12 Ways to Reduce Grow Costs

Pay Less, Harvest More!

1. Apply for agriculture grants
   The recently passed Inflation reduction act of 2022 , provides $20 billion for conservation, $3.1 billion to help with farm loans, $2.2 billion for farmers who have suffered discrimination, and $14 billion for developing rural renewable energy and biofuels. It also has $4 billion to help mitigate droughts in Western states, with an emphasis on the Colorado River Basin. See Water Funding.


2. Lower labor time
   Hand-watering can claim personal and harvest-result benefits but automatic irrigation can produce higher yields while dramatically decreasing labor costs. Drip Irrigation, Capillary Mats, Blumats, and automated computer systems will all help do this.


3. Increase yields without extra costs
   Improve quality with organic and Living Soil systems. Instead of depending on fertilizers, various nutrients and additives, Living Soil Irrigation relies on beneficial microbes, fungi and bacteria.


4. Lower your nutrient expenses
   When growers switch to a Blumat irrigation system, we recommend cutting back on their nutrients by at least 50%. Because nutrient use corresponds to moisture needs, and Blumats turn on and off only as needed; nutrients are also only supplied as needed. Most nutrient use recommendations on labels assume that a significant amount of nutrients will run through and leach below the root zone before the plant can use them and so they recommend much more than is actually needed.


5. Prevent wasteful runoff
   Runoff irrigation systems not only waste nutrients, they also waste water, increase humidity and air conditioning cost. Because moisture-sensing irrigation matches water use to plant needs, extra water doesn't accumulate which prevents creating a media for pathogens, root-rot vulnerability, and excess humidity.


6. Stop under and over-watering
   Plants thrive in a narrow moisture band. When too dry, we notice easily because leaves droop, wilt, or turn brown. Being left too wet for too long however, will kill the plant. Both conditions stop plant momentum and decrease yields and plant health. Slow Water finds a balance.


7. Increase clone and seedling success
   The smaller and younger a plant, the less soil surrounding the roots, the more vulnerable it is to not having enough water. Timer systems set for one set of conditions fall short when temperature, humidity, and plant size change. Capillary Mat Systems solve these problems while saving time and increasing seedling survival.


8. Decrease humidity, save on cooling costs
   Jerry Hamler found in a study that reducing water use in a grow room or greenhouse substantially reduces air conditioning costs - every gallon of water conserved and not used will reduce the air conditioning heat load by 8080 BTU’S, 0.673 of a refrigeration ton. If you reduce the water use by 10 gallons, you can reduce the heat load by 80801 BTU’S, 6.73 refrigeration tons.


9. Track your soil moisture
   Because plant health depends so much on the best moisture levels, and because the actual soil moisture is so difficult to determine, good moisture meters become an essential tool. They help you assure the best root zone conditions, save water, and eliminate unnecessary humidity. Types of Meters


10. Reduce and eliminate wastewater discharge, avoid fines
    Drain-to-waste and other irrigation methods that produce big wastewater drains can result in fines, shut-downs, and expensive remediation demands. They can also contribute to river, lake, and groundwater pollution. Irrigation systems that only give plants the water and nutrients they actually need bypass these problems while decreasing your operation costs.


11. Save and reuse growing media
    With Living Soil growing techniques, the soil just keeps getting more and more healthy, more and more productive. You save the costs of continually needing to buy more potting and planting mixes. You save the time and labor costs of needing to redo everything for each new grow cycle.


12. Save and reuse basic supplies
    Bottomless Pots easily slip off root balls making it possible to use them over and over again. Fabric Raised Beds eliminate the need for pots altogether while letting roots share resources with other plants, giving them extra strength, health, and yield.