The ultimate Newb humbly asks for help for first grow ever...

[stonedar]

I'd buy some Clearex or Final Flush or FloraKleen(cheapest/best deal) for final flush and or pre-rinsing your coco. it'll make life easier. don't get piece coir make sure it's regular sunleaves coir not piece coir

piece coir is more for hydroponice drip or mulching a lawn

I usually buy compressed just cause it's cheaper and no big deal to get ready. but 1st time do as you please, of course

 

[stonedar]

I don't mean to troll your thread, other peoples answers are just as good as mine, lol

 

[stonedar]

ATTN : Digilux enhanced Blue spectrum HPS bulbs are engineered to work on electronic digital ballasts. Digilux HPS bulbs are not recommended for use on magnetic ballasts.

the ballast you listed is magnetic, choose another bulb

 

[coloradomedical]

Ceramic Metal Halide! since you have the magnetic ballast anyway. I honestlly think your fan/filter would work, but if its not too late go bigger get a fan controller for sure.

 

[stonedar]

if he were to use that fan filter he'd either need to switch reflectors, he listed a 6" AC reflector, or get duct reducers. or not air-cool.

I like CMH I own a 250 it's vegging 9 little bitty clones now

 

[HopefulNewb]

damn, nice catch on ballast , and yeah I got Sunleaves Loose Coconut Fiber 40 L bag , I'll look at those other things.

found a ballast that will work that looks good and quiet also - http://www.plantlightinghydroponics.com/product_info.php?products_id=2105{24}121

and fan - Bigger -Size 6", 400 CFM

bigger filter - 400 CFM - 6" x 16" -

lol pretty overkill for what I'm doing but ok,

 

[stonedar]

sorry the filter/fan dealio will add some cost. and yeah it seems over kill but it's not so much. what it won't be is real quiet. then again neither would a 4" fan just a warning.

what pots you buying? am I being a pest?

I can't follow that link what ballast did you select? reason I ask is so I can see if it'll connect to the reflector you chose without an adapter

 

[HopefulNewb]

gah certain ballasts need certain hoods/reflectors, this is becoming a headache... I really want that bulb , now need to find a hood/ballast at ok prices that work together in harmony hopefully without an adapter.



Ok so this - 1 x Lumatek 400W 120.240V HPS/MH Electronic Ballast1 x Hydrofarm Radiant 6in AC reflector w.glass, 15FT lamp cord1 x Digilux 400W Enhanced Blue Spectrum HPS Grow Bulbwill work, again more than I wanted to spend but seems like it's a good reflector.

 

[HopefulNewb]

naw you're being a great help, I bought some heavy duty pots that are same size all the way down, again overkill size for plants starting in but they're a little over 4.5 gallons. each


Also found this link which sorta helps with hoods/ballast... this is the last part pretty much then I'm set to go, and yeah it sucks cost went up but it's ok. want to get it right first time.

One other thought, will I really need to get like another flood tray, tent comes with cleanable one but I'm not trying to keep drainage each time

 

[stonedar]

the adaptor is $10 no big deal 100% works great

http://www.plantlightinghydroponics...tek-ballast-to-sunlight-reflector-p-2113.html

 

[HopefulNewb]

what does the fan controller really do, and why would I need it? (sorry I'm newb) lol

this one is confirmed to work with fans I plan on buying and doesn't cost a ton

http://www.greners.com/duct-fan-speed-adjuster.html

 

[HopefulNewb]

the adaptor is $10 no big deal 100% works great

http://www.plantlightinghydroponics...tek-ballast-to-sunlight-reflector-p-2113.html

cool well what ballast/hood is best value and works the best? Seems like it's only like 5 more bucks to get the lumatek/hydro/bulb setup than other one..

 

[stonedar]

sorry was away sec, the fan speed controller will slow your fan some. it will be over kill right out of the box. you DO NOT need one, day one. but I bet you will later. it will make the fan quieter too. they cost $29-35 the fan controllers

 

[stonedar]

as far as reflector I like the one you chose. the super sun 2.

as far as ballasts I do like Lumatek. it's just a lil more complicated than that. the 400w Lumatek that Plantlighting has in stock right now is an older model that has the hydrofarm plug. it would work with the super sun 2 (ss2) fine it would just need an adaptor.

the newer lumatek 400w comes with either hydrofarm stye connector or the sunlight supply style(ss2 has this)

so thats why I asked about the ballast, it's a mess for noobs.

keep your stick on the ice. lol

 

[HopefulNewb]

Ok I think I'm getting close to hitting the yeah let's go... button...

Secret Jardin DR100(L) Grow Tent
Active Air In-Line Booster Fans - 6", 400 CFM
ProGrip Ratchet Light Hanger
Clip on Fan 6"
Active Air In-Line Fans
Phresh Filters 400 CFM - 6" x 16" -
Duct Fan "Speedster" Speed Adjuster

hydrofarm-radiant-6in-ac-reflector-wglass-15ft-lamp-cord
Lumatek 400W 120.240V HPS/MH Electronic Ballast
digilux-400w-enhanced-blue-spectrum-hps-grow-bulb


MaxiBloom 2.2 lbs
Perlite 32 Qt
Sunleaves Loose Coconut Fiber 40 L bag
CalMag Qt
Ph Control Kit

 

[HopefulNewb]

how much of an energy bill spike will this produce? lol maybe the rest of the house will get some heat ;x

another thought I had was if I have a very upstairs attic that is big but has like no insulation and is cold during winter would I want to move it in there for winter months? will it run that hot?

 

[_Dude]

#1. I have NO clue on lights, on what to buy, where to look anything. Can I use just one type from start to finish?

Yes. If you're going with one type, use HPS, High Pressure Sodium. The other type of HID (High Intensity Discharge) light people use is MH, Metal Halide, but IME they suck ass for flowering.

If you're at a loss about wattage, then you should probably use your desired yield per harvest as a guide. Assume .5 grams per watt for now. That's an easy target to hit IME. For example, if you're going to grow an 8 week strain (typical), and every 8 weeks you want to have 300 grams, then you'll need a 600w HPS.

#2. I sorta understand Lucas formula, and will probably buy a semi-expensive ppm/ph meter, but in the terms KISS, I feel like I'll mess with it too much and over-feed or something. When making very first nutrient soup, how should I clean the containers? Another confusing part, do I use tap water and should I alter it's ph before adding nutrients?

Take my advice on this with a grain of salt, because I just found out I've been using a hell and gone wrong recipe for Lucas. But according to my new calculations, you can get a good approximation of Lucas with GH MaxiGro and MaxiBloom (dry nutes, much cheaper than liquid nutes) by using a 1:6 ratio of MaxiGro to MaxiBloom.

You can do your own math using the nute calculator (Excel spreadsheet) at Cannastats (first link):

http://www.angelfire.com/cantina/fourtwenty/articles/download.htm

I have two bits of advice on nutes for newbs.

1. DON'T OVERCOMPLICATE THINGS! Keep it simple. Lucas is a good choice IMO. Get fancy with nutes after you know what you're doing.
2. It's not rocket science. There's no magic number target PPMs for plants. Hobby growers tend to get all obsessed with regimes, but dude, it's a PLANT. They've been growing outdoors for millions of years with nobody adding nutes, H2O2, additives, or anything else. If you hit a target RANGE for nute balance and PPMs, you're fine, and a swing 50 points one way or the other isn't going to change that.

I've been getting .5 g/w or a bit more from the COMPLETELY WRONG RECIPE for Lucas. Plants are survivors.

#3. Biggest problem is figuring out where exactly. I have an empty closet, but I'm confused on how much ventilation two plants will need, I don't have security issues living alone in a house. Do I crack closet door and have a fan on the plant, should I set up a airfilter right outside to limit smell and circulate cleaner air for plants? I could hang the lights off top of closet.

The plants don't need much ventilation. Depending on what wattage light you use, your light probably will. I'd use an aircooled hood on anything 600w and over. A fart fan or two will probably handle anything smaller than that.

That's if you own your house. If you don't, I'll let someone else answer because I don't have that problem and haven't devoted any time to thinking about it.

#4. What size rockwool cube should I start the seeds? in ? 1.5 inch or 4 inch??? Also after it starts I'll have hydroton all around, but I do take it out of rock wool right? I'm worried about the transfer if I can even get the seed to bloom.

1.5 is plenty. No, leave it in the rockwool. Just bury the cube even with the hydroton, or under a shallow layer of 'ton.

I feel so lost on the cycles

You mean light cycles? Nothing to it. Veg them on 18 hours a day of light, and when you think they're ready to flower, switch them to 12 hours light and 12 hours dark. They'll start the switch to "flower mode" immediately, and you'll see early flowers in about 10 days, give or take.

... and how to know when to do what. Like I read here over and over again, you can't go by just schedule, its when it's ready...

Sure you can go by schedule, in fact I'd trust a recommended schedule before I trusted a newb's judgement.

Good luck with it. There'll be a couple of harvests with trial and error, but you'll get the hang of it in no time. By far the hardest part of growing, once you've done your homework, is waiting all that time for your bud.

 

[stonedar]

I see nothing about your list that wouldn't work together, you should be pleased with that set up. as far as how much money a month you gotta break out your bill to see for sure.

you pay your bill by the kilo-watt/hour your set up will use maybe 540w (pretty good guesstimate) you gotta do some math I'll get the equation for you in a second. if I was to guess maybe $70-80 a month. but you won't run the 400 all the time. little tiny plants want less light, some cheapo cfl's from wal-mart are great

 

[stonedar]

I use this in my 400w lumatek ballast, just to confuse you more

http://www.plantlightinghydroponics.com/430w-super-agro-hps-grow-bulb-p-1465.html

 

[HopefulNewb]

lol dude, thanks I needed this ", it's a PLANT. They've been growing outdoors for millions of years with nobody adding nutes" I'm going K.I.S.S

stonedar after I plant first seed ever, I should use some lesser light for a few days on just the soil till it goes or what?

Yeah it's all a sink, I won't sell anything its all personal med use. But I like the idea of being able to grow bigger strains and find the right plant to help me even more.


lol don't confuse me anymore... I'm just praying I get it all setup and running.


One last question before hitting submit on order... what about flood tray? I think tent comes with one do I need to get another?