In 23 states where medical marijuana is legal, as well a the 4 where it’s simply legal, you can grow your own weed. Now, you could do this in many ways, from simply planting it in your garden, to creating a professional hydroponic setup. But both of these methods require some TLC from you, as well as a decent amount of know-how. It’s not like you couldn’t, you know, learn, but if you can’t be bothered, Leaf is for you. They call it a Plug-N-Plant device, which is kind of clever because well, it pretty much does everything for you.
The system will monitor everything that your plants need to grow, including light, ventilation, nutrient levels and pH of the soil.
The system will also react to these measurements, meaning that if it senses that your plants are low on nutrients it can dispense more, or if it needs more light it can automatically brighten the environment. Users can also control these variables manually, effectively creating their own grow “recipes.”
The 4′ by 2′ box can grow two plants, which will apparently yield between 4 to 5 ounces of weed. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well… that’s until you see the price: $1,499. That’s a lot of dollars for something you can do for a fraction of that cost, if only you take the time. But we suppose that’s what luxury is all about.
The company says that the machine will technically pay for itself after just a few months, as the “retail value” of 4-5 ounces (one growth cycle) is around $1,200.
Additionally, each grow will cost about $150 in nutrient cartridges and carbon filter refills. However, co-founder and CEO Yoni Ofir said that eventually the company hopes to drop the price of the actual device and generate its primary revenue from refills (à la Keurig).
Perhaps Leaf is then worth reconsidering when or if prices do drop, unless you’re the deep-pocketed early adopter type. If you are, you can reserve one with a $100 deposit, and shipping summer 2016.
[ Product Page ] VIA [ TechCrunch ]
