Costs of Growing Bud Compared To Buying Commercial Prices

[razzapiggy]

you really dont need alot of space depend how long you veg for though but have even seen shelves used if space is an issue and you only veg for a few weeks with 4 ft flouros over them it takes up very little space, using small pots you can fit alot of plants in not a whole lot of space would estimate about 4 plants per sq ft if your only veg for a 3-4 weeks in a pot just large enough to carry them through the veg cycle.

Interesting, a small little dresser would work just fine then. You got me thinking here!

[bud luv]

I think your cost estimates might be off as I know of no one who spends even $100 on ferts and nutes a year, let alone on one grow. And I use the more expensive stuff (FoxFarm and American Hydro products) and spent 50 bucks on 3 bottles that will last for many grows, indoor and out for the next couple of years, at least! Your elec bill sounds a bit high too. I run a total of 3040W of grow lights (2 1kw's, 2 400's and a bank of flouro's totalling 240W) and combined with the house use the bill is still under 200/mo. Of course I cut way back on the "nonessential" electrical uses like keeping the rest of the house warm and puters off when not in use and the like or else it could be a lot worse. I also can't see all of this getting done in only 10.5 weeks as some strains take that long just in flower and the average length of time in flower is 8 weeks...leaving only 2 and a half weeks for vegging. I veg until sexually matured or until females show which takes 6-8 weeks. This allows for only the minimum potential of yield which can be as low as only 7-10 grams/plant on average. So I usually take them an extra month indoors for a total of 5 months from seed to harvest. Cloning makes this a whole different story and greatly increases yield while maintaining the costs.

But it's definitely not a cheap hobby. I don't keep close track of weight after the harvests as I don't sell but for a grow of about a dozen female plants grown from seed over 5 months to harvest, I figure roughly:

$100-150...seeds
50...soil
50...ferts/nutes
500 total at 100/mo...elec
100...misc supplies
or maybe figure $1000 total just to round things off.

I'll harvest appx 1oz/plant or 12 oz's total from the 12 f's and going by the street rates around here (Phoenix area) those oz's of strains such as White Russian, AK47, Blueberry, you know...only the top grade stuff would cost around 350-400. Bringing the gross to around $4,000+ for a net profit, based on expenses alone of $3000++. I would not use so much electricity for 12 plants so that could be cut by half. But this does not allow for space and most of all, the time involved...not to mention wear and tear on the nerves.

lol, you DEFINITELY do not live in california.

[razzapiggy]

Seriously bud-luv, I almost shat myself and cried, "oh boy did I over do it!" before I realized his prices were just extremely unrealistic for this area...LOL

[Weedhound]

I live in CA too and he's right about the prices. However I can definitely say I use $100 worth of nutes and suppliments PER GROW and I will definitely keep doing them the same way. I change my nutes often and really like the effect it has on the growing so while some may feel I am wasting nutes I don't feel that way at all. My grows...up until the present one... have been about 12 week periods so yes, it adds up. And worth every penny to me..

And I completely agree with the rest of you who say you can't buy stuff anywhere near as nice as you can grow. As long as I can grow my own I'll never buy stuff off the street again. (of course....never say never....)

[razzapiggy]

[QUOTE=And I completely agree with the rest of you who say you can't buy stuff anywhere near as nice as you can grow. As long as I can grow my own I'll never buy stuff off the street again. (of course....never say never....) [/QUOTE]


Of course, and this is part of the equation that can't be put into play because we are mostly having a conversation about money here, and how much we save by growing our own dank bud. :thumbsup:

Three days until harvest... whoooooooo hooooooooooooo. Such a good feeling

[bejay]

im sure you will come out ok your yield may be a little low on your first grow but even if you sell the excess at less than market value it should cover all of your cost of growing and eventually within a year probably the cost of equipment also.
the average person that is just growing what they need maybe slightly more and that does not need to rent a spot to grow can usually save alot over buying, but when you spend 7200 a year in rent alone plus add in your additional cost you will need to sell quite abit to cover the cost.

[locomark]

Well, I just bought a qp of swag for $400 for a friend. For the same money I could have grow some bagseed with organic fertilizer then sold that same qp for $1000. But what do I know?

Loco

[razzapiggy]

im sure you will come out ok your yield may be a little low on your first grow but even if you sell the excess at less than market value it should cover all of your cost of growing and eventually within a year probably the cost of equipment also.
the average person that is just growing what they need maybe slightly more and that does not need to rent a spot to grow can usually save alot over buying, but when you spend 7200 a year in rent alone plus add in your additional cost you will need to sell quite abit to cover the cost.

True dat, I can sell it to the local cannabis clubs in my area legally so that shouldn't be a problem. Rent is so high around here, blows that it has to be a serious factor when trying to grow herb to save money..but that's life! :rasta:

[dusto2k3]

Razza, i too would be able to sell to clubs there in OC and LA, what are the going rates they pay for oz's and qp's? you have any insight on that

[razzapiggy]

They really want to be able to take a full pound it seems like. Obviously the price you can get varies on the quality but I have heard of friends getting 3400-3600 a pound for real good herb. The club still makes a boat load at those prices. Seems most of the club are on consignment at this point (they pay you as they sell it) and a buddy of mine even got some sent back after a few weeks because they were not getting rid of it quick enough (saturated market because of outdoor and other factors) Imagine getting a full pound back already weighed into 1/4 lol!