aiight so i just got a room fixed up for a grow. i have been running through my mind the materials and whatnot so here is what i have down so far: Appropriate number of bulbs (hps and mh) Reflector (with some form of air cooling system) Mylar (enough to cover entire room) Small-medium sized pots Water collection tray Irrigation hoses Light timer Irrigation timer Soil (what kind is right for the herb again?) Fans so am i missing anything critical? or anything at all? please help me out here guys i wanna have a really good grow. also i really need to know what the correct ratio for the soil is? also maybe some brands that have it would be great to know. i already have seeds obviously, and i can only do soil. ANY and all suggestions are welcome. i seriously need the contributions here. thanks fellow stoners
Here is what you need: Good Seeds 1000w HPS bulb (that isn't made in china) Standard ballast that is not off ebay and not made in china Any kind of air cooled reflector Cheap inline hvac pusher fan for cooling Small pots for germination Big fuckin pots for grow. It is the size that counts ;-) Soil = Pro Mix HP Nutrients = Advanced Nutrients
yo dude thanks. at least someone replied. but what exactly is the ballast and what does it do. ill definitely add nutrients to my list as well. and i was thinking 1000W HPS for sure, i hear the more wattage the more bud so ima shell out the extra cash
The ballast regulates the amount of electricity that goes to your bulb, and it generally comes with an HPS light system. Check the information the person you buy your bulb from though, just to be sure. And about a 1000w HPS, make sure that your box is big enough/well ventilated enough to be able to handle the heat that it gives off.
What size is your room? Remember, the more wattage the more heat, which a air cooled hood/reflector will help somewhat, but not completely. You want to go w/ lighting that is optimal for your room size, apprx. 40 watts per sq ft. Mylar is a good choice. Depending on the size of your room, you may want to go w/ 3-5 gl pots. I have found 3 gl pots work well for my set-up which is quite small. There are many pros and cons to the pot size. I find growing 3 plants in 3 gl pots produces about the same yield as growing 2 plants in gl pots. I have had 3.5 ft tall plants in 2 gl containers which gave me finished yields of over 80 gms. It all depends on how much work and effort you want to put in to your grow. Water collection tray really help when it comes to the mess, overflow and such can become quite messy. If you water like me, which I like to get about 25-30% drainoff to keep the odds of soil salinity down. Irrigation is of little importance unless you plan on being away from your grow for several days or more same w/ the irrigation timers. Soil, most soils will work, it is a matter of if you want to put in the extra work of mixing in supplements. ProMix needs supplements, whereas Fox Farm Ocean Forest or Happy Frog work well w/ only having to add a small amount of perlite and a little vermculite. Happy Frog is a little more cost effective than the Ocean Forest b/c it is about $5-$8 cheaper a bag and you get 2 cu ft rather than only 1.5 cu ft in the Ocean forest. As for nutes, I have heard every argument, seen every comparison grow, read all the pros and cons, not to mention I have used almost everything out there. Get what works for you and your needs, and think about cost. You can often get Ionic or Technaflora cheaper than Botanicare or Fox Farm, and all the above mentioned nutes are cheaper than Advanced Nutrients. All growers have their favorites, my personal fav is Botanicare can Fox Farm are a close second, but in reality, they all work well and produce the same results if used properly. It is not the type of nutes you use, it is how well you optimize your grow conditions and how you use the nutes. I'm presently using Technaflora and my results are great, and I have never seen any difference in final results form any nutes I have used. You definately need a good inlet and outlet fan to create a nice air flow, you also want a fan or 2 depending again on room size blowing directly on your plants b/c it will make them grow strong. I have a small cabnet which my inlet and outlet fans keep my temps around the mid 70's during lights on, and high 60's during lights off. I run another 2 fans, one on the plants and another directly at the HPS bulb towards my outlet fan to keep the heat off the tops of my plants so I can keep them a little closer and reduce stretching. Hope this all helps. less