in conjunction with a basic air inlet. If you intend to set up a more robust ventilation system for a larger space, you could easily spend $3,000 on the equipment alone.
Growing Medium
Decent cannabis can be grown using little more than a handful of parts and a couple of bags of decent compost. All of which would add up to an outlay of less than $50. At the top end of the scale, many commercial growers opt for automated hydroponic systems, which can cost anything from a few hundred dollars to $1 million+. Hydro is a great way of producing consistently excellent cannabis but is nonetheless more expensive to set up within the first place.
Nutrients
As for nutrients, the highest-quality products on the market these days are available at affordable prices. Costs are therefore relative to the quantity you need, in accordance with how much cannabis you intend to cultivate. Commercial growers routinely spend well in excess of $1,000 on nutrients alone throughout each cycle.
Licensing and Regulation
Last but not least, if you’re planning on cultivating cannabis with the intention of selling it, you’ll also need to factor licensing fees into the equation. As an example, state fees for cultivating retail cannabis in Colorado currently stand at $4,000. In total, the average annual fee for a medium-sized indoor commercial cannabis grow in the United States is just under $78,000. Precisely the reason why less than 1% of those who grow cannabis in the United States are officially licensed to do so - most simply cannot afford to consider going pro.
