The 108 things that actually grow weed

The yield-maker. 30–40 real watts per square foot of canopy.

• Spider Farmer SF1000 (100W)

  $$$

  The default first light for a 2x2 — Samsung diodes, dimmable.

  indoor

• Mars Hydro TS1000 (150W)

  $$$

  Budget classic; runs a 2x2 to 2.5x2.5 honestly.

  indoor

• Spider Farmer SF2000 (200W)

  $$$

  The 2x4 workhorse; bar-adjacent board layout.

  indoor

• Mars Hydro FC-E3000 (300W)

  $$$

  Bar-style spread for even 3x3 coverage.

  indoor

• AC Infinity IONBOARD S24 (240W)

  $$$

  Integrates with their controller ecosystem.

  indoor

• AC Infinity IONFRAME EVO4 (300W)

  $$$

  Bar light with app dimming/scheduling built in.

  indoor

• HLG 260W XL QB Kit

  $$$

  US-built kit; the quantum-board original, buy-once quality.

  indoor

• Vivosun VS1000 (100W)

  $$$

  Frequent-sale alternative to the SF1000.

  indoor

• Photontek X2 250W PRO

  $$$

  High-efficiency bar fixture for serious 2x4/3x3 runs.

  indoor

Cheap tents are fine — spend the savings on the light.

• AC Infinity CLOUDLAB 422 (2x2)

  $$$

  Thick poles, quality zippers; the premium small tent.

  indoor

• AC Infinity CLOUDLAB 642 (2x4)

  $$$

  The sweet-spot size for 2 plants.

  indoor

• Vivosun 2x4x60 tent

  $$$

  The budget default; millions grown in these.

  indoor

• Mars Hydro 4x4 tent

  $$$

  Solid value at the 4-plant size.

  indoor

• Spider Farmer 2x2 tent

  $$$

  Often bundled with the SF1000 at a discount.

  indoor

• Gorilla Grow Tent 4x4

  $$$

  Tank-grade canvas + height extension kits.

  indoor

• AC Infinity CLOUDLAB 899 (4x8)

  $$$

  When one tent becomes a perpetual harvest setup.

  indoor

Move air out, keep air moving inside, and watch the numbers.

• AC Infinity CLOUDLINE T4 (4")

  $$$

  The exhaust fan — quiet EC motor, thermostat control.

  indoor

• AC Infinity CLOUDLINE T6 (6")

  $$$

  For 4x4s and hot attics/basements.

  indoor

• AC Infinity Controller 69 PRO

  $$$

  Runs fans/lights/humidifier off temp+RH targets automatically.

  indoor

• AC Infinity 4" carbon filter

  $$$

  Australian charcoal; kills smell for a full grow+.

  indoor

• Phresh Filter 4"

  $$$

  The long-running premium scrubber.

  indoor

• 6" clip-on fan (x2)

  $$$

  Gentle leaf dance 24/7 — buy two, aim above and below canopy.

  indoor

• Vivosun 6" oscillating tent fan

  $$$

  Pole-mount oscillation for bigger tents.

  indoor

• Levoit 6L humidifier

  $$$

  Seedling/veg RH; top-fill, runs days.

  indoor

• hOmeLabs 22-pint dehumidifier

  $$$

  Late-flower insurance — WNY summers demand one.

  indoor

• Inkbird ITC-308 outlet thermostat

  $$$

  Cheap automation for heaters/heat mats.

  indoor

The root zone: soil or coco, and fabric over plastic.

• Premier Pro-Mix HP

  $$$

  The peat+perlite canvas for amended/living mixes.

  indoor · outdoor

• Fox Farm Ocean Forest

  $$$

  Hot out of the bag — feeds ~4 weeks; skip for seedlings.

  indoor · outdoor

• Fox Farm Happy Frog

  $$$

  Milder FF; good seedling and transplant soil.

  indoor · outdoor

• Build A Soil 3.0 (Coots mix)

  $$$

  The living-soil gold standard, shipped.

  indoor · outdoor

• Canna Coco brick / bag

  $$$

  Buffered coco that made the 70/30 mix famous.

  indoor

• Mother Earth perlite (#3)

  $$$

  Aeration for everything; 20–30% of any mix.

  indoor · outdoor

• Vivosun 5-gal fabric pots (5-pack)

  $$$

  Air-pruned roots; nearly impossible to overwater badly.

  indoor · outdoor

• Rain Science grow bags

  $$$

  Mesh bags loved by coco growers for dry-back speed.

  indoor

• Smart Pot 15–30 gal

  $$$

  Outdoor beds that move — deck, patio, backyard.

  outdoor

• 1020 trays + inserts

  $$$

  Seed starting and clone staging.

  indoor

The Soil Lab shopping list — the recipes' actual ingredients.

• Gaia Green All Purpose 4-4-4

  $$$

  The veg half of the Canucks system.

  indoor · outdoor

• Gaia Green Power Bloom 2-8-4

  $$$

  The flower half; top-dress at day 30 of bloom.

  indoor · outdoor

• Wiggle Worm castings 15lb

  $$$

  The microbe engine of every recipe on this site.

  indoor · outdoor

• Xtreme Gardening Mykos

  $$$

  Mycorrhizae at every transplant — roots' best friend.

  indoor · outdoor

• Xtreme Gardening Azos

  $$$

  N-fixing bacteria; pairs with Mykos.

  indoor · outdoor

• Down To Earth kelp meal

  $$$

  K + micros + growth hormones; in every veganic mix.

  indoor · outdoor

• Down To Earth alfalfa meal

  $$$

  Plant-based N with triacontanol kick.

  indoor · outdoor

• Down To Earth neem seed meal

  $$$

  Feeds soil AND suppresses gnats/mites.

  indoor · outdoor

• Down To Earth crab meal

  $$$

  Chitin feeds the micro-herd; the guano-stack staple.

  indoor · outdoor

• Down To Earth fish bone meal

  $$$

  Bloom phosphorus, organic-style.

  indoor · outdoor

• BuildASoil basalt rock dust

  $$$

  Trace minerals; veganic and no-till staple.

  indoor · outdoor

• Espoma garden gypsum + dolomite lime

  $$$

  Ca/Mg/S and pH buffering for peat mixes.

  indoor · outdoor

For coco/hydro runs or anyone skipping amended soil.

• Jack's 321 (Part A+B+Epsom)

  $$$

  Absurdly cheap per gallon; the salt-feed community default.

  indoor · outdoor

• General Hydroponics Flora Trio

  $$$

  The 30-year classic 3-part.

  indoor

• Fox Farm Trio (Grow Big/Tiger/Big Bloom)

  $$$

  Soil-friendly bottles; follow at half strength.

  indoor · outdoor

• Botanicare Cal-Mag Plus

  $$$

  THE fix for LED-era rusty-spot hunger, esp. in coco.

  indoor

• Silica supplement (Armor Si / mono-silicic)

  $$$

  Stronger stems and better heat resilience.

  indoor · outdoor

• Real Growers Recharge

  $$$

  Microbe shot that revives tired root zones.

  indoor · outdoor

• MegaCrop one-part

  $$$

  One scoop simplicity for salt feeders.

  indoor

• Emerald Harvest Cali Pro A/B

  $$$

  Premium 2-part for dialed rooms.

  indoor

A $15 pen prevents 80% of 'mystery' problems.

• Apera PH20 pH pen

  $$$

  Accurate, calibratable, survives years — the upgrade pick.

  indoor · outdoor

• Vivosun pH pen + buffer packets

  $$$

  The functional budget pen; calibrate monthly.

  indoor · outdoor

• GH pH Up/Down kit

  $$$

  A bottle lasts a year of adjustments.

  indoor · outdoor

• TDS/EC pen (HM Digital or Apera)

  $$$

  Know your feed strength and runoff.

  indoor

• 2-gal watering can w/ fine rose

  $$$

  Gentle showers, no crater-blasting seedlings.

  indoor · outdoor

• 1-gal pump sprayer

  $$$

  Foliar feeds and IPM applications.

  indoor · outdoor

• RO Buddie 50GPD RO system

  $$$

  For hard-water homes; add Cal-Mag back.

  indoor

• Air pump + stone + 5-gal bucket

  $$$

  Bubble compost teas and de-chlorinate tap water.

  indoor · outdoor

The problems happen at 4 a.m. — log everything.

• Govee WiFi hygrometer (2-pack)

  $$$

  Phone alerts + min/max history; canopy and lung room.

  indoor

• 60x jeweler's loupe

  $$$

  The trichome harvest-timing tool. Non-negotiable.

  indoor · outdoor

• USB microscope (Plugable/Carson)

  $$$

  Trichome close-ups + pest ID on a big screen.

  indoor · outdoor

• Infrared temp gun

  $$$

  Leaf-surface temps — the number VPD actually cares about.

  indoor

• Photone app + diffuser cap

  $$$

  Phone PPFD readings close enough for home grows.

  indoor

• BN-LINK mechanical timers (2-pack)

  $$$

  Lights on schedule, zero thinking.

  indoor

• Soil moisture meter (3-in-1)

  $$$

  Rough but useful for beds; indoors, lift the pot instead.

  outdoor

Treat the day you find them — every bug compounds weekly.

• Yellow sticky traps (20-pack)

  $$$

  Early-warning radar from day one, not a cure.

  indoor · outdoor

• Mosquito Bits (BTI)

  $$$

  Fungus gnat larvae killer; safe through flower.

  indoor · outdoor

• Captain Jack's Deadbug (spinosad)

  $$$

  Thrips/caterpillars; veg + early flower only.

  indoor · outdoor

• Safer insecticidal soap

  $$$

  Contact killer for soft-bodied pests; veg use.

  indoor · outdoor

• Lost Coast Plant Therapy

  $$$

  Gentle mite/PM suppression the community swears by.

  indoor · outdoor

• MilStop / potassium bicarbonate

  $$$

  Powdery mildew on leaves; early flower ok, never on buds.

  indoor · outdoor

• Predatory mites (P. persimilis)

  $$$

  The only spider-mite play left in late flower.

  indoor

• Diatomaceous earth (food grade)

  $$$

  Soil-surface crawler barrier; reapply after rain.

  outdoor

• Sluggo (iron phosphate)

  $$$

  Slugs/snails on outdoor seedlings, pet-safe.

  outdoor

Ten dollars of ties outperforms $100 of gadgets.

• Soft plant ties (twist roll)

  $$$

  The whole LST toolkit, honestly.

  indoor · outdoor

• Plant yoyos (8-pack)

  $$$

  Support heavy late-flower colas.

  indoor · outdoor

• Trellis netting 4x8

  $$$

  SCROG screens and outdoor support.

  indoor · outdoor

• Fiskars micro-tip snips

  $$$

  Clean cuts for topping and defoliation.

  indoor · outdoor

• Clonex rooting gel

  $$$

  The cloning standard since forever.

  indoor

• Rapid Rooter plugs (50)

  $$$

  Seeds and clones both root happily in these.

  indoor

• Heat mat + Inkbird thermostat

  $$$

  Germination and winter clones; thermostat is mandatory.

  indoor

• Humidity dome + 1020 tray

  $$$

  Clone humidity without a misting schedule.

  indoor

• Plant labels + garden pencil

  $$$

  Future-you forgets which pheno is which. Always.

  indoor · outdoor

A month of patience here decides the final quality.

• Hanging mesh drying rack

  $$$

  Collapsible tiers; dry whole branches, not trays, when possible.

  indoor · outdoor

• Chikamasa B-500SRF scissors

  $$$

  The trim-room legend; fingers thank you after hour two.

  indoor · outdoor

• Harvest More Trim Bin

  $$$

  Catch every gram of kief while you trim.

  indoor · outdoor

• Wide-mouth mason jars (qt, 12)

  $$$

  The classic cure vessel.

  indoor · outdoor

• Grove Bags TerpLoc (qt/gal)

  $$$

  Cure without burping — the modern alternative growers love.

  indoor · outdoor

• Boveda 62% packs (12-pack)

  $$$

  Locks jars at perfect cure RH; rescues over-dried bud.

  indoor · outdoor

• Caliber IV mini hygrometers (x4)

  $$$

  One in each jar removes all guesswork.

  indoor · outdoor

• AWS 0.01g pocket scale

  $$$

  Track dry weights and portions.

  indoor · outdoor

• CVault stainless container

  $$$

  Long-term storage with built-in Boveda holder.

  indoor · outdoor

WNY reality: late frosts, humid Augusts, and hungry critters.

• 30-gal fabric beds

  $$$

  Big roots, big plants, still movable before storms.

  outdoor

• Neptune's Harvest fish + seaweed

  $$$

  The outdoor organic feed workhorse.

  outdoor

• Organza bud bags / insect netting

  $$$

  Caterpillar + bird defense in flower.

  outdoor

• Floating row cover (frost blanket)

  $$$

  May and late-September WNY nights forgive nothing.

  outdoor

• 30% shade cloth

  $$$

  July heat-wave protection for potted plants.

  outdoor

• Tomato cages / heavy stakes

  $$$

  Wind is the outdoor trainer you didn't hire.

  outdoor

• Straw mulch bale

  $$$

  Moisture retention + soil-life blanket.

  outdoor

• Hoop greenhouse kit (portable)

  $$$

  Stretches the WNY season on both ends.

  outdoor

• Physical critter fence ring

  $$$

  Deer and rabbits love your veg stage more than you do.

  outdoor

• Rain gauge

  $$$

  Know when nature already watered for you.

  outdoor