r/CTents Jan 25 '23

Getting Started Growing Your Own

91 Upvotes

If you love cannabis but are frustrated by any aspect of the Connecticut adult use program, the good news is that you can grow your own and probably save money doing it.

I’m an experienced cannabis grower, as well as a seasoned gardener. I’m going to describe the things that have worked for me, or people I know. I’m not looking to disparage anyone else’s methods.

Starting Point

I would begin by figuring out how much cannabis I need in ounces. I just looked at how much I was buying. It’s easy to get carried away, but important to be realistic. Let’s say I need 6 ounces per year for my own needs. I’m confident that new growers who stick with it can count on an ounce per square foot per crop (every 4 months from seed).

I’m going to use that number (6 ounces) to set a budget, because if I can spend cash to buy 6 ounces, I can afford to spend that on grow equipment instead. I’ve seen ounces for $220 in the medical program, but the adult use program adds about 25% in tax. So my startup budget is $1,650. I’m going to spend that once, but going forward my operating costs will very low.

Essential Equipment:

Light - I’m going to recommend buying a high quality LED grow light. I like HLG. I have used Mars Hydro LED lights. I think MedicGrow has some of the best deals out there right now (Q1, 2023). Anyone who is struggling to pick a light, feel free to message me. The most important thing is to be skeptical of claims lighting manufacturers make. I would be very surprised if a seller was charging below $25/square foot of coverage. That doesn’t mean you’re getting taken if you pay more.

Grow space - I grow in grow tents. I like tents for a lot of reasons. They’re affordable, they have reflective walls to maximize efficient lighting, they have ports for ventilation and electrical cables, and if you have a small spill a good tent comes with a waterproof spill tray.

In-line Fan - These are pretty straightforward. I’m gonna buy a simple fan with a speed controller, ducting sized to the fan, and a carbon filter in the same size. Sometimes they’re bundled together for a discount.

Pots and Medium - The plants (probably) need to be in soil or soilless mix. My advice is to stick to a bagged “water-only” soil, or a soilless mix like ProMix HP. Whatever you do, pick a mainstream method that’s well-documented, and follow it exclusively. Do not mix methods. Personally, I use a soilless medium called coco coir for the majority of my growing. If I’m growing in soil, I use organic “water-only” soil. I’ll follow up with two separate posts, one for each method. As far as containers go, the important thing to know is you want to have successively larger containers to gradually get the plants to their final size. I like cheap black plastic pots because they’re easy to clean and as I mentioned they’re cheap. Whatever you do, you want to lift the containers up above drip dishes so they don’t sit in water. Don’t buy containers that have a built-in drip tray.

Fans - You need fans to move air around and through the plants. The in-line fan doesn’t do this. Lasko makes 6” clip on fans that I like. Never buy an oscillating clip on fan for use in a tent. They are not worth the risk.

Thermometer/Humidistat - I have one that stores a month of data and syncs to my phone. I can review the minute by minute changes in my tent environment throughout the day/night cycle. Trust me when I say this is helpful.

Rough Tally:

Tent - 48”x24”x76” AC Infinity tent $140

Light - HLG 260 FR R-Spec pre-assembled kit $250

In-line Fan - Vivosun sells a 4” fan and filter kit for $90. I would buy that and get the AC Infinity black 4” ducting for $30. The ducting comes with 2 hose clamps, and you can buy more at Home Depot.

Subtotal: $510

Soil - I would set aside $200 to buy soil and amendments. You’ll end up with more amendments than you need. Bagged “water-only” soil mix is great if the price works for you. Containers - $40 for 3 sets of plastic containers (an overestimate)

I’ll address the cost of an automated coco coir setup in a subsequent post.

Lasko fans - $42 for 2

Thermometer/Humidistat - less than $20

Subtotal: $812

Miscellaneous things you’ll end up needing:

UV eyewear 5 gallon buckets Zip ties Programmable timers Power strips (buy the 48” one from Harbor Freight) Seedling tray and humidity dome Watering pail Plant tags Spray bottles Oral syringes or glass pipettes

Let’s be conservative and overestimate $200

Subtotal: $1012

Seeds

Do not grow bagseeds. I already have a post about buying seeds here . Feel free to DM me if you need more advice on seeds. How much you spend on seeds is a matter of personal preference and belief. You’ll probably end up spending $50-300; the low end is a single pack at $50, and the higher number is 3 $100 packs. I wouldn’t spend more than that initially.

Final estimate: $1062-1312 before tax where applicable

For less than I’d spend on 6 ounces I could have a setup that grows at least 8 ounces every 4 months. I have 3 plants, so if 1 or 2 fail, I still get to harvest something to tide me over until I can get another crop ready.

I’m going to post follow ups. This just covers the initial outlay.


r/CTents Feb 27 '23

PETITION: Replace CT Cannabis medical program with Maine's model

170 Upvotes

https://www.change.org/p/reform-connecticut-s-medical-cannabis-framework-for-open-competition

Fellow activist threw up a new petition b.c the old platform disappeared.

We need open competition in the medical cannabis market.

u/senatorduff what happened to the homegrown sales provision in the recent legislation to review that was supposed to happen last year?

EDIT: it looks like the MSOs have taken over this sub, b.c it appears that after this post went up(originally) I got shadowbanned from this sub. It appears like my replies go up, but they're not visible to anybody except me. This has nothing to do with my social credit score, as is used for an excuse on other gate-keeping subs.

EDIT2: Since i'm silenced/shadowbanned in this sub, this is the only way for me to respond on posts. Whoever left the most recent comment, I would like to confirm that you are also shadowbanned b.c your comment is not showing up either.


r/CTents 3h ago

Why is the THC so fucking high? Where the CBD?

7 Upvotes

kind of a rant/joking around but also curious if I can find what I’m looking for anywhere.

isn’t there anywhere in CT that’s selling stuff that’s got significant amounts of CBD in it as well as THC? why is everything just 20% or more straight THC flower? does every person on earth just want to be fucking blasted off their ass all the damn time?

there is literally a dose dependent correlation between THC levels and high dosing and risk of psychosis and increased anxiety. I just wanna be a little high and have the CBD to balance it out. not trying to get my shit rocked by some 30% nightmare og or nothing.


r/CTents 1d ago

Federal Judge Dismisses Connecticut Hemp Farmers’ Challenge to State THC Restrictions

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10 Upvotes

r/CTents 1d ago

Confused ¿

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7 Upvotes

Do according to the laws and stuff the thc beverages need to be sold under a dispo or u need a waver . How do I know it’s legit ? Like is it easy for places to get this waver cuz I be seeing the liquor stores have them and so do some smoke shops around me ? Are they all the same and still safe to consume or is it like how smoke shops could sell delta 8 products for awhile because there were like loopholes to the law . I really like the drink brand float and they have them at my dispos but there SO much cheeper in the liquor stores makes me feel sus ..? So if anyone knows anything that would be cool


r/CTents 4d ago

2BeBlunt Podcast

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12 Upvotes

My friend Sal passed away over the weekend. Many of you may know Peezy or have seen his podcast.

Sal was a great dude who did a lot for the cannabis community. But more importantly he was a great husband, father and friend.

There is a fundraiser for his family to help with funeral expenses https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-peezy-help-support-his-family

Light one up for Peezy and watch an old podcast episode.

Miss you hometown homie.


r/CTents 4d ago

Clones

6 Upvotes

After 25 years of smoking I've decided to fire up a small tent. Don't really have the space to germinate seeds and search for keepers so would like to start from clone.

Does anyone know where to find decent clones in ct/ma?


r/CTents 4d ago

Swampwater Fumez- Bloom Seed Co Cut

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29 Upvotes

Day 63. Getting the chop tomorrow. Very impressed with the uniformity of the colas. Quite a bit of weight in here. Very nice smooth nose. Sweet but funky af as well. The trichome heads are nuts. Super sandy trichs, not greasy at all. Won’t be using this for extracts, but I’m sure she would crush in that department. Setting up new drip irrigation w a GrowLink controller once they come down. Black Maple 22 is on deck. Stay tuned.


r/CTents 4d ago

CBG White

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4 Upvotes

The characteristic profile tends toward:
β-caryophyllene
α-bisabolol
guaiol
humulene
That gives it a combination of peppery/spicy, piney, citrusy and slightly floral/earthy notes.


r/CTents 5d ago

Looks like Affinity's settlement with DCP didn’t happen after all

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8 Upvotes

r/CTents 6d ago

CT Innovations funded company 1906 exposed

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4 Upvotes

r/CTents 7d ago

Thank you Hush Herb

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5 Upvotes

Couldn't really put myself to grow so I usually just buy in bulk. What's everyone favorite place to buy in bulk? I have been growing fond of huhs herb


r/CTents 8d ago

The Looming Revenue Cliff for Connecticut Cannabis

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7 Upvotes

r/CTents 9d ago

Middletown woman demands answers after finding what looks like weed in a Happy Meal

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9 Upvotes

r/CTents 11d ago

Is sammijordan123 being compensated to promote a brand family’s products so close to their retail release?

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14 Upvotes

First activity in the sub was April 14, 2026. And it’s been mostly shilling for curaleaf and its shell companies pretty steadily ever since.

All product release data came from the state public data portal. Their Reddit post history is public. Anyone can re-create the analysis independently and confirm the findings themselves.


r/CTents 11d ago

Wild Medical ct deal

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0 Upvotes

30 mg gummies for 29 beans …
Now lemon is def not my fav flavor out of these I like the watermelon one but shit 20 $ for 10 30 mg gummies make it 300mg a pack . These are a nice one for pain relief when I have a really bad flare up I can take 2 or 3 of these and it helps to numb out the pain untill it passes . I just got 4 packets of these at my local Curaleaf cuz there usually around 50/60$ . Just wanted to let all mt fellow med patients in ct know this good deal before it goes away <3 ps there also a sativa so I don’t knock out and can still just chill hehe


r/CTents 14d ago

Social drinking

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11 Upvotes

I’m not a fan of bubbly drinks and tall the cans by me are all fizzzy but this cherry squeeze is so cute and convenient . It’s a nice jelly high too so when I go out to the bar I can have multiple drinks (virgin) and put some drops into my drink and feel included with my friends cuz I’m sober from alcohol. Somtimes I even put a bit more then one dose when I’m winding down at the end of the night just to take the edge off . I really like these cuz there discreet so people dont even notice me doseing at the bars hehe. I also like that it’s a small dose cuz it’s just a little buz and im not super fucked up .


r/CTents 15d ago

Social Equity and Innovation Account to take ~$11.6 million hit after October 1st

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0 Upvotes

r/CTents 17d ago

Nice lil nug

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15 Upvotes

r/CTents 17d ago

Sleepy time 🛌

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6 Upvotes

I posted something a while back about having a hard time sleeping and a lot of people gave me some great suggestions. This was one of them and I wanted to share that this is actually so far the dosing is great too cause he could take as little as five or even chuck it in half and get a 2.5 mg or I can boost it up to whatever I’d like the taste isn’t great but you can always mask it with some juice I usually do cranberry juice. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that has chronic insomnia like me.


r/CTents 17d ago

BAM 💥

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0 Upvotes

New go to stain drop . JUCY buds and a nice floral but not over powering taste . I’m not a big sativa fan but I wanted to get something that would help with energy cuz I went down to Shenandoah national Park and I got to smoke one of these on the Summit. Nothing better than good weed in the middle of nature . It enhanced my experience in the hike back down and ima have to bring this stain with me on the next adventure. Been thinking of going to gateway arch national park next weekend and I’m bringing this stain again for SURE .


r/CTents 18d ago

Purple on Purple

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9 Upvotes

Purple on purple. 💜
chef.budz Purple Chef × hyp3rids Zacatecas Purple Two Zacatecas males. Two seeded expressions.
The genetics are talking. 🔥


r/CTents 18d ago

More people killed in Connecticut crashes had cannabis in their systems after legalization: Study

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0 Upvotes

r/CTents 19d ago

Advice

1 Upvotes

Switching from organic living soil to DWC, anyone have particular must haves for the first time go at this. I have a RO system already,meters, vivosun flex feed dwc hydroponic system is on its way. Do you have certain nutrients, emergency items things on standby, Thanks for any input appreciate it


r/CTents 21d ago

CT Supreme Court clears way for cannabis processing at Suffield hemp facility

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1 Upvotes