Old school grow advice "member cheap old basterd club"

Need low tech solutions to an overwhelming amount of bullshit? I can help! I don't use any meters, never check PH. I can help you achieve sucsess with the same tools available 30 years ago. I only use soiless medium, Mylar, 1000wt lights without hoods, exhaust fan, timers, good water, and cheap nutrients. The only thing I get at the grow shops is lights, bulbs, mylar. The rest is all bought on the cheap. Once you get a growroom set up right you will easily get back 5 to 1 on your investment. This includes your rent, electricity, and grow supplies.
Just like back in the gold rush days. The miners seldomly got rich, but the guys selling the picks, shovels, lumber, food etc. made the fortunes. Take some of that profit back. Low tech, low cost.

Lets see ur grow

How much you wanna see?

Wow! Teach me more! Your outdoor looks Tits and indoor looks killer. What size room is flower in? Veg time? lights to veg? No hood? teach me more master......

I get the no hood thing, use the room fans which you need anyway, to mix and dissipate heat before you even exhaust it. Probably less heat signature outside at the vent too? Easier to maintain consistent room temps. The hood collects heat, but also focuses light, so you use the ceiling as your reflector.

Money you save on the hood, hood fans and vents can be invested in the room itself. Less to go wrong, more like nature. Less things to clean, maintain or sanitize when issues come up.

In my mind, due to convection, I would put the mixing fans up high to force hot air down to mix with cold air being drawn in by the exhaust fan. Plants still get moving air, but you do not change the negative pressure in the space. May also redcue need for heat in winter months in colder grow rooms. In the other thread, your fans were half way up the wall. Ever try mounting them higher up the wall? EDIT: Oops, on closer look, you do have the fans high up, equal to the height of the lights. Put that pic in here too!

Also, have you ever added thermal mass to your indoor rooms, like a 55 gallon drum filled with water? I may try it for winter months, one barrel on a drum dolly. I already own them so no out of pocket expense, except for water.

Edited by DrD, 05 January 2012 - 01:34 PM.

I totally agree with your low tech/low fuss grow style. To often I read up on the problems fellow blades seem to have with their plants, and can't help but think that maybe they just over complicate the whole grow process. K.I.S.S. applies to growing good ganja to a big degree.

I think new growers tend to get overwhelmed with methods and such, especially when it comes to nutes. Growing is very simple the key is to achieve a successful grow before you decide to supplement or enhance.

To smokey Bernie,
Had 2 primary flower rooms. 1 is 9x16 7.5 ceiling and other is 9x10 x7.5. I like to utilize entire space right to the ceiling. When using mylar as a gaint hood the ceiling is the limit. I litterally have to tie back my jungle strains to keep from touching the ceiling.
I have just built another room for budding that I custom built for my grow style. It's got a 9.5ft ceiling. Underfloor insulated air supply. An overhead Built in plenum(exhaust vent) which also stores my ballasts. I always veg at 18/6 and flower at 12/12 which is the norm. I will be getting it planted this week. I will be doing a journal on this room start to finish. But I am going to save up info so I can compress the entire grow in a month of post instead of 3 months.

Great thread. Nice pics as well! Really looking forward to seeing some tips and discussion in here.

To DrD.
The room is it's own thermal mass. R30 underfloor, R21 walls, R57 ceiling. 900 CFM supply air from underfloor. The room has air pushed in, instead of sucked out. All excess heat is pushed out through louvers in ceiling to plenum. This is unlike any growroom you will ever see. 100% custom. Heat regulation involves lights on during night when coldest. Same for summer, lights at night avoids excess heat.

would you care to elaborate on your nute schedules, i myself try to keep things as simple as possible, and ive read quite a lot, but its always nice to hear a dif perspective

You have to understand something. 1st. I don't keep schedules and never have. If you live in a state that is still illegal to grow than 'ALL' written schedules are used as evidence against you. 2nd. I am a skilled observer and let my children tell me their needs. May sound like bullshit to a noob, but you have to look at each plant individualy and look at the color of the leaves, shape(curling, burnt tips, any yellowing of bottom leaves etc. And then make the call to give nute's. No schedules no routines.
Watering is the same, I pick up every pot everytime I water. My brain says something is too heavy so even if the top is dry I will let it go 2 more days until it needs water.
I always use the same size water pitcher to water so i can keep track of each water need. Oh yeah I also pick them up after watering to make sure it's right where it ought to be.

edit- just read this, its pretty cool im subbed for sure! +rep OP

Edited by thaSPACEkadet, 05 January 2012 - 07:57 PM.

SG1 I learned from an old school grower like you. He used to say always keep things simple stupid. Somewhere along the line I strayed from that belief. Now I feel like I am just wasting money on overpriced nutes that I really don't need. You have re-inspired me to get back to my roots. "Simple Stupid" Gonna let my current grow take it's course, but then I think I am gonna re think how I am doing some things. Looks great, and thanks for the inspiration.

Looks good indeed. I look forward to reading more.

:DJust a little eye candy to peak your interest.
Expensive nutrient's "WHO" Fox Farm "WHAT":confused:
Oh and what's so smart about a smart pot. My way 250 gallon grow pot total cost for 6 is $100. 1-250 dum, oops smartpot $100.
Sorry grow shops.

Fucking awesome man! I love seeing picks of those bare bulb rooms they look so professional. Do you veg and flower in that same room? Do you have any picks of that room full of plants I want to see how large you let them get.
You like fox farm really? I just started out growing and went with fox farm because it seemed like a safe start but all the shit talking around here has had me tempted to switch to something more expensive but if its good enough for you I aint changing shit!

I've never used that expensive stuff. Buy my stuff by the yard for $47. from a local manufacturer that make soiless mixes for big nurseries. Good and cheap. I use the same set up in all my other grow rooms. Not my cutting table though. I use a 250wt cfl with a wing reflector. The room with bare bulbs posted are my new room that will be planted tomorrow. I will be posting this grow seperately and will condense it from 3 months to 1 month as not to put anyone to sleep. I know without a doubt that this room will produce 2 times the amount as the same room with 6 hooded lights. Stay tuned for another episode of 'cheap ole basterd'.

I like your style. Im trying to keep things cheap and simple too I built my hps lights from ballast kits and made my own reflectsors, most of my equipment is diy or home depot product except for my nutes. I think Im gonna stick with the Fox for a while until I get a bit more experienced they seem real easy to use and I dont mind spending a little extra on them right now.
Im about to hook up a dual 400 watt HPS air cooled hood that I built because iv been having some heat issues. I have a spare 400 watt metal halide in my veg closet that is to be replaced by T5 and I have been considering adding it to my new hood mounting it between the two hps bulbs. What would be your opinion of this? Do you think I will see significant benefits from the added blue spectrum?
I cant wait to see how that new room works out for you, Im gonna be followin this.

Well you know my opinion on reflecters,I like using my entire room to grow, not just under the hood. And as far as nute's I get those at Lowes or home depot. It's not so much what you feed, rather than 'WHEN' and HOW MUCH and when to stop. People get all freaky on what they put on their grow. Just like politics, Those with the biggest to gain are also paying for the misinformation. Being in the pot scene we all know how much misinformation the government smears on our favorite plant. So go figure that the same folks making the $200. a jug nute's puts alot BS on the ill affects of the cheap nute's. As far as heat issues, It's all about exhaust and timing your lights to work during coolest time of day. If this is a room in the living area of your house then obviously there is no cool time and then is all about exhaust. Remember though there are the laws of displacement. Doesn't matter how big your fan is if you don't provide a way to replace the expelled air. And as far as using blue spectrum I don't lean to the blue as much as the red. I just use 1000wt "warm" or redder spectrum for everything. In a 3 light room I will replace 1 light with 1000wt HPS when I start getting flowers.
When I start my new room I will also start a new thread in the indoor grow journal section. Just keep your eye out for SG1. Peace, love, and purple nugs.

word, i feel what your saying man, and believe me i understand, im aware that each plant has different needs even if grown in the same conditions, specially if different strains..but i was refering more towards what week do you start boosting up nutes and how do you graduate strenght or when do you start flushing, if you do...thanks for the knowledge too btw, and those pictures dont lie, thats why im all ears here