Re-thinking a new tent setup

recommended LED sqft = ~30 (true) watts
2x4 = 8 sqft. 8*30W = 240W.
Do you own a tent? I recommend a good 2x4 tent to you here. Adjustable height. It is 1680D thick material and those prices are $CAD.

I've grown between 1 - 7 plants in a 2x4. I like to keep the numbers lower nowadays. I can fill the entire 2x4 with one plant easily.

Two plant hydro recycling system. Cheap to make and easy to maintain. Notice I am using some side strip lighting in there. You can get strips... here.
When I use strips, I tune down all the lights. Those ran maybe 50-70 % full (?) idr.

One plant in ... peat moss? I think so.

I wouldn't. I'm running ~240W atm in my 2x4 with two plants. I should go get a picture.

That was Nov 30. They look nicer now. They stretched a bit cuz I lowered to 10 hr dark for a few weeks before realizing. They are getting 12/12 now.
Nevertheless, couple things, added strips to the bottom (due to excessive stretch). Repeating hydro recirculation system.
The light kit is 240W from King Brite Electronics. These guys are using the newest diodes on the market, newer diodes than the ones I have atm.
The bottom strips are older HinFlux strips (4 x 2ft). If those were maxed out, 240 + 200 = 440 W, but they are not maxed out at all.

If you stop learning, you become retarded.

I consider coco Drain-To-Waste (DTW) and it's kinda wasteful too, but works good. Works best if you have a place to drain to, like I would clamp a hose to a tray (kinda like the drainaway trays you can buy nowadays) and that would drain to the sewer in the basement floor.
The hydro system I show there is very powerful. It works kinda like the one I posted here, but instead of that aeroponic sprayer head, I tape a couple 6" halo rings to the 6" netting pots. The drain can be either on the bottom or the side, but the containers (5 gal black buckets) need to be elevated a bit, just above the height of the reservoir. That's the way I grow now, well, I like my aeroponic rig too.

This was taken Nov30. One plant in a 40"x40" (1680D-fusion) tent under ... 480W Mars using LM301b diodes.
Note the trellis is thick plastic. I sometimes think I should use the smaller hole version, just to be able to keep distance between the bracts and not have this happen. tbh, I was sick for a couple weeks and well whatever.
If you decide to go coco, I recommend reading thru this site. If you have questions regarding the hydro rig, it didn't cost much to make, I mean, the quality water pump and better air pump, a few bulkheads, one thing that is handy making stuff like this is a drill and a hole saw kit. Some grommets, couple adapters, you can get this stuff from Aliexpress for dirt cheap. The coolers I usually just get second hand for ~$5 a pop. Be surprised what people sell for cheap.
The most expensive thing beyond the lights is going to be the pH meter. I recommend Apera, I use them preferentially to the Blue Lab gear. The EC pen can cost a bit, but you can just go cheap on it too, not so critical I suppose.

Ultimately, you need to see growing as a hobby and just build up to it over time. Doing all the purchases at once can cost a lot. But don't go cheap on the lights or anything for that matter. Get a tent and a nice meter and a 240W light kit, don't worry about side lights yet. Get a strip kit, better light distribution. Then buy a bag of perlite and some peat moss. Mix about 30-40% perlite. Get a cheap 5gal bucket and cut the bottom out of it. That can be a collection pan for when you feed the plant(s). You can either place the plant on a brick in the collection pan and feed it, so the runoff drains away, or elevate the plant(s) on a cheap wooden stool/table (I built some using scrap ply) to make your life easier.
The way to grow in peat moss is feed/water/feed/water/feed/water/dry over the week. Then worry about coco later, or just go coco, but then you need to feed each day. You will still need pH and EC meters to do this right. I keep a record each day, check the solution ph/ec, feed, check the runoff ph/ec. I adjust based off these readings for the next day's feed.

Hydro... couple details I didn't mention, is temps (I use ice packs and I built a ecooler this last year but cost me$$$) and you want to use clean water, like I use RO water... so just take the time to work up to it.

 

If you're going coco and have hard water, a cheap RO filter wouldn't be a bad idea. And yeah, ph down products are just diluted acids, perfectly fine to use with cannabis.

 

the light spread is going to be better with strips. The boards have a 'hot spot' in the center and diffuse towards the ends. It is your decision, but I suggest getting the most modern and trusted lights.

 

I have to agree one thing you want to get right is a good led, it will last you for years and pay for it's self first harvest.
Good luck and remember just have fun and don't try to force the plants to rush good flowers.

 

It can be tough figuring out which equipment to purchase. I get that you’re on a tight budget. My friends that have chimed in before me have given you some great advice. They are expert gardeners.

I don’t have as much light as each of them are recommending for my 4’x4’ SCROG trellis. I run 4 100wt LEDs evenly placed over the area. There are 2 plant sites that yield 24-30 ounces of trimmed flower total from each harvest.

I look at everything that I do as “resource management”. Each item in the grow is a resource. What equipment we can get in budget is what we get and then must do the best we can maximizing the performance of limited resources.

Your 2’x4’ tent is 1/2 of my 4’x4’ space. If you ran 1/2 the size of my space with only 2 of the 100 wt lights there’s a potential to harvest 12-15 ounces per run.

Having the equipment is only a portion of what’s required for a good grow. Development of your gardening skills is just as important for a successful harvest.



I have 3 year old lights, Spider Farmer 1000
https://forum.grasscity.com/threads/blue%E2%80%99s-small-shed-grow.1613737/



The best lights and a great tent would be nice. You’ll be ok with lights that aren’t the most powerful, though it would be nice.

Blue

 

(10m) some grow tents comparison ...shocking too, good value


(6m) IMO stick to what you know at least for the first run

good luck

 

beautiful money shot there. You do like your product very ripe.
Almost ave a lb per plant....If it aint broke dont fix it.

 

Narcotic pain relieving ripeness is what I’m after.

 

Yeah, I dig. Me too. We want it to hit hard. I harvested a bit early this last grow. I was just done...no other reason.

 

with so little fade are you pushing nitrogen through bloom?

 

There have been a couple of my grows that should have gone another week or more. Tried to schedule everything in that grow for a harvest 10 days before a big rv trip. Waiting til we return would be to long. I’ve have better success now scheduling so we get a ripe harvest and still go on rv trips. Love New Mexico in the late winter.

 

I used 100mg CBD last night and it helped with my chronic pains. Was actually impressed. Just saying.

 

No not really.

6/25/23 wk 9
10 gallons H2O
60 gms Jack’s Finish
0 ml Rhizo Blast
40 ml Tea
40 ml Slica Blast
20 ml Hydrogaurd
19 gms epson salt
dunk
510ppm 6.0pH


7/1/23 week 10
FLUSH
200ppm 6.1pH



Blue

 

Jacks is 7-15-30
Might want to look into Plant Products Finisher 4-31-37
or maybe KoolBloom at 2-45-28

 

Thanks @trojangrower, I’ll look into those. Might be worth a switch to something new.