What do I need to grow 2 marijuana plants? I've heard this question so many times here that I've decided to put together this "buyer's guide" of a few different common kits Hopefully it will help eliminate some of the confusion when it comes to people trying to start their first grow the right way. Below you will find a series of kits that I've put together with their shopping lists. I'm going to list Amazon for the links you may be able to find slightly cheaper prices on ebay or another source in some cases so be sure to always check around for the best price on all these items before you make your purchase. Also check the product reviews, I'm only listing the lowest price I can find on Amazon. If you want to get name brand equipment you will need to purchase the ballast, hood and bulb separately. Just replace the ballast in the kits below with an equal wattage Lumatek ballast and then choose your hood style and get Lumatek or Ushio bulbs. You can spend hundreds more on these kits by buying name brand components that will be higher quality with more features. You can spend hundreds more on these kits by buying high quality name brand components. Last but not least, these kits are in my opinion what is needed to grow high quality cannabis. Opinions may vary, use your best judgement on what's right for your situation. Ok let's get started! Disclaimer: Please use your head when choosing a kit. Consider the amount of heat it will put out for your space and make sure you buy all the accessories you need whether you need to order them or get them locally. This is just a basic guide to get you started, some additional research is required on your part to make sure the setup will work for your situation.24/7. Disclaimer 2: These kits will only include the basic setup for a tent, lights and ventilation, you will need to figure out how much ducting you need depending on the setup. This does not take into account your growing medium (soil, coco coir, hydroponics, etc.). The costs do not include running costs, nutrients, etc. This article simply covers what you need to know about grow lights and setting up a grow space. These instructions can be used with any growing medium. So don't forget you also need pots/hydroponic equipment, soil/growing medium, nutrients, pH meter or test strips with pH up and down, TDS meter, trichome microscope, fiskars, ties to LST your plants, and other extras of the sort. Basic CFL Grow "The Bedroom Secret" 1 Lighthouse Hydro 2.5'x1.5'x3' Grow Tent 14 26w CFLs or 9 42 watt CFLs(~100w per sq/ft). For best results, you will want 2 sets of bulbs, 6500k for veg and 2700k for flower, check Walmart and places like that for deals. You will need light fixtures (possibly adapters and other creative ways to extend your space) for all those lights. Here are some ideas. Scroll down to the DIY section. Just make sure your fixtures have reflectors on them to maximize their efficiency 1 4" inline fan with carbon filter and speed controller The Good Cheapest way to start growing 1-2 ounces or more every 3-4 months(depending on experience) CFLs are readily available Small footprint, easy to hide If you ever upgrade you can use your starter tent as a veg tent The Bad CFLs will give you a lot less yield than HID lighting Small grow space, can only have 2-4 plants and they have to be around 2' tall HID growers will laugh at you Final Price: ~$250-$300 Basic HID Starter Grow "The Kindergarten Cultivator" 1 Hydroponics 2.75'x2.75'x5' Grow Tent 1 250w HPS Kit(49w per sq/ft) or 400w MH/HPS Kit(78.4w per sq/ft) Cool Tube 1 4" inline fan with carbon filter and speed controller The Good HID lighting gives great yield and quality Enough room to grow 3 good size 3' plants Can produce several ounces every 3-4 months(depending on experience) Still fairly easy to conceal The Bad Height, you have to keep your plants short, since you only have around 3' of height for grow space under the HID grow lights Width, you're basically stuck with a Cool Tube as your only hood choice, since it's less wide than other types of HID hoods You'll want more space Final Price: ~$390 Mid Grade HID Grow "The Bud Tender" 1 Hydroponics 2.75'x2.75'x5' Grow Tent 1 400w MH/HPS Kit(53w per sq/ft) or 600w MH/HID Kit(80w per sq/ft) The Cool tube is a tight fit but will work, another option would be this style of hood for about $40 more. 1 6" inline fan with carbon filter and speed controller The Good 600w is the most efficient HID in lumen per watt Can be hidden in a laundry room Easily fits 4-6 plants Able to produce a half pound or more every 3-4 months(depending on experience) The Bad Height, you have to keep your plants to around 3' of grow space Fan noise if you have to turn it up due to heat issues You will have weed coming out of your ears, this is the point when you start growing more than 1 person can consume without being wasteful Final Price: ~$400-$450 High Grade HID Grow "The Bud Master" 1 Lighthouse Hydro 4x4x7 Grow Tent 1 1000w MH/HPS Kit(62.5w per sq/ft) or 2 600w MH/HPS Kits(75w per sq/ft) 1 6" inline fan with carbon filter and speed controller The Good Dual 600w gives you the best lumen per watt and the best tent coverage Can grow 6-8 plants or more Can grow full size 4'-5' plants easily Able to produce a pound or more every 3-4 months(depending on experience) The Bad Hard to hide Noise from all the ventilation needed to cool everything Produces a fair amount of heat Final Price: ~$550-$650 High Grade HID Grow "The Bud Master Premium" (name brands) The difference between this and "The Bud Master" is that this setup uses all name brand equipment, with a higher quality grow tent, and a hood sized to fit my 4x4 flower tent. If you're going to veg in the tent as well you'll want to pick up a 1000w MH bulb also. All were purchased separately instead of in a premade kit. It raises the price but you get better quality and a more tailored fit. This is my personal flower tent setup, see pictures of it in action the first time I set it up right here http://imgur.com/a/KOvgG. 4'x4'x7' Gromedics Hydroponics Dark Room Grow Tent with Pentflex TM Inner Lining 1000 watt Lumatek Ballast 62.5w per sq/ft. Horizon Super Nova 26"x37" Hood 1000w Lumatek HPS Bulb 400 CFM 6" Hydrofarm Inline Fan and speed controller LED Wholesalers 6" Carbon Filter The Good XXXL Hood gives even coverage of 1000w to the entire tent Lumatek ballasts have a "Super Lumens" feature giving up to 10% extra light All items are of high quality and have good warranties Able to produce a pound or more every 3-4 months(depending on experience) The Bad Hard to hide Noise from all the ventilation needed to cool everything Produces a fair amount of heat Final Price: ~$775 LED Grow Setup "The Richie Rich" First off a bit about purchasing a LED. There is a lot of misinformation provided by manufacturers that you need to disregard. If the light uses 3w LEDs they are not powered at 3w, they're actually powered around 1.8w. So a light that claims to be 135w because it has 45 3w LEDs is actually only a 81 watt light. Only go by the true wattage when purchasing a LED light. A lot of manufacturers won't provide this information so you need to figure it out on your own using this formula: Number of 3w LEDs x 1.8 = True wattage 4'x4'x7' Gromedics Hydroponics Dark Room Grow Tent with Pentflex TM Inner Lining 1 720w Blackstar Chrome LED grow light (Approx. 432 true watts, 57w per sq/ft.) 4" inline fan with carbon filter and speed controller The Good Built in fans help keep the temperature down This LED grow light works great for veg and flower Able to produce a half pound or more every 3-4 months(depending on experience) You'll be cool with your purple tent pictures in /r/microgrowery #hashtips The Bad Expensive initial cost Rampant manufacturer misinformation making it hard to choose a good product for your space. Higher failure rate than HID ballasts Final Price: ~$1300 How much would these kits cost as far as your electric bill is concerned? It all depends on the wattage of your lights, how long they run each day, and the cost of electricity where you live. For example, in flowering your light would be on for 12 hours a day. Lets say you have a single 1000w light. That's 12kwh per day, ~31 days in a month so 12x31=372kwh per month to run that light. My power is ~$.08 per kwh so it would cost me $29.76 per month extra. Some people's power rates are as high as $.20 or more per kwh in some areas. This example should help you figure out what the costs would be like in your area. So that's it for now. Of course there are more tent sizes and options out there, I just wanted to put some together to hopefully take the guesswork out of putting together your first real grow or upgrading your existing one. Happy Growing!!
This isn't a bad guide apart from the final costs of each setup are way out imo.. Be prepared to open your wallet a lot wider.. Especially when you take in to account what the cost of extras like grow medium and pots, air circulation, ducting, nutrients, ph pen, and more add up to.. Didnt notice any intake fans on any of them set ups neither.. If its done right an you buy everything you need to go in a 4 by 4 tent the costs will run above £1000/$2000.. Probably a little less if your tent is smaller and less again if you grow in a small cupboard..
A decent tent setup is going to cost around $800 with a good ph/ec meter..me and a few other ppl made a list like this a while back and they were all around 800