Many cannabis enthusiasts want to grow their own weed plants at home—name them, talk to them, and eventually smoke them up or put them to use in another way—but they miss out on the experience because it seems like way too much work. That, and they don’t have the right space for such a project or months to watch over a plant, let alone a garden of weed. Even people who are strangers to cultivating cannabis know that it’s not cheap, and it’s surely not as simple as planting a seed and walking away—or is it?
With a grow box, it can be that easy. For beginners who want to make their cultivation dreams a reality right from home, but don’t have the green thumb for it, a grow box can allow them to have the experience of growing—without all the labor. You plant the seeds and add the water. The grow box does the rest and, not long after, you get beautiful and healthy cannabis plants, just like that.
A grow box is a complete, self-contained atmosphere for cannabis. Everything you need to raise the herb from seed to weed, including the nutrients, the grow lights, etc., comes included with a grow box. Not to be confused with a grow tent, which is usually much larger, a grow box doesn’t take up a lot of space and can fit neatly and naturally in any room. Some can even be buried in the back of a closet. On the outside, a grow box doesn’t scream “there’s weed in here.” It looks almost the same as a filing cabinet or a mini fridge, so really, there’s no need to stress over finding the perfect spot to keep it.
Again, grow boxes come already assembled with all the equipment you need to grow weed inside. Though there are a variety of grow boxes available, most come with the same tools, which are:
Fancier grow boxes can include features like a CO2 enhancer to boost plant growth by 20% or more, lock latches to keep plants protected, an app for tracking plants, and more. It seems like an overwhelming amount of equipment, but since most grow boxes are automated and do the work for you, you don’t have to worry too much about how the specific parts operate. When shopping for a grow box as a beginner, you’ll mainly have to choose what type of lights you want and decide between a hydroponic and soil-based system. And of course, you’ll also want to consider the size of the grow box according to where you plan to put it.
As for the lights, each type has its pros and cons, the most common being HID, LED, and CFL. The lighting you should choose depends on your budget, how high you want your yields, and how much energy you’re willing to use. Here are the pros and cons:
Now that you are more familiar with the equipment that comes with your grow box, you need to learn the difference between using hydroponics and soil to grow cannabis and the pros and cons of each. The main difference between the two is that hydroponics uses nutrients and water rather than soil, such as clay pellets, peat moss, and so on. Most grow boxes today utilize a hydroponic system because it makes growing faster, simpler, and less of a mess. But there are benefits to soil-based options as well.
Pros of growing with soil
Cons of growing with soil
Pros of hydroponics
Cons of hydroponics
There’s always the option of making a grow box from scratch, but for beginners, they’ll find the setup is far too advanced. At least with purchasing a grow box, all the right tools are included minus the seeds, so there is little trial and error for smell-proofing, installing proper lighting, and things of that nature. And, of course, it’s already built. They’ll cost you, but they are durable and made to last, and you save more money in the long run. Not to mention, they’re the least time-consuming. Grow boxes that aren’t fully-automated still require some maintenance, but not nearly as much as a homemade system.
To help you find the right one based on your budget and space, we’ve found the best in the industry that require the least amount of experience and knowledge. They’re also the stealthiest and most reasonably sized.
The Cash Crop 5.0, available in 2 ft and 3 ft versions, is an excellent first choice grow box for beginners. It comes with all the essentials and grows up to 6 plants from seed to harvest with the help of LED lights and hydroponics. The Cash Crop 5.0 features a carbon protected intake and outtake system to prevent pests and speed up air exchange. Moreover, it’s odor-controlled thanks to its Ozium (the same company that makes that spray that eliminates the smell of weed) equalizer and carbon filter and has lockable latches to keep your pot protected.
Other notable features you get with the Cash Crop 5.0 include:
The Yield Machine Max is a 4-foot hydroponics grow box that has a 150 watt high-powered, but low heat UFO LED grow light and grows up to nine plants, making it more like a cabinet, but still sizable for any room. Just because the Yield Machine Max is more substantial than your standard grow box doesn’t mean it’s harder to use. This device comes assembled like the rest and is only bigger to make room for larger yields. All you have to do is plant your seeds, plug it in, mount your LED lights to the hook, and you’re good to grow.
Other nifty features you get with the Yield Machine Max include:
From closets to offices, Grandma’s Secret Garden 4.0 is a 3-footer and can grow up to nine plants in small or large spaces utilizing deep water culture hydroponics and Mars Hydro LEDs. Already assembled and ready to plug in, Grandma’s Secret Garden 4.0 is beginner-friendly and offers unlimited phone and email support, just in case you get lost somewhere along your weed-growing journey.
Other features worth mentioning that are included with Grandma’s Secret Garden 4.0 are:
Formerly known as the Lowryder Hydroponic Grow Box, the Ghost Mini Stealth Hydroponic Grow Box is as convenient and affordable as a grow box gets. It’s less than 300 bucks with everything included and is only 2 ft tall but is just as powerful as larger grow boxes. The Ghost Mini also doubles as a six plant cloning machine. It makes growing and transferring a breeze, and provides the option of raising small plants from seed to harvest as well.
Other features beginners might like that come with the Ghost Mini include:
Available with LED or HPS lights, the SuperLocker 3.0 stands 66 inches high and is reminiscent of the gym locker you used in school, except it’s a lot safer and inconspicuous. Not only can you flower and harvest as many as 8 plants using the SuperLocker 3.0, but you can also clone and germinate 14 plants at the same time thanks to its dual chamber. Although it calls for a reservoir refreshment every 1 to 2 weeks, it’s still low-maintenance. All you have to do is add nutrients and adjust your pH to get growing. Moreover, there’s an included SuperCloset instructional DVD to help you step by step.
Other features that make the SuperLocker 3.0 a great beginner’s grow box are:
The Ghost Cabinet Stealth Grow Box is 3 ft tall, uses your choice of 150 or 216 W LED lights, and can grow up to six plants. It costs under $300 and is one of the cheaper grow boxes on the market. In fact, the Ghost Cabinet Stealth Grow Box is almost identical to the Cash Crop 5.0 Grow Box, except it costs less. It’s perfect for beginners full of questions as email, chat, and text support is offered to help with your first grow.
Other attractive features that come with the Ghost Cabinet Stealth Grow Box include:
Grobo One is expensive but fully-automated. It features an app that makes cultivating cannabis as easy as 1-2-3. You tell the machine what you’re growing, plant your seed, and your work is done. Grobo One does everything else. Not to mention, it’s made of Canadian birch wood and high-quality steel, so it’s quite durable and suitable for any corner space thanks to its convenient 48-inch height.
Other features that the clever Grobo One has to share are:
GroBox is the most expensive grow box on the list, but it is also 100% automated, making it one of the easiest to use. You can grow up to 16 ounces, or six plants, with this monster of a grow box. It’s stocked with features, including traceability, which allows you to watch your beloved cannabis grow. Also, it has an app that makes it so that you can step away from the device for as long as four weeks without having to bother waiting around on your plants. You can vacation anywhere in the world and grow weed at the same time. Just make sure you check on them from time to time using your smartphone.
The GroBox comes with a ton of crazy features, but some of the coolest include:
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