Simple, cheap hydro

I have a better idea.

I run this DWC system. It's the best $100 I've spent. You can't buy these parts separately for this price.
HTG Supply - Bubble Brothers 6 Pot DWC System

It comes with everything you need except nutrients and a light. It comes with an air pump, lines, manifold, airstones, gravel, really nice net pots 6", 6 black food grade 3.5 gallon buckets that don't leak light and have 6" more headroom then 5 gallon.

For nutrients I'll recommend GH rapid start for a root zone innoculant. Botanicare hydroguard for keeping root rot at bay, and GH floranova bloom for your main NPK nutrients/cal/mag.

www.amazon.com/Rapid-Rooting-Enhancer-General-Hydroponics/dp/B004SOVH0Q
www.amazon.com/Botanicare-HYDROGUARD-Bacillus-Inoculant-1-Quart/dp/B00IGFH25M/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1498103002&sr=1-1&keywords=hydroguard
www.amazon.com/General-Hydroponics-GH1632-Flora-Bloom/dp/B000W7C87Y/ref=sr_1_4?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1498103060&sr=1-4&keywords=floranova+bloom

One of these lights for veg.
135W QB LED Kit

One of these for bloom
260W QB LED Kit

Exhaust fan for grow room.
www.amazon.com/Apollo-Horticulture-Inline-Variable-Controller/dp/B019INGAF8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498103223&sr=8-1&keywords=apollo+440+fan

Run 3 buckets in veg and 3 in bloom at all times. Clone before switching to bloom each crop.

 

It's about $750-1000 with tents. I guess not that cheap but who grows 6 DWC hydro plants with some of the most efficient led's you can buy for nothing?

I forgot to add that once you know what you're doing this setup is an easy pound every 2 months.

 

Daaaaaaaaaaaym six bucket setup for a bit over 100. That's right up my alley. Thanks for the link!!!!!!

Sorry op lol

 

The air pump only lasted a little over a year but I replaced it for $55 with one that has 100 more GPH. It's still a hell of a value. I think those are the best net pots around. Look at them. They have a risen up section in the middle. I drilled a 5/8" hole in the center and when I plant a clone I dangle the roots through the hole and into the bucket first day. The plant doesn't even slow down. It takes at least a week off of veg time waiting for roots to drop in the bucket. Hotbunz passed on that fabulous idea. I've passed it on to a few people with rave reviews. It's the only way to start DWC. You need an aeroponic or fogponic cloner to get the long roots on the clone though.

 

HTG bubble brothers 6 bucket DWC FTW!

 

Yes but if you look at what that $100 includes it's ridiculous. 6 high grade black buckets alone costs how much? 20-30$? Each one of these net pots are worth $5 each no problem. Then you still get a 800+gph air pump, 6 air stones, gravel, lines. It's so worth $100. What are you going to buy one bucket and grow one plant at a time? Who doesn't want some decent production? Even if you only run 4 buckets it's totally worth $100 and you'll have spare parts.

You can use the 4 and have two waiting on the side to step in for veg at the ready without cleaning.

 

The best simple cheap hydro for a beginner is a brick of promix, a bag of perlite, a set of fabric pots, a mars300, a bag of GH maxibloom, and a bottle of ph down.

It should be what you start with on some kind of hydro growing RPG game where you level up from there.

After you finish your first grow over 2.5oz's you get a bonus bottle of armor si silica supplement and a blue lab ph meter. Next run you get root zone inoculants and a ppm meter.

 

Can you use dynagrow start to finish? It's too low on phosphorus. 9-3-6 is too heavy on nitrogen for cannabis IMO. General Hydroponics Floranova Bloom is the same price range or cheaper. It's 4-8-7. Much better NPK ratio for cannabis. I use it for veg and it works great. I've grown start to finish with it.

I believe Gh products are showing up on walmart.com and homedepot now.

If you want the cheapest bang for buck one part maxibloom is even cheaper then floranova bloom.
What is Lucas Formula, and how do I use it?

Both are one part nutrients that stand alone. FN bloom has 4% calcium 2% magnesium along with a host of micronutrients. It's a blend of organic and chemically derived nutrients. It looks like mud.
FloraNova

 

I use that lucas formula at about 1/2 strength with led's with both GH flora micro/bloom and just floranova bloom sometimes. I dilute it for smaller plants and up the strength for bloom and large veg plants. It's great for filling in your NPK requirements and frees you up to concentrate on other supplements. You have more control if you use the GH flora micro and bloom separate. Micro is 5-0-1 and bloom is 0-5-4 so micro is basically your nitro component and bloom is p&k. You can increase nitro when needed and bloom as well unlike using one bottle. It gives you more control of your hydro.

At my local hydro shop they sell a 1/2 gallon of micro for $29. 1/2 gallon of bloom is the same price. That may be one of the cheapest ways to get your NPK. That can last a long time. The difference is they aren't as comprehensive as floranova. Floranova has cal/mag and a bunch of other micronutrients included that you would need at least two other bottles for if you just used the flora series (calimagic & florablend). So it's a debate which is really cheaper. Just one bottle is way easier for most people. That's why I always recommend FN bloom first to rookies. It's roughly $20 a quart and a quart can raise at least 8 plants or more.

 

No pissing match at all dude. Just sharing what works. Use Dyna gro if you like. It's similar.

 

Good info in here. I'm thinking after a few grows I'll look into hydro. I currently grow in coco


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LOL, coco is hydro. You mean DWC or something similar?

 

Fabric pots and coco mixed with perlite


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Most people consider coco and promix to be hydro grow methods. I use mostly DWC and do promix/perlite on the side. I feed them both the same nutrients.