Hi fellas I recently joined here to soak up as much knowledge as possible from all of you. I am a complete beginner when it comes to growing. I am looking to start my first grow, 2-4 plants in an extra closet at home. My question to all of you is what you would recommend I buy as far as a setup goes? I would greatly appreciate ideas on how you would spend $500 for a 2-4 plant setup {with potential for a few more plants in the future}. Also how would you spend $1000 on a little bit bigger setup and how many plants would it be able to grow? I will probably just end up buying what one of you recommend, as I know a lot of you are great farmers {as I have browsed some of the grow journals on here and have been extremely impressed}. I know this sounds stupid but I don’t know where else to start. I am in great need of your expertise and ideas. Please help a total newbie in this crucial time of needle. I look forward to being a student in this forum and learning as much knowledge from all of you as possible. Thank you for taking the time to read my post, and hopefully respond.
Need help on first setup checklist
- Thread starter d luv
- Start date
Greenlife1
Member
Are you going to run hydro,soil,soiless? I would go with a 600 Hps for your light. You will also need a good fan to clear the heat, and smell. I would go with a 8" vortex, but can go with a 6". I say more is always better(you can always turn it down.) A carbon scrubber if you don't want any smell like a can 33, but you can make your own. As far as a hood I would say something like a sun systems yeild master 2. Also will need to line closet with mylar, or blk/wht poly. A ph pen. a decent size fan for air movement of you plant.
Well thats a start.....
Well thats a start.....
First thing first,
How much square footage are you working with? We need 50 watts/square foot of Hid lighting
What is the height, width, length of proposed closet?
Enviorment is #1!!! Can you run an intake or an exhaust from this closet? Intakes are easy, can you have ducting either A: going up one level to exhaust in attic or B:ducting coming out closet door to a window? Again enviorment is #1, you must have good temps and humidity levels.
Going soil? Strip the carpet from this room and replace it with pond liner, from a local home depot or lowes. This will help with messes and make for eays clean up. Cleanliness is a good thing.
Tell us the sizes I will tell you what I would do with the space.
How much square footage are you working with? We need 50 watts/square foot of Hid lighting
What is the height, width, length of proposed closet?
Enviorment is #1!!! Can you run an intake or an exhaust from this closet? Intakes are easy, can you have ducting either A: going up one level to exhaust in attic or B:ducting coming out closet door to a window? Again enviorment is #1, you must have good temps and humidity levels.
Going soil? Strip the carpet from this room and replace it with pond liner, from a local home depot or lowes. This will help with messes and make for eays clean up. Cleanliness is a good thing.
Tell us the sizes I will tell you what I would do with the space.
ColBatGuano
Member
Hi there! Nice to have you around here. I'm going to start by asking a question, then make some suggestions on how you can be a successful grower. You'll see where I'm going with it eventually, and I hope you have more questions later. Welcome to the club!
[first things first
]
Now, how is it you want to grow your plants? In soil or water? Soil is generally much cheaper to set-up, as even small do-it-yourself hydroponics systems can cost around $100 more. There is also your level of mechanical prowess to consider. If you don't think you are capable of building a system yourself, you'll need to buy one (for more money.) If you're going with soil, getting started can be quite cheap, as you will not need much for the first few weeks. Only some CF lamps, starter trays/pots (plastic Solo cups, even,) and a little bit of starter soil is all it takes.
What are the dimensions of your grow space? 2-4 plants initially can occupy a shelf somewhere in your home for a few weeks before they need to go under stronger lights. 2-4 plants obviously don't require as much lighting as 6-8, or 10-15 plants will.
What sort of venting/exhaust system are you willing to create for your space? Plants need air to move all the time--this may mean cutting holes. Again, initially you will not have as much concern for this in the first few weeks as you will once your plants start to grow big.
How patient are you? How willing to fail in an effort to learn? These things matter. You want to avoid growing as if from a recipe book, or attempting to grow too fast. You're going to get a lot of suggestions thrown at you when you leave it entirely up to people on this board to guide you. Many of the people here are growing quickly, others slowly, some use this, some use that.
What you should be asking for are guidelines, not necessarily specifics. Save that for later down the road when you're more experienced. Your first grow(s) may end in disaster, but you'll learn from them. The simpler you keep your grow, the easier on you and the plants it will be. Organic soil growing is just about the simplest way to go. Aeroponics is probably the most complicated.
Here are some general things to consider when starting out:
Keep it simple. Don't try so hard, especially as a beginner. There is a reason colleges start with 100-level classes. Learning the basics takes time--and more than a couple grows. You have to treat this like a science project, because that's what it is. Keeping things simple helps you understand how easy it can be to just get a plant to come up out of its seed. It almost seems daunting to imagine the first time you try it, but there really is nothing to it. Seed germination is just like everything else in growing: it either works, or it doesn't. Either way, your documentation of the experiment will be important as you run more experiments. It is especially helpful because it can help you see patterns in the way strains develop, enabling you to eventually make predictions about a grow.
Learn about how plants work. I know you're excited, but you need to do a lot more homework. If you're at the point right now where you're handing over control of your equipment list to strangers on a message board, then you aren't ready yet. It is better to know what you want by understanding what you need. Boards like this are better for specific questions about how to tweak your list. You should be able to get a parts list together on your own. If you can't, you're not ready yet. Like plants, no two growers are exactly alike.
Be patient. Growing is not like baking a cake. Doing it from a "recipe" you find online might work, or it might not. The problem with doing it that way, is that you don't really understand why you're doing what you're doing. You're just doing it because the recipe says to do so. This is problematic, because your space isn't the same space in which the recipe was written, or the genetics of your plants aren't the same as the plants for which the recipe was written, or your skill level isn't up to the level of the person who wrote the recipe. Guidelines are in place, but are still just guidelines. They aren't universally true. A 12/12 photoperiod for flowering is just a guideline. It isn't set-in-stone true. You'll learn these things if you are patient, because patience allows for a skeptical approach to the recipe.
Don't expect to succeed with big, hairy, triumphant looking colas. It is better to be humble about what you are doing, especially at first.
Good luck.
(I will answer any other specific questions you ask, or admit I don't know the answer.)
[first things first
]Now, how is it you want to grow your plants? In soil or water? Soil is generally much cheaper to set-up, as even small do-it-yourself hydroponics systems can cost around $100 more. There is also your level of mechanical prowess to consider. If you don't think you are capable of building a system yourself, you'll need to buy one (for more money.) If you're going with soil, getting started can be quite cheap, as you will not need much for the first few weeks. Only some CF lamps, starter trays/pots (plastic Solo cups, even,) and a little bit of starter soil is all it takes.
What are the dimensions of your grow space? 2-4 plants initially can occupy a shelf somewhere in your home for a few weeks before they need to go under stronger lights. 2-4 plants obviously don't require as much lighting as 6-8, or 10-15 plants will.
What sort of venting/exhaust system are you willing to create for your space? Plants need air to move all the time--this may mean cutting holes. Again, initially you will not have as much concern for this in the first few weeks as you will once your plants start to grow big.
How patient are you? How willing to fail in an effort to learn? These things matter. You want to avoid growing as if from a recipe book, or attempting to grow too fast. You're going to get a lot of suggestions thrown at you when you leave it entirely up to people on this board to guide you. Many of the people here are growing quickly, others slowly, some use this, some use that.
What you should be asking for are guidelines, not necessarily specifics. Save that for later down the road when you're more experienced. Your first grow(s) may end in disaster, but you'll learn from them. The simpler you keep your grow, the easier on you and the plants it will be. Organic soil growing is just about the simplest way to go. Aeroponics is probably the most complicated.
Here are some general things to consider when starting out:
Keep it simple. Don't try so hard, especially as a beginner. There is a reason colleges start with 100-level classes. Learning the basics takes time--and more than a couple grows. You have to treat this like a science project, because that's what it is. Keeping things simple helps you understand how easy it can be to just get a plant to come up out of its seed. It almost seems daunting to imagine the first time you try it, but there really is nothing to it. Seed germination is just like everything else in growing: it either works, or it doesn't. Either way, your documentation of the experiment will be important as you run more experiments. It is especially helpful because it can help you see patterns in the way strains develop, enabling you to eventually make predictions about a grow.
Learn about how plants work. I know you're excited, but you need to do a lot more homework. If you're at the point right now where you're handing over control of your equipment list to strangers on a message board, then you aren't ready yet. It is better to know what you want by understanding what you need. Boards like this are better for specific questions about how to tweak your list. You should be able to get a parts list together on your own. If you can't, you're not ready yet. Like plants, no two growers are exactly alike.
Be patient. Growing is not like baking a cake. Doing it from a "recipe" you find online might work, or it might not. The problem with doing it that way, is that you don't really understand why you're doing what you're doing. You're just doing it because the recipe says to do so. This is problematic, because your space isn't the same space in which the recipe was written, or the genetics of your plants aren't the same as the plants for which the recipe was written, or your skill level isn't up to the level of the person who wrote the recipe. Guidelines are in place, but are still just guidelines. They aren't universally true. A 12/12 photoperiod for flowering is just a guideline. It isn't set-in-stone true. You'll learn these things if you are patient, because patience allows for a skeptical approach to the recipe.
Don't expect to succeed with big, hairy, triumphant looking colas. It is better to be humble about what you are doing, especially at first.
Good luck.
(I will answer any other specific questions you ask, or admit I don't know the answer.)
spend money on your setup and environment.
"What is the height, width, length of proposed closet?
Enviorment is #1!!! Can you run an intake or an exhaust from this closet? Intakes are easy, can you have ducting either A: going up one level to exhaust in attic or B:ducting coming out closet door to a window? Again enviorment is #1, you must have good temps and humidity levels.
Going soil? Strip the carpet from this room and replace it with pond liner, from a local home depot or lowes. This will help with messes and make for eays clean up. Cleanliness is a good thing.
Tell us the sizes I will tell you what I would do with the space. "
keeping the grow clean and stealthy should be another priority...
buy your light and reflector first. choose the reflector to best match the shape of your space.
get some hooks and chain to hang the light.
get a couple of fans.
decide on a grow medium and containers.
buy some 1 or two part fertilizer. -keep it simple and buy a small container...you shouldn't need too much ferts for a while. they go bad, too, so why overbuy?
leave something in the budget to cover the smell. they will smell. you won't need it right awaY, but don't skip this!
BUY SOME QUALITY LOW PRICED CANNABIS SEED FROM SEEDBAY OR SEEDBOUTIQUE...
whatever you purchase you will be very happy, and you will actually get free seeds with the order...these are as good as what you buy or even better. don't go real spendy on your seeds.
get a fire extinguisher and a smoke alarm.
do whatever you can to hide the grow...cover the senses: smell; noise; don't leave stuff laying around; be careful with your security.
"What is the height, width, length of proposed closet?
Enviorment is #1!!! Can you run an intake or an exhaust from this closet? Intakes are easy, can you have ducting either A: going up one level to exhaust in attic or B:ducting coming out closet door to a window? Again enviorment is #1, you must have good temps and humidity levels.
Going soil? Strip the carpet from this room and replace it with pond liner, from a local home depot or lowes. This will help with messes and make for eays clean up. Cleanliness is a good thing.
Tell us the sizes I will tell you what I would do with the space. "
keeping the grow clean and stealthy should be another priority...
buy your light and reflector first. choose the reflector to best match the shape of your space.
get some hooks and chain to hang the light.
get a couple of fans.
decide on a grow medium and containers.
buy some 1 or two part fertilizer. -keep it simple and buy a small container...you shouldn't need too much ferts for a while. they go bad, too, so why overbuy?
leave something in the budget to cover the smell. they will smell. you won't need it right awaY, but don't skip this!
BUY SOME QUALITY LOW PRICED CANNABIS SEED FROM SEEDBAY OR SEEDBOUTIQUE...
whatever you purchase you will be very happy, and you will actually get free seeds with the order...these are as good as what you buy or even better. don't go real spendy on your seeds.
get a fire extinguisher and a smoke alarm.
do whatever you can to hide the grow...cover the senses: smell; noise; don't leave stuff laying around; be careful with your security.
