15 Cool Cannabis Tools You Probably Haven’t Tried

Growing cannabis can be a lot of fun and a rewarding experience. 

However, you’re gonna be spending some money during your cannabis cultivation journey on all kinds of gardening equipment and tools, like grow lights, fans, humidifiers, hydroponic setups, and much more. 

But no matter how much you spend, you will likely miss out on some of the best tools out there simply because these tools are not popular or talked about in the community. 

This article contains some of the best cannabis tools that you shouldn’t miss out on. Most of the tools are basic and cheap, but each one of them promises to make your cannabis cultivation easier and better, and if you play your cards right, even increase your plant’s overall yields. Moreover, these are for beginners as you may already have most of these tools if you're an experienced individual growing cannabis. 

Read on to know more. 

1. Heated Seed Mats

For a cannabis grower who likes to germinate seeds rather than cloning, the seed germination process is often left to chance or luck. Some seeds sprout while others don’t. But you can turn the tables around and improve the chances of your seeds sprouting well with heated seed mats. 

These mats use electricity to generate heat and can be placed under the growing medium of your choice. Cannabis seeds prefer a warm soil temperature and high humidity. So, you can use heated seed mats under the growing medium to heat it up slightly, making the environment more suitable for seed germination.

Once your seedlings are ready for transplanting, you can simply roll the mat and tuck it away for the next season. It can really make a difference in how well your cannabis seeds germinate, and they are relatively inexpensive. It’s worth giving them a shot. 

2. Snowboarding or Skiing Goggles

And the grower said, let there be light. The same light that lights up the grow room and nurtures the cannabis plant, but did you know that it can actually be harmful to you? Cannabis grow lights are bright and produce UV rays, both of which can be an issue if you have to spend an extended amount of time in your grow room. 

Growers that know this risk often reach for growing-specific glasses, which protect their eyes from harmful light. But these glasses are often expensive and, honestly, not worth it. But you know what’s completely worth your money? Snowboarding or skiing goggles!

These goggles are relatively affordable, especially if you live in a snowy region or close to the mountains. They block out 100% of the UV rays and since they sit flush with your skin, you won’t be blinded by the lights any time you turn your head away. We’re surprised skiing goggles aren’t so popular in the growing community when they tick all the boxes for affordable, effective eye-protective wear. 

Do note that while these goggles are effective, they are only meant for protecting your eyes. Growers use other kinds of glasses, too, like the ones for correcting the yellow light of HPS panels or purple light from LEDs. Skiing or snowboarding goggles will not correct any color, but for those wanting to see the grow room without squinting, they are the right choice. 

3. A Smart Thermometer and Humidity Gauge

The temperature and relative humidity in your grow room are two of the most important factors that influence your plant’s growth and health. So, you must ensure the temperature and humidity are always dialed in perfectly to give your cannabis plant a healthy growing environment. 

For this, you can use a regular thermometer and humidity gauge. Such a gauge is easy to use but you have to constantly keep an eye on it and manually dial in the temperature and RH if it fluctuates. Or you can take the smarter route by installing a smart thermostat or gauge in your room.

A smart thermostat constantly monitors your cannabis grow room’s temperature and humidity, and you can even connect it to your heater, air conditioner, humidifier/dehumidifier, etc. Once it’s connected, it can automatically manage the climate control devices and ensure your grow room’s temperature and humidity levels are maintained at the preset marks even when you’re in another state. 

Of course, these smart thermostats aren’t as cheap as analog ones, but they are a must for any serious grower. If you are a commercial grower, this thermostat will more than pay for itself in a single growth season. 

4. Water Transfer Pump

When was the last time you changed the water in your cannabis hydroponic reservoir? Was it an easy task? Probably not, as emptying the reservoir, especially if it doesn’t have a drain valve, is a headache and a pain in your back. This is where we have car mechanics and fish owners to thank for. 

They’ve come up with an easy solution to siphon the water out of their aquariums or fuel tanks, and you can use these siphons to empty your water reservoir, too. It’s not a thin pipe that some people use to suck out the fuel, we’re talking about a liquid transfer pump also known as a battery-operated siphon pump. 

This device uses a motor connected to a battery to pull water out of a container and, thanks to its drain pipe, and directs the water wherever you want. By using this pump, you can make your job easier and save your back from all the heavy lifting. Simply set the pump and let it run; it will empty the reservoir in no time. 

You can buy such a pump at aquarium stores or online stores and they are relatively cheap — although you can’t put a price on your back’s health — so get them today. Note that some of the pumps will have a small outlet pipe, so you may need to connect it with a bigger pipe. 

5. Industrial Blunt Tip Syringes or Printer Refill Syringes

Alright, this is another piece of equipment that’s not designed for gardening, but it can make your gardening life a lot easier. Throughout your gardening process, you’ll be measuring liquids many times, for instance, when measuring nutrients while making your nutrient solution. 

Here, you’ll usually use a spoon or something similar, but they are not as accurate as you’d think. Plus, spills are common with spoons. In this case, you can use industrial or printer refill syringes. These syringes are large and come with quantity markings, so you can use them to measure liquids and dispense them wherever you want without any risk of spillage. 

You might be wondering, don’t syringes have needles — needles are scary, after all. But, don’t worry; these syringes come with a blunt tip and are as harmful as a Sharpie. A small but powerful piece of equipment, a blunt tip syringe can help you measure fluids like nutrients and pH up/down solutions, so you don’t have to worry about calculating your spoon’s capacity or risking spills around your garden. 

6. Premade ScrOG Net

Many cannabis growers like to train their cannabis plants during the vegetative stage, and one of the most popular training methods used is ScrOG, also known as the screen of green. This training method evens out the canopy of the plant, allowing all the bud sites to receive equal amounts of light while improving aeration within the foliage. 

Chances are, you’d want to use this method of growing cannabis, too, since it can significantly increase your plant’s yield and bud quality. But look on the internet and you’ll find guides on how to make a screen at home, using threads and wooden stakes. 

DIY screens are a hassle and you need to invest a lot of time in making a high-quality one, especially if you are growing multiple plants. Instead of going through that hassle, we recommend picking a premade ScrOG net. These nets are ready-made and cheap, made with materials that are friendly for your cannabis plant and are easy to hook onto your grow tent. 

7. Plant Yo-Yos

If you’re a serious grower and growing a high-yielding strain, your cannabis plant will develop big, bushy buds during the flowering stage. This is exactly what you wanted, but there’s a new problem to worry about — the buds are too heavy for your cannabis plant. Either this or your plant is showing signs of heaviness due to heavy foliage. 

Common sense tells you to either prune your plant and when that’s not possible, use wooden gardening stakes to hold your plant upright. But there’s a better solution that many cannabis growers don’t know about — plant yo-yos. 

These ingenious devices are exactly what they sound like — they are like yo-yos that hold the plant and bud sites up with their strings. These yo-yos use small hooks that gently hold the branch up, so it does not bend under the weight. Plus, they extend and retract, just like a yo-yo, so you don’t have to constantly adjust them when your plant grows. This is the best solution for heavy-bud sites, and you will never go back to stakes after using these.

8. Twist Ties for Plants

When you purchase a new phone, you must’ve seen wires tied down by small cables twist ties, and if you are an American, you must’ve already used the same to tie up your garbage bags. But did you know that these twist ties are also handy in tying down plants for training purposes? 

Like the twist ties you get for wires and garbage bags, you can also get gardening twist ties. These ties come in a large roll, so you can cut them up as per your requirements and use them to tie your plant wherever required. These ties are gentle on the plant and super easy to use.

For example, to train your cannabis plant, all you have to do is cut the ties in an appropriate size and gently wrap it around the branch and whatever you’re anchoring it to, and then twist it. If you want to loosen it, untwist it and twist it again — that’s it. 

Note that these twist ties are gentle as long as you are. The tighter you wrap them around the branch or twist them, the less gentle they can be for the plant. If you tie them too tightly, your plant can choke or get bruised. So, go easy while using twist ties. 

9. Sex Identification Kit for Plants 

Image Credit - CannabisBusinessTimes

If you are growing cannabis for its flowers, one of the most annoying things you deal with once in a while is finding a male plant in your garden. And if you fail to find the male plant on time, it may end up pollinating other female plants around it. One way to avoid this nuisance and spot male plants early on is to use a sex ID kit for plants. 

A sex ID kit includes all the necessary equipment required to take samples of your cannabis plants, which you can then send to a lab near you. With this kit, you no longer have to deal with a male plant when it’s too late; this kit allows you to check the sex of your cannabis plants two weeks after germination. 

Of course, these kits are expensive so they aren’t recommended for new or hobby growers. But if you are a commercial grower with a substantial garden, this ID kit is one of the best accessories for your cannabis operation. 

10. Loupe with LED Lights

Flowering cannabis plants, when they reach maturity, start showing signs of it that help you determine the perfect time to harvest the buds. One of the most reliable indicators of when your plant is ready for harvest is the color of the trichomes on the flowers. Most new cannabis growers use a magnifying glass to see the color.

But there’s a better solution to checking the color of the trichomes on the cannabis buds that’s not a magnifying glass. Instead, you need to get your hands on LED loupe lights. This is a similar device to a jeweler’s loupe, but it also houses a small LED light that throws light on the buds. 

While it may seem like a pretty simple device, it can transform the inspection process. A loupe gives you a much better view of the trichomes compared to the magnifying glass and the LED light illuminates the trichomes, so you can check their progress in all parts of the flowers. So, it’s worth getting yourself an LED loupe light, especially when you are still learning how to check the buds for progress. 

11. A Digital Magnifier

If you don’t like the idea of using a loupe, you can even go for a digital magnifier. These magnifiers are cheap to buy on online stores and are a great way to get a closer look at your buds’ trichomes. The only downside is that they connect via a USB to your smartphone, so buy that keeping this point in mind. 

Digital magnifiers come in all shapes and sizes but don’t just pick any generic one you find on Amazon. Cheap Chinese magnifiers aren’t great or reliable and can either last for a day or a lifetime — there’s no in-between. Instead, choose high-quality ones from a reputable brand. It will last you a lot longer and the quality will also be a lot better. 

12. Trimming Scissors with a Curved Tip 

Once you have harvested your cannabis buds, one of the next steps during the curing and drying stages would be trimming the buds of excess leaves. Most growers use regular scissors or their nails to trim the buds, but if you want to give your buds a better visual appeal, pick a trimming scissor with a curved tip. 

These scissors work like any regular scissor, but since their tips are curved, they penetrate deeper into the buds, allowing you to make clean cuts that are not visible on the surface of the flower. Plus, the curved tip makes it easier to hold the scissors, so your wrists won’t hate you after a long trimming session. 

13. Gardening Gloves

Gloves seem pretty obvious, but you’d be surprised at how uncommon they are in cannabis gardens. Most hobby growers don’t even bother about them, so it’s time we take a look at them. Gardening gloves can be quite handy, pun intended. 

There are many reasons you want to use gardening gloves, starting with: they protect your plant from your hands and all the contaminants that may hitch a ride on your hands. The other reason is that it protects your hands from all the microbes that thrive in the soil. Plus, a good pair of gardening gloves will also protect your fingers if you ever miss the stem and accidentally try to cut your own skin. 

14. Gardening Knee Pads

While growing cannabis in your backyard, you’ll be kneeling down quite often to check up on your cannabis plant. Your pants are going to get dirty. So, to protect your trousers and knees from the soil, get yourself a gardening knee pad. These kinda work like a yoga mat but are much smaller in size and thicker, making it super comfy for you to kneel down without hurting your knees or denim. 

15. A Growing Journal

The secrets to becoming a great cannabis grower are consistency and learning from your mistakes. And a growing journal can help you achieve this goal. A grow dairy basically holds the record of each of your cannabis plants, their progress, condition, phenotypes, common issues, etc. 

Take this a step forward by also logging in all the little and major steps you take to grow your cannabis plant. For example, the nutrients used, fertilizers, pesticides, training methods, etc., and how these things affect your plant. 

By tracking every detail of your cannabis plants, you basically build a detailed catalog of your cannabis operation. So, in the future, if you run into a problem, you can always look back at the journal to figure out the best step. Plus, it can work as a guidebook for your friend if they’re taking care of your plant while you’re out exploring the world. 

BONUS: A Detailed Cannabis Cultivation Book

A growing journal is more of a long-term process — think of it like insurance — but what if you face a problem right now and want to fix it? Instead of scrambling online or asking your friend, you can stick to a cultivation guidebook. 

There are many such books available in the market, so pick the one that fits your preferences and has good ratings. Such a book will guide you along your path, and wherever necessary, it will come in handy to help you fix a problem. 

Here are some recommendations for cannabis cultivation books for you:

• Growing Marijuana for Beginners by Adam Smith
• Cannabis by Danny Danko and Jorge Cervantes
• Growing Marijuana by Henry J Powel and Leonard Grey
• Growing Marijuana for Beginners by Jack Baker 
• Weed Growing Journal by Go Green Press
• Marijuana Garden Saver by Ed Rosenthal

Summary: 15 Cool Cannabis Tools You Probably Haven’t Tried

The tools listed above may not change your life, but they come together to transform the way you cultivate cannabis at home. These tools are cheap, easy to procure, and a good investment in the long run. They offer benefits that other tools do not, but it’s a shame that some growers are unaware of them. 

These cannabis tools are not to be missed out on. So, what are you waiting for? Make your cannabis growing process easier and more effective with these underrated cannabis gardening tools. Start ordering them right now. 

But there’s one takeaway from this list that you should keep in mind: sometimes, things that are not designed for gardening can work wonders in your garden. Remember, if it looks stupid but it works, it ain’t stupid. 

Stay tuned to know more about growing cannabis. We post regular growing guides that can help you become a better cannabis grower.