By Luke Sumpter

How to hide the smell of your weed plants.


Cannabis has one of the most easily-recognised scents out there, which is amazing until you need to cover it up.

Every strain offers a different cocktail of terpenes, but the earthy and gassy scent we know and love always comes to the fore. Such a distinct smell makes using the herb a pleasant experience, but it also attracts attention, drawing in unwanted eyes and noses.

Keeping the scent under control can be tough, but it’s certainly possible, and we’ll show you how it’s done. Find out how to keep your weed plants under the radar using the tips below.

Why Is Odour Control So Important?

Unfortunately, cannabis remains illegal in many parts of the world.

Growing the herb at home comes with many rewards, including the satisfaction of smoking your own weed and saving a bunch of money during the process. However, it also comes with a significant risk depending on where you live.

Some growers live in regions where they’ll receive a warning and a slap on the wrist if they get busted. Others face more serious consequences, including getting evicted by their landlord or ending up in jail.

In turn, cannabis growers take creative measures to keep their botanical passion clandestine. Some cultivators cover up their windows to prevent the obvious glow of pink and blue LED lights. Others go to the lengths of converting cupboards and computer towers into mini grow rooms to keep their plants hidden and secure.

These techniques are effective at keeping a crop under the radar, but the smell of flowering weed remains the most obvious give away. Cannabis terpenes are powerful enough to stink out an entire apartment block if left unchecked. Growers must do everything they can to prevent terpenes from leaking out of their growing space if they want to stay undiscovered.

Why Is Odour Control So Important?

When Do Cannabis Plants Start Smelling?

Thankfully, cannabis plants don’t stink throughout the entire growing cycle. In fact, they remain entirely scent-free during the seedling and vegetative phase. During these stages of growth, plants direct all of their energy toward getting as big as possible to house future flowers.

Eventually, though, the vegetative phase must come to an end. Depending on the type of plant, a shift in the daylight hours, or an internal genetic mechanism, will initiate the flowering stage. Over the course of the next few weeks, you’ll notice your plants stretch and show the first signs of flowering: small hair-like pistils at the nodes. As these become flowers that grow into full-sized nuggets, they’ll start to stink more and more.

This increasing intensity is caused by another key development, specifically those small crystal-like structures you’ll notice on the surface of cannabis flowers. Known as trichomes, these mushroom-shaped glands churn out a resin that’s rich in cannabinoids and smelly terpenes. This resin, in turn, protects the plant from insects and fluctuating temperatures. Your flowers will begin smelling as soon as your plants start producing this resin, and will stay stinky well after you harvest them.

What Covers The Smell Of Cannabis?

Growing cannabis without any means of odour control will certainly turn some heads. If you live out in the sticks, you might get away with it. But you’ll be playing a risky game if you live in the suburbs—even more so if you live in an apartment complex.

Fortunately, cannabis growers are an innovative bunch. After dealing with draconian measures for decades, green-fingered cannabis lovers have developed tried and tested methods of covering up the obvious smell of the herb.

  • Carbon Filter and Extractor Fan

Cannabis plants need to breathe. Therefore, you need to ensure your growing space features a constant flow of fresh air. However, the air that leaves the growing space will take a boatload of terpenes along with it—unless you process it.

The combination of a carbon filter and an extractor fan works by diverting and scrubbing outgoing air to rid it of skunky terps. Whether you’re growing in an open room or an enclosed growing tent, you should position an extractor fan next to the air vent of your dedicated space. This device will pull air towards it and form a current that prevents smelly air from leaking out of doors or windows.

By attaching a carbon filter to the extractor fan, you’ll capture the terpenes as the air leaves the growing space. These filters work using the principle of adsorption. Terpene molecules stick to the large surface area of carbon molecules as the air passes through the device.

Carbon filters are easy and cheap to make at home. Just make sure you match the requirements of the carbon filter to the extractor fan.

Carbon Filter and Extractor Fan

  • Air Purifier

Air purifiers work by drawing air through a series of fine filters. As a fan sucks the air through, small particles and pollutants get trapped in the filters and clean air passes through the other side. Air filters create steady airflow and will provide a clean and fresh environment for your plants.

As far as smell goes, air purifiers do make a bit of a difference. However, they certainly aren’t a panacea. We recommend including them as part of an odour-prevention strategy, as opposed to relying on them as an independent solution.

  • Low Odour Cannabis Strains

Some strains just don’t smell as much as others. Just as cannabis breeders have developed some cultivars to produce sky-high levels of terpenes, the botanical masterminds have also created varieties with subtle smells designed for covert growing. Some of the best low odour genetics include:

Northern Lights

Blue Mystic

Royal Jack Auto

Royal Creamatic

Quick One

  • Companion Planting

Companion planting involves sowing beneficial species in close proximity to your weed plants. Although largely practised outdoors, indoor growers also utilise the power of companion plants to protect their crop and cover-up suspicious smells. Companion planting comes with a whole host of benefits. Several species generate terpenes of their own that help to repel hungry pest species with an appetite for weed. Other companions emit smells that help to attract beneficial insects that help to take down pest populations.

Many species of companion plants generate odours that are almost as powerful as cannabis. For example, a mix of lavender, basil, and chamomile does a great job at masking cannabis terpenes that would otherwise run riot. Companion plants also work wonders outdoors at keeping cannabis plants out of sight, as well as masking their scent. Taller species such as yarrow and sunflowers will keep your plants undercover.

  • Ozone Generators

Ozone generators may help to reduce smells by reacting with odorous chemicals, including terpenes. These devices create ozone by breaking oxygen molecules, by way of UV radiation or electric discharge, allowing single atoms to bind with other O2 molecules. However, a lack of evidence has led to scepticism within parts of the growing community. The possibility of these devices creating harmful byproducts also understandably puts a lot of growers off using them.

Ozone Generators

  • Odour Neutralisers and Gels

Odour neutralisers, gels, and blocks work particularly well at removing the smell of weed. These products are easy to use, require almost no space, and work almost instantly. Odour neutralisers don’t simply mask the smell of weed, they actually strip it from the air through the mechanisms of absorption, adsorption, and chemical reaction.

Despite their effectiveness, growers need to use these products with caution. Never place them inside the same room or tent as your plants, as they can change the taste and smell of flowers over time. Instead, place them outside of the growing space to intercept odours that leak out.

  • Enclosed Grow Rooms and Tents

Raising your plants in an enclosed room or tent will help to prevent leaks seeping out of cracks and gaps and into the hallways or outdoors. All of the interventions above work to a degree, but leaks can render them ineffective. Ensure a secure growing area before you plants enter the flowering stage.

  • Plan Ahead

Assess your growing situation before you introduce seeds to soil. How much space do you have available? What are the repercussions if you’re caught? Can you get away with a few leaks here and there? Or will one whiff be game over?

You need to decide what you can get away with before you start your grow. Bigger plants give off more intense smells, but they’ll offer great yields if you can pull it off. If your situation appears particularly risky, keep your grow small and opt for small plants that are easy to conceal.

Cannabis Odour Control—Final Thoughts

Smelly terpenes are one of the most common reasons growers get busted. You should develop your odour strategy before germinating seed to give you ample time to obtain equipment and set it up. Although going out of your way to trap odour might seem like a hassle at first, it will provide peace of mind throughout the entire grow.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: