Looking for help designing my first grow.

C

Cloud11teen

New Member
I am looking to get started as soon as possible and am just looking for any help so that I may avoid newbie mistakes. I will be designing a room/rooms in a shop where I will have approximately a single car garage worth of grow area. I am torn between 4x8 and 8x8 tents as I know the tent will only be temporary until I can get the rooms built. I am wanting to go ahead and get a tent so that I can get something started while I build. Looking to keep my budget under $3,500 to start. Any recommendations on products that are good but won’t break the bank are much appreciated. But I need everything from lights to water purification, soil etc. I am wanting LED lights, and am wanting to do living soil/compost tea. Help!?!?!
 
SpawnOfVader

SpawnOfVader

Well-Known Member
Re: "water purification" - skip anything fancy. You just need to remove chloramine and chlorine... trace nutrients in the water shouldn't be harmful. You'll also need to balance pH. So a good organic pH up/down product, meter, and then for removing the chemicals dose your water with either ascorbic acid or humic acid. IDK the humic acid ratio off the top of my head but it's like 1000 mg/ascorbic acid per 40 gallons of water for chlorine and like double that for chloramine. (it's vitamin C powder, super cheap, super effective and fast)....

I'm loving my new HLG so far BUT I also had solid grows with my old cheap Mars Hydro.
 
SnidleyBluntash

SnidleyBluntash

Well-Known Member
Buy seeds and germinate them now, use a cheap light to grow them for a couple weeks, in the meantime, start building and organizing and buying.
 
SnidleyBluntash

SnidleyBluntash

Well-Known Member
He wants to get ‘started’ ASAP, so... he has 3500$ And 2 weeks to spend it, from the day he plants them before he needs a ‘big setup’.
 
DarkWeb

DarkWeb

Well-Known Member
SnidleyBluntash said:
He wants to get ‘started’ ASAP, so... he has 3500$ And 2 weeks to spend it, from the day he plants them before he needs a ‘big setup’.
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LOL yeah totally makes sense :roll: First sentence should show you someone will be holding a hand. Good luck
 
SnidleyBluntash

SnidleyBluntash

Well-Known Member
Ok well get 4 tents

1 big
2medium
1 small for vegging and clones.

Get some fans and 6 inch ducts, and pipe them just right
 
C

Cloud11teen

New Member
SpawnOfVader said:
Re: "water purification" - skip anything fancy. You just need to remove chloramine and chlorine... trace nutrients in the water shouldn't be harmful. You'll also need to balance pH. So a good organic pH up/down product, meter, and then for removing the chemicals dose your water with either ascorbic acid or humic acid. IDK the humic acid ratio off the top of my head but it's like 1000 mg/ascorbic acid per 40 gallons of water for chlorine and like double that for chloramine. (it's vitamin C powder, super cheap, super effective and fast)....

I'm loving my new HLG so far BUT I also had solid grows with my old cheap Mars Hydro.
Click to expand...
Sweet thanks yes I have a ph meter in the Amazon cart right now, however o have not looked into any organic ph up or down products. Sounds like I should have as I am trying to go as organic as possible. I wish I could afford an HLG I do love what I have heard about the Mars hydro lights though. Thanks for your help man.
 
C

Cloud11teen

New Member
Herb & Suds said:
With a 3500 dollar budget and your desire to build rooms with LED
I see no serious future this way
What is your current grow experience because it sounds like you are cliff diving ?
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I’ve grown outdoor in less than optimal conditions. I just recently moved to a legal state and am looking to set up something more long term. I have some experience just not a ton. I do however have a ton of resources and some background in cannabis. I’ve worked on a farm(outdoor), in a packaging dept. and multiple dispensaries. I know $3500 isn’t much but it’s a start and I am just looking to get started at this point. I did spend some time today calculating building materials and I can finish the room for just shy of $400 in building materials. Room only now grow equipment at all.
 
C

Cloud11teen

New Member
SpawnOfVader said:
Re: "water purification" - skip anything fancy. You just need to remove chloramine and chlorine... trace nutrients in the water shouldn't be harmful. You'll also need to balance pH. So a good organic pH up/down product, meter, and then for removing the chemicals dose your water with either ascorbic acid or humic acid. IDK the humic acid ratio off the top of my head but it's like 1000 mg/ascorbic acid per 40 gallons of water for chlorine and like double that for chloramine. (it's vitamin C powder, super cheap, super effective and fast)....

I'm loving my new HLG so far BUT I also had solid grows with my old cheap Mars Hydro.
Click to expand...
Burt Hooter said:
Is the garage heated? Winter is coming ?
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Yes it is heated I just took care of that yesterday. I am using a propane heater for now until I can run a natural gas line.
 
ilovereggae

ilovereggae

Well-Known Member
imho a newbie mistake would be spending that much before you have grown anything.

if you are going to build rooms anyway, I would scale way down at first. get a cycle or 2 under your belt, and it is going to help you pick the right setup once you are ready to build the rooms.

I would get a 2x4 tent, and a 4 pack of hlg qb120s. it's a diy build but its really simple and you can have a nice 240W light for under $200.

As far as grow method, if you want to do organic, save yourself a lot of headache and time and just use a super soil mix. Get a bag of BuildASoil LOS. any one of them is fine, the 3.0 is most popular but I just use the Light mix. no ph, no extra nutes. just water them every few days. Keep it super simple dont top them, try LST, or scrog. Those can all come in time. Don't overthink it. Don't worry about yield. Just learn how the plant grows and learn to dry and cure it. Then move on to more advanced methods. Chance for success will be a lot higher and risk lower once you scale it up.
 
kovidkough

kovidkough

Well-Known Member
ilovereggae said:
imho a newbie mistake would be spending that much before you have grown anything.

if you are going to build rooms anyway, I would scale way down at first. get a cycle or 2 under your belt, and it is going to help you pick the right setup once you are ready to build the rooms.

I would get a 2x4 tent, and a 4 pack of hlg qb120s. it's a diy build but its really simple and you can have a nice 240W light for under $200.

As far as grow method, if you want to do organic, save yourself a lot of headache and time and just use a super soil mix. Get a bag of BuildASoil LOS. any one of them is fine, the 3.0 is most popular but I just use the Light mix. no ph, no extra nutes. just water them every few days. Keep it super simple dont top them, try LST, or scrog. Those can all come in time. Don't overthink it. Don't worry about yield. Just learn how the plant grows and learn to dry and cure it. Then move on to more advanced methods. Chance for success will be a lot higher and risk lower once you scale it up.
Click to expand...
download (3).jpeg
 
C

Cloud11teen

New Member
ilovereggae said:
imho a newbie mistake would be spending that much before you have grown anything.

if you are going to build rooms anyway, I would scale way down at first. get a cycle or 2 under your belt, and it is going to help you pick the right setup once you are ready to build the rooms.

I would get a 2x4 tent, and a 4 pack of hlg qb120s. it's a diy build but its really simple and you can have a nice 240W light for under $200.

As far as grow method, if you want to do organic, save yourself a lot of headache and time and just use a super soil mix. Get a bag of BuildASoil LOS. any one of them is fine, the 3.0 is most popular but I just use the Light mix. no ph, no extra nutes. just water them every few days. Keep it super simple dont top them, try LST, or scrog. Those can all come in time. Don't overthink it. Don't worry about yield. Just learn how the plant grows and learn to dry and cure it. Then move on to more advanced methods. Chance for success will be a lot higher and risk lower once you scale it up.
Click to expand...
I appreciate the input however I just don’t think that style/ set up is for me. I am not concerned with the yield more so the quality. I was thinking $3500 was a tight budget considering I am going to be purchasing everything equipment, nutrients, genetics etc. Since I would only need to frame up 2 walls to make an 8x8x8 room it would be cheaper than buying any 8x8x8 tent. I opted for that route. Yes I know I can get tents that are shorter for cheaper, I just want the extra vertical space. I do have a more than average background in the cannabis industry, just not with indoor grows. Im pretty set on compost tea and led lights. I am going to auto flower run for the first run so I can get that first indoor harvest while the next run runs through veg.
 
G

Green Refuge

Well-Known Member
SpawnOfVader said:
Re: "water purification" - skip anything fancy. You just need to remove chloramine and chlorine... trace nutrients in the water shouldn't be harmful. You'll also need to balance pH. So a good organic pH up/down product, meter, and then for removing the chemicals dose your water with either ascorbic acid or humic acid. IDK the humic acid ratio off the top of my head but it's like 1000 mg/ascorbic acid per 40 gallons of water for chlorine and like double that for chloramine. (it's vitamin C powder, super cheap, super effective and fast)....

I'm loving my new HLG so far BUT I also had solid grows with my old cheap Mars Hydro.
Click to expand...
I just posted a thread asking for help deciding between an HLG 550 V2 (can get it for $500-550) or two mars hydro 2000/1 3000. As an owner of both do you have any suggestions?
 
C

Cloud11teen

New Member
Green Refuge said:
I just posted a thread asking for help deciding between an HLG 550 V2 (can get it for $500-550) or two mars hydro 2000/1 3000. As an owner of both do you have any suggestions?
Click to expand...
I don’t know anything about the HLG how does it compare to the Mars Hydro? Same coverage areas?
 
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