$200 Dollar Setup!

XSiL3nTX

Well-Known Member
Hello,

Does anyone know of a setup that I can do with the amount of $$$ I have? All I have is $200. Growbox? Lighting? I have all the nutes and I plan to use soil. Thanks!
 

BIGSIX

Well-Known Member
buy a 400w off htgsupply.com or ebay, then spend whats left on soil,pots,water meter, and some mylar or white paint, and have at it in a closet.
 

XSiL3nTX

Well-Known Member
I tried growing outdoors multiple times and each time there is always something that eats my fucking plants. Last time I had a lowryder that had a couple of leaves and nodes and I took it outside for some sun and when I came back an hour later the plant was gone! all that was left was the pot that it was in and a couple of leaves. I had 4 plants in the pot originally and the other 3 got eaten and only 1 was left and it got eaten later on. I think it could have been a lizard? We have lots of lizards here where I am at in Southern California or a grasshopper? pests? I dunno but that pissed me off.
 

ClosetGrower388

Active Member
No way!

The 400 W. HPS from htgsupply.com alone is $150.00.

You still need some lighting for the VEGETATIVE stage.
You can't use the same light for both veg and bloom (indoors).
And be careful - you want light DIRECTLY over each plant so they don't have to LEAN into the light, especially when they're real small.
I use 4' flourescents and line them up under it ($8.97 + tubes & taxes) at HD.
I use the Daylight Deluxe tubes which get pretty high into the blue spectrum.

You have to seperate the veg from the bloom somehow so bloom only sees light 12 hours a day.
You need timers for that too (unless you're going to turn them on/off every 12 hours manually).

You have to have a Ph meter, that's $30.00 minimum:
Digital pH TESTER PEN Test pH levels Pools, Spa pH600 - eBay (item 180222552269 end time Mar-19-08 18:00:00 PDT)
Then there's the pots, soil, irrigation (manually water them every day?)
Then there's the WATER - tap water won't work, especially if it's 'hard' water (like 120 PPM). Yea, you SHOULD have a TDS meter too ($15.95):
HM Digital TDS-EZ Pocket TDS Meter, TDSEZ

All those little $2.00 and $3.50 and $5.00 items add up FAST!

I started to build a hydro system and was just positive I could do it for under $300.00.
I'm up over $900.00 now (including seeds & nutes though).
I walk into Home Depot for just a couple small items and walk out having paid like $60.00 - $85.00 and wonder what the Hell happened!

My new home made hydro system is pretty nice though.

Plan EVERYTHING down to the DOLLAR - BEFORE you start buying anything.
Then add 20% for all the stuff you didn't realize you were going to need.

Don't give up - just save a little more money:) and plan real well in advance:)
 

BIGSIX

Well-Known Member
No way!

The 400 W. HPS from htgsupply.com alone is $150.00.

You still need some lighting for the VEGETATIVE stage.
You can't use the same light for both veg and bloom (indoors).
And be careful - you want light DIRECTLY over each plant so they don't have to LEAN into the light, especially when they're real small.
I use 4' flourescents and line them up under it ($8.97 + tubes & taxes) at HD.
I use the Daylight Deluxe tubes which get pretty high into the blue spectrum.

You have to seperate the veg from the bloom somehow so bloom only sees light 12 hours a day.
You need timers for that too (unless you're going to turn them on/off every 12 hours manually).

You have to have a Ph meter, that's $30.00 minimum:
Digital pH TESTER PEN Test pH levels Pools, Spa pH600 - eBay (item 180222552269 end time Mar-19-08 18:00:00 PDT)
Then there's the pots, soil, irrigation (manually water them every day?)
Then there's the WATER - tap water won't work, especially if it's 'hard' water (like 120 PPM). Yea, you SHOULD have a TDS meter too ($15.95):
HM Digital TDS-EZ Pocket TDS Meter, TDSEZ

All those little $2.00 and $3.50 and $5.00 items add up FAST!

I started to build a hydro system and was just positive I could do it for under $300.00.
I'm up over $900.00 now (including seeds & nutes though).
I walk into Home Depot for just a couple small items and walk out having paid like $60.00 - $85.00 and wonder what the Hell happened!

My new home made hydro system is pretty nice though.

Plan EVERYTHING down to the DOLLAR - BEFORE you start buying anything.
Then add 20% for all the stuff you didn't realize you were going to need.

Don't give up - just save a little more money:) and plan real well in advance:)
you cant flower under an hps? to tell him he would have to buy another light is misinforming him really. If you can only afford 1 hid light, I'd go with the HPS personally. Perhaps the author of this thread should look into seemore buds' book, thats a good way to go if youre on a tight budget. Perhaps some more capitol for your grow op is in order. buy things a piece at a time until you have what you need, in the mean time read read read the GROWFAQ and brush up on anything to might have questions on, also alot of reading here may help to influence how you decide to grow, soil or hydro, aeroponic, all organic, do want to have seperate veg. and flower rooms? or just 1 room? Theres alot to consider when you want to be serious about setting up a grow up.:mrgreen:
 

ClosetGrower388

Active Member
you cant flower under an hps? to tell him he would have to buy another light is misinforming him really. . .:mrgreen:
I was thinking of the HPS *for* bloom, not for veg. Yea you can use just one light & one room but I can't see how if you're going to continue an ongoing cycle using a mother plant.
You could Sprout - then Grow - then Bloom - then start all over I guess.

I'm new myself and always interested in learning. Is there another way to maintain an ongoing cycle with just one light and one room?
 

BIGSIX

Well-Known Member
I was thinking of the HPS *for* bloom, not for veg. Yea you can use just one light & one room but I can't see how if you're going to continue an ongoing cycle using a mother plant.
You could Sprout - then Grow - then Bloom - then start all over I guess.

I'm new myself and always interested in learning. Is there another way to maintain an ongoing cycle with just one light and one room?
He didnt ask about an on going cycle so I didnt really factor that into my answers. I got the impression he was asking about a more basic "get into growing":mrgreen: set up. I dunno though.......
 

specialkayme

Well-Known Member
I think a $200 budget isn't looking for a perpetual cycle. Just get some seeds, put them under lights, grow, harvest, repeat. Keeping moms under separate lights just adds to the budget, and if you don't have it you can't spend it. Just worry about the bud for now, then get the moms later on.
 

XSiL3nTX

Well-Known Member
Hello,

Yeah, I'm trying to grow some Lowryders and I have decided to have the plants outside during the day for the sun and at night take them in and put them under a 50 watt full spectrum LED and repeat. That's my plan right now and the sun is free! lol. Just the 50 watt panel is $100.
 
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