Here is my situation... I have a crawl space in my room about 4.5' maybe 5' tall. I only have about 60 bucks to spend on this project right now and i don't know what to buy to start off with. My main concern is the lights. From what I have been reading here, cheap fluorescents are not very good for growing, but it just happens to be the only thing i can buy right now. would i be able to get about 3 four foot fluoro's and use this short space to grow semi-decent greenery? I'm thinking of having about 3 or four plants. Right now i have 20 or so "Mothership" seeds. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanx guys...
I would get a 400 watt hps.. and do things right but! Growing for the first time under fluo's can be done. I hope folks with fluorescents will post in your thread. A long time ago i cobbled together a bank of 12 fluorescent 40 watt lights in six shop lights. In the end I spent all together what a 400 watt hps costs today. Equipment in not cheep. Not as cheep as it should be imo. A functional growing enviroment is an art imo as well.. Depending on where you live and what time of year it is your crawl space could be a problem for living plants. (Edited by Randy High at 4:30 pm on Feb. 6, 2006)
I could end up getting a HPS but i'm not sure of what it is going to end up costing me... Right now it's like 30's and 40's here but they space is kept well heated from my room and the humidity level is around 50%. I would be willing to spend about 100-120 on lights. Do you have any suggestions for around that price range?
im under around the same budget you are...except i have three seeds that just germinated in the soil, one already came up...i almost pissed myself...i almost had a crawl space too, except i found my attic stairs connected to my closet...i might be able to pull it off with my budget, but it wont be great weed, thats the problem im gonna have...is the budget... i havnt spent a dime so far... the seeds- a friend gave to me the pots- i know i will have to transplant later, but for now...i have a pot i made in forth grade and 2 other 16 oz paper cups... lights- this is what im gonna have to spend money on (and some other stuff) i have three 40 watt regular light bulbs hanging above them...and a 60 watt regular in front of them...its not gonna keep them alive over a week, but the other two havnt come up yet, im expecting them tommorow or the next day...so the one of them im worried about...im gonna go to home depot and instead of fluorescents im gonna get T-5's bulbs- 1-5$ sum1 told me at home depot... soil- i have the miracle grow..im gonna change it later...bad soil for the plants after 2-4 weeks ( i hear ) ask other people about the soil...im just gonna get some nuetral soil...and control how much nutrients myself... nutrients...im gonna have to hope the miracle grow helps before i can buy some...(2-4 weeks is enough time...) but its the light that will be really important from what ive heard...the one that came up today is planted in another pots soil(its still potting soil, but i had to sterilized the soil first, to make sure there was no parasites...) and make sure that when your seed is germinated, when you plant it, don't touch the seed with your fingers, and put the plant somewhere warm, for good root development, this is a problem for me because i have a cold attict, so i put a heating blanket underneath them at medium to keep the plants and the pot warm enough for the plant to grow... i hope that my simular situation have gave you some ideas... don't put your plants under soft whites...its better to wait than to put your beautiful plant danger lol. and dont use another plant potting soil, another mistake i made, but i will remember next time...its also my very first time too, so dont feel bad lol.
my setup... http://www.growkind.com/marijuana/gardens/2044/ the middle pot is the one that just sprouted, and the 2 starting leaves should be out by tommorow...
You likely won't find a 400w HPS for under $100. Check Ebay. If all you have is $60 then you still have a shot. If you can afford the 3 four footers that might be good enough. Otherwise, just attempt to buy the largest wattage flourescent you can find. Remember you need soil, pots, nutrients, etc. You can use two liter bottles as your pots. Make sure to punch some holes in the bottom for drainage. Cut the top off to where the opening is as large as the bottle is round. You can get Scott's soil from Home Depot for like $5. Make sure to get the kind without the time release nutrients. Try to get a small bag of perlite to add to the soil. I'm not sure what type of fertilizer to suggest. You might want to post that question specifically. Try to find organic nutrients so you won't burn your plants the first time out. If you can afford it look on Ebay for the Fox Farms "set" of nutrients. You can get it under $40 shipped and it should last you a few grows.
Thanx a lot guys. I just found a 400 watt hps light on ebay for 140 with free shipping bulb inclusive. so that takes care of the lighting. Some people have told me to use Miracle Gro 20-20-20, but you said not to use it. I can afford to buy the hps light with my friends help, but i'm worried about my 5' ceiling being a problem with overheating. I could put in a fan but do you think i would need to water more often if i put in the hps versus the standard fluoros. and also, what would you suggest, painting the walls white or covering with tin foil? Thanx
QUOTE Quote: from J Man on 5:12 pm on Feb. 6, 2006 Thanx a lot guys. I just found a 400 watt hps light on ebay for 140 with free shipping bulb inclusive. so that takes care of the lighting. Some people have told me to use Miracle Gro 20-20-20, but you said not to use it. I can afford to buy the hps light with my friends help, but i'm worried about my 5' ceiling being a problem with overheating. I could put in a fan but do you think i would need to water more often if i put in the hps versus the standard fluoros. and also, what would you suggest, painting the walls white or covering with tin foil? Thanx You should be fine with a 5 foot ceiling. Here's my setup It gets warm in there but that's good this time of year for me. Not too warm and I don't have to water them daily. Water once or twice a week.
right here budddyyyyyyyyyyyyy!! 250w complete refurbished system! rdZ1QQcmdZViewItem" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.com/250-HPS....iewItem ebay baby, ebay course u can get a 400w hps for about $25 dollars more
By the way, good choice on the light. I bought one from the same guy and it's really nice. Plus, the one you bought is a little better than mine. Again, when it's time for nutrients/fertilizers try to find organic. http://cgi.ebay.com/Fox-Farm-Soil-Nutrient-3-Pack-Quarts_W0QQitemZ4370003572QQcategoryZ20540QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewIt em This is all you'll need. Good luck!
no tin foil at all it burns the plants if you are going to use something, either white paint, or mylar, white paint is cheaper and does a great job hope it helps you Dan
damn i love fox farms! but i hear metanaturals is even better. i think i'll stick with ff though its just 2 good ta pass up.
Damn! That is a sick deal! i'm gonna get right on that. So i'm gonna go with the lights off ebay, white walls, fox farms fert, and i got soil and pots...Thanx a lot guys this really helped. i'll get back to you when i start to grow.
Sounds like you're good to go now J Man. You'll be amazed at what you can do with that HPS. You need two other things that are fairly cheap if you can afford it. Something to read PH and a timer switch for when you go to 12/12. You can get them both for under $20 at Home Depot or search on Ebay.
Thanx a lot guys. That light is an incredible deal and i'm definetely going to get right on that. I can't wait to start my growing project and i'll get back to you guys with pics and updates when i do. Thanx
