Yahoo News This smart home appliance will make it easier to grow weed at home
As cannabis use becomes normalized, the tech industry is finally starting to innovate the seed to weed growing process.
A venture capital-backed company called LEAF just announced a new "Plug-N-Plant" grow system on Wednesday, making it easier for consumers to grow their own pesticide-free pot at home without having to maintain it like you would growing it the old fashioned way.
Image: LEAF
Recreational marijuana use is now legal in eight states and Washington, D.C., thanks to the recent election, and medical cannabis is allowed in some form in 29 states, returning cannabis as a major cash crop for the United States. In many of these areas and all states where cannabis has been legalized, you're allowed to grow your own pot for your own personal use, but growing weed has its fair share of headaches.
Branded as a smart home appliance, LEAF is an app-connected system that allows you to control various aspects of the growing process. Using the iOS or Android app, the self-contained system will let you control the temperature, lighting, humidity, nutrient dosing and pH balance. Additionally, the system can hook up to your home's water and sewage systems for automated watering. No longer will you kill your plant by forgetting to water it or by accidental drowning.
Image: leaf
"We have industrial grade sensors closely and accurately monitoring every aspect of the grow: air temp, air humidity, plant height, water TDS, water pH, water temp, water level," founder and LEAF CEO Yoni Ofir tells Mashable. "These sensors work together to provide data about everything going on in the grow, and then relays that to the the LEAF cloud system for constant analysis. When something is out of line, the system knows to correct it immediately. For example, dosing pH down if the pH rises above a threshold within that grow recipe."
In terms of appearance, since the system will be located in your home, the LEAF looks like a small, apartment-sized refrigerator, which is a lot better than a series of fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling in your spare room. Growing cannabis needs absolute darkness for up to 12 hours during certain times of the cycle, so the enclosure is perfect for those living in small spaces.
Image: leaf
Additionally, a carbon filter helps contain some of the pungent odor the cannabis plant is known for, which is great for those living with nosy neighbors close by. "You can be in a closed room with the unit and you won't smell anything funky," Ofir said.
While this is definitely not the first automated home growing device for pot to hit the market, it marks an important trend in the cannabis industry. It's easier than ever to grow your own stash at home, and with more smart appliances dedicated to helping consumers with the confusing process, the home growing market will boom in the coming years. It takes time for states to set up regulations for cannabis sales, while it's typically legal to grow the plant shortly after legalization passes.
All this automation comes at a price though. The LEAF system itself costs $2,990, and the nutrient packs and carbon filters cost $39, both of which should be replaced after each grow. But with the cost of high quality cannabis hitting about $241 for an ounce, the system should eventually pay for itself. The company is currently taking preorders with a small deposit on its website and expects to ship in the fall of 2017.
