Hi guys, i just got my card, and my doctor told me that with my budget i might be inclined to try growing out for a change. I've looked into a lot of the posts on these forums and various other sites, but most of what i read seems to focus on larger scale grow ops which due to inexperiance (and budget) id like to avoid at this time. So in hopes of achieving a very minimal cost effort to grow a single plant, I figured i'd specify my personal situation/needs/expectations, and hopefully you guys will be able to help me out. I plan on getting an sfv cut OG kush clone, and will be indoors. What i need to know is how much of the equipment i can get away with not buying. I dont expect the best harvest or quality first time around, but id like to atleast do a decent job. My budget will probably go as far as soil mixture, a couple small lights, and potting. Unfortunately at this time i cant afford all those fancy ph meters or a bigger 400-1kw HPS. So please if anyone could help me out on what they think would be a good way to get it going with my limited resources it would be much appreciated. Im sure i left things out, so please feel free to further question my goal, and i will do whatever i can to elaborate. Thanks guys =)
wow...this all really depend's on your situation man... how much $$ are you wanting to spend..200$? 800? 3 dollar's? own or rent? can you cut shit up if you want? got a spare closet?
So long as you have 100 watts of CFL lighting (NOT equivalent watts), you'll get it done. Its cheaper to grow outside in some good soil, if you've got your 215 (I freakin HATE you medical guys. I live in Florida, google their grow laws and trafficking laws for a laugh.) you should be able to get away with one plant outside, maybe your back yard? Post back if you can't go outdoors, even though its gettin around a good time of the year to plant..... Are you buying a rooted or unrooted clone (Again, I cant even IMAGINE just buying a clone)? Edit: If you've got to do it indoors, make sure you have 100 - 150 Watts of CFL. http://forum.grasscity.com/absolute-beginners/122936-how-lst-low-stress-training.html and theres no reason you can't run a small screen over your plant. LST and SCROG for the most even canopy and to make the most use of minimal lighting.
Sorry, i did more research than i probably absorbed, but its hard to retain so much information quickly. well i live in an apartment, so im restricted to indoors atm. what exactly are the limitations on clones vs starting from scratch? Im not sure if its rooted or unrooted yet, cause i didnt know to ask (im in over my head arent i lol). Do you think id be better off starting from a seed, for experience's sake?
i rent, and cant cut shit up, but im convinced the room i have in mind follows the guidelines of growing. since im starting with one plant i was honestly trying to spend less than 100 bucks...cause i still have to pay for my weed until harvest and even then its my first shot so i doubt the yeild will be anything impressive.
for soil... the general "i don't want to mix soil, but i want good soil" answer is Fox Farms Ocean Forest with 25% perlite... if you want something more hands on, that you can use for later grows, check my sig out for a solid easy-to-mix mix... note, if you mix your own soil, you'll need a pH tester... mine almost never comes out the same pH, and always needs a bit of liming... (note: you don't need a $100 pH tester to test soil, just get some pH test strips and approximate it) for lighting get 100 watts of CFLs... and you'll need a fan for sure... Since the FFOF will pretty much give it all the veg nutes it needs... you could skimp on veg nutes, but i'd definitely get some flowering nutes (Fox Farms line is good, I use Earth Juice and bat guano teas)... it's up to you.... the more you invest now, the less you'll have to next time... that's to say if you went ahead and got a good pH tester you won't need one for a long time... if you went ahead and got all the supplies for your own soil mix you wouldn't have to spend $25 for a bag of FFOF per plant... and the more nutes you have on hand, the easier it is to fix problems that pop up... but if you're only planning on one plant and not expanding any past that... just get what you have to... - FFOF - perlite - 100 watts of CFLs - fan - flowering nutes
The yield will be decent, and you can eaily get 150 watts with $100. Just read the stickies and keep the wattage needs correct.
From personal experience, $10-20 on a fan or 2 is mandatory not optional. I was trying to go as cheap as possible, put 140+ watts of cfl in broom closet without fan/vent, and my pretty buds turned into long stretched out branches. Learned my lesson on that one. I suggest skipping the walmart/lowes cfl, and buying a couple of large cfl from 1000bulbs.com. I got my current cfl on clearance for $1, next bulb will be 150-200 watt cfl, or e-conolight 150w hps. $43 for 150w hps....... http://www.e-conolight.com/Product/EProductDetail.asp?ProductFamilyID=3&FGNumber=E-HC1H151Z My grow, before and after heat problems..... YouTube - Kanaal van seanthelight YouTube - Kanaal van seanthelight