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- Randall Flagg
- Rep: 139
Re: Electricity bill
Randall Flagg wrote:James wrote:.
Are some of you guys growing marijuana?
I used to. Got really good at it and had a whole hydroponic setup with LEDs and a carbon scrubber. My last grow I average about 2 dried ounces per plant - not bad for a grow in a 4x6 tent. But PA legalized medicinal and I didn't want a felony if someone went through my trash, so I gave that up a couple years ago. Hoping when they eventually go rec I can legally grow again.
Not enough light. You can easily do 5 in a 4x4.
I tried HPS and MH bulbs, but it was just too much heat. I was hitting 92/32 degrees inside the tent, with a huge exhaust fan and intake from a 65/20 degree room. I was using 1000 watt led in the end and that gave me the best results. Hydro would get root rot even at the high temps no matter how much protection I mixed in the reservoir daily. Soil proved no better, though how anyone could grow in soil after figuring out DWC is beyond my ken.
Re: Electricity bill
polluxlm wrote:Randall Flagg wrote:I used to. Got really good at it and had a whole hydroponic setup with LEDs and a carbon scrubber. My last grow I average about 2 dried ounces per plant - not bad for a grow in a 4x6 tent. But PA legalized medicinal and I didn't want a felony if someone went through my trash, so I gave that up a couple years ago. Hoping when they eventually go rec I can legally grow again.
Not enough light. You can easily do 5 in a 4x4.
I tried HPS and MH bulbs, but it was just too much heat. I was hitting 92/32 degrees inside the tent, with a huge exhaust fan and intake from a 65/20 degree room. I was using 1000 watt led in the end and that gave me the best results. Hydro would get root rot even at the high temps no matter how much protection I mixed in the reservoir daily. Soil proved no better, though how anyone could grow in soil after figuring out DWC is beyond my ken.
With a 1000W led you should have had more than enough light. Did you measure it? Investing in a good PAR meter or what they are called is one of the best investments you can make. Will cost you 4-500 though. Canopy should have an even ppfd of 600 for veg and 900 for flower. And this was done in soil.
A 500W is enough and the temps will be around 26-27 degrees. You can get at least 25 ounces dry.
Re: Electricity bill
I've always wanted to grow my own and also brew my own beer. But it seems so damn involved and complicated.
It makes my head spin just reading about it from you two.
Is it really difficult or just seem that way when you write it out?
I think the initial investment is somewhat significant for both, but then in the long run is when you get the payoff.
- Randall Flagg
- Rep: 139
Re: Electricity bill
I've always wanted to grow my own and also brew my own beer. But it seems so damn involved and complicated.
It makes my head spin just reading about it from you two.
Is it really difficult or just seem that way when you write it out?
I think the initial investment is somewhat significant for both, but then in the long run is when you get the payoff.
It's not hard, it's just the learning curve of what your plants need not to die or get sick. Most newbies way over water their plants, especially early on, and that can cause a bunch of issues that are very hard to recover from. The biggest concern once they go into flower mode is the smell. I've experimented with cheap fixed like Ona, but nothing beats a carbon scrubber. I think I had way over $1400 into my final setup, but that was after a few years of learning the ropes and improving each grow (i was doing 2-3 grows a year). I sold everything I had to a buddy for like $300 to just get it out of my house, so if you search facebook marketplace I'd wager you could find something similar.
But if you're an experienced gardener, the learning curve isn't as steep. The biggest price point in my opinion is the damn nutrients and solutions. They only sell them in liter+ bottles, and you'll maybe use 1/10th of that per grow. But depending on how serious you are and what concepts you believe, you could have $400 in up front nutrient costs. Once you know what you're doing it's significantly cheaper to grow your own than to even buy from your local dealer selling 1/2s for $150, and the potential for a serious product is definitely at your complete control. If you're a legal medicinal patient, it is a shit load cheaper to grow your own than pay $65 for decent 1/8ths.
I really enjoyed it and the time it took to just train them to grow in a certain direction and get the nodes to split to create more colas. But figuring out how to safely disposes of several pounds of plant material each grow was always an asshole pucker. My last grow I had a garbage bag full of plant material i was going to burn at a buddy's farm. Like an idiot I just tossed the bag in the back seat of my truck thinking that would be safer. 5 minutes from his house I get pulled over for speeding by the local PD. Thank the gods luck was with me that day. Cop issued me a speeding ticket and was none the wiser several pounds of leaves and stems were in a bag right behind me.
Re: Electricity bill
I've always wanted to grow my own and also brew my own beer. But it seems so damn involved and complicated.
It makes my head spin just reading about it from you two.
Is it really difficult or just seem that way when you write it out?
I think the initial investment is somewhat significant for both, but then in the long run is when you get the payoff.
Unless you are going for a gold medal it is not hard at all. Remember that this is a weed. You never heard anybody say they lacked for garden weeds. Same principle. A bit of water and sunlight and you will get something.
The problem weed growers run into is that they want to build Rome in one day. Max yield, max light, max everything. They end up choking their plants to death because if you don't know the tolerances you are likely to overdo it. When I say you need 900 ppfd for flower that is the optimal range. You will get good bud with half that or even a third.
Just buy a grow light and put it at the recommended height and you are good to go. Don't think about it unless you want to. Use soil and if you want just buy some cheap nutrients at the garden store. You probably will need nutes because the grow light will push your plants harder than ordinary sunlight will do. If you are worried about overwatering just get some fabric pots. Impossible to overwater in those. The opposite is more likely to be a problem.
Of course you need a carbon filter if you have neighbours or you live in the wrong state. If you are doing something illegal that is the only thing you should never save money on. Go for the best filter you can get your hands on.
Humidity should not go over 60% in flower, but airflow is the important part. If there is stale air you can get rot with 30% humidity. Other than that, don't worry about humidity. The impact on yield is minimal. In veg it doesn't matter at all.
The important thing is to just get started. Once you get a feel for it it is easy peazy.
Re: Electricity bill
Thanks to both of you. I am a gardener outside. I grow everything from root veggies to tomatoes, various squash and vining plants. So, I'm fairly comfortable with the basics of watering, soil nutrients and balance, light, blah blah blah. I've never been able to get corn to grow, oddly enough. We also do containers indoors.
I have a buddy that lives across the street, and he's a medicinal user but the cost is pretty nutty. We've talked about possibly doing this together.
At any rate, appreciate the info. You've given me a lot to think about.
Re: Electricity bill
If you want to check costs here is a list of essentials with estimates:
Light 4-600W for a 4x4, scale it down for a 2x4 etc. ($100-1000).
125mm exhaust fan for a 4x4. ($50-150) If it sucks in the walls on your tent at maximum power you have negative pressure and no smell will escape. Depending on the size of the room you're in that will even apply when you open the door to the tent. You can vent into the room but getting the air outside or at least to another part in the house/apartment is much preferable. Mature plants do produce a fair amount of moisture and you don't really want that in in your room/house.
If you vent outside be aware there may be carbon filter smell which a trained nose might take for what it is. Activated carbon smells sweet. If discovery is a potential problem you really want to control smell and where it goes. It won't reek if done right but keep as much distance to potentials as you can.
carbon filter ($100-200) better filter less smell. If you can get the best, get the best.
tent ($75-150) go for the cheapest you can find as long as it's a designated grow tent. Brands like gorilla grow got infared shielding and shit in the material which adds who knows how much to the prize. Yeah you're not going to need that. If there are light leaks just use some ducttape.
pots ($10-20) any one will do
soil/coco/dwc (additional cost maybe $100-300 for hydroponic setup)
humidity and temperature meter ($10-50) remember to make sure the humidity meter is accurate. Lots of bogus products out there.
ec/ppm meter for measuring nutrient solution ($20-100) digital is the way to go here
nutes ($50-100) (maybe a lot cheaper if you just go for generic solutions)
garden scissors ($5)
light timer ($5-10) go for mechanical
sunglasses or designated grow glasses ($10-20) when working in the tent
The absolute cheapest alternative are fluorescent lights you get at the tool store or whatever. As long as the wattage is there you are golden. Never mind all the talk about light spectrum, it's nerd talk with little real significance. I would however recommend going on the high side if you use those type of lights. They also have the advantage of running cool like the leds.
600W should be perfect for a 4x4, alternatively half that for a 2x4.
I would not recommend going with a bigger tent than 4x4 for a first timer. If you want a discreet closet a 2x4 is where it starts to feel smallish.
optional but very helpful if you want to optimalize yield
light meter to measure exactly how much light your plants are getting ($500)
Light is everything to a proper grow. Once you saturate light only more space will enable you to increase yield. The case I know about got exactly the same yield from 4 plants as it did 5 with everything else being equal. If you want the easiest experience you have just one plant, or two to hedge your bets, then you top it until the canopy is filled. Will take a little bit longer than germinating a bunch of seeds and caring for a bunch of plants, but you will still get a similar yield. You can use a net to space out your plant but I recommend tying it up for better control. Don't be afraid to do it early and keep doing it. Topping and bending. Don't be afraid to aggressively remove leaves so your bud gets more light. The goal is to get a nice even canopy with very little beneath.
Total $500-2000 ($2500)
