New Grower Questions, questions, questions...

[Soylent Green]

I would suggest you invest in a decent led light, that is something you can never go wrong with!!
buy yourself a nice ph and ec meter,that is something you can never go wrong with!!

Do not spend to much money on crazy feeding (just keep it basic)

Ask yourself the question soil, coco, aqua! if soil buy yourself some nice airpots!
Think about your comfort and safety and invest in a carbon-filter!

What are the temperatures in that closet during winter if so build yourself some isolatedbox whith recirculating air( dont pump hot air out but over the carbon filter and back in) closet!
I dont think cfl is the way to go if your willing to spend 500buck!

 

[blue]

I agree with Soylent Green

The best use of money goes on the light, the PH meter and the out take fan and filter.
Absolutely better off spending less money on nute - get a really basic nute lineup to start with, see how you get on with that. Then you have something to build on next grow. And if something does start messing up in your grow, there's less of an elimiation process ^_^

 

[GeorgiaPine]

I see I see. I'll use most of my money on what i'll be reusing then. I'm excited to see the results from a really nice LED. I'll be sure to post what i'll be going with once I make my decision, upon some reassurance by you guys, of course. I would definitely like to try an all organic regimen when it comes to nutes, similar to mjdregba's grow (which I'm definitely going to keep an eye on!). I will definitely pick up some air pots as well!

 

[GeorgiaPine]

Few questions guys...

The closet I'm working with has doors that have the slants in them. Meaning air can get through. My question is, instead of wasting money on a grow tent would it be possible to perhaps tape up some mylar, and tape the seals of the doors shut? I also found a circular duct running from the closet to the living room. Would it be possible to add an intake fan inside the closet and a carbon filter to the end of the duct that ends in the living room? I know the living room would be getting the air from the closet, but wouldn't it be clean air? I'm not too familiar on ventilation, I've been too busy worrying about soil and lights. Which brings me to my next subject. I'm planning on picking up this unit... http://www.amazon.com/Lighthouse-Hy...&qid=1379815070&sr=8-1&keywords=blackstar+led

Do you guys think this will be sufficient lighting? Will it be sufficient from germ to flowering? Since it's getting a little cold I decided to pick up some CFLs in case I need to raise the temperature of the room, plus the extra lights couldn't hurt.

Lastly, soil...I've seen a ton of mixes with Harvest Moon, and Roots Organic as a base soil, and other additives such as bat guana, worm castings, etc etc. What I've read however is that the mix should be left outside for 30 days? Is this simply because of the large batch being made? Would I be able to skip this step as I'm not needing a whole lot for my first grow? How should I go about starting the seedling and then moving it to a bigger 3 or 5 gallon pot? Also, I've read that the bio nutes are quite useful. Would anyone have any words for the integrity of those brands?

Thanks in advance, I'm sure I'm missing a few more questions, but I'll be sure to ask as I think of them.

 

[Nam80232]

The 3 gallon air pot is plenty big. Ph meter is a must and make sure to pick up some calibration solution with it. Milar would be great, 6" carbon filter would be more than enough for one plant. Next water. Make sure your on top of your ph in your water both pre and post feed and that will take care of most your problems. For your first grow use the k.i.s.s. approach. When buying lights keep one thing in mind, growing your own is quite addictive so plan on the future. Your gonna want to grow more than one if your like the rest of us. Best of luck!

 

[GeorgiaPine]

So i'm assuming that the milar (thanks for showing me the correct spelling lol) is available in rolls? That definitely eases my mind on the grow room situation. I'll be getting a ph meter very soon. I've noticed they're fairly expensive. I suppose I'll invest in one that reads both PH and EC. Kill two birds typ-a thing. Do you think the filter will be ineffective if they're is say, a one inch gap between the top and bottom of the door to the floor and frame? I guess I could compensate with towels and shit like that.

 

[GeorgiaPine]

Oh, yeah. One more question...does grownorthern ship to the US? I saw it was like around 250 pounds for the ms006, which is approximately 400 USD. I wouldn't mind getting one of those bad boys if they're shipped out here! Definitely worth it.

 

[Nam80232]

My cheap ph meter works better than my expensive ph meter. The cracks in the door should be fine as long as you get a turbine fan for the extraction of the can. But that can be costly, around 180 on eBay.

 

[Soylent Green]

Hey the blackstar isnt bad but uses old tech!

Soon grownnorthern release new rebel series but those going to be out of your budget right now( 912 dollars without vat)!

So going for the MS006 is your best option in your budget!
Would buy yourself a small extractor fan and filter(there is no reason to over dimension it!) better to have a spare small one in stock!

A tent is easy to break down and clean and control!

 

[Widow Maker]

For soil I use Happy Frog. Just add some perlite. About 70% soil and 30% perlite. I feed the soil with my nutes.All Organic and of course a bit of Molasass to feed the soil. I have grown 6-8 foot plants in a 5 gal Smart Pot. It works for me. Welcome and Happy Trails.