A grow box is a small greenhouse used to grow plants indoors. Many patients use grow boxes to meet their medical cannabis needs. This is a guide on how to choose the best grow box to cultivate cannabis at home.
Consider these five things to decide which grow box is best for your situation:
1. Soil or Hydroponics
Soil is simple, familiar and natural. You plant your seeds, water them and let them grow, just like the herbs in your windowsill. If you want an easy, familiar system go with a soil grow box like the Earth Cab series.
A hydroponic system is any growing set-up that does not use soil. Instead there is a growing medium like coco coir or rockwool. Nutrients must be added to the water to feed the plants.
Growing marijuana with hydroponics results in higher yield and bigger buds, but it must be checked regularly for clogs. Use a hydroponic grow box if you want a big harvest and are willing to check your plants daily.
2. Space Requirements
Consider how much cannabis you use. Several surveys in the UK, Canada and the US suggest that most medicinal marijuana patients use 1-3 grams per day, roughly 2 ½ pounds per year.
If you live in a tiny apartment consider the PC Grow Box, which holds two small plants and produces two pounds of dried marijuana each year. The compact SuperBox fits 8 plants at once with annual yields of over 7 pounds.
3. Grow Lights
Each grow box comes equipped with one of these three types of grow lights:
Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) – Cheap and effective. A grow box with CFL lights is a good choice for a beginning grower.
Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) – Only use full spectrum LED grow lights. These are the most efficient grow lights. LEDs are expensive, but they produce the highest yield and use the least electricity.
High Intensity Discharge Lights (HIDs) – These lights get really hot and are not good for enclosed spaces. Avoid HIDs when using a grow box.
4. Continuous Supply
Get a dual chamber box if you need a continuous supply of cannabis.
In a single chamber grow box you must harvest your first grow before starting the second. In a dual chamber you can start new seeds or marijuana clones halfway through the first grow.
5. Product Reviews
This detailed review of the best marijuana grow boxes of 2016 describes the growing medium, size, lighting options and chambers of the most popular grow boxes available.
Have you tried growing at home, indoors? Which grow box works best for you?
