Anthony Mark Ball was caught growing 72 plants below his Gundowring Road home at Gundowring on November 6 last year.

The system was installed in an underground cellar which he had dug out.

A trap door, hidden underneath a cupboard, allowed access to the grow room which contained lights, a watering and feeding system and other equipment controlled by a laptop.

A check of a meter showed he had used the equivalent of more than five years worth of electricity.

A drying room was also found, and police seized more than 2.5 kilograms of dried marijuana from various locations in the home.

The Wodonga Magistrates Court heard the system had been running for about six months when Wodonga police members raided the property.

Ball, a former electrician, had used his skills to get free electricity.

While he was co-operative with police, he declined to comment after being taken into custody.

Despite the massive haul of marijuana seized by police, the court heard there was no evidence linking Ball to trafficking.

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"He was basically growing the cannabis to self-medicate," lawyer Chirag Patel said, noting his client had depression.

Magistrate Mary-Anne MacCallum questioned the claim.

"It's very difficult to understand how such an enormous amount of cannabis can be used for personal use," she said.

Mr Pattel said his client didn't want to buy from dealers and had no intention to continue.

"It's been a real wake-up call to him," he said.

"The impact of these court proceedings have had a salutary effect on Mr Ball."

He has cut back on his marijuana use.

Ms MacCallum noted it had been a sophisticated operation with a large number of plants, but agreed there was no evidence of trafficking.

Ball was fined $3500 with conviction.

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