Hydrophonic system purchase

Over the years iv grown i have learned sometimes it better to just buy something vs diy. Yes you can diy for cheaper but at how many trips to the hardware store? Buy something and it doesnt work? Cant find parts you need? 50% of the time i try diy it ends up costing me double becuz i have to end up buying it premade. Large system like that i would just drop the coin and buy premade. Never buy cheap or you will regret it.

Next a 320 led for a 4x4? Thats not enough. You would want atleast 2 of them for decent yeilds. More light = more buds. For a 4x4 you want at least 600w. I use hps/mh. Leds are just expensive for a decent one

 

If you want to grow 4 plants in DWC - just get 5 gallon buckets - the hydro shop has tops that have the net pots attached and made to fit a 5 gallon bucket. An air pump with 4 outlets and some airstones. You can make a set up relatively cheap without spending $450. Have you figured out how you're going to keep the reservoirs cool?

 

I looked it up and that LED pulls 750 watts in bloom. The 320 is a model number and doesn't represent the watts.

 

My bad. I thought 320 was the watts

 

If that light draws 740 watts in bloom like it indicates - you will have enough light for a 4x4 tent. I didn't see a link to the Amazon systems you referenced. With a 4 - 5 gallon dwc you can do it a couple ways - you can treat them separately without linking them together and just run a hose through the very top of the bucket under the lid to connect your airstone to the air pump - this will require emptying them out separately when you do a solution change. Another way is to connect them together with 1/2 tubing and having an additional container/reservoir to control the height of the solution in all the buckets. That way you only have to drain the control reservoir when you change solutions. In addition - this would enable you to put the control reservoir outside the tent where it will be cooler. I used to use frozen 2 liter water bottles in the controller to keep the temps down. It's not hard - hydroponic supply companies have the fittings and tubing. All it takes is a drill.

 

Ganjafarmer - If you want to do hydroponics and you don't want anything complicated that requires airstone, air pumps, and chillers - I would suggest coco - it's a lot simpler and a lot less expensive. All that is required is buckets, coco, and perlite. I have been using it for years with great success. With the light you have there is no reason you can't harvest a pound to a pound and a half each grow. If you're interested I have a thread in the Hydroponics/Coco Coir section - Mick's Coco-KISS-Scrog-Method - you may pick up some pointers. Just remember coco is not soil, it's hydroponics. A pic of my last grow - 2 plants yielded one pound with only a 5 week veg.

 

Personally if this is your first indoor grow id suggest soil. Learn about ppm ph and deficiencys 1st hand along with plant training techniques. Coco would be ok youll learn about nutes ph and ppm but mistakes are more forgiving in soil. After you get a good grow and understand how to know what the plant needs. Any medium can be good.

 

As far as 1st grow also i wouldnt fork out that Kinda money for a led till i had my methods refined.

 

I have grown in both soil and coco and although some people claim that you should start with soil because it's easier - I totally disagree. I failed miserably with soil and have never had a problem with coco. Just don't treat it like soil and you will get the hydroponic results you are looking for. Good luck and don't hesitate to ask questions.

 

I recommend learning about defoliating, lolipiping, supercroppin, topping/fim, lst and scrog. These methods change plant structure to increase yeild and control plant size

 

Personally a big fan of defoliating supercropping and lolipopping

 

Hi J
The power draw of Mars Pro II 320 is:
110V: Growth:350W±5% | Bloom:740W±5%
220V: Growth:345W±5% | Bloom:721W±5%
That is enough for 4'x4‘ grow tent, it will give about 45w per sq ft

 

Right

 

Hi ganjafarmer
The Mars Pro II epistar 320 can replace 800w hps, but the true watt is not 800w.

 

I would recommend the Mars Pro II epistar 320. the price of Mars II 1600 and Mars Pro II epistar 320 are close, and you can use the discount code "marshydro" on our website to save more. But Mars Pro II epistar 320 is more efficient. the Mars Pro II episatr 320 using the reflective cup and no glass or lens cover, so the effect of heat dispelling is better. There already have many people using the Mars Pro II epistar 320 on GC, like loki125, shan8sis, GoldGrower etc. you can check their grower journals.