Hello... Looking for a mentor

[Servo]

Hello all,

I have been lurking around for a bit hoping to gleam some information from the boards. The problem I am running into is that there is too much info, so I am hoping to find a mentor that wants to take a rookie under their wing.

I am setting up my first, legal, grow room. I am a small time care giver and have built up enough clients to justify making the leap to growing vs purchasing product. I will be using a garage that is 504 square feet 21 x 24 feet with 8 foot ceilings.

I will be doing soil at first and perhaps hydro down the road once I figure out wtf I am going

Right now I am trying to get all the materials together for approximately 90 plants with 45 veg and 45 flowering. I can not flower them all at one time since the laws allow for only 3 flowering and 6 total per patient.

I would like to use 1000W HPS lights. I would like to use CO2. I will need to heat and cool the room since I live in a seasonal climate. Filtering odder is not important. My budget is $10k but I do not want to buy something just to buy it, so if it can be done with $5k then all the better!

I would appreciate any help that you all could offer me on a materials list to get this thing built.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Welcome to a lifetime hobby.

Best advice I can give is to read all the stickies in the soil forums. Look for experienced growers that post up exactly how they do what they do. Look for the experienced growers that have a lot of folks using their methods successfully.

DO EXACTLY WHAT THEY POST!

Keep reading all the stickies in the other forums. Read any relevant articles you see.


Do this BEFORE you sprout your seeds. Please.



Once you have a basic understanding... you'll be able to ask detailed questions and get an immediate answer. If you do your homework first.... you probably won't have to ask any questions.

Stay Safe!

 

[PetFlora]

Check out my journal. It is a journey beginning from assemblying a DIY tent through to the present with some 3-4 weeks until harvest.

 

[Lazyman]

Hydro Soil has sage advice there! Plan on studying for several months before popping beans, though if you're in a med state I'd advise finding a clone vendor to buy from, it saves sooo much hassle it's ridiculous. Cloning is a pain and learning to do so on your own may cost you a crop or two.

I strongly advise picking up a copy of Jorge Cervantes Indoor Marijuana horticulture book, the growers bible. It has 90% of the info you need, read it cover to cover several times and then come here to fill in the gaps.

I also agree with Hydro-Soil that you want to find a grower with a system similar to the one you're planning, and emulate their garden carefully. It can be very expensive to set up a new grow if you need insulation, wiring, concrete, or walls. I usually figure $1500-2000 per light for a "raw" space, or $1000-1500 per light for a mostly prepped space. THis includes fans, pumps, reservoirs, timers, extension cords, lights, soil, pots, planjt tags, man there is SO much to buy. I hope you have a hydro store close by!

 

[Servo]

Thanks for the responses. I have done a lot of reading but the issue I am running into is that there is too much info. Which is a good problem to have to a certain extent, but it can put you on overload. Every time I think I have my list put together I read another post that has a different take on what to use. I understand what the components are that I need but when it comes to the specs I go wonky. Such as what light is the best to use, which hood to use, type of fan to use and so on. I don't want to spend a bunch of money and labor to find out I should have went with another option.

EDIT... Thanks for the reply Lazy and for the advice. There are many hydro stores in my area but most times the guy behind the counter wants me to grow hydro or has no advice to offer. I will do most of my puchasing online.

 

[FreezerBoy]

No matter how well you plan, once in operation, you'll find changes you want to make, ending up with "extra" equipment. There's just no way around it. Make your peace with it now or you'll go nuts.

Hydro nailed it. Find the grow here that makes you think, "Eureka!" Then rip it off, steal it wholesale. The OP will be flattered as heck and probably be happy to help you along. Once in operation, however, you'll find that, for your purposes, you'll want this or that to be larger or smaller, faster or slower, higher or lower.

Lazy makes an excellent point on cloning. Often the most difficult learning curve for beginners, I'd practice on the side as it were. Once you get it down, you'll no longer be at the mercy of others.

Be VERY careful with advice from stores. All it takes to open a store is cash. Knowing how to use all that stuff is another matter. The fellow behind the counter may well have been selling shoes last week while he'll be working at MacDs the next.

 

[Lazyman]

Agreed with FB, hydro stores want your money. NEVER go to one for advice, know what you want when you get there.

I think the reason you see SO many opinions and systems is everyones room and garden size are unique.

For example, doing SCROG for 3-4 plants is fairly easy, but isn't done in large scales.
Or, buying a digital ballast and Magnum XXXL hood are great if you need one or two, but buying them by the dozen takes some serious coin.
Running aircooled hoods may not be necessary in a cold basement in Maine, but absolutely necessary if growing in a hot tin shed in the desert.

Keep expansion in mind, if you want to have your entire garage converted to a grow later, build or buy a system that is expandable or can easily be doubled. This includes power and ventilation/cooling systems. If you're growing for personal use and don't plan on selling excess meds, figure out what your own needs are and we will help you grow and harvest that amount monthly or every few months if desired.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Every time I think I have my list put together I read another post that has a different take on what to use.

Yep... this is why you need to choose ONE style. I started with Hydro and chose the Lucas Formula.... after about 6 months of research.

Once you've decided.... search ONLY the information you need for that style. Ignore everything else until you're finished with your first grow. You'll be very glad you did.

Stay Safe!

 

[Servo]

Good points.. Expansion is a must since I will add plants as I take on more people. Cloning is the route I will be taking. It cuts the time to harvest WAY down and I don't have to mess with all the sexing and such.... hopefully.

I do not think I will ever be able to be 100% self sufficient and stay legal, so I have and will maintain a good relationship with other growers. This keeps me in clones on the cheapand a backup supply . They won't give me all their secrets, of course, but I am able to squeeze out tips here ant there

 

[Godless]

I think that it is very important to decide whether to go sealed room or vented as this choice will dictate a lot of your parameters and equipment.

Also, because you are doing it in a garage, you have a lot of unique problems to address:

How will you get water in there?
How will you get wastewater out?
Is the garage insulated?
How will you deal with the potential extreme temp/humidity and swings?
How are you going to keep your space bug free?
Do you walk through potentially mite infested areas on your way to the garage?
Does the garage have an attic to vent into?
etc...

I would strongly recommend going sealed since it sounds like you can afford the setup - it is a lot tougher to figure it all out and get it dialed, but there are a lot of advantage to this approach if you are willing to do it tits perfect.

I would also strongly recommend a room within a room build in the garage as this allows you to mitigate many of the garage grow headaches.

I've helped build out a couple garages/sheds in the past so I'll keep an eye on your thread if anything comes up that I can help with.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Good points.. Expansion is a must since I will add plants as I take on more people.

Yeah.... forgot to mention the most important part of a large operation.


You really need to start with one light, and one table/style. Dial it in with plain nutes until you get consistent harvests, back to back.


Once you accomplish that (Some growers have taken years to reach that point).... then you will know what you need to fully utilize your space efficiently.


Anything more and you're going to be throwing away money, time and potential experience.... by spreading yourself too thin to effectively learn.

Stay Safe!

 

[B. Friendly]

Book Books and more books is what you need, not some ego maniac.
Here's a list to get you started:
Cannabis grow Bible by Greg Green
Cannabis breeders Bible by Greg Green
Marijuana Garden Save by J.C. Stitch
Integral Hydroponics.
jorge cervantes wrote the canna bible which is good, here's some other stuff of his:
http://images.google.ca/images?sour...esult_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CB4QsAQwAw
Your plants will tell you everything you need to know, they are great mentors

 

[Servo]

How will you get water in there? ... How will you get wastewater out?

There is an outside spicket right next to the garage to get the water into a containment unit. Disposal of non hazardous waste is not an issue. Disposal of hazardous waste will need to be done by a commercial service I assume.

Is the garage insulated?
The garage is insulated accept for one small area.. the HUGE garage door at the front This will be handled before growing starts.

How will you deal with the potential extreme temp/humidity and swings?
I will need an AC and a heater. I live in Colorado so the summers are too hot and the winters are too cold for the room to keep itself at a constant temp.

How are you going to keep your space bug free?
I will seal the room and cracks up. I was planing on spraying around the perimeter and around the door and window. Also, I will be bombing and doing a thorough clean before I ever get plants in. I am hoping this will be enough but I am sure you will see me posting "please help with bugs" before the end of summer

Do you walk through potentially mite infested areas on your way to the garage?
Not any more than any other place. It is all concrete from the house to the garage.

Does the garage have an attic to vent into?

There is an attic but I am thinking of venting straight out the side of the building.

 

[Rednick]

You don't need books, you just need this site.

But yes, it is information overload, but as you spend months and months, hours per day, reading the Golden Nuggets others have left behind here, you will soon be able to grow a plant with asphalt and coca-cola.

To get started, I would search threads with 'My First blank blank', or 'round two blank blank'. You will find that many helpful people out there took the time to document their trials and tribulations, with the feedback from experienced growers.

Find a system you like and stick with it!

In time, when you know more, go balls out.

There is a whole forum on Organic Soil, and I am sure there is someone who has documented a complete grow.

Good luck, it sure does allow one to focus on quality and safety now that so many places are legalizing it.

 

[Rednick]

How will you get water in there? ... How will you get wastewater out?

Disposal of hazardous waste will need to be done by a commercial service I assume.

WTF???
You shouldn't have any hazardous wastes. Period.
If you do, please consult the site once again.
But should you have some, most areas of the state have a seperate 'dump' that will accept hazardous wastes in person. Therefore saving you money and anonymity.

It is, however, important that you are able to drain all of you N-P-K (nutrient solution)to your yard...Since you have the ability to, it will be much better for the State's water supply if it first fertilized your yard or trees, instead of going directly down the drain.

It would be helpful to know a little background experience that you may have.

Electrical, HVAC, Botany, General Construction, Education, ect...
No Specifics!
Just: "I know this much about Electical, and I don't know shit about HVAC, but I did go to College."

It is a little helpful if we know your capabilities.

Edit: And if you really want someone to 'hold your hand'. Join a cooperative. Just know that you will sacrifice some of your freedom of choice. But they will have people to 'hold your hand'.

 

[Servo]

You shouldn't have any hazardous wastes. Period.
I was meaning in the event of.

It would be helpful to know a little background experience that you may have.
Electrical, HVAC, Botany, General Construction, Education, ect...

I am a systems engineer. I build and maintain data centers. I know all the principals for the most part. I can keep a room, Cold, dry and fully powered. Only one of those applies to growing but I get what goes into keeping an environment stable.

My botany is rubbish. I do not have any practical experience. Well to be honest I don't have any experience other than all the reading and videos over the past month.

 

[Rednick]

Insulate your garage, run power and have at it.

Pick someone's grow, to mimic. It will make a world of difference when shit happens and you need answers...
Not only will you have the answers given to that person, but other people who may be familiar with that grow will be able to provide valuable insight. And those unfamiliar will be able to refer to that grow.

Get a good camera. A picture is worth more than a thousand words when growing. No faces, no fingerprints, no Christian names.

Go for it...Don't wait, the best way to learn is by doing.
Time waits for no man. (chinese proverb)

P.S. Buy sparingly, plan well...You can get a good deal by buying things all at once, but you will buy too much shit. If you invest 5K, you should probably get 15-20% off list.
Keep it simple, beware of buying a bunch of additives if you don't know what they are supposed to do. Just stay with a basic NPK regiment.

 

[FunkBomb]

Spend months planning. Then spend another few months planning. Read ICmag until your eyes bleed. Repeat this process a few times. Get a copy of Jorge Cervantes Medical Grow Bible. Read it over a few times.

At that point I think you'll have the information you need to be successful.

-Funk

 

[Rednick]

Don't wait.
You have got your patients, it takes time to produce their medicine. The longer you wait, the longer your patients will wait and suffer.

Find a simple grow that you like, and follow it. Post up a grow diary and you will get plenty of help. Remeber, pictures, pictures, pictures.
Here is Stich's guide to plant problems.
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=11688
Use the questionaire whenever posting a problem in the infirmary...it will greatly help the quality of your responses.

If you don't want to jump in full-bore, just start off with 1-2K watt lights. Get a feel for it and then spend the rest of your loot on the Upgrade. Every crop, you will get new ideas for an upgrade or new experiment. But first you must learn to crawl.

You gain nothing by sitting on the sidelines reading, except a bunch of grow theory that makes some sense.
It is when you start DOING that you really learn stuff.

Time waits for no man.

P.S. Pictures, pictures, pictures, pictures...need I say more.
And KISS (keep it simple stupid).

You can get more advanced as time goes on, but I would pick a soil grow, stick to it, and don't forget CO2. Nothing less than 1k lights for your space. I know you said you didn't have to worry about smell, so just make sure you really are in the Boonies, otherwise set aside $500 for your filter/fan combo.

 

[indicapimp]

I would build a room within a room. The Garage would be a lung room and build a 10 x10 room inside or a tent. The reason being is smell and temps will be hard to control in such an open space. Just my 2 cents...