Aerogarden and CFLs on the side(?)

*First time grower*

I've been overwhelmed with information on how to grow weed for the past 3 days. I've come to the conclusion that an Aerogarden is the best option to start off. for me anyways. but I'm still confused..

I want 4 2700k bulbs for the flowering stage, 2 on each side of the AG.. but I have some questions.

1. Is 4 bulbs (2 on each side) overkill? is 2 (one on each side) enough?
2. How do I get my bulbs to stand on the side of the AG? is there a stand/fixture I should be looking at? (point me in the right direction please)
3. What seeds do you recommend growing in a AG/what seeds do you recommend growing for a first time grower?
4. Do I need more than one outlet timer for my lights? (I know I need a 8 figure cord to use the timer with the AG)
5. I keep seeing 18/6 & 12/12.. 18 hours daylight & 6 hours of darkness for the seeding/vegetation stage? 12 hours daylight and 12 hours of darkness for the flowering stage?
6. Do I really need to add & remove bulbs, or can I have them all connected (cool spectrums & warm spectrums) throughout the entire cycles?
7. What's the Yield like on a AG? this is for personal use, so I don't mind small buds.
8. What light setup do you use on your AG?

If you can, direct me (with a link) to fixtures for the sides.. also link me to some bulbs you think I should take a look at and what else should I buy with the Aerogarden?. All comments are welcomed. I want to get this right the first time

I hope you guys can help me out. My goal is to smoke weed I've grown myself.. I can't wait!!

I know you posted this in hydro/aeroponics but why not start with a bag of miracle grow a pot and clamp light? You'll literally spend 20 bucks for a pot soil a 6500k bulb and clamp fixture. then just get light splitters for 2 bucks a piece and add bulbs as you go.
1) its not over kill but you don't even say the wattage so yes if you have 4 100 watt cfls on one plant its probably overkill.
2) I like clamp lights, like 6 bucks at homedepot rated for i think 250w a piece.
3) areo has nothing to do with the seeds. Its really up to you. Northern lights is always the first strain I see people recommend. Good yield pest and mold resistant and not picky on feeding. That said there are many many strains out there the same way.
4) No you can use a surge protector or something for the lights and just plus the surge into the timer.
5) Yes or you can go 24 on during veg too. There a big debate to what is better but I don't think either way has a real advantage over the other.
6) No not really. I like all 6500k during veg, mixed during the first 4 weeks of flower, and all 2700k for the last bit of flowering. I'm not going to get all into why but its mostly to slow stretching in early flower.
7) For a first time grow 0 grams. I've seen too many plants die in aero gardens in newbie hands.
a t5 because it was only used for cloning. Don't even use it anymore.

Thank for the reply.

My problem is space to grow in. I want to buy a tent, but at the moment I'm broke. When I get the tent I'll start growing in soil.

1. It will be about 3 plants. what wattage do you recommend? (for the cfls)
2. I'll give the clamps a go, thanks.
3. Northern lights it is then
4. thought so, thanks.
5. alright thanks.
6. by "mixed" you mean half and half?
7. ah, I see. well did you ever grow & harvest from your AG even once? if you did, how much did you get?

Also I won't be using the nutrients tabs from the AG (stock) I'll be buying my own (any recommendations?). I'm also thinking of getting the Rinse & refill siphon for the AG - should I? and what about the reflector AG sells on their site? I think if I have lights on both sides I won't need the reflector.. but if it helps my plant survive I'll buy it.

8bit OS said:

7. ah, I see. well did you ever grow & harvest from your AG even once? if you did, how much did you get?
.

Click to expand...

I just harvested my 1st grow ever in an AG3 (the little 3 pod model.) I got 8 gr dried with 1 plant (harvested early). But, this was an AG3, the bigger models produce more (from what ive seen.)
Ive now started an AEROGARDEN EXTRA with 2 bag seeds I had.

Cheifin420 said:

I just harvested my 1st grow ever in an AG3 (the little 3 pod model.) I got 8 gr dried with 1 plant (harvested early). But, this was an AG3, the bigger models produce more (from what ive seen.)
Ive now started an AEROGARDEN EXTRA with 2 bag seeds I had.

Click to expand...

Oh that's comforting. I'm getting the AG extra too.

Inventory check:

- Aerogarden extra.
- Aerogarden refill & siphon. (basically the pump to siphon the nutrients when needed)
- Stealth grow, bloom & micro nutes
- pH Meter
- Timer + surge protector
- 8 figure power cord
- three 23-watts (100-watts equal) 2700k bulbs
- two 23-watts (100-watts equal) 6700k bulbs
- three clamp light fixtures
- Mylar
- Air pump & stone
(and obviously my seeds)

am I missing anything important? someone reply please!

Sounds good to me. You have more modifications than I.
Although Id have an oscilating fan and some type of ventilation (mine consisted of opening the door to the closet once in awhile.)
What strains are you going with?

Yes ventilation.. I was thinking any fan circulating air would do, right? not sure of the strain yet, but I'll probably go with something short-medium in size and high yield.

I saw the setup "wwidowag" had for his white widow and I'll be having a similar setup, it's what I'm aiming for (as a start, I'll expand after I get better at it)

The setup:
View attachment 2295411

EDIT:
about the strain, I might go with northern lights#5 (polar express)

K. And i believe ventilation is an exchange of air, ie; a fan pushing air out and a fan pushing fresh air in.
Like I said, my last grow (1st grow) I had a fan circulating in the room and just opend the door for a few mins now and again to get fresher air in there (not the ideal way to ventilate)

8 Bit: I might suggest that you use the A/G pretty much as it's designed until you're used to it and you get a few crops under your belt. The addition of the air pump and air stone is a given but extra lighting isn't really necessary if you have the hood that accommodates three high intensity CFL's. A/G forces flowering by simply reducing the photo period, and it works. The newer models have a 12/12 schedule programmed into the computer. One of the advantages of the A/G is it's compactness. When you start adding extra lighting I've seen it get a lot more complicated than it really needs to be.

A fan is required in any grow. It strengthens seedlings and circulates the air, but you want a gentle breeze not hurricane force winds. The desk top oscillating varieties they sell at Walmart and The Home Depot work great and they're only about $20. That's what I've always used.

Sebastian in northern California and I started emailing and comparing notes on what we were doing a few years ago and we finally went to reflectors to recycle the escaping light back up while everyone else was adding extra lighting . He used the shiny side of aluminum foil over cardboard and I used 2mm thick Mylar contact cemented to plastic panels I'd cut to fit. It did result in buds all the way down to the planting deck. Something to think about. I hope that helps. HSA

Hey guys, sorry to bump an old thread but just wanted to thank you guys for the info! I'm about 5 weeks into my first grow and I'm totally hooked on this!! Anyway, I was worried that I'd need more lighting but I'm happy to hear HSA say that I should be good for my first grow with one plant (on the aerogarden model that houses three bulbs). At this point I'm not TOO concerned about yield, just simply finishing a successful grow.

Thank you again for the info everyone, this aerogarden was given to me along with nutes and new bulbs. I have added a 4" air stone and pump since I started. Stunted the initial growth with nute lockout (about 2 weeks in) and also learned quite a bit about proper pH and monitoring that closely (initially my pH was way too high). This has been an incredibly exciting adventure so far and I'm totally hooked on it.

Okay, I'll stop blabbering. Just wanted to say thanks and share my experience. cheers

Nice to hear.
Is a very exciting plant to watch grow/develop. Pics are always nice...

Awesome --- keep us updated.... Good luck!