Dirt cheap perpetual harvest?

P@ssw0rd

P@ssw0rd

New Member
300 total setup is tight, do you already have seeds?

Heres what i would do

400 watt hps from HTG
Bake-a-Round pyrex tube for Diy cooltube from ebay
Stanley blower for cooling tube and ventilating space from walmart

You can probably get all that for around 200$ so if you already have seeds that leaves you 100 for pots, dirt, ducting, ferts and odd and ends. You could even wait on the ferts as you won't need them for at least a couple weeks. Skip the tent and you could get some panda plastic and just staple it up in the attic but neither is in your 300$ budget so hold off.

And really Arjans haze #3 for your first grow huh? thats ambitious but it's easiest to learn how to grow with a quicker strain, that way if you have something go wrong you haven't lost months of work for nothing, less time to grow = less time for something to go wrong. Maybe even some auto flower plants for your first run, the smoke is great there very forgiving on new growers, need shit for ferts and if you PM me i can send you a link on where to get some auto seeds for 1/2 price.

Good Luck
It can Be done

P@ssw0rd
 
HeyBud69

HeyBud69

Active Member
If you want some idea of cost for cfl bulbs, there is some variety at Non-Dimmable Compact Fluorescent.
Keep in mind that some of the larger ones use a Mogul base, not the same as your
usual medium. If you have access to some cheap sockets, you can wire them on some plywood cut smaller than your cabinet, and raise or lower to keep your canopy happy. You can getto up some reflectors, and get buy without a cooltube. 2700K for flowers, 5000K for veg. And please don't try growing in cardboard. Good luck.
 
asher187

asher187

Well-Known Member
GypsyBush said:
Hey man... just a thought...

CFLs are fine if you just want to have fun growing...

But if you have any kind of respect for your budget, choose the biggest HPS you think you can get away with (heat wise), and go with the next size up inside of a cooltube with a kick ass fan...

Most people say they are on a budget and end up with a very high price per gram...

Use a strong HPS, it will give you the BEST GRAM/WATT ratio... therefore the cheapest buds...

If you are going to stick with it, you will end up with a bigger HPS, why upgrade 10 times along the way???

Your grow, your money... I've been there, and found myself burning over 400 watts in CFLs and small HPSs (I have 2 of the 70w and a 100w MH), so I ordered a 600W HPS and a 8" cooltube with a 265cfm fan...

With a cool tube and a big fan, you can treat a 400HPS ALMOST like a fluorescent... 6 inches or so... you just can't beat that...

My 2 cents... your grow...

Go with what you know...

Best of luck...

Gypsy...:joint::peace:
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I have to agree, with DWC (deep water culture) being the only "cheap" method I'd consider, for soil use foxfarm, I'd use there nuts too.

Lighting, get a 400W conversion kit from htgsupply.com for 119 bucks it's low enough heat to easily cool with a cooltube ($80) for your Bloom area (upto 3x3 foot area) and use CFLs for your grow area, CFLs are awesome for starting seedlings and don't be afraid to put them really close I do 1" with a reflector and never burn them:fire:, just make sure you have a fan on them.

Planning: Someone also mentioned something important, if you set up your Grow room first correctly and pace yourself on budget you can probably over time aquire all the right stuff as you earn the money to do a solid grow. I have about $800 into a pretty decent grow including 45 branded seeds ($250ish) If you carefully plan and price eveything and when you'll need it such as nuts ( you won't need any for one month with foxfarm soil) by then it's just about time for the bloom room for most strains. so find out what all the costs are then plan them over time to match your grow. I started with $400 and some bagseed.

If you want some help getting set PM me I bet you could set up a nice grow with what you have to work with.
 
smppro

smppro

Well-Known Member
piFFstAr407 said:
dude cfls are the worst possible option... period, unless ur in ur first 2 weeks of veg or starting clones.. i use 1000w dual arch hps/mh bulb in a 3x3x6 closet bro.. im a first time grower i have the most insane diy hydro setup and have the most beautiful strawberry cough and lowberry plants the eyes have seen.. they are huge and bushy, about the 4th week of flower plant is about 3ft tall and almost 4 feet around. trust cfl = the lame. hps > all!
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Hey good job on making yourself look ignorant, research what you say, you clearly just listen to what people tell you, yeah an hps is better than cfl but the sun is better than hps, so where do you stand on that, Once you learn its the grower not that lights youll be on your way, better hope you are never in situation where you can use that big light huh, then what will you do? I guess youll have to go ask somebody. Plus the guy is working with 4ftand trying to go cheap, not everybody has to spend a ton of money to grow weed like yourself, maybe try and say something useful next time:dunce::wall:
 
sublimed

sublimed

Well-Known Member
there's no such thing as a dirt cheap perpetual harvest system.
-the lower the budget gets, the less watts per gram you get, which makes it completely futile.

i'd go for, a clone room that would have some 'dirt cheap' t5's or standard cfl's in it.
then i'd go with, as a minimum a 400w sodium / ideally a 600.

seeing as you don't like the idea of shelling out for a cooltube, you can put some effort in and make one for under 50$. search icmag or riu, i'm not sure what one it's on.

here's a pic:



this is for 6 fully grown plants, so it's pretty big. however, you could easily fit around 15 sog'd plants in a 1 meter square space, and a 600w hps would cover it..

lol that was a bong induced rant :peace: peace out
 
Doctor Pot

Doctor Pot

Well-Known Member
I still think high-output T5s are the way to go. They put out more lumens per watt than HPS and the plants can grow closer to the light than they can in a HPS setup. Because a HPS light is a very concentrated point, you have to put it farther away from your plants. Not only so it doesn't burn them, but so the light can spread out to reach more plants. If you use a HPS with only 4 feet of space, your plants will have barely any room to grow and you could only fit a couple plants under each light. A T5 light would get you more weed per watt as well as more weed per dollar.

HPS lights are better because they are more intense and can reach the lower branches better, but if you use one with only 4 feet of space, there won't really be any lower branches to reach.

 

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sublimed

sublimed

Well-Known Member
high power t5's ~ that put out more lumens per watt than HPS
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link..?

you have to put it farther away from your plants. Not only so it doesn't burn them, but so the light can spread out to reach more plants
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cooltube / air cooled hood solves the burning problem. a light diffuser / well built hood sorts out the light distribution.

and also, t5 / cfl buds have a tendancy to be pretty airy, so your "more weed per watt as well as more weed per dollar." theorem is wrong.
 
Doctor Pot

Doctor Pot

Well-Known Member
sublimed said:
link..?
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"We are now seeing a higher watt to light output ratio from the T5 fluorescent than is experienced using High Intensity Discharge (H.I.D.) systems like Metal Halide. Each four foot T5 lamp produces an amazing 5,000 lumens per bulb! This is incredibly bright and represents a huge leap for fluorescent technology. Antiquated T12 fluorescents (your standard "shop-light" fixture) and the popular T8 fluorescents emit around 2,600-3,000 lumens per 4’ bulb. T5 Fluorescent’s light output is even higher than Metal Halide’s intense bright light as Metal Halide bulbs produce around 80 lumens per watt. T12 fluorescents emit around 65 lumens per watt and the T8 fluorescents emit about 81 lumens per watt. Compare that to the T5’s outstanding 92 lumen per watt ratio and you now see why T5’s are truly the next generation in grow lights. Metal Halide and T12 and T8 lamps can lose as much as 50% of their initial light output over the life of the bulb. So without regularly changing your halide/sodium bulbs, your plants could be growing at "half speed". T5 fluorescent bulbs also hold their lumens longer than Metal Halide / High Pressure Sodium and other fluorescent bulbs meaning they stay brighter longer. This means you can be assured your plants are receiving the proper amount of light over the lamps life."

From High Tech Garden Supply

cooltube / air cooled hood solves the burning problem. a light diffuser / well built hood sorts out the light distribution.

and also, t5 / cfl buds have a tendancy to be pretty airy, so your "more weed per watt as well as more weed per dollar." theorem is wrong.
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High-output T5 and CFL are not the same thing. And I am referring strictly to a 4-foot space when I say that he'll get more weed per watt and per dollar. Also, you are now recommending getting not only a cool tube, but a well-built hood and a light diffuser. Did you read the part about wanting to do this on the cheap?

edit: I realized my quote only refers to MH lights, not HPS. HPS does indeed have anywhere from 70 to 120 lumens per watt compared to 92 for high-output t5 lights. so I meant to say "HID" rather than "HPS". but still, the two types of lights are certainly comparable as far as output.
 
sublimed

sublimed

Well-Known Member
High-output T5 and CFL are not the same thing.
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i didn't say they were.
just out of question, what is the highest wattage t5 you can get?

Also, you are now recommending getting not only a cool tube, but a well-built hood and a light diffuser
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a home-made cooltube will run you about 30/40$ and a light diffuser costs next to nothing.

and if hps' have up to 30 more lumens per watt than t5's how are t5's the best option?
 
Doctor Pot

Doctor Pot

Well-Known Member
sublimed said:
i didn't say they were.
just out of question, what is the highest wattage t5 you can get?
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A 48-inch tube is 54 watts, and a 24-inch tube is 24 watts. If you got a 48-inch 8 tube setup, that'd be 432 watts, I suppose.

a home-made cooltube will run you about 30/40$ and a light diffuser costs next to nothing.

and if hps' have up to 30 more lumens per watt than t5's how are t5's the best option?
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The problem is, all those things take up space. A T5 setup would require next to no clearance and would take up about 6 inches. A HPS setup with all the accessories you recommend could easily take up a foot and a half. When you only have 4 feet of growing space, an extra foot of room is a huge bonus, and certainly worth the tradeoff in light intensity.

Oh, and light diffusers lower the efficiency of your light.

Also, the grow log I linked earlier got 3 ounces of bud from 96 watts of T5 light. I guess I did the math wrong. That's pushing 1 gram per watt, which is extremely good no matter how you look at it.
 
Doctor Pot

Doctor Pot

Well-Known Member
Oh, but apparently he also used 2 23-watt cfls. So it's more like 142 watts. Still impressive though.

He did say the buds were airy, but personally I kind of prefer that. That's good insurance against bud mold, for one. He did say the weed was extremely potent.
 
smppro

smppro

Well-Known Member
Doctor Pot said:
Anbesol's Second T5 Grow. NYC Diesel and Hypnoberry - Cannabis.com Forums Message Boards - Medical Marijuana, Cannabis Club, Dispensary, News

He says he's got 2 lights, each with 2 tubes, and each tube is 2 feet long. So that's 24 watts per tube times 4 tubes.
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I dont have an account so i cant see pictures but i read in there. So was that official dryed weight or his guess because at one point he says he weights a wet cola and it was 33grams and he hopes to get an OZ from that dry! Probably more like 7-10grams
 
K1Ng5p4d3

K1Ng5p4d3

Junior Creatologist
1337d3m0nx said:
What kinda lights do you plan on using?

Cardboard, as mentioned in another thread, is a fire and mold/bacteria hazard. Wood is cheap and I would recommend getting it.
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Dont believe the hype. I got a full grow on with a cardboard box. Its the name of my grow journal dude. All is well with my shit, n it would be with yours too if you set it up right. Check out my journal bro. You can set shit up for the CHEAP if you improvise in just about every area u can.
 
Doctor Pot

Doctor Pot

Well-Known Member
smppro said:
I dont have an account so i cant see pictures but i read in there. So was that official dryed weight or his guess because at one point he says he weights a wet cola and it was 33grams and he hopes to get an OZ from that dry! Probably more like 7-10grams
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That was final weight. All four plants were 85 grams dry weight. He puts that on the second to last page, I think.
Dont believe the hype. I got a full grow on with a cardboard box. Its the name of my grow journal dude. All is well with my shit, n it would be with yours too if you set it up right. Check out my journal bro. You can set shit up for the CHEAP if you improvise in just about every area u can.
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If it only has a 10% chance of catching fire, it's still not something I'd do. A fluorescent system shouldn't get hot enough to set anything on fire though, and as long as you have proper clearance around the hood, a HID light should be good too. Remember, paper and wood burn at the same temperature, it's just paper catches fire more easily.
 
dogglet forever

dogglet forever

Well-Known Member
GypsyBush said:
Fluorescents, compact (CFL) or not (tube ie. T-5) are great for vegging...

But when you start talking about flowering... they work, but are not the best option...

What we (I) are trying to achieve is growing our own buds, hopefully cheaper than buying it right????

Ok, so you need to consider the Gram/Watt ratio of your grow....

The very best indoor Wizzards are getting well over 1 gram per watt...

That means that if you have a 600 Watt Hps, and you fill your area to capacity, with everything perfect, it is possible to get 600 Grams/21.1Oz....

Try growing with 1 80 watt CFL and you will soon realize that you will not harvest 80 grams...

The best way to improve that ratio is to use a powerful HPS...

2 x 250 Watt HPS does NOT have the same INTENSITY as a single 400 Watt HPS... they may cover a larger area, but the light PENETRATION is still decreased...

I hope I am making sense, but basically anything shy of 400 watts (on HPS) will give you the low intensity of a cloudy day...

We are the weather indoors, why make cloudy days everyday..?????

If you stick with growing, you will end up with a 600 or even a 1000 HPS, why upgrade 15 times along the way...

Even economically it makes sense, it is the one tool that will the biggest impact on your harvest, bringing you closer to that elusive 1 gram per watt ...:o

I hope I didn't sound like a dick, I'm high and I just hate to see you buy and replace unnecessary equipment... it's expensive and puts even more trash out there...

Buy what you need... once... it's cheaper and you become a "better grower" quicker...:weed:

Just my thoughts man.. go with what you know...

Best of luck...

Gypsy...:leaf:
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i agree wih alot of his stuff i too have gotten stuck inthe "upgrade" money pit with lights especially. i went out the first time and bought 120 bucks worth of Floro's only to go to home depot and find a 100watt MH light security light ballast and bulb included for 90.00 bucks which would be perfect for my veg room.

i went out and bought a 400 watt hps system after my first grow i can see myself wanting to upgrade to a 600 watt hps. 350 bucks (i know its a alot but if your ead my first post you'll understand why)

for your grow room i listed some pics for you of what i built it's dimensions are 5x5 foot square and 7 feet tall, it ran me around 70.00 in all (walls, staples, etc...) with your steup being half the height it would cut your cost in half i assume.
 

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GypsyBush

GypsyBush

Well-Known Member
dogglet forever said:
i agree wih alot of his stuff i too have gotten stuck inthe "upgrade" money pit with lights especially. i went out the first time and bought 120 bucks worth of Floro's only to go to home depot and find a 100watt MH light security light ballast and bulb included for 90.00 bucks which would be perfect for my veg room.
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Well, I agree with what I said too... uhh wait...

I mean, I skipped the 35 CFLs and went straight to HID... 2x 70 w HPS and 1x 100 MH...

Now get this... I was within $25 of the 600 HPS with the 8" cool tube...

Yeah...
dogglet forever said:
i went out and bought a 400 watt hps system after my first grow i can see myself wanting to upgrade to a 600 watt hps. 350 bucks (i know its a alot but if your ead my first post you'll understand why)
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I wanted the 400 and bought the 600 for that exact reason...

dogglet forever said:
for your grow room i listed some pics for you of what i built it's dimensions are 5x5 foot square and 7 feet tall, it ran me around 70.00 in all (walls, staples, etc...) with your steup being half the height it would cut your cost in half i assume.


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Nice tent... looks solid....

Mine is a lot smaller, 36"W x 60"T x 20"D

Very similar, but I went all out and got the zippers... hehehe....






I hope this gumbo of info is actually helping...

Basically the way I see it is....

If you just want to play... go fluorescent...

But if you are going to stick with growing for years to come, buy the crap that you will be happy with 3 years from now...

That way you will have good gear to begin with and you will not waste your cash buying upgrade after upgrade...

Am I repeating myself???? I do that sometimes....

Cheers...

Gypsy...:bigjoint:
 
Doctor Pot

Doctor Pot

Well-Known Member
I still stand by my recommendation to grow with high-output t5 fluoros, if only because of the space constraints. If he gets a bigger grow area, then by all means, relegate the t5s to vegetation duty and buy a HPS.

I have a 400 watt system. The reflector is about 6 inches high. Anything less than 8 inches away from the light gets burned. And I need at least 4 inches of clearance between the ceiling and the top of the light. That's a foot and a half of space right there. Figure a foot for the soil and you're left with a foot and a half for plants to grow in. Fine for lowryders, but not much good for anything else. And like I already said, the t5s also give you a larger area to grow in for the same amount of watts.

So with the T5 system, he'd have more plants, and each plant would be a foot taller. Who cares if the bud density isn't quite as good?
 
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