Top 8 Growing Gadgets That Will Help Improve Your Cannabis Garden (2022)
- 1. Plant twist ties
- 2. Industrial syringe
- 3. Plant yo-yos
- 4. Zip ties
- 5. Liquid transfer pump
- 6. Rope ratchets
- 7. Digital magnifier
- 8. Tape
- 9. Digital ph meter
- 10. Digital ec or tds meter
- 11. Digital thermometer/hygrometer
- 12. Timers
- 13. Airstones
- 14. Trimming equipment
- 15. In conclusion
Every grower has encountered problems in their garden, even though having problems is a bad thing, it’s from these mistakes that you’ll learn what you need to cover in the next growing cycles. There are a couple of gadgets like plant twist ties, industrial syringe, plant Yo-Yos, zip ties, liquid transfer pump, rope ratchets, digital magnifier, and simple duct tape that will help you prevent problems and continue growing without worrying at all.
So go ahead and check them out!
1. Plant twist ties
Twist ties are super common in the US, before being used in the cannabis world, they were used to close trash bags and basically anything that wasn’t cannabis-related. When talking about cannabis, twist ties are the cheapest and most effective materials to tie down the branches, which is a form of LST.
These ties can be easily hooked around the edge of the pots, making it easier to tie down the branches, thus achieving the desired height and structure you wish your cannabis plants to have.
2. Industrial syringe
Industrial blunt-tip syringes (blunt-tip meaning it doesn’t have a needle) are a very useful tool for growers who are looking for a cheap and effective way to measure liquids precisely.
This tool is a great alternative to spoons or other improvised methods of measuring liquids, syringes give you more control when measuring things like pH up, down, or micronutrients which really should be measured precisely to avoid overusing them.
Being accurate is the best way to avoid overcorrecting, which happens when you lower or increase the pH too much, which leads to having to adjust it again and again.
Syringes also make it faster to adjust your nutrient solution because if you are constantly mixing the same nutrients over and over again, you will already know how much you have to use for each nutrient mix.
3. Plant Yo-Yos
Plant yo-yos are a thing that you’ll only know you need it when you do, this gadget provides support to your plants just like you would do with bamboo stakes or a trellis net.
This tool is super useful when plant training because, as you may know, plant training helps increase the number of flowering sites, resulting in bigger yields which can sometimes be too much for the branches to withstand.
Plant yo-yos consist of a plastic structure which you can hang on the top of your growing tent, this structure has a couple of wires or strings with a plastic hook at the end, making it possible to support the fat colas and prevent them from snapping.
It also is a great way to hang the branches when drying, plant yo-yos make it possible to space out the branches and even have them at different heights, it’s a really useful tool that maybe you didn’t know it existed but you definitely need it.
4. Zip ties
Zip ties are the best way to keep your growing tent organized, as you may know, every piece of equipment that you install inside your tent has a cord, the light fixtures, fans, exhaust fans have really long cords which are needed but your tent can end up looking like a mess.
This type of fastener is amazingly strong and you can even hang your lights and exhaust fans easily, also, depending on the height of your growing tent, your plants can grow too much, and unlike rope hatchets, zip ties can bring your grow lights or other types of equipment as close as possible to the top of the tent.
5. Liquid transfer pump
A liquid transfer pump is a tool usually used to empty aquariums or simply transferring liquids from one container to the other and it can be extremely useful if you’re growing in a hydroponic setup.
As you may know, when growing hydroponically you need at least 2 reservoirs, one for water and the other for the nutrient solution, this can be a laborious task depending on the number of plants and size of your containers.
Transfer pumps make it easy for people who grow in this type of setup to empty, fill and transfer liquid from one container to another, imagine being able to do all of this without even filling one bucket of water!
Not only this, you can just place the pump in the container holding the nutrient solution and water your plants with this tool, it’s an extremely convenient tool that will save you a lot of effort and time.
6. Rope ratchets
Depending on the type of light fixture you’re using, it can be very frustrating when you have to move the lights up or down, or even change the lights when changing from the vegetative stage to the flowering stage, this is when the rope ratchets come in handy.
Rope ratchets are pulleys that make it super easy to move and adjust the light distance from your plants, instead of having to untie, move the light around, and then tie again, you can effectively adjust your lights with very little effort, and the best of all, you can also use them to lift heavy equipment like a carbon filter, for example.
7. Digital magnifier
As you may know, the state of the trichomes is the standard way to know when to harvest your cannabis plants, now this is relatively simple but due to the trichomes being really small, it can be hard without the right tools. Depending on the color of the trichomes (clear, cloudy, or amber), you will need a jeweler’s loupe or a way to check the state of the trichomes when your plants are getting ready for harvest.
A digital magnifier is a USB microscope that you can hook up to your smartphone with an OTG adapter, this is an effective alternative to a jeweler’s which will have you squinting through a tiny loupe. This allows you to not only see the trichomes clearly through a big screen (or at least as your phone’s screen is) but also take pictures so you can analyze and compare later.
8. Tape
Cannabis is a very tough plant and it can recover from stress and minor damage, however, a broken branch can be too much for your plant to recover or it may need a bit of help to do it properly and this is when the tape comes in. It doesn’t matter if it’s duct, electrical, painters, masking, or scotch tape, as long as it holds the branch in its place and can provide support until the branch heals, you’ll be fine.
Tape can also be used to fix broken things in your growing tent, for example, photoperiodic cannabis plants are sensitive to light leaks so if you accidentally made a small hole in your growing tent, you can cover it with tape. Also, tape can be a good way to temporarily fix cracked pots, broken fans, and other equipment, just have in mind that it’s a temporary fix and you should take care of it later on.
9. Digital PH Meter
Digital pH meters are up there with the very first cannabis cultivation accessory every single grower should grab. Digital pH meters are designed to read the pH level of nutrients, water sources, and even the ph of the growing media. The more precision you have over your nutrient levels, the easier time you will have in maintaining overall garden health. Digital pH meters provide fast readings and are pretty cheap, and are truly one of the most important bits of kit for any cannabis garden, organic or not.
Why is pH control so important? When the pH of your nutrients and growing media is off, it can cause a number of problems. Your plants won’t be able to absorb all of the essential minerals and trace elements from your nutrient solution which will lead to deficiencies in those vital elements. This will drastically reduce yields and could even end up killing your entire garden if not remedied quickly. Do yourself (and your crop) a massive favor and grab a digital pH meter before you even start the germination process.
10. Digital EC or TDS Meter
If you are using either coco-coir or any other hydroponic cultivation method, then an EC or TDS meter is just as important to have in your kitbag as a pH meter. Both of these testers will measure the salinity of your nutrient solution, and they also show you how strong or weak it is. Maintaining an EC/TDS level that is balanced with your growing media will help keep your plants healthy and ensure they are getting all the necessary minerals and trace elements needed for optimal growth rate and yields.
While all bottle nutrients will come with some basic dosage instructions, digital EC/TDS meters will allow you to fine-tune your nutrient levels to a much higher degree of precision. This will give you the ability to customize your feedings and get incredible results from your garden.
11. Digital Thermometer/Hygrometer
Environmental control is extremely important for optimal cannabis growth. Digital thermometers and hygrometers will provide precise readings for both temperature and humidity so you can keep your garden in the perfect climate it needs to really thrive. As a grower, you want to make sure that the temperatures stay within an ideal range of 20-26°C (68-80°F). The humidity ranges change as the crop progress through the growth cycle, starting out at around 70% for seedlings, then dropping to around 55% for vegetative growth, and then again to 45% for the last four weeks of flower production.
Without a digital temperature and humidity meter, there is really no precise way of measuring these two environmental factors. It’s also great for diagnosing what could be causing any unexpected problems in your garden and helps you adjust accordingly.
12. Timers
If you are growing indoors, you will need to set your lighting rig to a certain schedule per day. Autoflowering strains can be grown under 18 hours of light for the entire grow, but photoperiod strains need a little more fine-tuning. They like around 18 hours of light for vegetative growth, then 12 hours for flower production. This is where digital timers come in handy and make life much easier.
The last thing you want to have to do is go and turn the lights on and off by hand every single time they need changing, and let's be honest, we would all forget at some point. Timers take all that extra work out of the equation. Digital timers are also incredibly useful if you are using any kind of recirculating hydroponic system, as they can be used to control pumps and other equipment with ease.
13. Airstones
For hydroponic cultivators, airstones are a relatively cheap and effective way to ensure that your roots get the oxygen they need for healthy growth. They work by creating tiny air bubbles in your nutrient solution and ensuring that the O2 levels remain high at all times. Higher oxygen levels help increase the uptake of nutrients, as well as promote healthier root growth and more abundant yields in the long run.
Airstones can also be a great way to disperse beneficial microbes into your nutrient solution if you are using any kind of biological enhancers.
14. Trimming Equipment
Trimming Scissors
Ask any grower what the most mundane part of cannabis cultivation is, and the most common answer will probably be trimming - especially if you have a huge yield to process. Most new growers just grab any old pair of scissors and start hacking away, but this is the wrong way to go about it. Not only are you making the job much harder than it needs to be, but the results will also be below par for sure.
Trimming scissors are specifically designed for cannabis trimming and should have a sharp, and sometimes curved blade. This will ensure that you are able to make clean cuts on your buds and get the job done efficiently while producing the best results. If you want to get your buds looking as pretty as the ones in the top dispensaries, do yourself a favor and grab a great set of trimming scissors.
Trimming Tray
Trimming trays are great for two main reasons. First up, they make the act of trimming a bunch more comfortable, especially if you are smashing out hours-long sessions. But the main reason why we suggest that every grower grabs a trim tray is that they come with a micron mesh screen, which will help you to collect the kief that falls off your buds. There's simply no way around it - while trimming, the buds will lose a considerable amount of trichomes. They are fragile little things and break off super easily. This micron mesh screen that makes up the bottom of the tray is fine enough to catch any and all plant material that falls while trimming, but large enough to allow the trichomes to fall through. Trust us, you will be amazed at how much kief you can collect over time.
Isopropyl Alcohol
Sticky scissors and sticky fingers are two things that come hand in hand with trimming cannabis. The easiest and quickest way to clean off those trimming scissors is to let them soak for a minute or so in some isopropyl alcohol. Not only will it make them look and work like a brand-new set, but the alcohol can also help with removing any lingering bacterial contamination.
15. In conclusion
These gadgets are definitely not obligatory but will surely make your life easier, even though it may not seem like it, some of this equipment (if not all) will not only save you time but also prevent minor problems that you may encounter along your growing cycle. If you have other useful gadgets or DIY ideas, help your fellow growers, leave a comment in the comment section below!
