In a bind and having to backtrack

Good morning everyone, this is my first post so I'm not sure if it belongs here or elsewhere but here goes. I recently had a friend unexpectedly give me two clones from two different strains, they're rooted and about 6-8 inches in height. Great for me right? Well considering I live in an urban are outdoor growing is out of the question and all the research I've done thus far points to higher and higher amounts of $$$ needed to set up something indoors.


My plan is to keep both plants in veg state and use clones of the clones in the garden I'm building. So my question dear friends is what's the bare minimum rock bottom necessities for just the two I have at the moment? Light space ventilation etc., I need to set them up ASAP, as right now they're in my laundry room on top of a water heater.


Thanks for any and all help,


TC

 

If you want to keep them small, not flower them and clone them then I would reccomend either a T5 or some regular cfl's. You'll need some food for them too, The useless formula with GH three part works for soil and hydro mediums.


Useless Formula

 

you want cheap?


i do cheap!


first i need to know what space you have and what sort of yield your looking for. keeping moms probably isnt the best option. clone, flower, root, clone, flower. if you take clones just before flowering, you have 8 week rooting and vegging time as the other plants flower. that way you only have to have 2 spaces, not 3.

 

Absolute basics to set them up with a spot for vegetative growth and possible rooting clones is fairly simple.


My recommendations are as follows:


CFL 24 watt 6500k bulbs from Home Depot or Lowes. -$10 for 2 bulbs.


Get several of them maybe 6-8 of them depending on how big you cabinet, closet or grow space is. CFLs are really only good for vegetative growth and cloning and only for smaller plants say under 24" tall MAX.


Clamp light fixtures. - $7 each


Home Depot and Lowes also sell inexpensive clamp lights. They're also commonly used for reptiles but they are inexpensive. Also kinda cheaply made and the switches break easily but they are inexpensive and easily replaced. If you don't switch them on and off a lot they last a long time.


2' & 4' T12 T8 or T5 shop lights are also available at Home Depot or Lowes and work as well. They vary in price but the T12 are the cheapest being $10 per 2 bulb fixture. Again only good for vegetative, clones and not for any plants over 24" tall.


You could use a combination of both. A shop light above and some clamp light CFLs around the sides.


Ventilation can be as simple as a box fan or oscillating desk fan to a centrifugal duct fan. The cheapest route will be to just buy a cheap exhaust fan like for a bathroom or even just a cheap duct booster fan. In a flowering room with HID lights you will need significantly more air movement but to get a very basic start a cheapie will suffice for now.


I dunno what soil or medium they are in now but get some decent soil. The worst case scenario you can use some Miracle Grow Organic Choice soil and for nutrients you ccan use Alaska Fish Ferts.


Everything I have listed is availabel at Home Depot or Lowes and is inexpensive. None of it is ideal or the best choice given options, but it will get the job done on a shoestring budget for the time being.


Total estimated cost is approx: $100-$150

 

I realize your on the cheap right now but if I were you, I would start saving and be checking craigslist for a 400w or 600w HPS light for flowering, It will make a huge difference and pay for itself in the final yield. You should be able to find one under $100, probably less if its a older model and you got some haggling skills.


I found a 600wHPS , he wanted $100, I told I only had $75 and he sold it to me!


Just make sure it comes with everything, ballast, cord, reflector and bulb and its in good working order.


Good luck with your grow, and you can always count on Grow Kind for the best advice.


asssit:

 

Y'all are awesome!! I pulled a bonehead move yesterday anyway n bought two fluorescent screw in bulbs thinking they'd work in a regular lamp, no suck luck. My soil and nutrient sources are good to go, everything is my own personal organic mix. I'm not new to gardening, just new to growing this particular kind of garden.


Anyway, the closet where I have them now is about 8x2x8 with a floor to celing mirror already in place along the back wall.


I DO have a larger space to set up for the clones and put them into the flowering cycle. I didn't even think of Craigslist thanks for that suggestion. Cash wise rock bottom I don't want to spend more than $200.00 US for the initial setup and no more than $700 US for the actual clone garden.


Oh and just to be clear when y'all say CFL you are talking about fluorescent lights? The T12, T8, etc I believe are the tube fluorescents? I'm trying to absorb all this great info and wanna make sure. Thanks again y'all

 

first thing is to remove that mirror. it absorbs light and creates hot spots, you really want it out!


CFL Compact Florescent Lights are just energy saving light bulbs. i use 125w (thats actual wattage, not equivilent rating) day light bulbs to veg my plants. one bulb happily vegs 4 plants to the point of flowering. They will be happy vegging in the 8 by 2 cupboard.


if you have a larger space id buy a grow tent and a 600 w hps to flower. Just remember it will need ventilation to keep the heat down.

 

You cand find a 400W hps on craigslist for well under $100. Use the floros for veg. I veg under four four foot florescent bulbs and flower under a 600. Watch the mr green videos on youtube. Great info for new pot growers. Good luck and welcome to GK. One last thing. Dont listen to the hydro shop guys. They want your money. People here kick out some killer looking herb with the least expensive nutrients.

 

The screw in fluorescent bulbs are the CFLs The largest I have found at a home improvement store is the 24 watt (equivalent to 100 watts regular light bulb) They make them upwards of 150 watts i think but those are specialty bulbs specifically for growing and are more expensive and usually only available from hydro or indoor grow stores. A few of the 24 watt ones will do the trick well enough though or like I said before the 4' T12 Shop Lights will work pretty well too. They are both cheap, and widely available. 6500K is the color spectrum to get for vegetative. If you're vegging with fluoros then you will only need a few feet of vertical space. The lights should be kept just a couple inches from the plants. Fluoros are not very intense and thus must be kept very close to the plants in order for them to be effective. Otherwise your plants will become very tall and lanky from stretching to reach the light.


I got my first light from Craigslist but be aware that used equipment is just that. Used. Ballasts do wear out as do bulbs. A used bulb will not have the intensity or PAR output of a new bulb. Most growers will replace their bulbs once a year. Even if the bulb is still lighting up it could be putting out a very low amount of usable light. My first light setup lasted me through 1 1/2 cycles before the ballast crapped out and I bought a new one under warranty.


A centrifugal fan is a must for your flowering area. They are fairly inexpensive. Get a bigger one that you think you need. A vented reflector is a good idea as well.


Do away with the mirror and either paint the walls flat white or line them with a reflective sheeting like mylar or panda film.


You should easily be able to setup a basic vegetative/clone area and a flower area for under $700