[h=1]Leaf: Grow your own weed in this super smart mini fridge[/h] By Kitty Knowles 19 August 2016
Summary
Cannabis, marijuana, dope. Whatever you call it, Leaf's got you covered.
In today’s world we like like to be in control: we want to distill our own booze, and 3D-print our own cookies.
We even want to grow our own weed (in countries where it’s legal, of course) – and there’s a smart machine for all of these things.
Today, ahead of Seattle Hempfest (the world’s largest marijuana legalisation rally), we meet Yoni Ofir, the founder of Leaf.
He’s the dopest ‘Ganjapreneur’ around.
'Ganjapreneur' Yoni Ofir. Pic: Leaf.[h=2]What is Leaf?[/h] Leaf is a ‘plug-n-plant’ system that automatically grows cannabis and is controlled by your smartphone.
“Think of it like a beautiful mini fridge that stocks itself,” Ofir told The Memo.
A medical marijuana user himself, Ofir created Leaf to solve the many problems faced by users.
“It’s baffling how much knowledge is required to grow high-quality cannabis,” he explains. “Like what type of lighting, nutrients, and grow medium you need.”
While users can look to the internet to find information, it’s often scattered across unreliable forum posts, making it hard to know what’s right.
What’s more the current ways to grow cannabis are ugly and impractical, and involve either putting up vast tents or closing off entire rooms in your house. Neither is great.
[h=2]Making growing easy[/h] Using Leaf solves all this, says Ofir.
It alters nutrient dosing, temperature, humidity, and light intensity automatically, and any additional instructions can be followed on a simple companion app.
You can even benefit from other people in the Leaf community; see videos of different marijuana strains growing, and pick up helpful tips from their ‘plant profiles’.
“You can see time-lapses of their grow, what parameters they used in their grow, and you can sync these custom recipes to your own Leaf,” says Ofir.
The Leaf cannabis grower. Pic: Leaf.
[h=2]Bringing Leaf to the masses[/h] The final price of Leaf will be set later this year, but it’s expected to cost somewhere around $1,499 (£1,142).
This might sound like a lot, but Ofir says that Leaf will pay for itself after just two medicinal grows (which take a few months).
You can already register for
pre-orders now, with Leaf set to fully launch in early 2016.
[h=2]Rising to the challenge[/h] Being a self-professed ‘Ganjapreneur’ hasn’t been easy, but it will all be worth it says Ofir.
“Things like open marketing channels, banking, credit card processing, are not a given within the cannabis industry,” he says of his controversial business.
“You need to be creative … I love the challenge.”
And the founder says he’ll continues to be driven by the community he’s helping.
“When people email us telling their stories and how much Leaf would benefit them – that never gets old, ever.”
To each their own!
