Zero Waste Garden: Make the most out of your weed plants
Estimated 5-minute read
How good are you at making the most of your weed plants? If you are a gardening pothead, and enjoy growing your own plants, creating strains to your specific tastes, and securing a steady supply of weed with a very clear origin, then you might also would like to use your plants as fully as possible, especially in uncertain times, like the recession lumbering in the horizon, and waste as little of your weed as possible.
For example, have you heard of the Zero Waste movement? This is an approach to consumption that might be what you are looking for. According to the official website, Zero Waste is “the conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials without burning and with no discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health”, and it can also be a boon to your wallet, because it encourages to use your resources to its fullest extent.
In the case of cannabis, the plant is so versatile, that tossing anything into the trash feels like a waste, and there are already plenty of methods you can use to make sure your garden is as fruitful as it can be. So don’t worry, maybe in the coming months your weed budget might need to get a little tighter, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the best plant in the world at all. So off we go!
1) Don’t trash your cuttings!
Cutting your cannabis plants is an important part of the gardening process, making sure to retire damaged leaves or saplings in order to encourage a better growth of your weed, as well as preventing the unnecessary draining of the soil, water and other resources. However, those cuttings are not trash! You can still find plenty of uses for them, from adding them to your compost, or letting them serve as fertilizer if you let them decompose in your garden. Moreover, you can juice them and make cannabis oil, grind them and use them as an additive to your drinks, or (and we bet you haven’t thought of this), even dry them and use them as eco-friendly blunt wraps. So next time you grab your scissors, save all the cutting you can!
2) Make the most out of your trimmings!
Of course, if you are growing your own cannabis garden, the flowers are the part you are most interested in. However, what usually happens to the trimmings of your dry yields? You can apply a lot of the last point’s advice to them too, but unlike the cuttings, trimmings have plenty of more direct uses you might like. For example, even if they aren’t as powerful as the flowers, you can make tea with them, process them to extract their oils, or even as the ideal ingredient for a low-level edible. Composting them is also a good idea, making sure your soil is always fertile, and nothing gets wasted.
3) But what about the stems?
An excellent source of fiber that will also give you a light buzz! What’s not to love? Of course, they aren’t the best part of the plant to smoke, but grinding them and keeping it to add some light weed effects to your drinks, tea, or to are perfect to make mid-level concentrates, perfect when you are looking just to relax a little. And that’s because the stems are coated in THC, but the fibrous parts make them not very appetizing, but with the right approach, you can use them as fully as you want.
4) Don’t waste the pulp!
When you make cannabis infusions, the idea is extracting the most out of the plant. However, in lab tests, it has been shown that up to 95% of the THC and CBD content of the plant is extracted, leaving a tiny 5% behind that would be a crime to waste. But what can you do with the leftover “pulp” after finishing your infusions? There’s still some good stuff in them, so you can…
- Try to reclaim the remaining oils by pouring boiling water on them, let it re-infuse, and wait for the oils to rise. That way, although not as potent, you can make sure of taking all you can from the plant.
- Refrigerate or vacuum-seal the remains to use later, keeping them fresh for the next time you are in a pinch and need a little more oomph on your concoctions.
- Make the best possible morning coffee by using a tea ball with the pulp and adding it to your pot. A little sugar and milk go great with this option.
- Smoothies! Blend your leftover pulp with the rest of your usual smoothie (especially if you like more tropical ingredients like mango) and give it a little extra buzz.
Okay, but what if I don’t have a garden…?
We also know that not every pothead is interested in growing their own garden, for a variety of reasons, but that doesn’t mean you are out of luck when it comes to the savings department. In fact, there are a couple of ways you can make sure you are investing your weed budget correctly, and get the most out of your weed. For example…
1. Keep note of the strains you buy
There’s nothing worse than a weed buyer’s remorse than spending money in a new fancy strain and not liking it. That can ruin your chilling plans completely, doesn't it? Taste in strains is very personal, so keeping track of what you like, or what you are looking for, will do wonders for your wallet if you know exactly what you want.
2. Keep your weedware clean!
It’s also basic hygiene, but a dirty pipe, grinder, or bong can ruin a batch of perfectly good cannabis, and that’s a bona fide crime. So always wash everything, dry them completely and store them in a place where dust and grime cannot threaten to ruin your next session.
3. Store your cannabis the right way
Air, light and heat are the evil trinity of weed conservation, and you need to protect your stash from them at all costs. So airtight containers, stored in a dry, cool place are a must, never in a place when the sun might reach them. For novice potheads, this is a common mistake, but we’ll tell you now: you will save a lot on weed if you store it properly.
So there you have it, tight times call for tight measures, but if you put effort into it, then this hobby will not be more costly than it should. Zero waste is a good philosophy overall, and applies to weed, you can discover plenty of ways to make the most of your cannabis. Or with simple basic caring, that weed you bought will last a good amount of time.
Good luck, and enjoy!
Author: Shaggy
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