First Hydroponic Closet Grow, Need Help

Discussion in 'First Time Marijuana Growers' started by CharlieSheen, Mar 12, 2011.

  1. So I plan on doing an NFT/DWT style PVC grow, probably meant for only 2 plants.
    I read somewhere that florescent lighting works, but it seemed disputed. Has anyone had success with it?
    The issue i have is money, i dont have much, i need to keep everything small for stealth.

    I wanna use the General Hydroponics flora series, but want to know if there is cheaper,
    amazing quality isn't a necessity as it for personal use between local dry spouts (area went dry for a few months after a major drug sting).

    Im pretty much doing this to subsidize my smoking and because, well, its such a pretty plant, roses have nothing on a good frosty bud.;)
     

  2. floros will work...if within your budget...try to get a t5 system...you dont have to get it from a hydro shop...they sell them at lowes and homedepot also...i have seen unbelievable results under floros...in fact on of the growers on here she produced a qp from a t5 system...as far as hydro nutes....gh is a good start...you could always go with the 16oz bottles...they are about 10 bucks a piece for the flora micro and bloom
     
  3. You can pick up floro's at wal mart even. They are about $8 for a two pack of 26w lights. You want 100 watts initial and then 50w per plant after the first, so for 2 plants you would want 150w of ACTUAL output, meaning it will always be the smaller of the two listed numbers on the packaging. You can grow seedlings under less than that, but you will want as much as you can afford.

    You can use just about anything for nutes. Nothing too special there. You can pick up cheap stuff to get you by, or go for the more expensive named brand stuff. If you are going name brand I would go with Fox Farm 3 part series, or you could do what I did and just get the GH floranova series which is only a 2 part. You are looking at about $30+ for some named brand stuff, or you could just get bat guano, worm castings, bone meal etc at your local home depot or ace hardware which will all cost you about $20 for it all.
     
  4. I planned on using the floranova series, read about a formula that shows only the 1st and 3rd part of the series are needed.
    So I'll need at least 100W of lighting, and 150 if I do the two plants?

    About how much room would these take up? Is this the 2 or 3foot lights?
     
  5. I dont think I can afford the t5 system, I was looking for just a basic flor. light fixture, i guess I should do some research on how their installed though.
    A QP would be great, but off two plants, i wish
    Do you know who the grower was? or any who know more about about florescent lights and could help?

    Sadly I have about a $50 budget
     
  6. For $50 right now I wouldn't bother with the t5 system. You are looking at more than that for a decent 4 bulbs system, which I would recommend in that space. I would go down and get some standard CFL bulbs. The 24w CFL's are fine, and you can pick them up pretty cheap. Just go pick up 4 daylight 6500k CFL's, and 2 2700k soft white CFL's. That will get you started and you can always add more later. The nice thing about these is that if one goes out they are dirt cheap to replace.

    My setup for my first CFL's was to take an extension cord with 2 plugs on the end. I plugged in one of those socket to outlet adapters and then screwed in a Y socket splitter to those. This gave me 4 lights on each cord, and I have 2 of them going (8 lights total). Links to the pieces are below, just in case that was confusing (it was to me!).

    Leviton 007-61 BRN Adapter Outlet to Socket, Brown

    Retro Leviton 660W 120 - 250V Twin Copper Connected Light Bulb Socket Y-Splitter Adapter | Kalron Inc.

    [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Feet-Outlet-Cord-Brown/dp/B000GA7IK4]Amazon.com: Stanley 6 Feet 3 Outlet Cord ( Brown ): Electronics[/ame]

    Hope this helps.
     
  7. Thanks for these links and post in general, very helpful to me!
     
  8. Did you get a good yield/growth rate?
    Im thinks HPS if not the CFL, still very cheap, looking back fluorescents dont seem so great now:eek:
    Im pretty sure ill go with 4 CFL or 4 HPS (http://www.google.com/products/cata...X&ei=TqJ-Tc24E8-htwf17ujPCA&ved=0CJwBEPMCMAc#), thank you for the splitter links, ill end up using them!
     
  9. Hps is a completely different light type and requires a ballast and hood to run. It's not a standard socket. Those cost about 200 for a cheap complete setup. Aka not in your price range right now. You will only be able to afford cfl with 50 bucks. It's not anywhere near growth rates of hps or yield but you can do pretty well once you get the hang of it.
     
  10. Thanks for the tip, looking around I noticed the large hoods needed. Im reading the Closet Cultivator and CFLs are my choice as of now.

    Would you recommend hydroponic or actual growth medium?
    CC has me turned on to a soil mix with drip irrigation, up until I can afford to make me dream hydro-system.
     
  11. I would just get some good soil that doesn't say miracle grow on it. It's the cheapest to get into.
     
  12. I figured as much, I was thinking topsoil with water soluble fertilizers.
    What would be the best to use, ive heard that rose fertilizers are effective.
     
  13. You don't need nutrients right away. Just go with top soil, throw in some perilite if you can get some, and actually a little bit of sand helps too. I also like to put in worm castings and bat guano because it's cheap, organic, and won't mess with your plants. You can get a box of each for about 5 bucks and mix it right into your soil as described on the package. Again, as I have said before, these are just optimal setups. You can use straight topsoil and be just fine for your first grow.

    Make sure to plant in big enough pots. I have always learned 1 gallon per 10 inches of plant height... I like to start in peat plugs and transfer to a 3-5 gallon pot with my soil mix, depending on the strain and anticipated height. Transplanting just creates more problems and can damage the plant.

    I haven't tried most other nutrients in the stores. I have used organics like guano, worm castings, bone meal etc, but never used the processed fertilizers or rose ferts on my mj. I like the natural ones because they usually won't burn the plant as often or as badly, they are pretty cheap to buy, and I can mix them right into my soil so I don't have to worry about it for a while, however it is a good idea to start using nutes later on in the grow.
     
  14. I planned on castings (30lb/$15 I think i saw) and ill try to stick to organic, just out of personal preference too. I may use the Indica i have growing outside and just bring it in to keep it from the cold and elements.
    thanks so much for the help, i hope any other novices with interest in indoor growing stop by this thread and ask away if they need.

    Remember kiddies, if you're thinking it, chances are someone else is too. :smoke:
     

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