For the marijuana faithful, home cultivation of cannabis plants has been the golden goose of plenty for decades. Besides being an exceptionally pleasant hobby, the return on investment makes growing for yourself simple economic sense. With weed now legal to some extent in 32 U.S. states — and pot prices retailing anywhere from $150 to $200 an ounce — it’s a no-brainer to cultivate your own green bud at home. It also provides the added bonus of control over your end product, including the use of fertilizers or other amendments that you do or don’t choose to use.
Forget about the closet grows of old. No longer are home growing systems slapdash jalopies jammed into a bedroom closet and reeking of skunk. Many of today’s cannabis grow pods come with odor-control features that offer a range of automation, attractiveness and sophistication that matches the upscale trajectory of the current cannabis market.
Whether you’re shopping for a marijuana aficionado, a hobbyist or a newcomer to growing pot plants, the gift of home cultivation using a stealthy grower’s unit is as enjoyable as it is economical. We’ve compiled here a list some of the better indoor growing units available on the market today — so that you can give the gift that keeps on giving.
The GroBox
This attractive and precision grow box is the BMW of cannabis cultivation units. Designed to make marijuana growing simple and accessible to everyone (regardless of experience), the GroBox is a fully-contained, odor-proof grow pod that is said to be capable of producing a whopping one pound of cannabis per grow cycle. A key instrument of the GroBox is the Cloudponics “GroControl,” which allows users to remotely monitor and automate the unit through an app that clocks nutrient dosing, pH levels and climate control. GroBoxes also feature lighting from Black Dog LED, a trusted leader in the industry. Also very key — if you should require answers to cultivating questions, the Cloudponics team say they are at the ready via the contact button in the mobile app for direct-to-human interaction. You can’t ask for more than that. Price: $2270 (Holiday discount)
The RecRoom
The makers of the very durable and popular Gorilla Growing Tents have now created an impressive all-in-one, home-grow kit for marijuana cultivation devotees. The RecRoom provides a one-stop shop that includes a sturdy 2 x 4-foot tent, odor control, fans for circulating and exhausting air, LED lighting and nutrients, and a few other key essentials to create optimal cultivation conditions. Partnering with lighting manufacturer Kind LED and nutrient maker Lotus has created a solid trio in the RecRoom that will assist you in creating the fundamentals of a compact, successful indoor garden space. Just add soil and seeds — and watch your plants (and your ROI) grow fatter by the day. Price: $695-$895
SuperStar
The SuperStar 3.0 LED Grow Cabinet is a powerhouse in the sphere of hydroponic grow systems. An award-winning, automated grow unit — made by the cultivation experts at SuperCloset, who’ve been at it since 2002 — the SuperStar is equipped to germinate, clone, vegetate and flower at the same time. Featuring those dual chambers is a pretty significant characteristic that distinguishes the SuperStar from the rest of the grow kits — drastically reducing turnaround time from seedling to harvest. SuperCloset also offer a nine-episode video tutorial, a 3-year warranty, and stand behind their 7-day-a-week lifetime customer support for technical and grow issues. Happily grow your own herb with this quiet, safe and stealthy grow box designed to fit perfectly into your home. Price: $1,595 (Holiday discount)
Black Dog LED
If you want to save yourself a dozen trips to the hydro store gathering the odds and ends you’ll require to assemble a great grow unit — while at the same time procuring a high-quality lighting system — this might be the way to go. Black Dog LED, a leader in cannabis grow light technology, has taken an interesting approach here collecting top-notch products that mesh well with their LEDs and are designed to ensure maximum yields with minimal effort. This particular kit features a Black Dog LED PhytoMAX-2 200 grow light, a Sun Hut Fortress tent and a laundry list of other great accessories that would cost a lot more if you shelled out for each individual piece. Trusted in the cannabis industry as a solid light maker, they also know their stuff when it comes to kit building. Price: $2,099.68
Leaf
Leaf has produced an attractive and discreet growing pod here that not only looks handsome but can automatically monitor your marijuana plant in a variety of different ways. At approximately 2 x 5 feet, the Leaf can tuck away into the corner of a room — virtually disappearing among other appliances — and promises to control your unit’s environment and consistently produce optimal growing conditions for your pot plant. It comes with sensors that gauge air humidity and temperature, as well as plant height and water levels. One of its more impressive features is a live-stream camera with WiFi connectivity beaming video to the Leaf app, so you will never have to wonder how your plant is doing when you’re away. Price: $2,990
Hydro Crunch
For the do-it-yourselfer on your shopping list, Hydro Crunch mylar hydroponic grow tents are a good utilitarian product to dabble in the marijuana growing sphere. Think Ridgid brand tools made by Home Depot — no frills or bells and whistles, just straightforward and functional. Manufactured using 300D Oxford cloth and lined with 100 percent reflective Mylar fabric. Units are washable and easily broken down to move or store between grow cycles. They also come in a range of sizes and shapes to fit most spaces. While these are strictly bare tents, Hydro Crunch also sells most everything you’ll need to build a basic grow setup, from lights to fans to controllers. Price: $85-$229
SuperCloner
Often, before there was the flowering plant, there was the immature plant clone. For the grower who takes home cultivation to the next level, creating clones — or new baby plant cuttings — is an indispensable act that saves time and money and means faster cycling into the next grow. The SuperCloner 14-site hydroponic cloner takes the guesswork out of generating new clones, and essentially creates a perpetual inventory of new young plants for eventual flowering in one of the grow units above. Master the art of cloning plants with this vital device and you will have nearly perfected the gift that keeps on giving. Price: $149.95
