PoppinFresh
Active member
I am hoping this is not an overdone topic and in fact, hope to possibly get this stickied.
Being a first time grower, I found it difficult to find supplies to set up my own grow closet. The prices of materials made it almost prohibitive for individuals like myself who don't have a thousand bucks to spare. Then, you see a lot of these threads with the DIY crowd. They don't spend as much and have totally awesome setups. So, how in the hell can individuals have a totally awesome setup without the killer price tag a lot of these companies are charging? Well, with the help of my brother and some heavy internet searching, emailing and phone calling on my end, I got a few tips for you guys. Please feel free to add some more on your own!
1. Diversify
The problem with getting everything at the "grow shop" for example is that while one item is typically priced (dirt, hydroton, nutrients), you'll find other items that you need at outrageous prices (fans, meters).
Think of other uses for the items that you need. For example, small clip on fan prices drove me crazy! The grow shop that I frequent have the small clip on fans for upwards of $30. I found that completely outrageous. So, I thought, where else can I get fans? In my neighborhood, there are tons of 99 cent discount stores and small hardware shops where those same fans cost around $5 to $10. Fortunately, I already had one!
2. Bargain Hunt
Just because you know where to get a lower price doesn't mean that it's the lowest price available.
I recently responded to a forum post (regarding DWC) which gave me the idea to do this thread. I wanted those buckets used by Hydrofarm's Waterfarm system because they were square - space saver. But, the buckets cost $12 and $15 for the 2 and 5 gallon, respectively. That's too much for me to pay individually. I wanted 8 plant sites which would easily cost me $216. At www.bascousa.com, similar buckets cost around $70-$80.
3. DIY - Do it yourself.
Note: You'll be needing tools for this part.
The purpose of this thread is keeping costs down so that we broke folk can get into this great activity. This means we'll need to put in some work to get these systems together. The reason these companies charge such "prohibitive" prices is because they do actually put some work into what they do. Unfortunately for them, we're here to say, "No, thank you!" to those high prices; we can do the work ourselves. So get your drills and saws oiled up and get to work. I got my brother for that so it saves me a lot more money. Then again, I am always putting gas in his car.
4. Don't be cheap
Yes, I know the purpose of this thread was to keep costs down. But, sometimes keeping costs down will cost you more than you think. There are some things we simply can NOT skimp on. Maybe, we can get away with a few cheaper (but still durable) components, but we can't skimp in certain areas.
Keep in mind, these plants we want to grow are women. Some of us want the guys too but that's another issue for some freaky sex thing these breeders do but who am I to be against interspecies love (lol, Clerks 2 is hilarious). But, we really want those ladies. That means we've got to feed them properly, cloth them properly, and make sure they look good all day everyday until death do you part.
Anyway, I will start a partial list of vendors and where I got a lot of my own stuff from. The closet isn't built YET! I am still waiting for some more items which will come in soon enough! When it is in full operation, you will see it in its proper forum.
Note: If you guys have any changes or additions, let me know! Just tell me the specific item and where you got it from.
Note: If I got it from a local area store, I just leave it blank!
General
Home Depot (www.homedepot.com)
Lowes (www.lowes.com)
EzHydroKit (www.ezhydrokit.com)
Buckets, Pots, Containers
Basco USA (www.bascousa.com)
Electronics USA (www.electronicsusa.com/productsboxes.html)
Lights
EzHydroKit (www.ezhydrokit.com)
Timers
Home Depot (www.homedepot.com)
Testers
Harbor Freight Tools (www.harborfreight.com)
Chains (to hang lights)
Harbor Freight Tools (www.harborfreight.com)
Tubing, Spiggots, Connectors
Dirt, Nutrients
Fans
Air Treatment
Water Treatment
Stash Kits
Staples (www.staples.com)
Always check these stores for items you think you need before you actually purchase. Sometimes, non-hydro specific stores are the way the go. Also keep in mind, your local hydro shop may have it at the right price as well. So, it's good to check both. And finally, be mindful of the cost of shipping vs taxes and depending on where you are, shipping AND taxes.
Being a first time grower, I found it difficult to find supplies to set up my own grow closet. The prices of materials made it almost prohibitive for individuals like myself who don't have a thousand bucks to spare. Then, you see a lot of these threads with the DIY crowd. They don't spend as much and have totally awesome setups. So, how in the hell can individuals have a totally awesome setup without the killer price tag a lot of these companies are charging? Well, with the help of my brother and some heavy internet searching, emailing and phone calling on my end, I got a few tips for you guys. Please feel free to add some more on your own!
1. Diversify
The problem with getting everything at the "grow shop" for example is that while one item is typically priced (dirt, hydroton, nutrients), you'll find other items that you need at outrageous prices (fans, meters).
Think of other uses for the items that you need. For example, small clip on fan prices drove me crazy! The grow shop that I frequent have the small clip on fans for upwards of $30. I found that completely outrageous. So, I thought, where else can I get fans? In my neighborhood, there are tons of 99 cent discount stores and small hardware shops where those same fans cost around $5 to $10. Fortunately, I already had one!
2. Bargain Hunt
Just because you know where to get a lower price doesn't mean that it's the lowest price available.
I recently responded to a forum post (regarding DWC) which gave me the idea to do this thread. I wanted those buckets used by Hydrofarm's Waterfarm system because they were square - space saver. But, the buckets cost $12 and $15 for the 2 and 5 gallon, respectively. That's too much for me to pay individually. I wanted 8 plant sites which would easily cost me $216. At www.bascousa.com, similar buckets cost around $70-$80.
3. DIY - Do it yourself.
Note: You'll be needing tools for this part.
The purpose of this thread is keeping costs down so that we broke folk can get into this great activity. This means we'll need to put in some work to get these systems together. The reason these companies charge such "prohibitive" prices is because they do actually put some work into what they do. Unfortunately for them, we're here to say, "No, thank you!" to those high prices; we can do the work ourselves. So get your drills and saws oiled up and get to work. I got my brother for that so it saves me a lot more money. Then again, I am always putting gas in his car.
4. Don't be cheap
Yes, I know the purpose of this thread was to keep costs down. But, sometimes keeping costs down will cost you more than you think. There are some things we simply can NOT skimp on. Maybe, we can get away with a few cheaper (but still durable) components, but we can't skimp in certain areas.
Keep in mind, these plants we want to grow are women. Some of us want the guys too but that's another issue for some freaky sex thing these breeders do but who am I to be against interspecies love (lol, Clerks 2 is hilarious). But, we really want those ladies. That means we've got to feed them properly, cloth them properly, and make sure they look good all day everyday until death do you part.
Anyway, I will start a partial list of vendors and where I got a lot of my own stuff from. The closet isn't built YET! I am still waiting for some more items which will come in soon enough! When it is in full operation, you will see it in its proper forum.
Note: If you guys have any changes or additions, let me know! Just tell me the specific item and where you got it from.
Note: If I got it from a local area store, I just leave it blank!
General
Home Depot (www.homedepot.com)
Lowes (www.lowes.com)
EzHydroKit (www.ezhydrokit.com)
Buckets, Pots, Containers
Basco USA (www.bascousa.com)
Electronics USA (www.electronicsusa.com/productsboxes.html)
Lights
EzHydroKit (www.ezhydrokit.com)
Timers
Home Depot (www.homedepot.com)
Testers
Harbor Freight Tools (www.harborfreight.com)
Chains (to hang lights)
Harbor Freight Tools (www.harborfreight.com)
Tubing, Spiggots, Connectors
Dirt, Nutrients
Fans
Air Treatment
Water Treatment
Stash Kits
Staples (www.staples.com)
Always check these stores for items you think you need before you actually purchase. Sometimes, non-hydro specific stores are the way the go. Also keep in mind, your local hydro shop may have it at the right price as well. So, it's good to check both. And finally, be mindful of the cost of shipping vs taxes and depending on where you are, shipping AND taxes.
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I have a couple of neighbors that dispose of empty ones regularly.
