Hey everyone, So lately I have been trying to figure out a few things about my first grow. I want to go all out and get some nice stuff. I'm looking at getting two grow tents instead of building cabinets. The Hydro Hut Deluxe for Flowering and the Hydro Hut Original for Vegging and Clones. It should run me about $700 for the grow huts alone. I know I know. So I am looking into lighting and I think I am going to get one Floralux 400 watt HPS for the Deluxe and one Floralux 400 watt MH for the Original, about $400 for both with bulbs included. I will likely get a replacement bulb for each, two reflector hangers, and two light timers. Ventilation is something I have not quite figured out and could use some advice. Bascially any fans I get I will be able to attach to the Hydro Huts. I am thinking that I will need a decent exhaust fan for each one, looking at the 265 CFM ActiveAir Blower System for $99.95. Then I am going to need to cool each of the lights, so I was thinking I would get two Suncourt 6" 240 cfm Inline Duct Fan for $39.95. Will these blow enough air to cool off my 400 watt lamps? If so, I am looking at $200 + $80 for these 4 fans. I will also need atleast one more fan in each hut to blow on the plants. I don't know what I will use for this but possibly get two 16" Wall Mount Oscillating Fan for $34.95 a piece. So that brings me to $200 + $80 + $70 = $350 for fans a lone. $350 (fans) + $700 (huts) + $400 (lights) = $1,450 It's looking like a lot so far, but this a project that I want to do right or not do at all. I do not want to build my own cabinets and I will need good ventilation for my lights. I want to grow hydroponically, a technique I have been reading up on for a few months now. I still am a little hazey about how the systems exactly work, but it seems easy enough as long as I keep track of what I am doing. This is where I could really use some help. I am thinking about purchasing the Waterfarm 8 unit with Controller kit for $310 from HTG. Does anyone have this system and if so how do they like it? Originally I was thinking of building myself 8 bubble buckets but it just seems like a lot of work and besides if I am already going all out and spending this much I might as well save up for a system I know I wont fuck up with errors on my part. I am not much of a builder per se. However, I want to have 4 buckets in the Flowering hut and 4 buckets in the Vegging hut. Then when it comes time I want to switch the Veg buckets to the Flower room and start new ones in the Veg room. This way I can have a constant cycle of plants. My question is will the Waterfarm 8 allow me to do this? Can I add Advanced Nutrients to the main resevoir for both the Flower buckets and the Veg buckets? I am thinking this is where there is a gap in my logic. If this is not possible does anyone know of an alternative to using a hydroponic system with two different stages of plant growth? Ok that was a lot. I will pause for now. I hope you guys take the time to look through my plans, and can help me on my way to growing this wonderful plant. Saving the money for this will take some time, but hopefully it will give me great results if I plan accordingly and with the help of the pros (you guys) Thanks!
There is a good video on youtube for growing hydro, keywords: I Grow Chronic. It utilizes a drip system for veg and a ebb + flow system for flowering, might be worth a look. Also, you usually end up spending more than you think. eg: ph meters,, nutes, hardware, spray bottles, mylar, rockwool cubes etc, etc, etc. Good Luck! I'll keep a look out for a journal.
Looks like you've done your homework, congrats on the 'fore-planning. I'm far from an expert and I'm a soil grower, but it sounds like a good plan. Keep the intake near the bottom of the growroom and the exahust near the top. I know as far as soil growing, you don't add nutes for the first 20 days of veg, but I'm not sure how it works with hydro. Perhaps one of our experienced hydro growers will be better able to help you. I would recommend starting with bagseed. The first grow is a major learning experience. It's better to make all your rookie mistakes with free seeds rather expensive ones. I wish you the best of luck in your horticultural endeavour.
Thanks for the responses. Hempfarmer, I just finished watching all 9 episodes of I Grow Chronic! Thanks so much for posting that, I really learned a lot. And it has made me re-think how I will go about growing. I am thinking that I might not need the MH bulb/ballast for the Vegging/Clone room. The dude in the video certainlly did not. Also, I am still wondering if the Waterfarm 8 can be used for both Flowering and Vegging or if I should think about building a drip irrigation system for the Vegging room and an Ebb Flow for the Flowering room. What do ya'll think? I am really psyched to get going on this project in the near future. I just want to be completely prepared before I get going, and know exactly how I want to go about everything.