How much does it cost you to produce one pound of herb?

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
it's already been done by people with millions to drop into initial layout.

you got that kind of scratch around to fund your pipe dream?
And did you know that those fools generally buy whatever their hydro store tells them to?

Just because they're rich doesn't mean they aren't stupid.

WE, us, right here on this forum, are designing and testing approaches that flat shit all over the cost per pound of multi million dollar warehouses, every day.

Cost of production is a big deal because we all pay for it one way or another.

This is an excellent thread topic, and I look forward to hearing some serious responses.

I'd like to hear one from you, while we're at it.
 

churchhaze

Well-Known Member
That's a different question. What's your COST?

I'm interested in that number, because it's the ultimate razor against which I make purchasing and design decisions, including those related to LED lighting.
My friend, it cost me to produce what you're willing to pay!! you're getting a special deal!! It's such a good deal, I'm losing money! (but i make up for it in volume)
 

panhead

Well-Known Member
That's a different question. What's your COST?

I'm interested in that number, because it's the ultimate razor against which I make purchasing and design decisions, including those related to LED lighting.
You bring up a good point with led , i wish a manufacturer with a reputation for quality would come out with led panels us folks who cant build our own could just plug & play like with hps .

I know enough where i know the potential savings would cut my electrical costs substantially, you'd think some manufacturer would have quality panels allready on the market & publish info needed to educate experienced growers how to successfully convert to led on a large scale .

Ive got twenty four 600 hps in the flower room & another 4 in the mother room along with 32 four ft t5 bulbs sucking power , i would love to switch it all out at once like i did when i dropped all the 1,000 hps in favor of 600's but the shit just isnt out there .
 

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
You bring up a good point with led , i wish a manufacturer with a reputation for quality would come out with led panels us folks who cant build our own could just plug & play like with hps .

I know enough where i know the potential savings would cut my electrical costs substantially, you'd think some manufacturer would have quality panels allready on the market & publish info needed to educate experienced growers how to successfully convert to led on a large scale .

Ive got twenty four 600 hps in the flower room & another 4 in the mother room along with 32 four ft t5 bulbs sucking power , i would love to switch it all out at once like i did when i dropped all the 1,000 hps in favor of 600's but the shit just isnt out there .
Agreed. I'm doing mine piecemeal, which suits both my needs and my budget.
 

a mongo frog

Well-Known Member
You bring up a good point with led , i wish a manufacturer with a reputation for quality would come out with led panels us folks who cant build our own could just plug & play like with hps .

I know enough where i know the potential savings would cut my electrical costs substantially, you'd think some manufacturer would have quality panels allready on the market & publish info needed to educate experienced growers how to successfully convert to led on a large scale .

Ive got twenty four 600 hps in the flower room & another 4 in the mother room along with 32 four ft t5 bulbs sucking power , i would love to switch it all out at once like i did when i dropped all the 1,000 hps in favor of 600's but the shit just isnt out there .
Are we aloud to ask a member here to build one for us and we will pay them and the shipping? Might be against site rules.
 

churchhaze

Well-Known Member
There's 3 reasons you won't find a company with a decent prebuilt led for a decent price.

1) the parts are more expensive than people think
2) the labor is more than people think
3) If you look around RIU threads, most customers will always buy the cheapest one, even if it sucks balls. There's no reason to put quality parts into a prebuilt unit when the majority of customers don't appreciate the parts you choose for them. (like a 94% efficient driver with active power favor correction vs a 85% efficient driver without. Good luck finding a prebuilt offering a 94% efficient driver)

I don't even know if I will actually save money with DIY led over HPS in the long run. It's just something I've been trying out because I liked the results from other people using it. It will be more clear to me in a few years what the numbers actually turn out to be. I'm getting great yields, but that doesn't necessarily mean DIY led is a better value.
 
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churchhaze

Well-Known Member
The main reason my setup is cheaper is because I use DIY nutes! lol.

I just got another 10lb bag of potassium nitrate for 20 bucks, free shipping. That's going to last me for about 5 years.

You can say the price of nutes is tiny, but the amount of money I've saved in nutes over the last few years probably paid for my DIY leds!
 

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
The main reason my setup is cheaper is because I use DIY nutes! lol.

I just got another 10lb bag of potassium nitrate for 20 bucks, free shipping. That's going to last me for about 5 years.

You can say the price of nutes is tiny, but the amount of money I've saved in nutes over the last few years probably paid for my DIY leds!
Who do you buy from? I'm fortunate enough to be within driving distance of these guys in Colorado springs, CO;
Hydrogardens.com

I think I save something on the order of 95% in nutrient costs vs water bottles from the hydro store.
 

churchhaze

Well-Known Member
Who do you buy from? I'm fortunate enough to be within driving distance of these guys in Colorado springs, CO;
Hydrogardens.com

I think I save something on the order of 95% in nutrient costs vs water bottles from the hydro store.
I usually order from cropking.com, but their potassium nitrate has an insane shipping price... Like, it costs more to ship 1lb of potassium nitrate than it does to BUY AND SHIP a 50lb bag of calcium nitrate. (i'm going to get another 50lb bag from them in a few days)

I got this bag of potassium nitrate on ebay, who i think broke a few rules sending it in a priority mail bubble wrap envelope... lol. When it got here, it looked like a package of cocaine, and had a slit cut into it, and was leaking nitrates!! lol. Most (all) of it seems in there, but still.. wow!
 

panhead

Well-Known Member
The main reason my setup is cheaper is because I use DIY nutes! lol.

I just got another 10lb bag of potassium nitrate for 20 bucks, free shipping. That's going to last me for about 5 years.

You can say the price of nutes is tiny, but the amount of money I've saved in nutes over the last few years probably paid for my DIY leds!
I dont break it down that far but i have got past using mj nutes & get nutes from farm supply at $17 a gallon compared to $80 at the grow shop .
 

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
There's 3 reasons you won't find a company with a decent prebuilt led for a decent price.

1) the parts are more expensive than people think
2) the labor is more than people think
3) If you look around RIU threads, most customers will always buy the cheapest one, even if it sucks balls. There's no reason to put quality parts into a prebuilt unit when the majority of customers don't appreciate the parts you choose for them. (like a 94% efficient driver with active power favor correction vs a 85% efficient driver without. Good luck finding a prebuilt offering a 94% efficient driver)

I don't even know if I will actually save money with DIY led over HPS in the long run. It's just something I've been trying out because I liked the results from other people using it. It will be more clear to me in a few years what the numbers actually turn out to be. I'm getting great yields, but that doesn't necessarily mean DIY led is a better value.
I think I need to get into this. I've spent a lot of time looking at alternatives and I keep coming back to this.
 

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
I usually order from cropking.com, but their potassium nitrate has an insane shipping price... Like, it costs more to ship 1lb of potassium nitrate than it does to BUY AND SHIP a 50lb bag of calcium nitrate. (i'm going to get another 50lb bag from them in a few days)

I got this bag of potassium nitrate on ebay, who i think broke a few rules sending it in a priority mail bubble wrap envelope... lol. When it got here, it looked like a package of cocaine, and had a slit cut into it, and was leaking nitrates!! lol. Most (all) of it seems in there, but still.. wow!
Is it some kind of hazardous material? I know ammonium nitrate is serious business.
 
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