First Grow Shopping List

[Daemon]

Hello all, my first post here! I've been lurking for quite a while and I finally got around to registering. Now, I have searched quite a bit and have found a ton of excellent info but I need some opinions....

I have a budget of around $450 for this project. I already have grow bags, seeds, 1.5cu ft of soil, and cloning materials. I need a light and other supplies.

I'll be using my closet which is in an apartment so stealth is important. The closet is 3.5' x 6' x 8' and is a sliding door style closet(i.e. not air/light tight. I wasn't sure if I would be better off trying to use mylar or plastic(from HTG), or get a tent. The only issue with a tent would be the cost.

I am looking at HTG, specifically the $275.00 organic kit. It comes with a 400w light with an MH and HPS bulb, 1.5cu ft of soil, nutrients, nine grow bags, a timer, and a temp/humidity gauge. I was also thinking of getting a 100' roll of the plastic stuff they have and the 40.00 6" fan.

Now, I only plan on doing 3-5 plants at one time or possibly even 2-3 plants scrog. Is 400w overkill for this? I've also looked into using t5 fluorescents with diff. bulbs, but I couldn't find a ton of info regarding them. I've seen a few decent grows using them but I think I like the yields of HID better. Any thoughts?

 

[mudvaynefan]

Whats the plastic for?

I would get a carbon scrubber if it does not come with one.Apt growing its a must have. Still, thats scary, my apt closet door was able to recieve deadbolt, so I feel much better. Landlords can be very snoopy.

Seems like you have what you need, maybe you should just build your cab, buy your light, and be good?

 

[Guest]

htg supply is down so i can't give a complete answer.

However I'd say invest in a good 400HPS and a good fan.

 

[BagseedSamurai]

Well, choosing a strain is kind of like choosing a dog to adopt. Its ALL a matter of preference. Generally, stuff that is cheap in cost is also cheap in quality. But not always, you could find gems in bagseed, as I have a few times.

I can give you my shopping list for this month, if you want. Here!

Train Wreck (FEM) - To grow it out. Ive heard such good things and I want to try it myself.
Destroyer and Super Silver Haze - Pure thai sativa. Im wanting to grow out a good sativa while my others are flowering, and I want to do a breeding experiment; Destroyer x LUI
Grape Krush - I love good tasting stuff.
Strawberry Cough and Blue Moonshine - by reputation alone.
Shark Shock - The white you could SKI on! haha.
Fruity Juice - Reputedly the beginnings for many strains now popular. Breeding.
Wonder Deisel - Yum.

Ill be dropping a buncha dough, but Im also building a room to suit these strains in a couple months so I want to prepare.

 

[guineapig]

Now that i've been through many kinds of HPS and MH bulbs, i want to try the new T5 technology.....i have seen amazing results with the new 8-bulb ballasts, which give off less heat so that you can get the plants closer to the bulbs, and also there is more uniform light coverage (less shadowing) when compared to 400 Watt HID bulbs...

The germination process can be a bit tricky, especially for newbies, so i would read up on all aspects of germination.....it would be a shame to waste that pak of seeds, so when the time comes to germinate make sure you are prepared with warm, sterile conditions.....

Welcome to the forums!!!!

kind regards from guineapig

 

[AriesXX]

That organic kit sounds good for a beginner, for sure! Before you try to put any plants in your grow, set everything up and run it to make sure your temps don't get too high, that's the main problem with closet-grows. I think if you use a cool-tube with that 400w HID light your temps will be fine, you'll just have to figure out where to vent the hot air from the light.

 

[Grizz]

t5 lighting is the way to go for your grow kills a lot of the problems your going to encounter, heat , hight restrictions, noise and so on and they work great and are a lot cheaper so you can get that carbon scrubber your going to need.

 

[Guest]

Look in to buying a CMH set up, 400w ballast $50, 400 watt CMH(it does both MH and HPS at the same time, so you only need one light, plus u can place the light 4 inches from the plants... so ive been told, and i saw a picture... but read more into it, as am i.

Ive been told CMH is the FUTURE grow light. Very little heat comes off it. head on over to my thread

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?p=1549324#post1549324

I was originaly going to get an HPS ballast and MH conversion bulb. but that would be more costly. Plus CMH has a better wider and HIGHER spectrum.. just read up on rayguns post

Nick have you pondered the CMH bulb? You can get a 400 watt bulb for around $55 and a build it yourself ballest for about $55.
http://www.businesslights.com/400w-venture-quad-tap-hps-cwa-ballast-kit-p-33.html
http://advancedtechlighting.com/cdmed18.htm

and Here is the CMH thread with lots of good info.

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=72215&page=67&pp=15

You don't need to switch bulbs and the only other thing you would need is a reflector.
It also get rid of that orange HPS glow and so if you needed to work on your grow it does not look like Marcellus Wallace's soul shooting out and more like a bright white light.

I would recomend this set up to anyone looking for a new set up.

Thanks for the time, and i wish you well.
Nick

 

[la resistance]

for that budget i'd buy a ballast kit and bulb, they're easy to wire and should run you $100-1303. also buy something metal to mount it in(20$?)

next buy either pvc or 2x4s and panda film $20+$50ish. look up diy grow tents, build one in your closet to eliminate light leaks and seal everything up. the pvc one is easily taken apart and moved in a hurry. the wooden one will be stronger, but you'll have to cut it up and screw the pieces together.

as far as growing mediums go, not sure if you have your heart set on using those grow bags, but if you don't i'd recommend either using soil or dwc to save yourself money. you can easily find pots/tubs at the dollar store and if you look at the hardware store you can buy plastic cement mixers for less than $20 that work great as tables to put the plants in to avoid spilling water on the floor.

you need odor control. i suggest using a fan hooked up to a carbon filter. if done correctly you will have no odor. you can buy carbon filters or build one much cheaper. same thing with fans, either diy a stanler blower or something or buy an inline/centrifugal/squirrel cage fan with a ducting adapter already on it

 

[CarharttKidd]

Best bang for buck-

Get a ballast kit that you wire yourself. NGW sells a 1kw kit that retails for about $125, but cheaper kits are available. Get an air cooled hood and fan (R&M supply- C.A.P.'s mother company- has some nice ones for cheap. The cheapest fans out there are the squirrel cage blowers) Get a carbon scrubber and you're good to go. Everything else you need can be had from the local nursurey for alot cheaper than the hydro store.

Start 2x as many seeds as your final desired #. You could easily fit 12 plants under a 1kw in that space with 3.5 x 2' to spare. you could section that off and use the space for veg. I would start about 25 seeds under flourescents. CFL's are great for starting seeds. Cheap CFL's are easy to get at home depot. I use the work lamp type fixture that includes a spring loaded clamp for my cfl's. Get some blood meal and bone meal while you are there.

You should have enough change to go buy me a case of beer. I like Poleeko Gold.

 

[Daemon]

Excellent advice, thank y'all.

Now, there seems to be two prevalent opinions - a light from a ballast kit or T5's. I have to admit that T5's are sounding nice though I'm just not sure about them.
I neglected to mention this but I already have 6 little seedlings(about 2 weeks old), sitting under a small fluorescent. I have two of these 4-tier greenhouses, and I wonder if they could be converted into a small grow tent? The shelves come out and I have bars on the top to hang a light from.

The cheapest I have seen a carbon scrubber/inline fan is from HTG for $150 for a 4" set. I am thinking that if I use the greenhouse(s) that I already have and buy either a CMH setup or a T5 + a carbon scrubber/inline fan I should be good.

Any thoughts? I am a little concerned about using a 400w light as my apt. has some fairly old wiring and I'm not sure how it will handle it. The 250w lights look ok but if I ever want to grow more then I'd like to have a 400w.

Also, I assume it's worth it to go with both an MH and HPS bulb? You can veg with an HPS, correct?

Oh yeah, the "plastic" I was talking about in my first post was the 100' roll of black and white poly - I was thinking I could wrap it around my little greenhouse and then vent it out the window using the inline fan/carbon scrubber?

Wow, so many questions! I'd like to say thanks for the great responses thus far, y'all have given me a lot to think about today at work!

 

[Grizz]

check out the flouresent grow threads and see what the t5 is capable of.

 

[Daemon]

^^That's what sparked my interest in Fluorescents to begin with. I think the 400w HPS/MH setup sounds nice(as does that organic starter kit for $275.00), but I am a little worried about a few things with an HPS/MH setup:
- Cooling the system. I plan on using a either one or two(fastened together if using two), 4-tier mini greenhouses(like those used for growing mushrooms). Dimensions are 5' 3" high x 2' 3" wide x 19" deep. I would have to have a good inline fan for cooling such a system, correct? I live in the south so it's hot in the summer.
- Wiring. I live in a older apt. building and I am a little worried about having a 400w system plugged into it. Anyone ever use something similar in an older building?

Taking this into account I have come to the conclusion that I would be better off using either a 250w HPS/MH grow light or T5's. Since I only plan on flowering around 3 plants via LST or SCROG at a time T5's would be fine, no? So, assuming I go with T5 Fluorescents here is my shopping list:
- HTG Supply 4 Foot 4 Lamp High Output T5 Fluorescent Grow Light with 4 veg and 4 bloom bulbs - $150.00
- GrowBright 4" Inline Fan & Elf Carbon Filter Combo - $150.00
- #1 Fertilizer Combo - FoxFarm Liquid Soil Formula - 3 Pack
Size: Quart - $40.00
- FoxFarm's Ocean Forest Potting Mix 1.5 Cubic Feet - $20.00
- Dual Outlet Mechanical Timer - Heavy Duty - $20.00
- GrowBright Indoor / Outdoor Thermometer with Hygrometer - $15.00
- 10-pack 2 gallon grow bags - $5.00

Approx. total with shipping is about $450.00, which is my budget. Is this a good way to spend my money? One thought I had was that if using T5's I really don't need to cool the growing area. Also, if growing in a sealed greenhouse would I really need a carbon scrubber? The greenhouse(s) will be right next to a window so could I get away with just buying one of the cheaper 6" inline fans(like on HTG for $40.00), and venting it out the window? If that were the case then it would allow me around $100.00 to buy some panda film as the greenhouses have clear plastic on them and I think it would be a good idea to wrap them in it.

Here is a pic of the greenhouse, of which I have two:

Well, a couple more things to add. I think I will go with a Growbrite 2' 4-lamp T5 that puts out 8,000 lumens for $120.00. What do y'all think about that for around 3 plants? I wonder how it will do for scrog or lst?
Also, has anyone ever used something like this carbon scrubber:
Cheap Carbon Scrubber
It looks cheap but I really don't think I need anything like the $150.00 setup from HTG, what do y'all think?
Also, will having a good carbon scrubber/inline fan effectively cool my greenhouses?

I'd like to say thanks to everyone for helping me with this, this is a great community! I have spent countless hours reading on here and loved every minute of it! I look forward to doing a grow journal on my first ever indoor grow. I have a lot of experience growing veggies and mushrooms so hopefully it will go well and I won't have to rely on the black market for my medicine anymore. Cheers

-D

 

[Guest]

make your first priority ventilation and carbon filter.
then pick up your light, if you cant afford an air cool hood right away no problem, start it off and when you get a few bucks create a diy cooltube and duct it to the fan. then you need some nutrients (probably can get some local stuff, or order a few quarts).

i think you can do it for 450.

400watter you can get low around 120-150 probably with batwin, maybe 200 with aircooled.

gives you 200 for the fan/filter, and extra 50 for misc stuff.

but always have a few spare bucks kickign around because youl always need small stuff which adds up at the end.

 

[Daemon]

Cool, thanks for the advice!

After much deliberation and taking everyone's advice into account I decided to go with a combo T5/HPS. I just ordered the following:
- 250w HPS light from HTG
- T5 2' 2 lamp light from HTG
- Foxfarm Liquid Soil Formula 3-pack Quart size
- 50'x10' roll of Panda film
- 6" inline duct fan(the cheap 280cfm $40 one from HTG)
- Small carbon scrubber/fan from ebay(see my previous post)
- 1 bag Foxfarm Ocean Forest(I already have 3/4 of a bag)
- Growbrite Hygrometer/Thermometer

Now, I already have 10 3gal and 10 2gal grow bags, clonex, seedling tray, 50 rapid rooter plugs, and my two mini greenhouses. I am going to set them up side by side and rip them apart/connect them. That way I will have a 5' 3" high x 4' 6" wide x 3' 2" deep greenhouse to grow in. This will be perfect for scrog because they have wire shelves!!

Should I leave the clear plastic on the greenhouse and wrap it in panda film? The greenhouses will be sitting in a closet, the HPS will be in it. The T5 will be on a shelf above the greenhouse.

Thanks everyone for the help, I've got 6 big buds from seeds about 2 weeks along, looking nice. When I get paid next week I will get a digital camera and do a grow log.

Cheers,
-D