Alright everyone (or anyone) here's the final update on this season's grow for me:
Where to start where to start... First things first... I will do my overall cost analysis and gram/wattage:
Gram/Watt:
'Old Girl' - 30g
'Clone' - 12g
'Most Recent Harvest' - 30g
TOTAL - 72g or 2.57 Ounces
So 72g from 342W equals out to a measly .210 g/W. I'm not too disappointed as it was my first grow.
Costs Analysis:
My total amount spent on everything I needed to grow my first crop was $388 (sans AK-48 beans because I didn't use them in this grow due to being 4 months late). So that makes my total cost per gram $5.39. This is not to mention the amount of hash oil I got off my trim/popcorn buds.
Equipment Review:
Hydrofarm 4 foot - 6 bulb HO T5 lamp - Loved it. For my next grow it will become my mother/clone light, but I will be replacing this for vegging/flowering with a 600W Lumatek Switchable ballast. Now that I have the experience, I want to rev it up a bit, and the next crop I do will be in a medical state, and will begin my perpetual grow. Why am I switching to HID after using T5? Simply put, everyone that says that HID has more penetration is right. The amount of depth that a fluorescent light can penetrate through the canopy is not comparable to that of a HID. Also, I will have a dedicated grow room, and will be going through more measures involved with that (venting, intake, etc.).
Blue Mountain Organics Four Pack - Good, I guess? I supplemented this with AN Nirvana, so it's a bit hard to say who did what when it came to my buds. But I can say that it worked. I'm starting to think Super Plant Tonic is comparable to Super Thrive, but I can't confirm this. Next grow, I will also be attempting to create some of my own nutrients, as looking at the labels for some of these sweetener additives, a lot of them are merely cranberry extracts and other natural vitamins and shit.
Rapid rooter plugs - If you give them time, they will definitely do you good. Time and moisture are key though. I continually sprayed mine down with a super diluted combo of water and AN Nirvana, and that definitely helped the roots shoot out quicker, and pearly fucking white. I'm glad I ordered a 55-site tray with plugs, as I will have enough plugs for many more batches of clones.
Analog Thermometer - Go digital.
Analog timer - Go digital.
Primo TDS tester - Primo my ass, this thing is a piece of shit for the most part. Comes uncalibrated at an instant, eventually it got to the point where I knew it was only going to give me results within a +/- 100ppm range, and was merely guessing my EC. I will be upgrading to the Trimeter by Nutradip as it is a nutrient EC, Temp, and pH meter all in one for under $300 bucks. I've heard many good things about this unit and love how sleek it looks (If you're about to pull up a picture, look at it on HTG, when I google the item, it always brings up an old model or something).
Growbright 6" Fan - I mean...it's a fan. It worked, and did it's job. Was it worth $15? Hell no! For $15 I was expecting a bit more power than what it put out. But like I said, it did its job as a circulation fan.
Foxfarm Ocean Forest - As everyone says, this shit is nice. Don't have to feed your plants throughout veg as far as I'm concerned (or at least the first month), and it smells so damn good!
Well, it's been a fun run. I've learned a lot, and very excited to be able to set up my lights again, and pump out another cycle. Unfortunately, it will have to wait until next Fall. Until then, I will be around here at RIU. Feel free to throw up a link to your grow journal, and I'll gladly peep in and give any input I can. Thanks again, RIU community. You guys kick ass!
This rip of 'Old Girl' topped with oil is for all you!