First grow(test) -poorman grow

Assuming that you are going to have to buy seed, plan on spending between $100 and $200 for a really cheap grow. Just remeber, you get out of it what you put into it. If you want to get a lot out of it, spend a little more on lights, soil etc.

 

Yes it can be done OG*

Here is my set up.

1 x 175w HPS switchable to MH by Garden Systems - cost: $115 on sale included extra bulb and a KILLER all metal hanger stand. I kinda got a deal because I knew the owner of the store and he orderd it all whole sale for me. But you could get one online for that much. Just look hard enough.

4 x White Plastic 5 gal spackle buckets. Keep the lids if you got em. they make good drain water catchers for you to set the bucket on top of. I put about 50 holes in the bottem of the buckets each and then about a inch above the bottom i put about 8 holes through the side. I make them a little bigger than the drain holes in the bottem so you can plumb in O2 if you want or just allows the lower soil that tends to stay wet and mold a chance to air out. These buckets shape makes the weight of the plant compact the soil at the bottem and mold can destroy you if your not carefull.

A small osillating fan AND a small 1' x 1' square box fan that I got for 5 bucks at a yard sale. The fans are a must but the kind is up to you. I like having two fans. I put the osillating on the timer with the plants and run it only during the day when I need it to keep the tops of the plants cool due to being close to the light. Then at night the box fan keeps up my air circulation and runs every other night.

Soil is a mixture of what was available. As long as your strapped for cash and dont have any other choice just choose a soil that has a low amount of wood chips in it. as well you will need to add something for water drain. I used the biggest fish aquarium gravel I could find for the bottem 2 inches of my buckets, and then mixed in pure sand to my soil. I used about a gal of sand to 4 gal of soil. I just did that becuase it looked right but you can test it by setting up your buckets and watering them. give it a week and if they still hold alot of moisture, pull out your soil and add sand. keep doing it untill its mostly dry at the end of a week. These methods take a little time to set up but its becuase you or I dont have the option of just buying what works best the same day we start our grow. Take your time do it right and you can keep it cheap. Also when you buy your soil take it home and spread it out on a cookie sheet. Look it over very well for insects. You might need your 10X magnifying glass to see better but if not, just look hard. LOL. After looking spray your soil with water and let it stand for a day or so and keep checking to see if any hatch. If you find that your soil has parasites, bake it in your stove or microwave. Using a stove: 400 for half hour is plenty maybe a bit over kill. Using a Microwave: Medium setting for 10 min. Stir, and then High for 10 min. This will bake out all your moisture you need to let it stand and expell all the steam and moisture it can. Dont let it Mold!

PH test kit. You will need to test your PH every now and then especially if you start seeing problems with your plant. This will alow you to see if the problem is in your water, soil, or if its not a problem that you are creating at all. You might not need this for a week or so into your grow but it never hurts to test during your set up stage just to make sure everything is all right. You can also choose a strain that is resilient to harsh conditions such as (White Widow My choice) and it will help with PH not effecting it as much.

I use distilled water I make myself from the well. Just boil the shit out of it and collect the steam. The steam is distilled water.(or just buy it per gal) This way you can totally control your Nutrient intake. For the first few weeks the soil will provide enough for the plant. You will start to see problems with the leaf if not. *typicaly spots or yellow tips etc.*

Nutrients: This is tricky for me. Alot of folks will tell you a lot of different answers for what kind and what mineral count to use. For me, what I have found is that when using soil its pretty flexible. Just never use too much. My rule of thumb is about 1/2 what the box/bag recomends is safe. But this question is better answerd by others in the City. I use a Peters flowering mix 10-50-10, only every other week and I flush the week before. But like I said. Resorces are limited some times and thats all I have to use. I just make it work.

Get a cheap light timer for setting your fan and light when you get to 12 - 12. i paid about 7 bucks for mine. Actually have a few so I can alternate the timing of fans and such.

And I guess the most expensive thing was my seeds. But thats up to you.... Good luck! keep us up on your grow!

 

PS. NIRVANA IS A GREAT CHOICE!!!

Thats who I go through...

 

you can get a 250 watt hps for about 150. just hafta look around

 

Inside sun sells refurbed 250W HPS ones for $75. That's what I have and so far it's worked nicely.

But after pots, soil, lights, seeds, and ferts (go organic, you can't fuck them up), you're looking at more like $150 to $200. But if you get 2 or 3 ounces, then it more than pays for itself on the first harvest.