I've smoked pot off and on for years but I've never attempted to grow any. Unfortunately, my mom has just been diagnosed with lung cancer and I about died when I looked into how much medical-grade marijuana costs (it's not legal in my state so I'd have to buy it off the street). Therefore, I decided that I would just try to grow some in my closet. I want to end up with decent stuff so I'm leery of jury-rigging an entire setup out of basic household CFLs and beer can reflectors. My space is 60" wide X 22" deep X 90" high. The right half is open from floor to ceiling and the left half has an adjustable rack. I was thinking of using the right half to finish the plants and the left half to start them out...maybe seedlings or cuttings on top of the rack and then veg space below the rack. I'm thinking I'll have to put in a divider so light doesn't bleed from one side to the other because the finishing will need to be on a different light schedule. I read Marijuana 101: Professor Lee's Introduction to Growing Grade A Bud because I really didn't know anything about it. Now, it's come down to selecting my equipment. "Professor Lee" suggested my most important consideration (aside from security) is the lighting I will use. Heat will be an issue due to inefficient A/C in a hot climate so I think I pretty much have to go with LED lighting for the heavy lifting (finishing, at least). For the finishing side, I'm strongly considering this light: Advanced Platinum Series P300. From this test shown online, it should cover the right side of my closet perfectly (~2' x ~3'). For seedlings, I'm sure CFLs and beer can reflectors will work just fine. However, what about the veg space below the rack? I'd rather not spring for a second LED light due to the cost but I want something that won't get hot and will accommodate the assembly line fashion I want to use for this little project. Can you guys help me out with suggestions? Also, I'm kind of at a loss over how to get the seeds. I could get local but I want to buy a particular strain that I know is medical-grade rather than taking chances on whatever I can find locally. I've found a number of sites online that sell seeds but I can't find information in their FAQs over whether they will mail them to an address in a state where it's not allowed. Also, is it normal for a pack of 5 seeds to cost like $50?
Sorry to hear the news, hope the treatment goes well. What are your plans for temp and odor control? How much dried product do you need per month? That light uses 95w grow and 185w flower. It will not produce anywhere near the equivalent of a 400w HPS like it claims. (about 10-12oz average) and for the price they're charging.... You'll be lucky to pull 3-4oz with that light after 12-14 weeks of growing. You would get the same results with a 150w HPS for a fraction of that price. The ventilation requirements would be the same for either light. There are much better LED's out there for the same money if that's what you want to stick with, I never made the switch because no LED comes close to the low temps you get with an air-cooled HID setup. I use Attitude seedbank, 5 or 6 orders from them and no issues. They actually guarantee delivery if you pay extra, no matter where you live. $50 for a pack of seeds is normal, some of them cost a lot more, some less.
Thanks for the assistance. For the amount I need, I'm really not sure. My mother has smoked cigarettes all her life but she's never smoked pot so I can't imagine she will need a heck of a lot of it. Also, I intend to grow something that I think will be rather potent. As for the temp, I think I'll be screwed on that during the height of summer. The duct work in the house leaks like a sieve and the A/C is almost completely ineffective so cooling will need to be achieved using fans. However, the temperature will not be much of a concern until the middle of summer if the lights I use don't add a lot of heat. If I use lights that get hot, I won't be able to grow anything for 4-6 months of the year because I won't be able to cool them sufficiently. That's why I decided on LED lights as, from my research, they seem to produce less heat, by far, than any other type of light capable of growing anything decent. You say there are better LED lights out there for the same money so I'd definitely be interested in looking at those. Do you have a link? For the odor, I know I need to figure something out for it but that's not my primary concern at the moment. Rather, I need to get this operation started ASAP.
you want something thats good for veg, cheaper but not a burner... try the 68-75w CFL bulbs made by Westinghouse Electric, I buy mine at a local ranch store, but you should be able to find them at a local hardware/ranch store near you...or just order them from Amazon... If I may say, I find that they actually burn at a COOLER temperature than the smaller/lower wattage bulbs. I can actually rest my hand on the bulb OR the ballast of the Westinghouse one in mid-cycle and its not even really uncomfortable. can't say the same about a Sylvania 23w. The ONLY thing bad I can really say about the bulb thus far is that its just...huge... damn near as big as my head, lol. said and done you could add almost 10k lumens of spectrum appropriate light for a total of less than 30 bucks. just make sure you buy a nice lamp cord rated up to 100w or more, and get a blue plastic fixture box and a good bulb base, if there is one mantra I stand by its better safe than sorry...everything I design is meant to minimize risk of catastrophic failure. I've even taken to adding a smoke detector to my closet, and I recommend you do the same unless there is already one inside your room. in an enclosed environment it seems to me you're going to want to encourage air circulation inside the closet, perhaps an ionic air purifier or something in the closet to try and control the odor while moving air? plants do smell, but I grew two in a closet when I lived in ohio, using a homemade air circulator/filter, and nobody noticed the smell until the end...and I mean nobody even noticed me harvest in my bedroom, it was the curing...3-4 months growing, 2-3 hours harvesting, 1 week drying, and its the freakin 15 minute burp on the first day of curing that people finally notice the smell... best of luck for your mom, cancer sucks... :'(
oh, right, as for costs...your mileage may vary depending on local electrical costs, local day/night costs, blah blah blah... but i try to factor in electrical costs with everything i design like this, so just in case you haven't yet...an energy efficient, staged grow system can produce a years worth of useable product for the both of you in just a fraction of the year.
Yea, I know what you mean. I've made lots of brownies and other edibles, requires a lot more product than smoking does especially in the beginning as there is a learning curve. An ounce goes a lot faster when making edibles than it does when smoking, but I guess between your mother's low tolerance and the quality product you'll be growing your needs will be more easily covered. I never made the switch to LED so can't really comment on brands, but none of them can be cooled separately from your odor control. Heat is an issue for every single one of us indoor growers, summer is brutal for those of us who don't run an a/c. I've grown with every size HPS from 250w to 1kw, and in my experience, they can all be brought down to within 5f above ambient using fans only. My canopy temps first week of august, under a 1kw light using fans only, were a perfect 79f, documented in my journal. But.... if you only want a few ounces to experiment with then go with a smaller light. California light works has a good reputation on these boards, among others. I just took a peek at their lights and the smallest bloom light uses 5w emitters, which is better than the 3w on the light in your OP. It's a smaller total wattage but you'll get better penetration, probably run cooler too. Here's a link: http://californialightworks.com/product/solar-flare-100-bloombooster/ (hopefully, one of the LED gurus drops a post, there are plenty of good lights) Mars II gets a lot of good reviews too, there's one that runs between 170-200w, about the same as the one you linked but again, uses 5w LED's for better penetration: http://www.mars-hydro.com/mars-ii-led-grow-light-400w.html $190 (edit: this one will run hotter than the one I linked above, as it's twice the wattage) edit2: Since you're looking to get started quickly, check out this 60 day strain I just ran across: https://www.cannabis-seeds-bank.co.uk/dna-genetics-seeds-60-day-lemon-auto/prod_3533.html I grew berry bomb autos for a quick finish, which went 70 days, if I remember correctly: https://www.cannabis-seeds-bank.co.uk/bomb-seeds-auto-berry-bomb/prod_4395.html <- good yielder
I've previously looked at both of those LED manufacturers as well. I saw a video from one of their competitors who claimed their 5w emitters are really 3w emitters that they've overcharged. Really, I've looked at so many of those LED lights that they've all started to look the same. Quite frankly, every single one of those diodes are made in China or Taiwan so I'm really at a loss to see why there's such a wide disparity in pricing other than some of those guys thinking they can gouge people. Also, if you look at enough sites that offer them, all of those manufacturers seem to have complaints about diodes burning out and whatnot. Perhaps some of them have developed more modular designs that are easier to fix but I'm not sure there's really a fundamental difference. Therefore, I'm thinking I may just take a risk on going the generic route. This eBay seller has a U.S. office and offers a 3-year warranty as well as a 60-day return policy so I may just give them a shot. Thanks. I'll definitely take a look at those bulbs. And I love the ionic air purifier idea...it's a small space so it won't require a large (expensive) unit.
Yea, it's a cutthroat business. Anyway, I hope you find what you're looking for. Cheers and good luck!
I have had a fair bit of experience with seed banks over the past 18 months. I can recommend Herbies of the UK and Canadian Seed Bank in, of all places, Canada. Both have excellent customer service. Canadian Seed Bank will reply to any detailed query you have on their strains within a couple of days at the most. The beans arrrive in a reasonable time frame and in good order from both companies. Four buys form Herbies and one from CSB (their Blueberry) with 100% strike rate. They reply to your emails. They both go the extra yard to ensure stealth packaging. Be sure to include any mailing instructions in the comments section at the ordering stage, both companies are happy to oblige. My first ever 2 orders were with Attititude and both of them were siezed, the most expensive of which I had actually insured. They came good with replacement beans on the insured order and hit me for triple the normal postage while they were at it and only then after a wait of about six weeks. There attitude was blase, to put it kindly. I cannot recommend them which is a pity, it was the tracking stickers that gave the items away as much as anything, IMHO, and they have some strains that Herbies don't have. All four orders from Herbies, one from CSB and a replacement order from Attitude were all sent to me without tracking at my request and all made it through. I highly recommend that you go with no tracking. Herbies will even insure your order without it if you are a repeat customer. Whatever the package is that they send you, it will look worthless and unimportant without a tracking sticker on it. Herbies has a far wider range of gentics, and that can be confusing. But it is a great site to do research on using the selector you will find on the left hand side of their strain pages . But the prices can be on the expensive side. Canadian Seed Bank has more stock-standard strains (which I find to be the most interesting) at very reasonable prices. Good luck with your growing. I won't advise on your grow space because my research has been into a different type of set-up. But if you are a newbie grower my strong advice would be to go with a strain like Northern Lights indica dominant sativa cross. It is very stable (if from breeders Sensi, BCSC or Peak Seeds or a breeder selling F1's they've made from these genetics. Also, CSB has a Northern Lights that is their own version of NL #5 they've had going for years and it is a strain I intend to grow myself). NL is very quick growing and flowering, doesn't need much space (usually one main cola), is low odor, it's easy to grow because it is very forgiving of newbie mistakes with nutes etc (you won't kill them with a single mistake like you can with some strains) and if you get good genetics you will get some very good individuals out of a packet of beans. And when it's good, it's strong. It doesn't matter what or how you are medicating, you need good meds to start with and Norther Lights can deliver. With a stable, easy to clone, easy to grow, fast flowering NL in a perpuetual system in a space the size of yours and you could really get things ticking over. I hope it all goes well for your Mom and your family. Peace Oh, I forgot to add that Herbies will send to the States no problem. They can be trusted in all respects.