Many cannabis enthusiasts want to grow their own weed plants at home—name them, talk to them, and eventually smoke them up or put them to use in another way—but they miss out on the experience because it seems like way too much work. That, and they don’t have the right space for such a project or months to watch over a plant, let alone a garden of weed. Even people who are strangers to cultivating cannabis know that it’s not cheap, and it’s surely not as simple as planting a seed and walking away—or is it?

With a grow box, it can be that easy. For beginners who want to make their cultivation dreams a reality right from home, but don’t have the green thumb for it, a grow box can allow them to have the experience of growing—without all the labor. You plant the seeds and add the water. The grow box does the rest and, not long after, you get beautiful and healthy cannabis plants, just like that.

What is a Grow Box?

A grow box is a complete, self-contained atmosphere for cannabis. Everything you need to raise the herb from seed to weed, including the nutrients, the grow lights, etc., comes included with a grow box. Not to be confused with a grow tent, which is usually much larger, a grow box doesn’t take up a lot of space and can fit neatly and naturally in any room. Some can even be buried in the back of a closet. On the outside, a grow box doesn’t scream “there’s weed in here.” It looks almost the same as a filing cabinet or a mini fridge, so really, there’s no need to stress over finding the perfect spot to keep it.

What You Need For A Grow Box

Again, grow boxes come already assembled with all the equipment you need to grow weed inside. Though there are a variety of grow boxes available, most come with the same tools, which are:

• Grow lights to encourage photosynthesis (usually LED, HID, or CFL)
• Intake and exhaust fan for ventilation
• Air pump
• Carbon filter for odor control
• Nutrients
• Water reservoir
• Hydroponics or soil system
• Growing pots or containers
• Timer

Fancier grow boxes can include features like a CO2 enhancer to boost plant growth by 20% or more, lock latches to keep plants protected, an app for tracking plants, and more. It seems like an overwhelming amount of equipment, but since most grow boxes are automated and do the work for you, you don’t have to worry too much about how the specific parts operate. When shopping for a grow box as a beginner, you’ll mainly have to choose what type of lights you want and decide between a hydroponic and soil-based system. And of course, you’ll also want to consider the size of the grow box according to where you plan to put it.

As for the lights, each type has its pros and cons, the most common being HID, LED, and CFL. The lighting you should choose depends on your budget, how high you want your yields, and how much energy you’re willing to use. Here are the pros and cons:

• HID (HPS and MH)- highest yields, cheaper than LEDs. They produce a lot of heat and require a lot of power, need replacing often.
• CFL- cheapest, low heat output, slower growth rate and less yields than HID and LEDs.
• LED- less heat output than HIDs, low energy use, more powerful than CFLs, less yield than HIDs, expensive.

Soil vs. Hydroponics: How Does A Grow Box Work?

Now that you are more familiar with the equipment that comes with your grow box, you need to learn the difference between using hydroponics and soil to grow cannabis and the pros and cons of each. The main difference between the two is that hydroponics uses nutrients and water rather than soil, such as clay pellets, peat moss, and so on. Most grow boxes today utilize a hydroponic system because it makes growing faster, simpler, and less of a mess. But there are benefits to soil-based options as well.

Pros of growing with soil

• More forgiving
• All-natural
• “Better flavor”

Cons of growing with soil

• More expensive
• Requires more space
• Problems go unnoticed longer and are harder to fix
• Less nutrients are provided

Pros of hydroponics

• Plants grow faster and have higher yields
• Odor control
• Light control
• Temperature control
• Pest control
• Saves space
• Tidier
• Can be discreet
• Affordable options are available
• Can grow year-round, anywhere
• Uses less water
• Reusable
• Easier to harvest
• Less of a setup
• Less time investment
• Healthier plants
• Most are automated

Cons of hydroponics

• Can be pricey
• Plants can die fast due to power outages or other system failures
• Limited production
• Not as organic
• If pests or diseases arise, then all plants will be affected
• Plants can’t be left unattended with some systems

What is the Best Grow Box for Beginners?

There’s always the option of making a grow box from scratch, but for beginners, they’ll find the setup is far too advanced. At least with purchasing a grow box, all the right tools are included minus the seeds, so there is little trial and error for smell-proofing, installing proper lighting, and things of that nature. And, of course, it’s already built. They’ll cost you, but they are durable and made to last, and you save more money in the long run. Not to mention, they’re the least time-consuming. Grow boxes that aren’t fully-automated still require some maintenance, but not nearly as much as a homemade system.

To help you find the right one based on your budget and space, we’ve found the best in the industry that require the least amount of experience and knowledge. They’re also the stealthiest and most reasonably sized.

Cash Crop 5.0

The Cash Crop 5.0, available in 2 ft and 3 ft versions, is an excellent first choice grow box for beginners. It comes with all the essentials and grows up to 6 plants from seed to harvest with the help of LED lights and hydroponics. The Cash Crop 5.0 features a carbon protected intake and outtake system to prevent pests and speed up air exchange. Moreover, it’s odor-controlled thanks to its Ozium (the same company that makes that spray that eliminates the smell of weed) equalizer and carbon filter and has lockable latches to keep your pot protected.

Other notable features you get with the Cash Crop 5.0 include:

• Co2 enhancer that gets plants ready to harvest in as little as 8 weeks
• Herb dryer
• Compatible with soil and hydroponics
• Unlimited lifetime technical support
• Lifetime warranty
• Hydroponics training guide

Yield Machine Max

The Yield Machine Max is a 4-foot hydroponics grow box that has a 150 watt high-powered, but low heat UFO LED grow light and grows up to nine plants, making it more like a cabinet, but still sizable for any room. Just because the Yield Machine Max is more substantial than your standard grow box doesn’t mean it’s harder to use. This device comes assembled like the rest and is only bigger to make room for larger yields. All you have to do is plant your seeds, plug it in, mount your LED lights to the hook, and you’re good to grow.

Other nifty features you get with the Yield Machine Max include:

• Carbon filtration and light cover system to control light and odors
• 2 grows worth of General Hydroponics Maxi Grow and Maxi Bloom nutrients
• Co2 enhancing tablets to advance plant growth
• Free ONA BLOCK PRO ODOR eliminator
• Snap-down latches, accepts mini padlock for maximum security
• 24-hour grow support
• Upgradeable to 300 Watt LED with dual exhaust

Grandma’s Secret Garden

From closets to offices, Grandma’s Secret Garden 4.0 is a 3-footer and can grow up to nine plants in small or large spaces utilizing deep water culture hydroponics and Mars Hydro LEDs. Already assembled and ready to plug in, Grandma’s Secret Garden 4.0 is beginner-friendly and offers unlimited phone and email support, just in case you get lost somewhere along your weed-growing journey.

Other features worth mentioning that are included with Grandma’s Secret Garden 4.0 are:

• Lifetime technical support
• Lifetime warranty
• Hydroponics and soil grow options
• Co2 enhancer to speed up plant growth by 20%
• Lockable latches
• Herb dryer
• Odor control provided by Ozium scent equalizer and carbon filter
• Hydroponics training guide

Lowryder Hydroponic Grow Box

Formerly known as the Lowryder Hydroponic Grow Box, the Ghost Mini Stealth Hydroponic Grow Box is as convenient and affordable as a grow box gets. It’s less than 300 bucks with everything included and is only 2 ft tall but is just as powerful as larger grow boxes. The Ghost Mini also doubles as a six plant cloning machine. It makes growing and transferring a breeze, and provides the option of raising small plants from seed to harvest as well.

Other features beginners might like that come with the Ghost Mini include:

• 6 month supply of MaxiGrow and MaxiBloom plant grow nutrients
• Light trapping/odor trapping carbon activated filter
• Snap-down latches
• 6 months worth of free Co2 enhancing tablets
• Plug and grow
• Lifetime warranty
• Text/phone support

SuperLocker 3.0

Available with LED or HPS lights, the SuperLocker 3.0 stands 66 inches high and is reminiscent of the gym locker you used in school, except it’s a lot safer and inconspicuous. Not only can you flower and harvest as many as 8 plants using the SuperLocker 3.0, but you can also clone and germinate 14 plants at the same time thanks to its dual chamber. Although it calls for a reservoir refreshment every 1 to 2 weeks, it’s still low-maintenance. All you have to do is add nutrients and adjust your pH to get growing. Moreover, there’s an included SuperCloset instructional DVD to help you step by step.

Other features that make the SuperLocker 3.0 a great beginner’s grow box are:

• LOTUS Premium Plant Nutrients Starter Kit
• Analog Single Timer for effortless and even watering
• Industrial Grade Carbon Filter to eliminate odors
• Eco Air 2-Port Air Pump that’s super quiet
• SuperPonic 8 Hydroponic Grow System that grows weed faster than any other              hydroponic system
• Trellis system that increases yields by 30%
• Triple locking doors
• Customer support

Ghost Cabinet Stealth Grow Box

The Ghost Cabinet Stealth Grow Box is 3 ft tall, uses your choice of 150 or 216 W LED lights, and can grow up to six plants. It costs under $300 and is one of the cheaper grow boxes on the market. In fact, the Ghost Cabinet Stealth Grow Box is almost identical to the Cash Crop 5.0 Grow Box, except it costs less. It’s perfect for beginners full of questions as email, chat, and text support is offered to help with your first grow.

Other attractive features that come with the Ghost Cabinet Stealth Grow Box include:

• Optional Wifi control timer that you can control from your smartphone
• Spring-loaded latches
• Money-back guarantee
• Stock odor filters to prevent leaking odors
• 6 months free Co2 food
• 6 months worth of MaxiGrow and MaxiBloom

Grobo One

Grobo One is expensive but fully-automated. It features an app that makes cultivating cannabis as easy as 1-2-3. You tell the machine what you’re growing, plant your seed, and your work is done. Grobo One does everything else. Not to mention, it’s made of Canadian birch wood and high-quality steel, so it’s quite durable and suitable for any corner space thanks to its convenient 48-inch height.  

Other features that the clever Grobo One has to share are:

• 8 Spectrum 150 Watt LED Lighting
• Steel security lock
• Energy efficient electronics
• Smell-proof carbon filter
• Automatic feeding nutrient bank
• 11L/2.9 gal. deep water culture reservoir
• Dual in-line fans
• 45-day money-back guarantee
• Voted #1 grow box of 2017

Cloudponics GroBox

GroBox is the most expensive grow box on the list, but it is also 100% automated, making it one of the easiest to use. You can grow up to 16 ounces, or six plants, with this monster of a grow box. It’s stocked with features, including traceability, which allows you to watch your beloved cannabis grow. Also, it has an app that makes it so that you can step away from the device for as long as four weeks without having to bother waiting around on your plants. You can vacation anywhere in the world and grow weed at the same time. Just make sure you check on them from time to time using your smartphone.

The GroBox comes with a ton of crazy features, but some of the coolest include:

• App-controlled door lock
• Strain-specific
• Task reminder
• pH + and – dosing
• 10 intelligent sensors
• Artificial intelligence software
• Odor control
• Drying mode