Colorado Growers Thread

[dragging hooks]

have you tried Alpenglow on College Ave? Their soil & nute prices are great - not so awesome for gear - but they're SUPER helpful and friendly, which is a nice change of pace for a grow store

no but I will now
thanks for the tip

learning where to go around town for different things
where to take a ballast for $22 repair
(WTG wants $20 to look at it, $20/hour to repair)
where to get equipment
where to get soil and nutes

 

[Stankie]

are there any certified organic farms in colorado? it might be worth asking them. have any of you guys from FoCo seen any up there? it is not real "farmy" around denver. i checked the co-ops in brighton and scored alfalfa pellets cheap but nothing else.

i wonder if the grow stores are even allowed to stock the stuff we are talking about. maybe the vendors that they really NEED are not real cool with the true "dirtheads". we do have a way of making it so we don't spend money any money we don't have to. even if that is the way it is, what is the deal with the garden centers? whole foods makes a killing off organic food, but no one wants to grow it in the garden? seems like there is a very large hole in the market that should have been covered long ago. strange

I was going to interrogate some organic farmers at the markets this summer. My main goal is for good compost for my own veggie garden. All I can find around here on a mass scale is aged manure or has pesticide/insecticide laden grass as the main 'yard waste' component.

I can foot the cost for boutique stuff for my soil mix for my MJ though. After all, thats pretty much all I do, mix up some soil. Water.

 

[greenmatter]

I was going to interrogate some organic farmers at the markets this summer. My main goal is for good compost for my own veggie garden. All I can find around here on a mass scale is aged manure or has pesticide/insecticide laden grass as the main 'yard waste' component.

I can foot the cost for boutique stuff for my soil mix for my MJ though. After all, thats pretty much all I do, mix up some soil. Water.

check out pioneer sand and/or renewable fiber. they have different grades of compost. the stuff we like costs more and it may be the same as the cheap stuff, ya never know. the first load of compost i dropped in my driveway was 16 yards. that is way to much to be trying to make in my back yard, so i took what i could get.

 

[IncredibowlBoss]

check out pioneer sand and/or renewable fiber. they have different grades of compost. the stuff we like costs more and it may be the same as the cheap stuff, ya never know. the first load of compost i dropped in my driveway was 16 yards. that is way to much to be trying to make in my back yard, so i took what i could get.

There are a few places that sell dirt, compost, etc. up here around FoCo - large scale organic agro suppliers - there's one specifically I'm thinking of out on Mulberry by Way to Grow. I've thought about going in, but I've heard horror stories about thrips and root aphids coming from those huge mounds of dirt.

Organizing a buyer's co-op would be so sweet - think of buying perlite in bulk by weight (just like oatmeal or lentils or whatever at the healthfood store)...

 

[IncredibowlBoss]

no but I will now
thanks for the tip

Tell Steph the Incredibowl guys sent you and you've got a good chance at an extra discount

 

[Dorje113]

check out pioneer sand and/or renewable fiber. they have different grades of compost. the stuff we like costs more and it may be the same as the cheap stuff, ya never know. the first load of compost i dropped in my driveway was 16 yards. that is way to much to be trying to make in my back yard, so i took what i could get.

I have used pioneer and had success mixing organic compost, topsoil, peat moss, perlite, a little wood mulch and dolomite lime.

You ARE taking more of a risk with pests, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, but if you're talking a huge volume of soil it can save a lot of money.

 

[Rednick]

I know Delta County (way out west) has a lot of organic farming, so does the Boulder to Longmont stretch.

 

[BOMBAYCAT]

I put out some young plants last week just before the storm. Oh well. Does anyone think that is a bit early? I was tired of taking care of clones. Except for the spring weather Colorado is the best.

 

[303hydro]

I put out some young plants last week just before the storm. Oh well. Does anyone think that is a bit early? I was tired of taking care of clones. Except for the spring weather Colorado is the best.

Gotta love Colorado. After coming home from the mountains on Sunday night all my vegetable seedlings fried in the sun even after watering them first thing in the morning before we left, it was so damn hot- Lmao.

 

[aceofspades]

I have decided to buy a tent, tired of building and I need something that wont be a hassle to rip down when I move. I have heard some stories of tents off gassing things that are not so great, whats everyone using? I am looking for something around 8x8x7 or so. Any suggestions?

Ace

 

[SELFHEMPLOYED]

Secret Jardin ftw

 

[aceofspades]

looking at the sercret jardin dr 240 I think it was, I have the space for somehting around 8x8x8.

I am thinking 3 or 4 600w, not sure how the heat will work so will add lights until I cant manage the heat anymore.

Now to figure out how to get some more amps down there and I will be good to go.

Ace

 

[Bud Spleefman]

looking at the sercret jardin dr 240 I think it was, I have the space for somehting around 8x8x8.

I am thinking 3 or 4 600w, not sure how the heat will work so will add lights until I cant manage the heat anymore.

Now to figure out how to get some more amps down there and I will be good to go.

Ace

You only need one 40 amp double pole for that.... how hard is that, one piece of wire..... including A/C! Those 4 600W lights are less than 15 amps if you run them at 240volts.

 

[SELFHEMPLOYED]

You only need one 40 amp double pole for that.... how hard is that, one piece of wire..... including A/C! Those 4 600W lights are less than 15 amps if you run them at 240volts.

+1


But You can def get away with 4 1ks in the 8x8. If you pull the trigger pm me and I'll help you with the best way to ventilate

 

[Space Case]

+1


But You can def get away with 4 1ks in the 8x8. If you pull the trigger pm me and I'll help you with the best way to ventilate

Yea, you can def get 4x 1ks in there, but if you are using heavy hoods, you will need a way to support the tent, other than than you should be good. I think SELF builds an exhaust box, much like I do, for his tent grows...

 

[Dorje113]

I have decided to buy a tent, tired of building and I need something that wont be a hassle to rip down when I move. I have heard some stories of tents off gassing things that are not so great, whats everyone using? I am looking for something around 8x8x7 or so. Any suggestions?

Ace

I use a heavy duty tarp for the floor, and cheap roll-down blinds attached to the ceiling covered with mylar for 2 of the walls. the other 2 walls are preexisting and covered with mylar to protect them and reflect light. Blinds can be rolled up to take care of the garden.

I agree with 4 1ks for an 8x8, but I'd want an aisle down the middle, so 10 x 8 would be better and 10 x 12 even better so you get a 5x5 area for each 1k instead of 4x4. This will maximize yield per watt.

 

[Rednick]

If you can afford more space, it will make life easier 'tending the garden'.

 

[2cents]

Blackout Canvas - 100 feet by 5 feet..@ htg is like $140 its the same material..

 

[aceofspades]

Some good options here. Is the DR240 the largest that secret jardin makes? Looked like it to me. I def want a bigger room than the 8x8 I have a whole basement which I would love to use but I can only have x amount of plants, and the whole electricity ordeal. Guess its time to start googling again and find me a bigger tent!

 

[303hydro]

The new Darkroom Pro II's ( which are sick cause they have 8" port holes and heavier fabric and zippers) ( DR300 )come in 10x10 ( Dand would not need much exhaust for 4 x 1000w. You can run 1 x 1000w in a 5x5 with an air-cooled hood and your inside temps will stay within a couple degrees of your outside temp with no exhaust at all.......