I love growing marijuana initially started as a labor of love. This hasn’t prevented the company from becoming one of the most trustworthy and reliable online seed banks.
The founder’s name is Robert Bergman. While his name is used liberally throughout the internet, a neatly curated bio and a cartoonesque picture are about as much as you’ll find about the guy.
That’s cool, though. We all understand perfectly the need to preserve some anonymity since cannabis is still a controversial subject in many places.
Where is ‘I love growing marijuana’ located?
The company is located in the Netherlands. Robert Bergman has been growing cannabis since the mid nineties. After roughly twenty years of growing on both a small scale and as part of the larger, industrial scene, he decided to move on to sharing his knowledge online and ILGM was born.
The Netherlands is home to the best Dutch seed banks, all of which are also some of the best ones worldwide.
This tiny country has been a front runner in the legalization of marijuana from a global point of view. However, the country as a whole is not quite as liberal about weed as foreigners might think. It is still more tolerant than most countries, though!
Online Presence
ILGM has a well-established website. Ilovegrowingmarijuana.com leads to the main site, from where you can link to their blog, growing guides, the forum, and the seed shop.
The seed bank has its own ‘front door’: ILGM.com leads straight to the cannabis seeds shop area.
Their seeds are not the absolute cheapest you’ll find, but boy, do they run their business like a pro. I don’t say this lightly. Going by just my personal experience communicating with them would be anecdotal, so I always comb the web (other websites, forums, Reddit threads…) for all sorts of input. From the happiest and the most disgruntled customers, if any.
Most cannabis seed banks have mixed reviews, slanting slightly or heavily in one direction or another. As far as I could find, here’s an online seed bank that does not have any reasonable negative reviews. And that did not surprise me. (Why ‘reasonable’? Keep reading; we’ll get into that in just a sec.)
ILGM Forum
If you enjoy chatting with like-minded folks about your grow-op in a virtual setting, ILGM even has a forum that’s alive and kicking. There are ten different categories, each with a handful of sub-categories.
The topics cover everything related to marijuana. You can read up on the basics of growing pot, or learn about something specific. Korean Natural Farming, environmental stress, auqaponics systems, or lights and ventilation, smoking, hash and edibles, recipes…
The ILGM forum doesn’t appear super busy, but it looks welcoming and well organized, and actively moderated by ILGM staff.
Even without being an actual forum user, it can be useful. I often find them valuable for browsing and extracting little nuggets of wisdom or information from contributors with experience.
If you love growing marijuana in Australia
The existence of ‘I love growing marijuana’ is worth mentioning to Australians in particular because so many seed banks alienate Aussie customers. Either by excluding them from any form of guaranteed delivery (even the “paid for” kind, so yeah… good luck with that gamble) or by simply refusing to ship there altogether.
ILGM is quite literally one of the only places Australians can go shopping for seeds online with guaranteed delivery. On top of that, ILGM also offers a rare guarantee on germination. (Very few seed banks do, we’ve written about them here.)
The average shipping time to Australia is two weeks but it can take between one and five weeks for an order to arrive at its destination down under.
Practical Information
Alright, what about the logistics?
Well, unless you are located in the United States or Australia, you can basically stop reading. Those are the only countries ILGM ships to.
Shipping
Shipping is completely free to the US. To Australia, the cut-off for free shipping is $150+. For smaller orders, it is $25. Orders for the USA leave daily, Australian ones ship out on weekdays.
Discreet stealthy shipping is automatically included. This is the default setting, you don’t have to pay extra for it. Also, ILGM is delightfully cryptic about what to expect.
Sometimes it can be tricky to figure out which strain is which when the only clues are abbreviations and codes on the stealth packaging. Not to worry! Here is a list of references to use in deciphering the contents of your order.
On the FAQ-page, it says: “We have customers all over the world and we have been delivering seeds for almost a decade. Our stealth packaging guarantees delivery, so customs will not find the seeds. We guarantee delivery. Your bank transcript will not have any marijuana-related payments on it and the package itself has no marijuana references on it.”
Kind of funny to refer to “customers all over the world”, when you only ship to two countries 😉 but oh well… Those two are big countries alright!
Payment Methods
- Bank Transfer
Customers from the US can pay by online bank transfer using an email address, ACH or WIRE bank transfer, send a Check, or use Bill Pay.
Australian customers can pay directly into the company’s Australian bank account. The necessary details to make the payment will be included in the order confirmation.
- Cash
Cash in an envelope by snail mail is an option too. ILGM accepts all currencies, by which I presume they mean US and Australian dollars, since they’ve ruled out orders from any other countries.
- Credit Card
ILGM does not recommend using a credit card, but they do accept it as a form of payment. Important to know is that you will receive an additional email, requiring you to confirm your order when paying by CC. The order will not go through and you will not be billed until you have confirmed it.
As for drawbacks, they mention that credit card companies often block purchases from abroad. An ILGM purchase can show as coming from Europe or China. It helps to call the credit card company ahead of time, and you obviously only have to tell them that you’re expecting a charge from abroad – not what it is for.
- Bitcoin
Bitcoin takes ten percent off your entire order. But for that, you have to do some legwork first if you’re unfamiliar with this payment method!
Figuring out Bitcoin can be daunting. ILGM has a four-step guide to help beginners out. There is a lot more information to be found online; some specialized sites have way more extensive tutorials if this isn’t enough.
Guaranteed Delivery & Guaranteed Germination
It is only logical to ask yourself whether those guarantees are legit. The guaranteed delivery, perhaps, but the guaranteed germination – does ILGM really follow through on that?
After all, when something sounds too good to be true it usually is, and this sure sounds pretty darn’ awesome.
The reviews don’t lie: Yes, ILGM has trustworthy customer service and handles their business as promised. Here’s a company that cares about its reputation and realizes it is in its own best interest to treat customers well.
They probably realize that while may have to send new seeds on occasion, this means people will be back for more because of it. And bring a few friends along with them. 😉
Here is one example of a very happy grower. In case you’re reading this on a mobile device and the screenshot text is too small, it is also quoted under the picture.
I ordered 15 auto flower seeds (5x GSCx, 5x JH, & 5 blueberry) back in June 2020. Out of 15, only 3 blueberry, 1 JH, & 1 GSCX germinated, so only 5 plants total. Sent an email to the company explaining, and they sent me 15 new seeds (x10 GG & x5 GSCx). I put 3 GSCx away in a drawer to store for next year and germinated 2 – both have sprouted. I attempted to germinate all 10 GG seeds but only 1 sprouted a taproot (another 1 has popped open but I see no taproot yet, so will leave in the moist paper towel for up to 5 more days to see what happens. The other 8 never popped at all. So now, I have 1 JH, 1 GG, 3 BB, & 3 GSCx. Contacted the company yet again to explain my results and didn’t even have to ask for them to send me more Replacements at no cost – they responded automatically with zero Hesitation letting me know they are bagging my order and shipping it out same day. I’m excited to see which strains they’ll send me this time, I told them as long as they’re fast growing autos, idc what kind they send. I’m happy to have the 4 different varieties I have thus far and will happily take other strains. I am growing completely outdoors (in MD, USA). Next to the respective autos mentioned, Im also growing 12 non-auto plants that are 9 weeks old and 36” tall. All is going very well so far! I have already referred three different friends to this company to purchase their seats from. And I definitely recommend anyone who wants to grow, to order your seeds through ILGM, their customer service is beyond superb!! 10 stars for ILGM ???
Quoted from ILGM.com
Is ‘I love growing marijuana’ legit & reliable?
The main question everyone asks themselves, right before or right after finding out whether a given seed bank delivers to their country, is if the place can be trusted.
Are you going to send them your moolah and hope for the best? Probably not.
At the very least, you’ll quick-check some reviews. Even better if you can read up on those (good or bad) somewhere other than on the company’s official website because they could be filtered, after all.
I love growing marijuana or ILGM stands out from the crowd with an exemplary reputation.
If you’re browsing for a bargain that is also a gamble, this isn’t your place to shop. But if you’re more serious about the quality of your seeds, the safe arrival of those tiny treasures, and some fine, dependable follow-up if needed, then you can leave your worries at the proverbial door in the case of ILGM.
I love growing marijuana reviews
Were you distracted by those pictures of glistening, sticky, shimmering kolas on their site, or did you notice the Trustpilot rating in the top bar?
At the time of writing, ILGM has a rating of “only” 4.7 out of 5. What did they do “wrong”? Here’s what people have to say.
Now there are well over fourteen thousand reviews on Trustpilot alone, so there is an obvious need to summarize and boil down some of that here.
The tl;dr is that ILGM stands behind their seeds. Any issues that arise are handled professionally and elegantly. They actively respond to reviewers. Not with hollow customer service jargon but offering concrete, practical solutions.
There are almost exclusively positive (4 or 5-star) reviews, so let’s dive into what we all want to know: what is the worst that can happen if you get seeds from this place?
In the top layer of the bunch – I’m very thorough but I’m not going to pretend to have gone over all 14,500+ of them! – you’ll find the following complaints.
Wanker #1 a.k.a. Po here is complaining about not getting a replacement while his order is still in transit. Customs? Quite possibly. If you have experienced ordering online and internationally, you’ll know that this can happen. Luck of the draw. Unfortunately for Po that they have to wait longer than usual, but there isn’t a single online store out there that’s going to re-send your order while the first one still shows as ‘en route’.
Wanker #2 is hoping he’ll get a replacement because seeds didn’t sprout. Seriously, dude? Did you contact ILGM about this? Is Eric going to update or amend the review afterward, to include us in their response? Because as far as I can tell it is obvious that his issue will get taken care of.
Nothing to do with ILGM but if there is one thing that irks me, it is people leaving negative reviews that are premature or just not very bright. Such as: “It is smaller than I thought. Should have read the dimensions before ordering.” So you don’t read the specs of what you buy and then blame the product for meeting said specs? Okay then. Happy shopping.
After these two – ahem – wankers, I stopped digging for more. The bad reviews are far and few between. When you find one, it’s not even reasonable. All other reviews look like these:
Case closed. The verdict: You can safely recommend ILGM to your friends without looking like an idiot.
Strains
ILGM has around 100 strains on display. In the menu bar, you can select from the following options to narrow it down:
- Feminized
- Autoflowers
- High THC
- High CBD
- High Yield
Their most popular cannabis seeds are Gorilla Glue, Girl Scout Cookies Extreme, White Widow, Blueberry, Blue Dream, and Super Skunk. The Beginner Mix Pack and the Autoflower Mix Pack are high up in the bestsellers too.
ILGM Mix Packs
The sheer number of mix packs these guys have is crazy! The discounted price for seeds purchased as a mix pack in most cases is close to half off, so that’s worth the while.
Some of the combinations are self-explanatory, like Autoflower Mix, Beginner Mix, High Yield Mix, or Autoflower CBD Mix.
Berry Mix, Blue Weed Mix, Indica Mix, Purple Weed Mix, Sativa Mix. There’s also an OG Mix, a Widow Mix, a Kush Mix, and even a Fruity Kush Mix. Still pretty straightforward, right?
| For more on the second-most-popular cannabinoid, check out our list of high-CBD strains, including the best places to get seeds. |
The Colorful Weed Mix contains Blue Haze, Purple Haze, and Super Silver Haze.
The KO Heavy Hitters Mix has Gorilla Glue by ILGM, Blue Dream, and MK Ultra.
Bonza Seeds Mix comes with Durban Poison, Banana Kush, and Sour Diesel.
There are many more other auto-flowering mix packs, most of which are a tad more mysterious, but when you see the breakdown it makes sense.
- Autoflower Super Mix (Gorilla Glue Auto, Bruce Banner Auto, GSC Auto) – also available as feminized with those same strains.
- Autoflower Classics (AK-47 Auto, Sour Diesel Auto, Super Skunk Auto)
- Autoflower Sweet Mix (Gelato Autoflower, Zkittlez Autoflower, Wedding Cake Autoflower)
- Autoflower Snack Mix (Cheese Auto, Gelato Auto, Banana Kush Auto)
- Autoflower 2.0 Mix (Bubble Gum Auto, Jack Herer Auto, OG Kush Auto)
For those with a serious sweet tooth, there are some fun options too!
- Baking Mix (Girl Scout Cookies Extreme, Wedding Cake, Cherry Pie)
- Sweet Mix (Gelato, Zkittlez, Sunset Sherbet)
- Juicy Mix (Orange Bud, Agent Orange, Super Lemon Haze)
More or less predictable, based on location or name, you’ll find a Persian Mix (Afghan, Pure Indica, Hindu Kush), Amsterdam Classics Mix (White Widow, Jack Herer, Power Plant), and Dreamy Mix (California Dream, Skywalker OG, Blue Dream).
The remainder is quite creative.
- Hero Mix (Skywalker OG, Bruce Banner by ILGM, Black Widow)
- Bling Bling Mix (Crystal, Gold Leaf, Super Silver Haze)
- Chemical Mix (LSD, Chemdawg, Green Crack)
- Spicy Mix (OG Kush, Super Skunk, Lowryder Autoflower)
- Outdoor Mix (Amnesia Haze, Super Skunk, OG Kush)
- Patriot Mix (AK-47, Sour Diesel, Bubble Gum)
- Platinum Mix (Gold Leaf, Purple Haze, Super Silver Haze)
- Power Mix (Critical Mass, Power Plant, Trainwreck)
- Premium Mix (California Dream, Chronic Widow, Gold Leaf)
- USA Mix (NYC Diesel, L.A. Confidential, Maui Wowie),
ILGM Fertilizer & Grow Kits
You can tell that ILGM has been developed by an expert grower. On the site, you’ll also find fertilizers that have been fine-tuned to supply precisely those nutrient cannabis plants need at various stages of their growth.
There are four different fertilizers in the complete set:
- Seedling Fertilizer
- Growtime Fertilizer
- Flowertime Fertilizer
- Plant Booster
What the first three do (and when) is rather obvious. The Plant Booster is a flowering stimulator. You can add it during the last stages of the vegetative phase to induce early flowering.
Doing so should give your flowers more time to develop into full, rich buds, and it also strengthens the root structure and improves nutrient retention. Something to try for heavier yields and better quality buds.
| Impressive yields and auto-flowering plants don’t have to be mutually exclusive! Check out: Highest Yielding Autoflower Strains |
What each fertilizer contains exactly is explained in more detail here.
Complete Grow Kits
The fertilizers are included in the complete grow kits. Other than nutrients, the kits contain seeds and ‘plant protector‘. The fertilizer set in the kit is enough for five to ten plants, while the plant protector can be used on up to twenty plants. Bit of a discrepancy there, but I guess they’re thinking of how you may need a double dose here and there, as explained in the directions for use.
Oh, and if the you’re raising an eyebrow at the prospect of stealth shipping for these bulky supplies… ILGM ships the seeds and fertilizer separately.
Plant Protector Explained
What on earth is ‘plant protector’, you’re wondering?
It’s a set of three bottles of 20 ml each, containing substances to help protect plants from bugs, mold, and whatever icky might attack their roots. They are appropriately named Bug Blaster, Root Protector, and Mold Control. One set is enough for up to twenty plants and it doesn’t matter which growing medium they’re in (soil, hydroponics, or anything else).
Each solution is meant to be dissolved in water and then either sprayed on or, in case of the root protector, watered on.
I haven’t used the plant protector set yet for lack of having a real need to. However, it sure is a clever and bite-sized way to take care of everything. Should the need arise, it’s nice to know that ILGM has taken the guesswork out of a plan of attack.
Bug Blaster
The Bug Blaster takes care of quite a few pests, including but not limited to caterpillars, aphids, spider mites, whiteflies, and thrips.
Root Protector
Root Protector contain healthy bacteria that eat the harmful, disease-causing ones. They work in the soil and also get absorbed by the plants’ roots, which strengthens their immune system.
Mold Control
ILGM recommends using mold control as a preventative measure, halfway through the growth cycle. There’s some sense in a preventative approach. Mold is very hard to see with bare eyes. When you see mold on your plants, it could already be too late for that crop to be saved.
| More about mold: How To Prevent Mold When Growing Cannabis Moldy Weed 101: Can It Be Fixed & How Risky Is Smoking It? |
The likelihood for mold to develop also depends on the humidity and climate, so when assessing the risk at your location you’ll either find this additional step worth the effort or not.
Specials & Sales
While their regular price tags are not the lowest in the business, there’s always some kind of sale on certain strains happening at ILGM.
If you missed the last one, the next one is right around the corner. For example, when the Black Friday sale is over, the Christmas Sale is there, after which it is time for the Early Bird Sale, the Valentine’s Day Sale, and so on.
They typically run “10+10 free” deals for select strains during those sales.
That’s when you can scoop up the real bargains. It’s even better than ordering from a cheaper place with less than great service, or shipping and guarantees at a hefty surcharge because at ILGM those perks apply to the special deals too.
‘I love growing marijuana’ does not use a lot of coupons. The special deals described above are set up automatically. However, when visiting the site, you may be presented with a coupon for five dollars off.
The coupon can be summoned manually when clicking on a little green ‘$5’ tab on the left of the screen. It’s funny enough, though not much financially speaking – you’re better off with one of the epic 10+10 free deals.
