Grow Guide — Advanced Grow Tracking Made Beginner-Friendly 🌱

Hey, what's up, guys? My name's Chris — I'm the founder of Grow Guide. Here's my story.

It all started in Northern California. I was just a grower learning the ropes. Started indoors, then eventually moved on to bigger outdoor grows, greenhouses — pretty much tried everything you could imagine.

When I first got started, I went through all the books I could find. YouTube wasn't really big for grow content yet. There were a few videos out there, but not many, and most of them weren't that good. That's actually what pushed me to start making my own YouTube videos.

At first, I made videos just because friends and family kept asking me how to grow. I figured, screw it — I'll put the info out there for everyone. Turns out, teaching helped me get better too. When you teach, you have to double-check your process. Teaching really is the best way to learn.

But then came the demonetization. Not long after, I went to log in and — boom — my whole YouTube account was gone. I think I had around 3–4,000 subscribers and was getting close to a million total views. It was rough. People were watching, engaging, and learning — and just like that, it was ripped away. No warning, no explanation.

The feedback I got on my videos was always that they felt real. I didn't try to act like some pro with a lab coat — I shared what the books said, but also what actually worked for me. It was raw and relatable. But after they deleted my account, it totally took the wind out of my sails. Same thing happened with Instagram and Facebook groups. I had a 20k IG account — gone overnight, again with no warning. No appeal. Just deleted.

Eventually, YouTube did give my channel back. But by then, I had moved on. I couldn't keep building something that could be taken away at any time, for no good reason.

My website was built around my videos — walkthroughs, how-tos, checklists, all that. But without the videos, it didn't hit the same. I'm dyslexic and have ADHD, so reading long articles doesn't work for me. I forget what I just read. But video — that sticks. So I tried to build resources that matched how I learned: watch the video, then follow a checklist. Simple, effective.

Eventually, I stopped growing altogether and started learning to code. And here's where the story loops back.

See, when I first started growing, I spent a lot of time in forums. I was a beginner just trying to figure things out, and sometimes the responses were just toxic. People treating you like an idiot for asking basic questions. It's like, dude, I'm clearly new — why are you acting like this?

But let me tell you — if you think growers are bad, try Stack Overflow. That place will have you in tears. The attitude is next-level. Luckily, AI's starting to make that stuff more helpful now.

I know not everyone wants to sit around and chat. Sometimes your plant is dying and you just want the damn answer — quick. So we built Grow Guide with a Stack Overflow–meets–Reddit feel. You can ask a question, get a solid answer, move on. Or — if you're into the social side — you can follow other people's grows, chat with them, compare notes.

And yeah, sometimes questions don't get answered right away — especially in the early days. So we built in an AI assistant that can help diagnose issues from photos or walk you through the problem interactively. It tries to narrow things down and follow the correct diagnostic path — because in cannabis, a lot of symptoms look like one thing, but might be something else. It's part art, part science — and the AI helps simplify that process.

Of course, we've got all the basics too: tracking data points, adding images, logging your grow. But I think our UI is way more intuitive than the other grow apps out there. Some of those felt like they were built by devs who had never grown a plant in their life. I tried to blend both sides — the grower's experience and the developer's structure.

And honestly, the biggest piece of the puzzle has been the community. I posted the beta version in a few grower groups on Facebook and Reddit, and some real ones took a chance on it. That core group helped shape everything. Their feedback, support, and ideas have made Grow Guide what it is today.

We've grown exponentially, with nearly 1,500 active growers, over 3,000 members, and more than 25,000 messages exchanged. Remarkably, no one has been flagged, and there's been no drama. Instead, we've fostered a positive and supportive environment where growers help each other. This is a rare and incredible achievement.

We're still in the process of building and improving, but I'm incredibly proud of where we've come. Grow Guide isn't just an app; it's a movement that started with a single grower's determination to learn and grow.

If you've ever used the app, shared your grow, or simply watched it from a distance, I want to express my deepest gratitude. I genuinely hope you'll support the campaign and help shape the future of Grow Guide.