Ive got $500 to spend ... show me your ideal setup!

[Lazyman]

OK, because this should be the first thing you buy, before lights:

One ten inch vortex fan $275
One CAN100 carbon filter $175
One speed controller for fan $30

Now you just need
pots
medium
nutes
light bulb
ballast
hood
clones
scissors
drying racks
air conditioner
dehumidifier
CO2 setup
reservoir
water pump
air pump and airstones
timers
oscillating fans
hoses
ph down
EC and Ph meters
panda plastic or mylar

I think you need to get a loan or sell something expensive bro, growing good weed is an expensive hobby, but it takes money to make money!

 

[nnep]

I flower in a DR100, and can tell you first hand without a aircooled hood, you will need a much higher rated fan than the 170~ CFM inline fan you're refering to.

I would consider upgrading to a 600 or 1000W light in your tent, what type of ballast and blah blah blah is up to you. Remember though, buy cheap get cheap.

I would also invest in a small clip fan to clip on the pole of the tent for some circulation.

Your ideal setup seems pretty close to mine, so feel free to ask questions.

 

[reckon]

tents???? WTF LOL...whats with all the tents.....

and $500 is PLENTY to get started, you can add the other stuffs as you go,.......skip the tent for now, it'll CREATE more of an airflow issue for you now, and you can't afford the ventilation, YET.

start with the basics, a light, some pots, and dirt,...................you'll need to vent the light (and it's heat) to the outside,........I would get SOME way to check the waters PH ($3 test kit at any garden supply),....the rest like co2, and controllers are NICE,...but you don't need anything but light, dirt, and water to grow.

do it like hopping up an old car,..get it RUNNING,.............then add bells and whistles as you go.

 

[ourcee]

I'm gonna agree with the majority here, and its from my own experience that I genuinely believe $500 is NOT enough to do some HID growing with some bells and whistles.

$500 will get you some cheap soil, not even the good stuff, a couple ragtag parts, and then dont forget you have electricity, thats $150 @ 3 months of $50 ea... I've had elec bills run over $1000 (obviously bigger setup but if you dont plan for that expense, you're actively planning to fail.)

so minus electricity because thats OBVIOUSLY an expense you are gonna have. you've got $350, buy a cheap magnetic ballast 400 watter and there goes another $200

so you've got $150 left over and just a light so far. I spend $150 in one trip to home depot on hardware. Trust me, it costs more than you think.

you say you arent really a DIY type, hate to say it but that is the ONLY route I see you being able to go.

Still need a scrubber and if you are ordering this stuff online, scrubber/fan combo's aint exactly cheap to ship, mine has over 100 lbs of just carbon in it.

If you are buying this stuff in your state, dont forget tax, thats an automatic 10% reduction MINIMUM on your gross capital. (over estimate expenses, under estimate returns)

shipping on all of this will probably be more than 10% if you are gonna get it all in one go.

you want/need to enclose this in a tent? thats $50 even if you DIY. So you've basically got $100 to spend on anything on top of having a box to grow in and a light hanging there. Doable, but dont count on having a jungle or pulling pounds.

I see you are using bagseed? Although some great strains have come from bagseed, you REALLY dont want to be counting on any bagseed being the next OG Kush. Plan on a minimum of 50% males to err on the safer side, and if it came from decent bud, most people dont purposely seed it, therefore it was probably an error on the growers part that got the plants to go to seed, thus having a higher percentage of those seeds ending up hermi, which basically comes to worthless bud if your females end up hermi'ing on you 5 weeks into flower.

so you've got to grow out your bagseed for a month just to determine if its male/female.

cull the males.

flower the females after they show sex, if you plan on mothering them and taking clones, you might as well add a month onto the end of your projected finish date,... and on to your electricity bill.

so now you've got females ready to flower, if its bagseed, even if it came from some 'dank', it could be a shitty pheno, or a very low yielder, what are you going to do if/when 3 months in you dont have ANY strains that are REALLY worth keeping, much less gonna pull any weight to recoup your expenses? scrap it? craigslist the gear? go for another run with a minimum of 3 more months of electricity and waiting for the $$$ to come back?

I just see someone (no offense) young who got some xmas money and wants to up their grow from two plants in a cardboard box in your closet to something a bit bigger. there is far more to scaling up then just putting a small shopping list together.

My suggestion is, if you want to do a 400w grow with quality gear that will get you quality bud, triple your budget and THEN you can start to think about getting some gear.

your other option would be to stick with CFL's (they DO grow some good bud if you do it right) and a small closet type operation, yeah you wont pull pounds but for $20 a month in electricity you could easily fill a 4x2 area and scrog some some plants for less than $500 total. Keeps you in personal smoke and not much more.

growing good weed indoors is NOT cheap.

 

[opt1c]

the only silver lining is that growing good weed can pay for its own equipment in time; not many other money pit hobbies can do that

 

[Iron_Lion]

500$ doesnt get you shit, my 250 digi tent setup was more than that and I priced shopped that stuff. I got my 600 lumatek, bulb and hood for free and it will still cost me over 400 bills to get that closet setup. you need like $1G you do get anything 600w+ up and running. And 1000 bucks doesnt even include soil, seeds, nutes, pots etc..

 

[gdbud]

Check and keep checking craigslist for lights, fans, tents ect. the thing is must keep checking every day and you will find great deals on craigs list.
I found a econplus 6" fan for $100.00 and I have seen 400 - 600watt cooltubes with ballasts for like $100, But that was one week after I bought my cooltube should have waited.
Also check with your local grow shops some will match HTG prices and you will save on postage.

 

[Lazyman]

That's true, I just bought 4 55 gallon plastic barrels on CL for $100 total!

 

[Snagglepuss]

you can try and do Diy stuff ,you can make that budget.I think the most important thing is a good ballast $200+bulb 600w.The enclosure can be made of wood or silver insulation from home depot.You can buy a killer new high cfm fan for cheap ,but ya have add a cord.The carbon filter can be made of used plastic pots ,buckets thrift store stuff.Don't forget the air conditioner...appps ..we blew the budget i think already...

 

[yesum]

i am just getting my stuff together for my grow(no experience), but i will give my advice as dumb as it my be.

Get a 250 watt hps at most. There is a 110 watt pll rig from htg for under a 100 bucks, Jardin has a 150 watt one, much better than the cfl's you had. Get a smaller tent, like a DR60 or similar and with smaller, cooler lights you can use the fan scrubber you wanted. From what I have read the diy scrubber is a not that great.

 

[strictlyfocused]

OK, because this should be the first thing you buy, before lights:

One ten inch vortex fan $275
One CAN100 carbon filter $175
One speed controller for fan $30

Now you just need
pots
medium
nutes
light bulb
ballast
hood
clones
scissors
drying racks
air conditioner
dehumidifier
CO2 setup
reservoir
water pump
air pump and airstones
timers
oscillating fans
hoses
ph down
EC and Ph meters
panda plastic or mylar

I think you need to get a loan or sell something expensive bro, growing good weed is an expensive hobby, but it takes money to make money!

Im still kinda new to this but I can guarantee there's no way I need a 10" fan with a can100 filter for 2-6 plants in a DR120W. Sucking ~1000CFM would probably damn near collapse the tent and suck the fabric into it. Nor do I need a C02 setup or an AC unit and dehumidifiers. Maybe i phrased my title wrong, I wasnt looking for a "dream" setup, just trying to maximize the cash Ive got.

Im not looking to enter the Cannabis Cup or even to start selling any of it. Im simply looking to grow from 2 to 6 plants ... just enough for a personal stash. I dont need sticky hydroponic chronic, I just want to smoke some ganja

Get a 250 watt hps at most. There is a 110 watt pll rig from htg for under a 100 bucks, Jardin has a 150 watt one, much better than the cfl's you had. Get a smaller tent, like a DR60 or similar and with smaller, cooler lights you can use the fan scrubber you wanted.

I was thinking a 250w in a DR60 or DR80 to help alleviate any temperature issues that may arise. Do you think I would be okay with that setup? A DR80 ships for 4 dollars more than the DR120W on the site I posted so it wont make much difference to me.

Check and keep checking craigslist for lights, fans, tents ect. the thing is must keep checking every day and you will find great deals on craigs list.
I found a econplus 6" fan for $100.00 and I have seen 400 - 600watt cooltubes with ballasts for like $100, But that was one week after I bought my cooltube should have waited.
Also check with your local grow shops some will match HTG prices and you will save on postage

Thanks for the heads up, I added a couple craigslist searches to my google reader after reading your post

and $500 is PLENTY to get started, you can add the other stuffs as you go,.......skip the tent for now, it'll CREATE more of an airflow issue for you now, and you can't afford the ventilation, YET.

start with the basics, a light, some pots, and dirt,...................you'll need to vent the light (and it's heat) to the outside,........I would get SOME way to check the waters PH ($3 test kit at any garden supply),....the rest like co2, and controllers are NICE,...but you don't need anything but light, dirt, and water to grow.

do it like hopping up an old car,..get it RUNNING,.............then add bells and whistles as you go.

I like the car analogy!
Im not looking to build my end-all-be-all setup here. Like you were saying, Im just getting the basics to get some crops going and as I get more money then I will get some bells and whistles.

Unfortunately I would have to continue using my CFLs to continue in my closet, its only 18"x18". Ive only done two plants at a time in it because its so small

 

[strictlyfocused]

http://www.hvacquick.com/products/r...Remote-Fans-for-Bath/SP-TD-Series-Inline-Fans

What does everyone think of these fans? I was thinking of the TD-150. After doing some reading they seem to get good reviews in terms of amount of air moved and are supposedly fairly quiet.

 

[GrnMtnGrwr]

Yeah dude triple your budget and you'll have enough, when all is said and done im totalling about $1500 for my 4 x 4 setup. Growing is more than a $500 investment unfortunately. I learned that the hard way my first time around. If you do it the wrong way you could end up wasting $500 just like I did.

Mines looking like it's gonna be between $1000 and $1500. 400w cabinet with coco + GH nutes. I'm reusing a couple things but they're calculated into that price. I skimped on the budget with my first few grows and it showed. Edit: That price is not including seeds.

 

[rlmedicals]

http://www.hvacquick.com/products/r...Remote-Fans-for-Bath/SP-TD-Series-Inline-Fans

What does everyone think of these fans? I was thinking of the TD-150. After doing some reading they seem to get good reviews in terms of amount of air moved and are supposedly fairly quiet.

those will work just dont expect to move tons of air with it, it will get your 400 watt light vented

 

[strictlyfocused]

What kind of CFM ratings should I be looking for with a DR120W running a 400w HPS without an air-cooled hood?

I found a 265CFM squirrel cage blower for $80 HERE

 

[thc43]

1x 3000lph aquarium pump= $100 to $150

1x exhaust fan centrifugal 250mm= $250
Carbon filter can come in the second grow it wont make or break a grow just makes it odorless and stealth= $150 filter/ $80 muffler/ $20 3m insulated duct

1x room make it yourself 1.3m x 1.3m per 600wt and 2m tall, id use alli tube $8 a meter(price gets better more you buy, $3.50 per connector/ corner peices or cheeper again 2 by 4 pine. With a Panda film(black/white film) reflective material $5per 1m x 3m wide.

1x res i like a big one 44galon or 200litre new plastic drum= $70

1x Run to waste coco grow is a good start, set of pots $5 per 10litre strong ones or use 99c buckets

1x will need some hose, feeder lines to drippers, sprayers or flow regulating disks for 4mm hose upto $30 for the lot, add $5 for a 19mm tap to adjust flow because that 3000lph is oversized will do from 4 to 30 drippers some time you will upsize higher flow gives even drippers and excces is recycled back to res vai the tap and a T peice from pump inside the res.

1x bag of coco per 3 10litre pots, bag of clay balls aid drainage at bottom of pots.

1x set of Nute range for whole grow $80 5lt of A/B bloom nute, 1lt rhizotonic root booster(for clones and getting a healthy start) $90, enzymes 2lt $100, 5lt silica $60, later in flower 1lt PK $40. total nute cost $350ish

1x knowledge and away you go!

goodluck


$500 will get you a setup but not everything you need, you can always build apon a basic run to waste coco grow generally other setups like full hydro generally require more of an initial investment, where as a bag of coco and 2x cheep pots cost bar all, the pump res, fan and room being the main cost here..

 

[yesum]

I was thinking a 250w in a DR60 or DR80 to help alleviate any temperature issues that may arise. Do you think I would be okay with that setup? A DR80 ships for 4 dollars more than the DR120W on the site I posted so it wont make much difference to me.

Yea, that will be plenty. Verdant Green uses same area 2x2 with 250 hps and gets 10 or so oz. a harvest. Do not quote me on harvest but it is a lot! Scrog and lots of experience to get that yield tho.

 

[Da-realness]

Greenhouse Grow Light With 600W Grolux Dual Spectrum Lamp €154.72
Grasslin Segmental Timer €11.89 €11.89
Dark Room Street DRS120 - 120cm x 120cm x 200cm €95.21
RUCK 125A - Standard Ducting - 295m3/hour €130.90
Hesi SOIL Starter Kit €47.55 €47.55
16 x 6 Litre Square Pot €1.06 €16.95

= Sub Total €457.22
Delivery Charge €7.08
Discount €45.72
Total €418.58

Its around 550 dollar, then you need soil and seeds.

Its from: http://www.greenshorticulture.co.uk

 

[SmokinErb]

I've grown 6 plants in a 2x3 cab that I found. It was a total budget grow. Everything was way ghetto, and on paper was a horrible grow. It was turning out fine, however. I'll link you to my grow journal from GC, I didn't finish it due to me getting arrested, but...

I think I spent about $300? Granted I didn't buy my light, my friend had a 400w hps sitting in his closet that I borrowed. My cab was free. Check out craiglist... curb alerts or whatever. A dresser, armoire, something. My fan? Stanley blower. Had a homemade carbon filter that I hadn't hooked up yet. FF nutes was probably my biggest expense.

http://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-g...haze-green-monster-seed-pics.html#post4814529

If you have to cut corners, then do it. Don't worry about it being perfect. I'd say get the ventilation you want. That's probably the most frusturating thing to deal with, so get that right. If you gotta cut corners, do it elsewhere.

 

[stonedar]

I KNOW the HTG grobrite 4" filter doesn't come close to 100% ODOR CONTROL DURING FLOWER. I now use it solely for my lil small DR60 veg tent, works fine for that. I have 2 of the filters. When I say I know I mean I know cause I know, yah know?