Newbie with the Goods - In over my head?

[Mainer420]

First off, I live in LA county and I have my Medical Marijuana Card. I recently decided to start growing. So, I did my homework and research and found a system for sale that had everything I wanted and than some…

This is what I purchased for $1000.

600 Watt Lighting System
-Galaxy Ballast with Hortilux 600w HPS Bulb and Sunlight Supply Inc. Reflector –
-Sun Master Cool Deluxe 600w Metal Halide Bulb

“Sun Hut” Enclosed Greenhouse with Silver Interior (dimensions are about 3’ x 4.5’ x 7’)
6” Inline Fan
6” Ducting
4” Vortex Fan
4” Ducting
Carbon Filter Can 9000 w/4” Flange
C.A.P. HUM – 1 Humidity controller
C.A.P. REG – 1 CO2 Regulator
Frigidaire FAP09EP1Z Stand Alone Air Conditioner/Dehumidifier/Fan
Vicks Cool Mist
4” Rotating Fan for Circulation
Window Fan with 2 fans for Maximum ventilation

Ebb and Flow Water System
24” x 41” Tray for Plants
25 Gallon reservoir for Plant Feed
2 EcoPlus Submersible Pumps
4 – 5 gallon water jugs
Clay Pebbbles
8 baskets for plants
Coconut Fiber Mats
Digital Thermometer
2 digital Timers
24 hour Timer
Eutech pH – 1 Tester
Euntech/Oakion TDSTestr PPM Tester


I think I got a good deal, Everything appears only used once... please let me know what you think…

I have tried growing several times when I was younger and never had any luck. This time I want to do it right, and will stop at nothing until I get it right. The guy/kid I bought the equipment from didn’t clean it; so I’m currently in the process of doing that – should take a couple more days and another couple of days to learn how to use the Timers, Humidity Controller, and testers. This is a bit over whelming and it DOES seem like rocket science especially when it comes to Nutrients, Room Humidity and Testers.

According to the Growers Bible –
I purchased the following:

Nutrients.
General Hydroponics – FloraGro
General Hydroponics – FloraBloom
General Hydroponics – FloraMicro
General Hydroponics – pH Down
General Hydroponics – pH Up
General Hydroponics – pH Test Indicator
Clonex

Rockwool Cubes

And a bunch of miscellaneous stuff gloves, brushes for cleaning, zip ties, Citric Acid, bungies, Rockwool. Spent $200

So, everything all together is now 1,200.00 – (I’m going to be eating Mac & Cheese for next 4 months –seriously!)

Now that you have the low down, here come the questions…
I’m not sure how to set this all up so I will be posting questions here and starting this total beginners Thread.

On the coconut fiber which side goes up? Smooth or rough?
Is there anything else I need besides the clones?
Is it o.k to use bleach on the inside of my tent? the guy I bought it from said he had a pest problem with his last and only grow - the pests came with the clones he bought from a dispensary.

Anyway, Ill post more pictures at the end of the day - for now back to work. please feel free to comment or assist me in making this work - it would be greatly appreciated! Peace. I posted more images in my album.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/album.php?albumid=13055

https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=13055&pictureid=261850

 

[cyberwax]

I guess its ok to bleach the tent as long as you use a diluted reasonable mix and dont use a 10% mix as when cleaning rezzes, bleach is powerful stuff and shouldnt be left of surfaces that is supposed to keep light in/out. Doesnt take much to breach the thin layer of plastic.

Aside from that it looks to me like you got everything covered, im sure there will be some issues arising into the grow, like needing this and that but aside from that this looks good. Only thing would be; why only a mh? You dont plan on flowering? Mh is good for vegging, hps is for flowering.

And you could have saved alot of $$ if you had made that system yourself, hydro eq is suprisingly easy to construct, it doesnt have to be beautiful it just has to work consistantly.

Good luck and ill await some juicy pics

 

[Think Green]

Sounds sweet bro. Cant wait to see some pics!

 

[fatigues]

You certainly seem outfitted well. A major first grow - and well kitted out too.

Take your time, clean everything well like you discussed. You might consider picking up some Physan 20 for cleaning. That stuff is far better than bleach for cleaning fungus, algae and other lurking nastiness - without being as corrosive. If there is any left-over unpleasantness from a previous grow (and that may well be why the person decided to quit growing - you never know) Physan 20 will slay those dragons, 100% guaranteed.

 

[george j warner]

yer man take it slow , if you dont know what you need to do . post it and we'll help you out

 

[FreezerBoy]

take it slow

You have many new toys and you want to play with all of them right now but, george is right.

Like learning to ride a motorcycle, you don't start on a 1500cc Goldwing (unless you want to kill yourself) you start on a 35cc Vespa and work your way up.

I'd forget about CO2 and humidity for now. Just grow 4 plants or so the first time around. All you need is the GH Micro, Bloom and pH Down. Once you have a grow under your belt and you know the system is working and why, start adding on the extras.

 

[dubwise]

mainer-that setup sounds great! I'd try planting a few seeds of whatever before growing something nice...it will give you some experience on how the system works and what you like/dislike about it. You may find that you want to do something a little different with your resevoir to maximize the flow and aeration. Either way, congrats on the new rig and best wishes to you on your upcoming grow.

 

[Mainer420]

Thank you guys so much for the advice! Really Thank you!

Cyberwax - I decided to just go with water and a little bit of Citric Acid and a little bit of windex. Even though I'm a bleach freak - and I love that Grease Lighten I didn't use it.

As far as the Lighting... I have two lights:
Hortilux 600w HPS Bulb and the Sun Master Cool Deluxe 600w Metal Halide Bulb - Is there another one I need?

I watched all of the Youtube videos on making your own and I could have made one myself but I'm currently going to school and don't have the time to invest or the tools. Actually, I'm pissed at myself for not building one - I can't afford this but I figure it will pay for itself in 5 months with what I'm currently spending out - Meds, Dr. visits, dispensaries - so that's how I justifying it.

Think Green-
I will be posting images of my progress...

fatigues
Great advise! I'll pick some of that up for sure! - He offered to clean it but I said I'd do it so I could learn for the very bottom. I didn't ask the guy to many questions... not the friendliest person - very brief. Anyway, his loss is my gain.

George
This is the way I see it as well, I'm really in no hurry - I'm just anxious and excited to see it just put together - without plants - I just want to get everything right before Ii load it up with clones or seeds. Not sure what I'm going to do yet. Great advise george - thank you! Big time!

FreezerBoy
It's almost a relief to read your post, I agree with everything you wrote! I don't need to do the co2 and the humidity appears to be complicated as hell! If I can scratch those two things off I'll be able to focus on everything else more! Great Idea! Interesting about the Nutrients... sounds good!

Thanks again guys for taking the time to reply! I don't feel so alone now!

 

[Mainer420]

dubwise
It's starting to look that way - and it makes sense to learn the system before going balls out! Thank you - great advise...

 

[fatigues]

fatigues
Great advise! I'll pick some of that up for sure! - He offered to clean it but I said I'd do it so I could learn for the very bottom. I didn't ask the guy to many questions... not the friendliest person - very brief. Anyway, his loss is my gain.

The nature of buying grow equipment off of Craigslist is that it is always fraught with the inherent embarassment of the face-to-face transaction. Everybody knows what's going down and nobody wants to say much as a result. I've been there.

It's perfectly understandable. He may be a nice guy - but a not-quite-anonymous-enough transaction for MJ grow gear is not the time to get a fair sense of that.

Overall though, Craigslist is still the best place to pick up gear; it's simply the best bargain there is, by far. While there will doubtless be a few things wrong or incomplete with some of the stuff you got - you got a helluva lot of gear and saved a bundle too, so in the end it's all good. I've piked up a lot of used gear for a relative song too. I highly recommend it - though like anything - it's region specific. If you want a laugh and an eye-opener, someday check out the grow gear that is available in the Vancouver B.C. area on Craigslist. It varies with the season, but it's often like a hydro warehouse liquidation sale. Big five-ton ACs, big chillers and generators, etc.. Commercial warehouse style grow-op stuff. L.A. and S.F. Bay areas are even better these days from a quick glance on CL. Fine bargains to be had.

I also agree with Freezerboy. A more or less vanilla hydro grow with GH nutes using Lucas Ratio a few times in order to develop a baseline experience is the best idea. That way, you can later start pushing the envelope with CO2 and other additives after you have acquired the personal experience to get a sense of what enhancements those things actually bring to the table (and what they don't). Without that baseline experience - you just can't assess those things properly. The nice thing is, it will be easy for you to ramp it up afterwards.

Take your time do it right and have fun. Above all - be safe.

 

[PetFlora]

GO to a Beauty Supply and buy H2O2. It is non toxic, kills virus and bacteria, and is totally non-toxic. It comes in different strengths- like 20 or 40. You want to dilute to 3%, an 11 to 1 ratio at 35%. Soak all the small stuff including hydroton, and wipe the rest down.

I keep spray bottles all over the house to disinfect dmn near everything, including the air

 

[Mainer420]

fatigues
Yeah, Craigslist rocks! I sold my whole Hardwood Flooring business on it.
I'm sure the guy so nice too, it was humorous though - he was so nervous! He was in my house with a friend and was nervous about me...? Should have been the other way around -however I was confident about the meeting - I guess I'm a good judge of character... If anything was to have gone down all I would of had to do was open the bathroom door to let my dog out - In the end, I made sure both parties were happy! even the dog was happy to have something new in the house to investigate.

Glad to hear you say; I saved a bundle - not sure how much all of this stuff costs new, I looked at the prices of some of the bigger stuff, just enough to know... I was saving.

Things wrong so far, tent ripper is ripped.
This equipment was a mess! it's no wonder he had a pest problem.

I'll research what the Lucas Ratio is today - thank you for your reply.

PetFlora
I will definitely pick some of that up for my next clean. I don't want to have to clean like I did all day yesterday again! Tips of my fingers are raw!
Thanks for the input

 

[LolaGal]

The pest problem sounds like spider mites to me.

Be sure to spray things down with a miticide in the tent, just in case.

A really good thing to spray down plastics with is Scrubbing Bubbles !!

It does the work, so you don't have to!

Seriously, Scrubbing bubbles is really good to disinfect plastics with. It is made for the greenhouse.

 

[Mainer420]

So, I spent all day yesterday cleaning - Those clay pellets were a bitch to clean, I only used a quarter of the amount I cleaned - lesson learned there! *Only clean what you need. This equipment was a absolute mess! As I mentioned to fatigues; it's no wonder this guy had a pest problem. I appears that he was trying to use soil in a hydro system!

Anyway,
Today's projects;
Clean pH testers, as well as learn everything I can about them.
Set-up pumps
Window fans -
Learn about timers - I have 3 Analog and 2 Digital -
Set-up fan inside of tent.
Research Lucas Ratio

Questions for this morning;

Should I start with a 24/0 or 18/6 lighting
My water circulation is 3 times a day right? Every 8 hours for however long it take to fill up the tray?

How far up the tray should the water go?

Once my plants start growing, I will probably need to change the reservoir water and Nute's once a week or week and a half - Correct?
What am I looking for? - in other words -how will I know if the water needs changing.

I'm going to use the pump to get the water out of the reservoir -
How am I going to get the water back into the reservoir? Do I move the plants and tray off the stand, to expose the res, and than once full put everything back in it's place?

I guess that's it for now.
https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=13055&pictureid=262891
https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=13055&pictureid=262892
https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=13055&pictureid=262893
https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=13055&pictureid=262894
https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=13055&pictureid=262895

Thanks again everyone for taking the time to help me...

 

[Mainer420]

This forum is awesome! My hat is off to everyone! The force is strong with all of you Jedi (Canni) Masters!

So, the coconut mat that I have... should I cut it up in cubes in place it in the bottom of my buckets?
https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php...ctureid=262895
Is this material going to go mess with my pH and nutrients?
Should I even bother with it?

 

[dubwise]

Mainer-looks like you got some nice things there. Read up and use the search guide and you'll find everything you need. Also, be sure to experiment with different nutrients and see what you like.
This is how I do things....there are tons of other (probably better) ways at doing this...
I change out my resevoir every 10 days. I have to top off my resevoir every few days (just a couple of gallons each top off). I flood every 2 hours for 5 minutes each flood, with the exception of the first and last feeding of the day is for 10 minutes. I only flood while my lights are on.
The height of water on my table (tray) depends on how big my plants are. The bigger the roots, the lower the height of the flood needs to be. Once the plant has grown, you can knock off some of the risers on the table b/c the roots have grown down to the table more.
Sorry for rambling...just trying to help out. Seriously though, look through the forums and you will be able to find tons more information. Best wishes.

 

[Mainer420]

Dude, your not rambling - this is very helpful! and it makes perfect sense thank you!

 

[Mainer420]

Day 3 - yesterday

Day 3 - yesterday

I got most; if not all of the exhaust and intakes piping set up... I also filled up the res for testing the system... I'm hoping I'll have the timing for this set up by the end of the day - I also decided to run the humidity controller... to many benefits not too.

Need to learn about the air conditioners drain hose and the water that comes off from it - should this hose run into my res or a 5 gallon bucket - this months Skunk mag has a good article of it - Water World.

Here is were I'm currently at the the system setup,
https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=13153&pictureid=263710
https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=13153&pictureid=263711
https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=13153&pictureid=263708
https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=13153&pictureid=263709
https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=13153&pictureid=263712

 

[zero.kewl]

You have many new toys and you want to play with all of them right now but, george is right.

Like learning to ride a motorcycle, you don't start on a 1500cc Goldwing (unless you want to kill yourself) you start on a 35cc Vespa and work your way up.

I'd forget about CO2 and humidity for now. Just grow 4 plants or so the first time around. All you need is the GH Micro, Bloom and pH Down. Once you have a grow under your belt and you know the system is working and why, start adding on the extras.

i must disagree but thats me my first grow was an outside and i was lucky enof to pop 10 or so fem beans of sum trainwreck outside all season(in horse shit)... the yeild was to big to say but over 2 lbs... the smoke.... the best you can get.. the taste heheh. but yea id always triple check everything u do on the fourms first ...

 

[Mainer420]

O.K. Guys;
I have been reading and researching since my last post. I have decided to use the humidity controller (seems easy enough). I purchased a new Humidifier and built a back board to get my wires off the ground and somewhat organized. I have run a couple of cycles attempting to make timers adjustments and I believe I'm ready...

I have several options as far as clones and seeds go.
I ordered some Tighty Whitey from BC 10 days ago for $105 and I haven't heard anything from them yet -

So, I'm going with 4 Master Kush and either 4 Bubble Gum or 4 Super Silver Haze.... I don't know yet.. Suggestions..


Q. What should I have my AC Fan on; Cool - Dry - Fan or Heat?
Q. Is it O.K. to have the AC water, drain into my res?

Here are the newest photo's of my set-up

http://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=13900&pictureid=280253
http://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=13900&pictureid=280254

I got an email today from BCSeeds saying that I'm all set and the beans are in the mail - I should be ready to start my first crop on or by Monday - I can't wait... I can see why so many of you are growing! It's addictive! I'm always thinking of ways I can better my tent or learning about different strains, yeilds etc... And I also signed up for Oaksterdam's 13 week course.
I can't wait -