The medical bible is on its way..
Im not to big on the CFL setup. i agree with you on the start up cost but the way i look at this is. for a CFL setup i still got to go out and buy stuff and jerry rig it up. then trash it all 6 months later. unless i just want to take apart lamps and im sure my wife would kill me.. im sure it might do the job. but i think i would rather spend the money and just start off with good equipment. and im very safety consciousness I say no to fires
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i dont really have a choice at this point to fail. kinda stuck in a rutt. if i fail at growing this. then im going to be forced back on medication that actually changes me as a person. and i will do anything to stay off that medication. I do have real reasons on why i need this going asap. not just cuz i want to get stoned
you have talked me into that bucket system though i do like the ease of use on that. with that kit i linked not being very good what about that bucket system with
http://www.virtualsunhydroponics.com/Agricultural/products/VS400DS.asp?rt=2 ?
and what brand of grow medium do you recomend?
perlite/vermiculite at around 3 to 4 parts perlite to 1 part vermiculite
thank you again
...well, if you have a small budget getting proper equipment to start is definitely the way to go, most especially because you have a medical need.
...as for the hempy-buckets and the grow medium there is some latitude, some use the perlite/vermiculite mix, some prefer straight perlite, some use a product called 'mapito' which is similar to rockwool, which is similar looking to fiberglass insulation, lol.
...i personally use straight coco with grorocks or gravel or lavarock in the bottom, ...the way a hempy functions is you take any watertight container, i use 6liter trashcans i got at my local dollar store, ...anyway, you measure up approx. 2 inchs from the bottom of the container and you punch a single drainage hole, i use a soldering iron and i poke a hole about the thickness of a common pencil.
so, once i have that single drainage hole i fill the bottom of my 'bucket' with whatever i have handy, lol, in these pics i'm using hydroton because i have it so i use it, i prefer grorocks but these work just fine, ...anyway, i fill up to just over that drainage hole and then i use straight coco on top of that, the plants love the stuff.
anyway, what that does is it creates a mini reservoir at the bottom of each bucket and because the bottom has different properties it creates a seperation, something like a perched water table i think, ...whatever it is, it works like a charm.
...now, i took a look at that last link you provided and again, it's ok just a bit overpriced maybe, and not a lot overpriced either, ...something else you might want to consider is that digital ballasts sometimes cause radio frequency interference which can be a real shock if someone comes knocking on your door wanting to know what you're running that is killing the neighbors TV reception, ...i personally use magnetic ballasts partly because this is never an issue and partly because they are less expensive than digitals and partly because they are VERY reliable AND, if there is a problem with a magnetic ballast you don't need any special training to fix it yourself, you just need some basic electrical skills is all.
so, with all that in mind i'm gonna post some links to the ballasts, bulbs and the timer and to a grow i know that i think may inspire you and this isn't a hempy grow but i really think you'll enjoy the read, ...you really need to go back and read that thread i linked to 'Benefits of Vertical Growing'.
ballasts(get 2), ...
a 6-pack of 400HPS bulbs, ...
a mechanical timer, cheap and reliable, ...
cordset (get 2), ...
MaxiBloom.
Blumats, vert, n' dirt
...go back and read that KISS thread too because you're gonna need nutrients and while MaxiBloom might seem too simple it really does give your plants everything they need so it provides simplicity AND thrift.
lol, ...anyway, try to be patient and do as much research as you can before you fork over any cash to be sure when you do spend your money you aren't wasting it.
peace, bozo
btw, there are many ways to grow and all can be done with great success and what i've tried to recommend is a simple approach because when you first start out, simple is good, simple means when something goes wrong you can figure out what went wrong because there just aren't that many possibilities, ...frankly, every thing i'm recommending to you i'm using myself, i like simple, and right now my grow is easier than it's ever been and my yields are bigger than ever as well.
