absolute n00b

We'll I've been reading through this forum and I've decided I'd really like to try to grow something. I see that a lot of the people here have very specific and complex methods and setups.
I was just wondering what the absolute minimum is that i could get by on, equipmentwise. This would be my first every attempt and i would just use bag seed sense I'm not expecting much anyway.

So if someone could help me put together a list of things i would need keeping in mind that I'm just looking for mediocre results and want to buy as little as possible to start out.
I'm thinking of using a closet and just doing one plant.
Thanks in advance

heres what you need 1. a HPS Light 250w the cheapeast
2. a fan to keep air moving 9in
3. perlite has a constant PH of just below 7 perfect
4. multi purpose compost for lightness
5. 7in pots seeing as you're doing a closet set up
6. Northern lights seeds plant has max height 125cm
7. you must have good ventalation
8. total darkness during 12/12 for buds
there thats what you need for a basic grow and you'll need nutes for veg and budding

thanks alot
it seems like the only problem would be ventilation. Is there any way to get good air flow in a closet or am i going to have to abandon the closet idea and go with a cabinet type thing I've seen a couple people here do?

i just left the door open on my closet and turned a fan on it ^_^ grew fine till it got root bound and died...i would go with a closet easier to control the environment.

so for the absolute minimum i will just need the one HPS light?
So i use that light for both stages?

For the minimum one hps will do, but you might want to start off with more than one plant and only keep one healthy female to flower later. It would be a waste to put the time and money into one plant and have it be a male...

so for that i would need 2 HPS? sense i would be flowering one while keeping one up

A friend of mine just told me that 20watts per square foot was sufficient, and that a 50 watt lamp should work fine for one plant. Can anyone confirm this?
That would help me save some cash. I can't seem to find alot of information specifically for single plant operations so all of this isn't coming to me as easily as i wish it would

anybody know?
also, how well would incandescent lights work for my purposes?

incandescants will not work a good idea if an hps is not in your budget (same prob here) would be the cfls you can screw right into normal light fixtures I am using 4 of the 26 watt (100 watt equivelant) per plant and also a few of the 42 watters (150 watt equiv) just thrown in here and there thus far pretty impressed never used hid lighting so not sure what i am missing. you can use shoplights but i have found these cfls to be far superior i would suggest cfls in your case also due to the minimal heat they produce and a closet can get hot fast. dont use incandescant lights they will stretch your plants or if you get them close enough to make the stretch stop they will toast your plants useless in growing. cfls are cheap efficient and run cool heat is almost a non-issue. good luck

Thanks a lot, that was really helpful. Thats probably the route I'll go.
The only issue now is the air flow. sense its gonna be in an apartment i don't want to cut holes or anything

my best advice there is get a fan and as often as you can open the closet door and possibly any windows in the room with the closet. without cutting any vent holes this is probably the only option you have

how long? would it be alright to open the door maybe an hour a day while the lights are on?

I am not personally a closet grower but i would think the more time open the better plants like fresh air and circulation

where is your closet located? Isntead of cutting holes in the aprtments closet doors, could you take the door off the hinges and replace it with light plywood with a vent hole temporarily?

Well this is going to be a secret to most people so i don't want it to be obvious
*edit*
i should probably add that I live in the US so this is not legal in my case

Do you live in an apartment building or duplex(bi or tri-flat)? In an apartment building your options are almost zero. If thats the case, you will need to add CO2 to help compensate for the extra heat and lack of ventilation. Some people have recomemded freezing bottles of water and placing them in front of an in-clost fan to provide additional cooling. In the DIY section under GrowFAQ there is a ghetto way to build a CO2 generator with pop bottles, sugar, and yeast. I know this all seems like a lot of stuff when you are starting out, but doing the research now will save you time and lost yeilds down the road. Who knows, some day you might be "out of the closet" and growng 3,000 sq feet someplace. Just keep thinking about the inherit high of smoking your own. Its the best buzz ever.

I still live with my parents for the time being, but I will most likely be moving into a "normal" apartment. Thanks for the info, I'll check out the GrowFAQ

whynot get an envirolite, red spectrum. its cheaper than a hps, and it does the job. you say you only want mediocre results, this will give you better than that for less than any hps. and you wont need a 9" fan at all. 2, 4" pc fans will be ok if your closet is only 3 cubic metres. you only need to shift the air out of your room 3 times every hour. ive even seen people get an oz off a plant under energy saving light bulbs. there are loads of options. ive even grown 1 under a regular light bulb, it began to bud but i had to get it out of the house sharpish, so i killed it off, but it worked.

see what youve got lying around and use it, buy bits of equipment along the road. go for it mate, and good luck
CANNABLISS

Yeah, i think I'm gonna start with some CFLs and invest in some HPS as i go along. One think I'm confused about, I watched the "I grow chronic" video and the "Stoned Free guide to growing Cannabis" video, and in the first one, he has his plants in the vegetative state for 2 months before flowering, whereas in the other video, they are only kept in the vegetative for 3 weeks before he starts to flower them. I noticed they both ended up with a good amount of bud, so whats the difference?