$1500 budget first time grow setup

ok guys i have a $1500 budget and want to start a grow. i have never grow before but i have been doing alot of research and i want to go LED for lights. at least for the rooting and veg stages. not to sure what kind yet. looking for advice. i plan on making a speaker into my clone dome and a dresser into my monthers/Veg, and flower in my closet. any advice on what lights or anything else i need that will be best while staying in the budget will be greatly apriceated. i would prefer going hydro/areopoinices. thank you

Hey,
im not into led lights so wont comment on them. Good for your small spaces though,

personally i would use some of that budget, say 1000, and save the 500 for another time, or if your really enjoyed it. I guess most of your budget will go on lights so maybe not...

i would recommend coco in fabric pots for your first grow. Easy like soil but with the hydro feeds and everthing in one. Im on my first run with coco and wish i had started sooner.(soil and re-circ drip hydro before) honestly coco is too easy, and so much better than soil. Any way....
If you go areo, make sure you have some cash for spare parts, like spray nozzles and everything as if one blocks or a pump fails so dose your crop.
i would highly recommend a bluelab ec/cf truncheon. Its great, simple to use easy to maintain. Best 70 i ever spent.

Also yes two spaces is great, that how i run it, small veg room, bigger flower for a perpetual harvest thing. But i would recommend for you to do 'batches' the first few runs. Lets you get your eye in and a perpetual can get confusing, and means you have to make alot of notes etc. so as i say maybe get a batch done and think about your setup, also when you use pots over say an nft gullie its alot easier to get a plant outta there if there is an issue, bugs for example.

Now feed and that can get really confusing, and prices vary so much that what you go with is your call. I can recommend a few, as i have used them, but its really all the same. Just get a good base line fed first. Leave the addivites and 'boost' for when you have a good grow under your belt.

Anyhow, take it easy..

Also forgot to say, i use 2 125w(warm and cool whites) cfls in my veg bit and a 400w hps in my flower room to give you an idea, veg is 1m square, flower 1.2m squared. I dont use all the veg space,

if you are thinking hydro, read this https://www.rollitup.org/dwc-bubbleponics/234626-rosemans-diy-bubbleponics-tutorial.html

there are some good leds out there, I have the pro grow 180

have you picked up any equipment yet ? First grow I kept my setup real simple just to make sure things were working out then expanded. just a thought hate to see ya drop bucks on stuff that you really don't need LOL been there done that.

Hey thanks for the advice, and saving money is always a good thing. I'll keep all this wisdom in mind.

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Would you recommend auto flowering for a first grow or just get feminized?

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http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-GrowBright-2-Foot-6-Lamp-High-Output-T5-With-Choice-of-Bulbs 150$ theres your veg cab, you'll need some sort of fan so theres ~100$ more
you could spend another 250$ , 200 on ph and ppm pens, 50$ on nutes ph up+down
then theres the hydro setup... depends if you're using pumps or doing passive hydro, or aero.. can be anywhere from 100$ to 500$+
and for flowering stage you could use an LED flowering bulb or an HPS light. Also there's alot of people who like cmh too. this could be anywhere from 100$ to 1000$ depending on taste. and then you need another fan so theres 100$

don't forget the mylar and ducting supplies! 50$ or so

I like regular or feminized ceeds, i hear autos aren't worth it (especially if your dropping $$ on this)

You have $1500, that is more than enough for a first time grow.

If you have the room, just get 2 1/2 tents.
A Veg tent W/ a small cloner tent on top of it (They have some that are sold together) ($150-200 for a good one)
A Flower tent W/ all necessary holes ($150-200 for a good one)
2 Inline fans W/ Carbon scrubbers ($125-160 Ea)
2 400-600W HID's ($125-150 Ea & these come with everything you need, aircooled hood, hangers, timer, etc)
A few CFLs for Clones (Not sure)
Nutrient lineup (Jacks Classic 2 Tubs that will last you a 2+ years depending on how many plants you grow $25 Ea)
Additives (Depending on if you even want some so will leave this out)
Some 240CFM fans ($25-30 Ea)
Circ Fan ($5-20 Ea)
Soilless Coco (Price depends where you live)
smart pots (About $3-5 per 5Gal)
Temp gauge ($7)

Personally I don't think you need a PH / PPM meter for your first grow, I have been growing without one for quite a while with no issues.
Most of your cost is going to be on Lights & Tents, although if you want to save money you can go with your closet but extracting from a closet is gonna be hard if you are trying to hide the smell.
Hope you have an A/c or you live in a cold place at the moment (drops down to 20-30F in my area so I don't use an A/c till Summer)

MedicatedGrow said:

Personally I don't think you need a PH / PPM meter for your first grow,

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Everything else you said i agree with, and too a point i agree a ppm/ec meter isnt really needed but i think at least a cheapy pH pen is a must, not in soil, but certainly for hydro/aero. Especially if your not buying self buffering nutes..

take it easy.

bunnyface said:

Everything else you said i agree with, and too a point i agree a ppm/ec meter isnt really needed but i think at least a cheapy pH pen is a must, not in soil, but certainly for hydro/aero. Especially if your not buying self buffering nutes..

take it easy.

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I agree as well, for Hydro/Aero you will want a PH pen or some type of PH checker.
Although for Coco coir which is what I use, I haven't had a PH issue yet (Cross my fingers)

Everyone is bombing you with too much info, First I wouldn't start with hydro its complicated use that as side project a learning experience. Start with Fox Farm Ocean soil, The trio FF nutes some 1.5 and 5 gal pots a seedling tray rockwool cubes 2 85w blue 2 55w red CFLs for veg get two tents its easier than dealing with mylar and cutting holes in things the most money is gonna go to your flowering light I went with 600w to leave voltage on my breaker for fans. But you might want to consider 1000w go with HPS its better for flowering. Timers and surge protectors and lots of clean fresh water Don't waste all your money on fancy shit

so soil for a first time grow is best? that's what I was thinking aswell. so I will start with soil and just do a few batches like that and take notes and everything. and you guys think tents are the way to go? ill be living with myself so not to big of an issue hiding it. I will probably grow in a closet or a spare room. anyone have any say in a flowering LED light? or would hps be better? money is really not that big of an issue iv been on a deployment all year and have plenty of it.

im thinking about the area 51 2014 xgs-190w led for flowering

http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-Complete-8-Site-Cloner-Bucket-Kit# what do you guys think about this? user friendly? im thinking about getting this for my clones and the area 51 light for flowering them
http://a51led.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=65&products_id=181 and for the mother I plan on this http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-GrowBright-2-Foot-6-Lamp-High-Output-T5-With-Choice-of-Bulbs what do you think? how will the plants handle the areopoinic system them switching over to soil?

RastaSapper said:

ok guys i have a $1500 budget and want to start a grow. i have never grow before but i have been doing alot of research and i want to go LED for lights. at least for the rooting and veg stages. not to sure what kind yet. looking for advice. i plan on making a speaker into my clone dome and a dresser into my monthers/Veg, and flower in my closet. any advice on what lights or anything else i need that will be best while staying in the budget will be greatly apriceated. i would prefer going hydro/areopoinices. thank you

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Welcome if its gonna be ur first time growing id say buy a pre-made medium with feed (soil) for the first grow get a feel for the plants hydro (maybe hard to run for a first time grower and will most probly get small problems on the way

i use www.biobizz.com

soil mix with feed and chart.... about the lights id says invest a little in to a 600wt hps or 400wt for the flowering stage i use a cheap fluorescent light for the veg stage (was in my fish tank)


Keep it simple (its not rocket science)

If you want easy this is what I recommend and this is a proven method that works and works great.

BlackStar 270 Chrome
Disposable plastic plant cup
One 3 gallon fabric pot
One 5 gallon fabric pot
One rock wool cube
Canna Nutirents Terra Veg and Terra Flores
Fox Farms Open Sesame, Beastie Bloomz, and Cha-Ching
Plagron Grow Mix
One Dutch Passion White Widow Autoflower seed

I just got an estimated 80-100 grams dried and cured from one plant with that exact set up. Last grow was a DinaFem Auto White Widow and I got 60 grams dried and cured. If you're a personal stash guy those are the only things you need to keep yourself in more high quality weed than you need. You're looking at less than 600 bucks total. You may need a PH meter to check your tap water too. I checked mine last year and it was within proper parameters. I haven't checked it since and I water my plants directly from the tap after it has reached room temperature. That's it, keep it simple and you'll be surprised at how much shit you don't need to turn out awesome smoke.

RastaSapper said:

ok guys i have a $1500 budget and want to start a grow. i have never grow before but i have been doing alot of research and i want to go LED for lights. at least for the rooting and veg stages. not to sure what kind yet. looking for advice. i plan on making a speaker into my clone dome and a dresser into my monthers/Veg, and flower in my closet. any advice on what lights or anything else i need that will be best while staying in the budget will be greatly apriceated. i would prefer going hydro/areopoinices. thank you

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I'd go here just to compare; whatever else you do

BigEasy1 said:

If you want easy this is what I recommend and this is a proven method that works and works great.

BlackStar 270 Chrome
Disposable plastic plant cup
One 3 gallon fabric pot
One 5 gallon fabric pot
One rock wool cube
Canna Nutirents Terra Veg and Terra Flores
Fox Farms Open Sesame, Beastie Bloomz, and Cha-Ching
Plagron Grow Mix
One Dutch Passion White Widow Autoflower seed

I just got an estimated 80-100 grams dried and cured from one plant with that exact set up. Last grow was a DinaFem Auto White Widow and I got 60 grams dried and cured. If you're a personal stash guy those are the only things you need to keep yourself in more high quality weed than you need. You're looking at less than 600 bucks total. You may need a PH meter to check your tap water too. I checked mine last year and it was within proper parameters. I haven't checked it since and I water my plants directly from the tap after it has reached room temperature. That's it, keep it simple and you'll be surprised at how much shit you don't need to turn out awesome smoke.

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Bigeasy how do you like the auto seeds? How do you so the light schedule on them? And how long from seed to harvest does it usually take? Thanks again

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Mostly info overflow so far.
Bottom line, go easy and step by step, fluos for vegging HPS for flowering. Hydro can be tricky for first time.
I'd go hempy buckets or ebb/flow, two most safe and forgiving setups.

EC/ppm meter is a must, they are cheap now, got mine for less than 10 bucks.

As you progress you'll find out what next you need, if you buy all stuff now, likely you will not use some of it as changes, and learning curve will kick in. Always go easy on nuts, better less than too much.

PERIOD