First Time Indoor Grow and Need Advice!!!

[DanKief]

Okay, so I'm new here and I have been watching videos and reading ebooks and real books for months on the subject of cultivating premium marijuana hydroponically.
Stealth growing is a must for me.
I have very limited funds and space so first off let me start off with the spec's.

I have a 2' x 4' growing space which = out to 8 Square Foot.
I have a low spot in the ceiling of about 4.5 Ft. - 5 Ft. and a high spot of about 7.5' to 8 '.
I am going to set up a drip irrigation system similar to the one used by Mr. Green in the "I Grow Chronic" video for his Vegetative state [if you have not seen the video check it out, its amusing to most].

I am asking that you treat this post as though I know absolutely nothing.
I am hoping to gain some wonderful knowledge and I've chosen this forum to do so because it seems you guys have a pretty good base of knowledge going here.

I have a 2 feet being used including the plywood board and tray for my hydroponics system I am building.
I am going to use mylar wrap on the walls/ceiling.
I am using a FULL SPECTRUM TL Light used for pets/fish.
I am going to build my own Carbon Filter.
I have a mountable fan.

What is most important before I start?
I do not have much money and I need to do this cheap and efficiently [don't we all? ]

Also, before I invest into this set up, is it possible I can use just the 2 foot tall table with a dirt and pot/bucket set up and grow 4-6 plants under 2 48" full spectrum TL Lamps if I give them the proper drainage/medium/nutrients?
Can I grow myself a half pound from 6 plants in 8-9 weeks using this simple set up?

I need to know so I can decide if I should seriously invest right now.
I'd like to get this simple set up going with 6 plants that are NOT hydro but just indoor and then after this winter I would like to move up to the initial set up I discussed earlier.

I would like to invest around $150-$200 including medium/lights/full set up.
And I would like to grow 4-6 plants [thats all I can do] and get a set up to where I can grow myself 8-10 ounces to last me the next 8-9 weeks of growing another batch.
I smoke on average an ounce a week and a half pound should last me 2 months [theoretically speaking]

So I guess I'm asking of all of your best advice for the first time grower and as I grow as a grower [literally] then so will my techniques and system.

If you guys can help me out I'd appreciate it very much!

Also, I need this to be discrete because of where I live with the laws permitting me from access to my medicine.
I use marijuana strictly for relief of depression/anxiety and severe pains.
Also, I need some good strains, I can grow a Sativa to 4-5 foot in the tall section of the grow room and an Indica up to 3-4 foot in the short section.
Would this make sense?
Also, I am only able to use seeds from bags of street medicine.
I have no way of telling viability, strain, sex, origin, or several other factors until after they have started growing.
What is the absolute cheapest strain for the beginning grower of marijuana who needs to smoke often.
I get used to strains and have to switch up often so if you could suggest a good blend, I would like 2 separate Indica's for the body high and 2 separate Sativa's for the mental alertness and soaring high.

PLEASE HELP!
Thanks so much and GOD BLESS!

DanK.

 

[Thor1911]

Everyone you need to know is on these forums, just gotta look around in the stickies and search for others.

What is most important before I start?
Know what you're doing lol

@ the seeds thing - you can buy seeds single(bout 10 bucks a peice) if you don't have the money to buy the pack of 10. Just research the strain you're lookin into.

About the questions with the lights, I have no idea about those lights. I just know about mh/hps lighting systems so sorry for the no help there! I'm sure someone else will reply shortly with those answers . Btw welcome to the forums lol, could prolly most in introduce yourself section

 

[DanKief]

Everyone you need to know is on these forums, just gotta look around in the stickies and search for others.

What is most important before I start?
Know what you're doing lol

@ the seeds thing - you can buy seeds single(bout 10 bucks a peice) if you don't have the money to buy the pack of 10. Just research the strain you're lookin into.

About the questions with the lights, I have no idea about those lights. I just know about mh/hps lighting systems so sorry for the no help there! I'm sure someone else will reply shortly with those answers . Btw welcome to the forums lol, could prolly most in introduce yourself section

Thanks for the quick reply and good energy, its appreciated.
I know a lot about growing and have lived around wildlife my entire life.
Marijuana is different then a lot of other plants in that I haven't studied other plants and their complete cycles however cannabis intrigues me deeply.
I haven grown outdoors with success thus far, feeding, nutrients, changing nutrients, topping, maintenance, and other factors as well.
I just grow from the abundance of seeds that I have, I have yet to bother investing in the fancy "strains" with the different names and what not.
I enjoy them yes, just can not afford to indulge yet.
White Widow for instance, always hear about it but which seed company sells "THEE" White Widow who originated it all and won the High Times awards so many years in a row.
There is a lot of different companies selling variations of seeds and banking in on it.
I would love to eventually buy a non-feminized version of a strain I can enjoy growing/using and just harvest my own seeds via Male Plants in a controlled environment.
I was unable to grow outdoors because of heavy rains/animals last year and this year my plants were attacked by mass amounts of slugs and animals.
I am left with absolutely no medicine now [other than what I can get from other farmers which is LIMITED].
I have success outside when planted properly but the strains vary and so does the weather from summer to summer where I live.
We're not guaranteed a good summer, every summer for growth of Marijuana here and this is why I would love to be able to come up with a cheap, cost efficient, grow set up.
I'm using Full Spectrum TL Lamps or LED's because they generate little to no heat and take up less energy and last for thousands of constant use hours [the LED's].
I do not live alone and can not spike the energy bill with ballasts and HPS/MH's.
Plus they cost SO MUCH and you can do JUST AS GOOD with the TL or LED's.

Well I appreciate the input from you and thanks for welcoming me to the site.
Hope to meet a lot of new people here!

Blessings,
DanK.

 

[Serapis]

I'm with ya on this grow and can feel your pain. But something you said intrigues me. You talk about LED lighting as if it were cheap. In reality, LED grow lights will cost you a lot more than any other type of light source at the moment. an you please post a picture of the light type you are talking about? I'm a soil grower, but will be happy to help where i can. We all need light, water farms or soil, and I'm concerned you are going to go about lighting wrong.

You might be better off with CFL bulbs, or those and flouro's mixed.

 

[DanKief]

I'm with ya on this grow and can feel your pain. But something you said intrigues me. You talk about LED lighting as if it were cheap. In reality, LED grow lights will cost you a lot more than any other type of light source at the moment. an you please post a picture of the light type you are talking about? I'm a soil grower, but will be happy to help where i can. We all need light, water farms or soil, and I'm concerned you are going to go about lighting wrong.

You might be better off with CFL bulbs, or those and flouro's mixed.

Well Look up how much energy LED's take up in comparison to HPS/MH and I need 400watts if I go to the 50watts per square foot that most grower's are going by.
LED's last for years and the reason most people are turning to them [not just for growing] is the fact they DO take up so little energy. The monthly bill will reflect this in LED grower's vs. tradition MH/HPS grower's.
And the LED's come in RED/Blue spectrum mix so you can run them all vegetative and flowering cycles with optimal results.
I have decided not to go with the LED set up because it will cost around $35-$60 for a decent LED red/blue spectrum mix set up.

The Lamps I plan to use are "6500K high intensity trichromatic full spectrum daylight" Lamps.
Features:
Effective up to 10,000 hours
Promotes photosynthetic processes in plants and marine algae.

Sounds like the perfect lamp and its the cheapest and most energy efficient.
Will 2 of these 48" lamps be enough for 6 plants in a 8 square foot [2' x 4'] room.
They are Marine/Aquarium lamps designed for water and plant use and they promote photosynthesis.
And they won't rise the bill so no one in my house has to worry about me jacking the bills up.

I really use marijuana daily for my anxiety and depression and often times my insomnia [its 4 am here and I've been up for 20 hours].
It would be nice to get a half pound every 2 months with 4 ounces Sativa and 4 ounces Indica [for separate ailments/uses] if possible.

Thanks for the input and I'm hoping to hear some good news about these CFL's, specifically this one designed for marine/plant life.
Should be good, I'm planning on using soil this winter [if I can do this] so maybe you can help me in that area.
How do I keep clean and does soil/dirt attract more bugs?
I'm not using straight soil, I might make a mix like in the video "stoned free" from Jazzy J Prod.

Thanks again.

DanK.

 

[DanKief]

Interesting, I just Googled "LED monthly bill savings" and the Jamaican Government said they are switching all light sources over to LED and will save an estimated 87% of monthly cost by doing so country wide...Came up as result number 2 and I thought you might find this interested as well!

DanK.

 

[Burger Boss]

I'm thinking the jury is sill out on LED's. Right now, I think they're a little pricey.
But why not CFL? 2 - 125's for overhead, and 4 42's on the sides = 418 watts, this would be equivalent to 1400 watts of incandescent.
Good luck & good grow.......BB

 

[DanKief]

I'm thinking the jury is sill out on LED's. Right now, I think they're a little pricey.
But why not CFL? 2 - 125's for overhead, and 4 42's on the sides = 418 watts, this would be equivalent to 1400 watts of incandescent.
Good luck & good grow.......BB

Well I believe LED's are cheaper because my Dad is a self employed electrician/construction worker and I've been around building my entire life and he explained to me in some detail of how the LED works and why. He's been using them for all sorts of lighting for years.

He's helped to explain everything I need about the electrical hook up and now we're just debating the CHEAPEST monthly bill to accomplish an EFFICIENT set up that will allow 6 plants to flourish.
The thing that cost the most about the LED growing [which I've seen done in green houses around here for vegetables] is the initial set up cost of the lamps.
But they plug in extremely easy, each bulb is less than $0.65 to replace and they have a full red/blue spectrum as to use during all cycles of the plant.

I've decided to go against LED for the initial set up costs.

So, you understand the dimensions of the room correct?
I have a pitched or angled ceiling in my closet where I am growing.
So I could put a 125 up at the 6ft tall side and one hanging at about 4 feet and then slap 4 42's on the sides?
I know for a fact I am going with at least 2 48" lamps that I found, the aquarium lights have 5000K each and are extreme replications of the sun and its color spectrum and they actually promote photosynthesis and plant growth.
if I was to place 2 48" of these lamps at the tops, what should I use for the sides?
ALSO, should I try to have a canopy that is not even and adjust the lights to do so? Or should I force them all to stay 2-3 ft short? I feel its a waste of precious grow space if I do not grow at least 2 or possibly even 3 4Ft. plants.
Should I take picture for everyone to understand the spec's of the layout?

Let me know and I'll snap some pics.

Thanks again so much for the advice, you guys are a godsend!

DanK.

 

[wyteberrywidow]

Those tl lamps are they florescent tubes?If so i doubt they will yield a half pound.

 

[DanKief]

Yeah, they are, am I allowed to link here? Here are the tube lamps I plan to use
Here are another option I just found
The Tubes are what I've been planning on buying.

Would it be better to get 2 hoods with a Y and plug 2 of these style lamps/bulbs into each one for a total of 4 bulbs at a little over 400 watts?

I would like to yield a half pound of dried consumable material via 6 plants. Is this going to be a challenge for me guys?
I'm ready to take this challenge on for sure!
THANKS!

 

[wyteberrywidow]

Yes you are allowed to link here.You should be able to put those lamps on y splitters i dont know if it will add up to 400 watts tho.
If you are trying to get a half pound I recommend using hid lights.It will be a big challenge to get that amount using floros or cfls.I would love to see it done.Not saying it cannot be done because it can but it would be much easier using 1 hid lamp than using 400 watt+ of cfls or floros.It will still consume the same amount of energy.

 

[DanKief]

Thanks for the advice/input. Yeah here is my situation. "Let's put it this way. I am unemployed, have $0 source of income, and I'm starting college Jan. 2011.
I have somewhat of a disability due to surgery so I am really trying to find the CHEAPEST but most efficient way to grow my medicine as so that I can use what money I do have on more stressing matters.

I am using strains from previous bags of consumed medicine.
Most of the medicine around here [that I can afford] has seeds in it.
I honestly do not prefer the smoke of 99% of the "dro" around here and I do not enjoy the effects either. They are jam packed with nutrients or sprayed with Epsom salt to make them "shine" and "sparkle" when lit, its a real shame/scam going on that I won't buy into.


I even tried JWH-018 as a substitute because of it's ease of legal access and cheap price but you immediately feel you've that been poisoned with and unnatural, non-digestible, quite scary chemical.
I used it for about 2 months straight daily until I ran out and have been getting medicine around here since.

Anyways, now that you guys kind of understand my situation, maybe you can tailor your advice to fit my "requirements" for growing.
I have around $180-$210 coming in but I have no idea as to when or how to check because it is money owed from the state.
I plan on using this money for the initial set up, I see it this way, any strain will grow given the right care and nurturing, this in mind, I can spend all my cash on the set up and just grow some strains I already own.
After harvesting my first or second crop of medicine I will then in turn, be able to afford these pricey strains.
I do actually know some people with legit White Widow, Lowrider, and Lowlife strains of Auto-Fem+Auto-Bud seeds.
I hear people are having problems with hermaphrodites from the Auto-buds [not often but it seems the people who have the problem are repeat victims].
So I could actually [after investing] get these seeds for absolutely free as long as I share a portion of the medicinal harvest.
For now, I need some good strong plants to get me through the hellacious winters of eastern USA.e
I know I could probably grow 8 plants in an 8 sq.ft. area [using the 1 plant per sq.ft. tip I read] however, it is believed that growing only six will actually increase crop/harvest size and is a lot less dangerous that growing 8 plants indoors.
Is this information accurate/true?
I'm the kind of person to over-analyze and then re-over-analyze information until I believe I have what is the highest form of knowledge and truth on any given subject matter so this learning to grow indoors is probably the funnest thing I've done in my entire life [only being the first time, obviously there is better moments in life then growing indoors, just can't seem to find many ]"

Also check this out, they take 26watts of energy on your monthly bill while providing 130 watts equivalent. 3 Lamps would take up 78 watts on my monthly bill while providing 390watts to my plants.
I can even use 4 of these style lights providing me with 520watts for my plants at a price of only 104watts energy consumption. Does this make since to you guys?
I think with the right spectrum, and the months of countless hours of research, that I may be able to produce half a pound of sensimilla's in 2-3months indoors.
I plan to Mylar or paint the area [mylar most likely]. Then with the right nutrients and amount of light, 6 plants should produce a sufficient amount of bud for me and my partner at around an ounce or so a week. I would like to have 8 or 9 ounces drying while seedlings are growing to provide me another 8-9 ounces in 8-9 weeks.
I know this probably wont happen on my set up but I would like to at least get a good method going so I don't have to spend money on medicine while other investments should be made.

Thanks again and sorry for the length!
DanK.

 

[wyteberrywidow]

Thanks for the advice/input. Yeah here is my situation. "Let's put it this way. I am unemployed, have $0 source of income, and I'm starting college Jan. 2011.
I have somewhat of a disability due to surgery so I am really trying to find the CHEAPEST but most efficient way to grow my medicine as so that I can use what money I do have on more stressing matters.

I am using strains from previous bags of consumed medicine.
Most of the medicine around here [that I can afford] has seeds in it.
I honestly do not prefer the smoke of 99% of the "dro" around here and I do not enjoy the effects either. They are jam packed with nutrients or sprayed with Epsom salt to make them "shine" and "sparkle" when lit, its a real shame/scam going on that I won't buy into.


I even tried JWH-018 as a substitute because of it's ease of legal access and cheap price but you immediately feel you've that been poisoned with and unnatural, non-digestible, quite scary chemical.
I used it for about 2 months straight daily until I ran out and have been getting medicine around here since.

Anyways, now that you guys kind of understand my situation, maybe you can tailor your advice to fit my "requirements" for growing.
I have around $180-$210 coming in but I have no idea as to when or how to check because it is money owed from the state.
I plan on using this money for the initial set up, I see it this way, any strain will grow given the right care and nurturing, this in mind, I can spend all my cash on the set up and just grow some strains I already own.
After harvesting my first or second crop of medicine I will then in turn, be able to afford these pricey strains.
I do actually know some people with legit White Widow, Lowrider, and Lowlife strains of Auto-Fem+Auto-Bud seeds.
I hear people are having problems with hermaphrodites from the Auto-buds [not often but it seems the people who have the problem are repeat victims].
So I could actually [after investing] get these seeds for absolutely free as long as I share a portion of the medicinal harvest.
For now, I need some good strong plants to get me through the hellacious winters of eastern USA.e
I know I could probably grow 8 plants in an 8 sq.ft. area [using the 1 plant per sq.ft. tip I read] however, it is believed that growing only six will actually increase crop/harvest size and is a lot less dangerous that growing 8 plants indoors.
Is this information accurate/true?
I'm the kind of person to over-analyze and then re-over-analyze information until I believe I have what is the highest form of knowledge and truth on any given subject matter so this learning to grow indoors is probably the funnest thing I've done in my entire life [only being the first time, obviously there is better moments in life then growing indoors, just can't seem to find many ]"

Also check this out, they take 26watts of energy on your monthly bill while providing 130 watts equivalent. 3 Lamps would take up 78 watts on my monthly bill while providing 390watts to my plants.
I can even use 4 of these style lights providing me with 520watts for my plants at a price of only 104watts energy consumption. Does this make since to you guys?
I think with the right spectrum, and the months of countless hours of research, that I may be able to produce half a pound of sensimilla's in 2-3months indoors.
I plan to Mylar or paint the area [mylar most likely]. Then with the right nutrients and amount of light, 6 plants should produce a sufficient amount of bud for me and my partner at around an ounce or so a week. I would like to have 8 or 9 ounces drying while seedlings are growing to provide me another 8-9 ounces in 8-9 weeks.
I know this probably wont happen on my set up but I would like to at least get a good method going so I don't have to spend money on medicine while other investments should be made.

Thanks again and sorry for the length!
DanK.

Okay you can start off with what you can get now and later on you can upgrade.
when they put the equivalent its equivalent to incandescent lights not a hps or mh so it will not be the same as using a 400 wat hps if you have 4 bulbs with the equiv watts.You want actual watts.

 

[DanKief]

Okay you can start off with what you can get now and later on you can upgrade.
when they put the equivalent its equivalent to incandescent lights not a hps or mh so it will not be the same as using a 400 wat hps if you have 4 bulbs with the equiv watts.You want actual watts.

How does that work? Why do they than make lower wattage consuming bulbs that emulate the wattage of higher bulbs if in fact that does nothing? It must help considerably.
Is there a conversion chart from HPS to CFL wattage rates?
If I can use 2-4 of these bulbs and the 2 top lamps should I be set?
I just don't want to set up a bunch of equipment if I could just tweak 2 or 3 things and end up with a larger yield.

I appreciate all of your knowledge.

Bless,
DanK.

 

[wyteberrywidow]

http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/l-comparison.jpg....
This should help you out a bit.
Or just take a look at the whole page..
http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/guide3.shtml

 

[DanKief]

This is essential information and I appreciate not having to Google anything on my own!
You have helped me out a great deal and I appreciate it.
Any other useful info is appreciated as well.

DanK.