New Grower First time grower choosing equipment...

[surfdaddy999]

hey everyone, this is my first grow ever and all I really know is I want to use autoflowers and I need to use a grow tent.... I've done some research on gear and i'm really leaning towards the 600w kit from htgsupply: http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-HTG-600w-Grow-Kit.asp

now I'm planning on upgrading to the digital dimmable ballast because its not too much more and I believe dimmable means I can run it lower wattage if I need to?

theres also a choice of reflector and I just really have no idea what to get here, i'm leaning towards a 8" cooltube because they seem fairly popular and 8" has to be better than 6" right?

and for the ventilation I realize I'm going to need a carbon filter and am probably going to go for the 6" for the increased cfm but what is a tall boy filter and is it worth the $10 over the standard one?

anything anybody would change or any opinions i'd love to hear.

 

[Bgrt]

hey, i would just say look around incase you can piece together that for cheaper, alot of deals seem like ripoffs when ebay etc has been trawled through. dimmable ballasts let you run for example a 400watt hps or a 600 or a 100 bulb depending on the model, some allow you to use mh bulbs too in the same way but you cant use a lower wattage bulb safely if you switch it above its wattage rating. digital ballasts are very quiet compared to magnetic if thats an option.

i have a cooltube and its great for temps but cooltubes dont have a great light spread thats the only downside, alot goes down the tube etc. still love mine but just why there might be a better option. i would assume the tallboy is just a larger filter for larger smellier grows i would assume not sure if its necessary for you.

how much have you planned on spending?
im sure those tents are good but just to recommend secret jardin i have one and its very good quality ive no experience with that htg one though.

 

[surfdaddy999]

yeah I think I may have seen someone else mention that about the cooltube, but it still seems pretty decent and I just have a feeling in a tent like this temps will be my problem, but I literally know nothing lol

I was planning on throwing down about $1000 total for everything, and I did try to peice some stuff together but I dunno, the full kit seemed like a pretty good deal, the tent is an Agromax. Do I need to get a jardin? I have seen that name tossed around quite a bit

 

[Bgrt]

no need to get any brand, just mentioned to give it a good recommendation, lots of good ones out there. im sure someone one here has an agromaxand can tell you how it is. for heat cooltubes are excellent, that and a good fan and you shouldnt have issues unless ambient temps are super high. i have a 600 watt in a 3.3x3.3 ft tent and with the cooltube its fine but im in a cold area it helps a bit.

for easyness if the price sounds right to you go for it. id get the dimmable ballast and a mh bulb too for veg and just as a backup incase the hps goes mid grow.
maybe ask in the shoutbox if anyone has experience with the htg deal

 

[Bgrt]

also get a digital ph meter if you can, its make any problems during the grow alot easier to figure out and is needed day to day with feedings watering etc. maybe not so much if youre growing organically. youll also want buffers(7/4) and ph up/down.

 

[surfdaddy999]

nah my temps are room temp, thisll be in my house so whatever I have the thermostat set at I guess, and yeah I'll definately be grabbing a MH bulb to go with the HPS :check:

what about the soil and nutes they offer? is the roots organic soil good by itself without any addition? they also offer Fox Farms Ocean Forest
I assume I would just get the nutes that go with the soil I pick: buddha grow and bloom for roots or the Fox farm trio for the OF?

and Bgrt I just want to say thank you for your help so far man!

 

[surfdaddy999]

ph up/ down I've heard of and will grab..... now buffers I have not heard that term before or what the 7/4 means?

 

[Bgrt]

no worries, im new enough myself but i can help with the basics anyway.
the buffers are what you calibrate with. theyll be set to a certain ph so you can check your meter is accurate and fix when its off. one is ph7 other is 4 you probably only need one but good to have both to check if its accurate accross the board and some meters calibrate using 2 diffent points. also storage solution or cleaning solution if you see it, i think you can store the meters in ph 7 buffer too but im not sure on that.
im in europe and dont get any of those brands so im not sure, im using general hydros 3 part flora series if thats there ive heard good things and have gotten good results with it. im sure most will be fine i just cant say.
soilwise i hear fox farms alot. i think the ocean forest one is too hot though and i remember people usually using fox farms light warrior as its weaker and more suited to autos. you can add perlite to weaken the soil mix further aswell.
also it might be in that soil already but dolomite lime seems to be something everyone should have if youre doing soil grows. stabilises ph so you dont get deficiencies etc.

i remember a guy on here called the squid used that ;light warrior i think. hes a mod/assistant on this section maybe shoot him a pm.

 

[surfdaddy999]

yeah I've seen light warrior mentioned too, i'll look more into that for sure.. as far as nutes and stuff I'm sure its like you said and they'll all work pretty good, I think i'll pull the trigger tommorow on the 600w tent kit w/ 6" cooltube and GrowBright 6" HV Fan & Filter Combo.... will I need any other fans or anything for ventilation? says the cfm of the Growbright fan & filter combo is 424cfm... do I need more duct work for the cool tube to work right?

 

[Bgrt]

if its not included yeh youll need some ducting same size as fan and cooltube usually regular and insulated which keeps down the noise a bit and keeps the heat from leaking back into the room. you can get special rings and fittings to fix ducting together but ive used aluminium duct tape and zip ties/ bungie cords and had no problems.
that sounds pretty powerful to me id say just that fan and one clip on weak one to help keep stems strong and general circulation. just open a flap in the tent they usually have them for an intake and it should be good.

id set it up as carbon filter->fan->cooltube-> ducting out of tent