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Legalized recreational weed in Michigan encourages more growers

Posted at 4:54 PM, Dec 06, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-07 08:44:24-05

There is a lot of information coming at you about recreational marijuana. If you want to grow it on your own, there are a lot of products to consider.

“This is super fresh to me,” said Shawn O’Boyle.

He has been thinking about growing his own marijuana for months, but O’Boyle waited until he saw the ballot proposal passed last month.

“I was excited because it’s going to make the learning process a lot easier, being that it’s more acceptable,” he said.

Today, he attended an open house at Greenhouse of Walled Lake.

Greenhouse is one of the first dispensaries in Oakland County where medical marijuana will be sold.

They also hope to sell recreational marijuana eventually.

“(We want to) meet some of our potential customers and kind of fill them in so they don’t make any mistakes with the rec market,” said co-owner Jerry Millen.

That’s why he also invited the owner of a grow store called H2 Hydro Hydroponics.

O’Boyle got a chance to learn more about marijuana plants when he was laid off from his job a few months ago.

He has friends and family who rely on medical marijuana, so it sparked his interest to grow his own, and he is willing to spend $1,500 on supplies to start.

O’Boyle has definitely done his homework.

“If you have soil, between a 6 to 7 ph or if it’s a hydro, you’re between 5.5 and 6.5 ph," he said. "You want a light, steady air flow to help build your stems up.”

The real test is after O'Boyle shops for supplies, will he have a green thumb?

Starting today, Michiganders can grow up to 12 plants in their home.

H2Hydro Hydroponics in Walled Lake sells everything you need minus the seed or plant itself. That includes fertilizer soil and lighting.

“It’s not as hard as you would think," said owner Alex Michal. "It does take a lot of attention and care but it is relatively easy.”

But after dabbling in a small growing, O’Boyle wants to look into commercial production.

“Eventually (I'm) trying my hand at getting in the industry while it’s fresh and new,” he said.