I thought that I could figure all of this out alone. There is too much to it. Every time I believe that I have learned enough about one subject, the next subject takes hours to absorb and I end up with questions about what I thought I knew. I really just need someone who is a successful hydroponic grower to bounce questions off of. I believe that I have the basics, but I'm sure that a pro knows where I should order good seeds, at a fair price. I have spent hours to know that I can't figure this out alone. Some folks say that you can use fluorescent for veg growth and others say you shouldn't. I'd like to use a board for multiple opinions, but I really need to get off to a good start and I'm starting with nothing. I can invest in this (including building rooms), have my personal medical card coming and have applied to be a caregiver for a friend. I've watched videos, read and read more. I've grown some fair product outdoors, but this isn't legal in my state and I'd like to finally be legal, after decades of hiding. Any suggestions if I don't get a volunteer? I'll buy you some seeds or something that you need, for your time. Thanks.
-
As of today ICMag has his own Discord server. In this Discord server you can chat, talk with eachother, listen to music, share stories and pictures...and much more. Join now and let's grow together! Join ICMag Discord here! More details in this thread here: here.
Metor needed
- Thread starter Whipit
- Start date
S
Sirus
I am a newbie myself and I don't do hydro so take this advice with a grain of salt. I prepped for about 8 months, reading the boards, getting the books, etc.. Floro's (T 5's) I would defitinly use for seedlings/cuttings. Once they are ready under the HID's they go! Good luck with your grow man. 
I had advice for a seed bank but there must be an advertising issue cause it was removed from the post...
I had advice for a seed bank but there must be an advertising issue cause it was removed from the post...
First things first. Open swapping, selling, trading in the forums is a no-no. Doing so through PM could be a huge safety risk. We like to think we're family but, the truth is, we're strangers. Don't put your freedom in the hands of strangers
Look to our host, Seedboutique or Seedbay for seeds. They represent many fine breeders with a wide variety of strains and a variety of prices.
We're here to help but, we need more specific questions, Sirus reading suggestion is sound and will aid in forming said questions. Check my sig for some beginner's links. Bookmark and make use of the Link-O-Rama and Library of Links for links to the best of IC and outside sites.
Hydroponic is a vague term. E&F, NFT, DWC, some would say if you use liquid food that soil and coco fall under hydro too. Any of these is a fine selection but you need to select one. Pick through the various grow threads, diaries are especially good for this. Find a method that appeals to you and steal it. See also the various "watt clubs" 150, 250, 400, 600, 1K.
Once you can tell us which way you want to go, we can help you get there.
Look to our host, Seedboutique or Seedbay for seeds. They represent many fine breeders with a wide variety of strains and a variety of prices.
We're here to help but, we need more specific questions, Sirus reading suggestion is sound and will aid in forming said questions. Check my sig for some beginner's links. Bookmark and make use of the Link-O-Rama and Library of Links for links to the best of IC and outside sites.
Hydroponic is a vague term. E&F, NFT, DWC, some would say if you use liquid food that soil and coco fall under hydro too. Any of these is a fine selection but you need to select one. Pick through the various grow threads, diaries are especially good for this. Find a method that appeals to you and steal it. See also the various "watt clubs" 150, 250, 400, 600, 1K.
Once you can tell us which way you want to go, we can help you get there.
Well, I got home from work, looked at the posts, figured that I needed to do something, so I ordered some AK-48 and some other stuff that looked good. The boutique tosses in some "freebie", so I'll have a few strains to start with. Guess that's part 1. I've been reading about fluorescent lighting and I guess I'll get two dual 48" fixtures for my vegetative room and run a couple of hot and a couple of cool, or I could get four of these, that say they are full spectrum:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000P4V1CM/3dgazo390-20
Which way should I go? Do I need hoods for my fixtures? I'll have Mylar on the walls.
Where should I get my hydroponic nutrients and growing mediums? I don't like my local store. It looks fairly simple to build an ebb and flow system, so I'm not going to spend my money on a pre-built system. I will probably want different sized tubs in different rooms, anyway.
When I get my tubs and tubes I'll pick up a fan, some timers and a couple of other things.
I'm either going to build two 4'X4' budding rooms, or one 4'X8'. I'm leaning toward two.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000P4V1CM/3dgazo390-20
Which way should I go? Do I need hoods for my fixtures? I'll have Mylar on the walls.
Where should I get my hydroponic nutrients and growing mediums? I don't like my local store. It looks fairly simple to build an ebb and flow system, so I'm not going to spend my money on a pre-built system. I will probably want different sized tubs in different rooms, anyway.
When I get my tubs and tubes I'll pick up a fan, some timers and a couple of other things.
I'm either going to build two 4'X4' budding rooms, or one 4'X8'. I'm leaning toward two.
well going to your local store is kinda your only bet or u can try driving a lil out of town?
one rull of thumb that i follow is not to drive stright home from where ever u buy at. and on your fluresecents... i know a lot of people veg in flurs and then bloom in hps. i personally have not done that or any of my friends that are quite good growers do either. but some people do i guess to save some power and ur plants like that while veggin. i would recom hps all the way! easy! the only time i use flurs is for my clones.. but if i was gonna use them for veg i would get the good ones i think they call them t4's their the skinny ones u can buy a set up with them i forget what they call them but theyll have em at your local store it comes with like 10 of thoes t4 bulbs. sorry for the lack of terminology but i dont use em that much. but i deally if i had two rooms i prob would do it id get a few of thoes t4 set ups and feg everything until 12" and then put them under the hps on blloom on 12/12 that way u can constantly be bloomin.
one rull of thumb that i follow is not to drive stright home from where ever u buy at. and on your fluresecents... i know a lot of people veg in flurs and then bloom in hps. i personally have not done that or any of my friends that are quite good growers do either. but some people do i guess to save some power and ur plants like that while veggin. i would recom hps all the way! easy! the only time i use flurs is for my clones.. but if i was gonna use them for veg i would get the good ones i think they call them t4's their the skinny ones u can buy a set up with them i forget what they call them but theyll have em at your local store it comes with like 10 of thoes t4 bulbs. sorry for the lack of terminology but i dont use em that much. but i deally if i had two rooms i prob would do it id get a few of thoes t4 set ups and feg everything until 12" and then put them under the hps on blloom on 12/12 that way u can constantly be bloomin.
I was looking at fluorescent lighting and read that you should use metal halide for the vegetative stage. This is why I said I need a metor, when I meant mentor. This stuff drives me batty. I know metal halide is too much for young plants. Is there a point in the vegetative stage where I should switch to MH? Should it just be added to the existing fluorescent? Is the final result the same without it? Should I just get one fluorescent fixture and one MH?
ya u got the point iv never done that but mh gives thae part of spectrum that they need while they veg and yes i wouldnt use them right away id wait until they have some good roots first but i would keep it simple use one or the other this stuff can get real pricey. u can prob us mh ai the begining depending on the wattage just keep it far from the plant and cool...ur local store can answer most of these?s but its agood idea to have a good idea what u need to a certin point cause theyll sell u everything under the sun and u dont need EVERYTHING to get good product.. so feel free t ask me anymore i hop i answered ur ?
It depends on how many plant you're planning on vegging and how big you want to get them. I veg under 2 65 watt cfl's and it works great. I grow in coco and get my veg stock up to about 10 inches in 3 weeks, then it goes into the flower closet. This is just the way I do it.. doesn't necessarily mean it's the right way for you. I have height restrictions and if I veg for over 10 inches or so, I get too close to my light and have some singe issues. You have to take into consideration that when you put your plants into 12/12 for flower, you're gonna get about 2 1/2 to 3 times the height in the 'stretch' before they reach maximum height. I even had one strain that stretched for 4 or 5 weeks and it got WAY to tall for my room.. it was a nightmare. I highly recommend growing in coco, but I'm not sure how many plants etc you're planning on running. Coco is basically a hydroponic technique but it works kinda like dirt. But, don't treat coco like dirt.. it's a whole different thing. I find this thread to be very helpful https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=46490 . Also, check out people's grow reports and see what appeals to you and you're particular situation. I've done drippers, Deep Water Culture (bubble buckets) and finally have landed on hand water'd coco.. I only run 8 plants at a time, so hand watering is more fun than anything.. it get's me close to my plants every night (their day) and keeps me in contact with them to detect any potential problems. You made a good choice on the AK48.. not sure what breeder you chose, there's a few that do versions of AK48.. Nirvanna is a good one.
Regarding buyin your nutes and stuff.. go to the store that you chose and buy it and go home and use it. All this stealth stuff is usually just paranoia at it's funniest. I guess if you're concerned, use caution, but I don't really think they spend a whole lot of time following people in and out of hydro stores these days, especially if you're in an area that allows medical grows etc. BTW, I'm a big fan of House and Garden, but also had great results with good ole General Hydroponics as well. There are people here that are big proponents of the Lucas formula.. I've never used it, and I'm not saying it's bad.. I just used the whole line as per prescribed on their online nute calculator. Anyway, go lurk around at some of the hydro stores you have access to and find one that you're comfortable with and do your business. Take advice from these guys very cautiously tho.. they all have allegiances to their vendors and that's all they usually care about.
You really gotta do some reading and deciding right now as when you get your beans, you're gonna want to go right to work. Anyway.... yap yap yap... just get ur beans and get busy, but have a solid game plan before you make your first step.
mgk
Young plants blow their noses on any puny assed MH wimpy-lamp
. They kick sand in its face, steal it's girl and walk off laughing. These things are built to hatch under the full strength of the glaring sun.Now, if you lie to the plant and tell it the sun is a fluoro tube, the plant will believe you and then the MH will be too much but, only because you lied to the plant to begin with. If this is the case, acclimate plants to MH over several days.
Not saying you have to start or veg with MH, only that you can.
I take beer cup sized plants, transplant them up and throw em under 1000wmh.(actually 2k) Never had a problem. Now if you put the beer cup in there it'll dry out in an hour and limp. 
Smiley
Smiley
This would be a perfect fit for my potential vegetation area. I could have as many plants as would fit directly under this and have some extra space to work with and allow room for air flow.
Sun BlazeTM T5-46 holds and includes six (6) High-Output T5 Fluorescent tubes (6500K) and produces 30,000 initial lumens. This unit measures 47.75 inches long by 17.375 inches wide by 2.675 inches tall.
It's about $250.00 with shipping. Will this do the job?
Sun BlazeTM T5-46 holds and includes six (6) High-Output T5 Fluorescent tubes (6500K) and produces 30,000 initial lumens. This unit measures 47.75 inches long by 17.375 inches wide by 2.675 inches tall.
It's about $250.00 with shipping. Will this do the job?
Hey Whip... it's a good idea to 'quote' the post you are referring to in your reply so people know what you're talkin about. T5s are nice, but I prefer the 'do it myself' and save huge amounts of money. For 250 clams, you can do a lot of 'building', but that's a personal choice. Go for it!
mgk
Hey Whip... it's a good idea to 'quote' the post you are referring to in your reply so people know what you're talkin about. T5s are nice, but I prefer the 'do it myself' and save huge amounts of money. For 250 clams, you can do a lot of 'building', but that's a personal choice. Go for it!
mgk
What could I build? 6 bulbs that come with it cost $90.00+, so the fixture runs about $150.00
Am I better off spending $165.00 for this (it comes with one MH and one HPS and hood). Dimensions (in): 22 x 20 x 6, so it would be a fit, too. It's almost another 100W. I could get two and put one in my bud room and have two spare bulbs. GYO2002:
This 400W hydroponics lighting system represents the best value grow light. Its advanced electronic ballast supports both High Pressure Sodium (HPS) and Metal Halide (MH) bulbs, giving the grower the flexibility to choose the best selection simply by changing the bulb, instead of having to own two separate light systems.MH is used for accelerated vegetative growth, then switch to HPS to encourage flowering, fruiting and budding Input Characteristics Output Characteristics: Rated Voltage:120V Harmonic Distortion<10% Input Current:3.7A Crest Factor <1.50 Frequency:50Hz/60Hz Frequency (Hz) 25kHz ~ 100kHz Power Factor>0.99 Loss of Input Watts (%) <10% Total Luminous Flux >55,000Lm Energy Saving 30
Better? I really wish that I knew what the hell I was doing!
Honestly I would try and find a local shop, act like you gotta buy a lot over the next few weeks and get the t5 48. 8 bulbs and you can shut off 4 if you like,
Price is like 260 and with my discount it would be 205 or something like that.
I'm thinking about going T5's
When my flower room blows up I don't think I'll be veggin under 100's again. Maybe a week at most. So T5's
Smiley
Edit. what your plant count and what wattage in your 4x8 or 4x4's?
i run 2k in that same space and you have to have shit dialed with cooling to work it. I'm already re doing my ventilation. But we runs killa's in the PNW
Price is like 260 and with my discount it would be 205 or something like that.
I'm thinking about going T5's
When my flower room blows up I don't think I'll be veggin under 100's again. Maybe a week at most. So T5's
Smiley
Edit. what your plant count and what wattage in your 4x8 or 4x4's?
i run 2k in that same space and you have to have shit dialed with cooling to work it. I'm already re doing my ventilation. But we runs killa's in the PNW
There's no doubt the 400 watt switchable would be a good thing. I don't know what kind of space you're planning on, but one thing to consider, like Smiley sez.. ventilation and heat are going to be substantially more for the switchable than it will be for the t5s. I run a 600 watt switchable in my flower closet, but my veg area is a small cabinet and I could never handle the heat from an hid setup in there, so I run 2 65 watt cfl's and it keeps my youngsters, clones and a few mom's pretty happy... there's always stuff coming and going in the little cabinet, so it gets pretty busy. I've gotta make a decision on ditching a couple moms that I'm not sure if I want to keep the strain or not. Tough spot tho.. I won't know about the product for another month or so, so I've gotta figure out some sort of plan for that situation. It's all in what your situation can handle. If you're planning on having a 400 watt hid veg room, you flower room would have to be exponentially bigger and more powerful to accommodate the amount of stuff your veg/clone area will be able to produce.. it's a real juggling act..
You're on the right course.. keep pluggin and plannin!
mgk
Honestly I would try and find a local shop, act like you gotta buy a lot over the next few weeks and get the t5 48. 8 bulbs and you can shut off 4 if you like,
Price is like 260 and with my discount it would be 205 or something like that.
I'm thinking about going T5's
When my flower room blows up I don't think I'll be veggin under 100's again. Maybe a week at most. So T5's
Smiley
Edit. what your plant count and what wattage in your 4x8 or 4x4's?
i run 2k in that same space and you have to have shit dialed with cooling to work it. I'm already re doing my ventilation. But we runs killa's in the PNW
I'm legally allowed 24 plants (12 for me and I will be a "caregiver" for one person so far). I'm allowed to be a caregiver for up to four more people, so this could "grow". I own a home and live alone, so I have space. I have an unused bathroom and I'm going to put my nutrient tank for vegging in a tub, in the tub. If I get a leak, no problem. Easy to dump. Thinking about building a shelf above the tub (may just cut some plywood to fit) for the plants. That would make about a 2'X5' space. I can exhaust as much as I want to and it's a good sized room. If I have to put in a stronger ceiling fan, no problem.
I still have the 4'X8' space and figured out how to vent that. I imagine that too much ventilation tends to dry things out, so I plan to put a variable speed fan to exhaust this budding area. Since I am only allowed 5 oz. of dried medicine, I'm leaning toward splitting this into two budding rooms to allow for good, staggered harvests. The ceiling height is 9', so no height restriction. I assume that I should used a 400W HPS for a 4'X4' budding area. Yes/No?
