Your first low budget indoor or outdoor grow with recyclable products
Not everyone has a lot of money to spend on the most expensive equipment for their first try at growing plants. And sometimes it’s just a fun challenge to try and keep things as cheap as possible. Below you’ll find multiple tips and tricks for your low budget grow!
Do you want to know more about growing outdoors?
In the download area, you can find the complete guide "Growing outdoors for beginners" in 8 languages (NL-EN-ES-FR-DE-IT-PL-CZ). Check it out right away.
Low budget grow alternatives
You can find simple, cheap alternatives for a lot of things. This starts right at the beginning: seeds.
You don’t necessarily have to buy seeds. Depending on the plant, you can take cuttings. This saves you the trouble of germinating seeds. Cuttings do share the genetics of their mother plant, though. That means they take all weaknesses and strengths with them.
Germination can be done in special grow boxes with seed trays. You can also use egg cartons, empty fruit crates or the plastic boxes of grapes or mushrooms. Just like a grow box, these have plastic lids that keep humidity and warmth in the box. The simplest way to germinate seeds is to pack them in wet cotton balls or inside a wet coffee filter.
Recycle! Pots for outdoor cultivation can be quite expensive, but chances are good that there people who want to get rid of their pots. Ask around on social media or freecycle pages on internet. You might even find people offering tools or materials for supporting structures or roofs at low prices or even for free.
Save on watering costs by storing rain water in a rain barrel. Apart from financial savings, this also provides a water reserve for dry periods. The still water might be a breeding ground for pests and microbes, though.
Put all these ideas together to save a lot of money on the equipment for your cultivation.