Feedback on grow setup + cheap alternative to HPS?

Hey all,
I know CFLs can be used successfully for the vegetative phase...but as far as the flowering phase goes, are there any cheap alternatives that work well?

BEFORE ANYONE SLAMS ME AND TELLS ME TO JUST SAVE UP AND GO GET AN HPS SETUP:

I am on a very tight budget and can't afford an HPS setup. However, I am not trying to grow commercially, I just want to grow a few plants for personal use, so I don't care if the HPS substitute results in a smaller yield (as long as it's not cutting the yield by more than 25%).

I just need an alternative to HPS that's not going to cost me an arm and a leg in the short term (i.e. at the store when I buy the lighting) or long term (i.e. when the electricity bill arrives).

My grow setup is a home-built aero/hydro job that my pro-grower friends have all said is a good one. I have three (as I will only be growing 2-3 plants at a time) 5-gallon black buckets with special lids that actually have a mesh pot built into the lid. I am using Rapid Rooter to start my seedlings, as I know that peat pods can clog hydro/aero systems and fuck with the pH of the nutrient solution. Once these get underway, I will be putting them in the mesh pots and surround them with expanded clay pellets.

I am drilling two 1-inch holes in the side of each bucket; one near the bottom (for draining nutrient solution); the other in the middle (for adding nutrient solution without having to take the lid off)...these will be plugged with rubber stoppers when not in use.

Inside each bucket are both an ultrasonic fogger to feed the plants, and an airstone (for oxygenating the grow environment). The type of air pump I bought supports multiple airstones (using T-adapters, for example), so I can run all the airstones using a single air pump. I'm using a Biorb and Biube 12V air pump, Elite Aqua Fizzz airstones, and a no-name Ultrasonic Fogger, all from PetSmart's fish department (like I said, I'm growing for personal use, so I don't need high-dollar, top-of-the-line stuff to guarantee a super-high yield, since I don't care about a super-high yield). I will be using Fox Farm nutrients (Grow Big, Big Bloom, and Tiger Bloom).

ALSO:
Since I am new to hydro/aero gardening, how often (if at all) should I change my nutrient solution? Do I even need to change it at all (aside from the obvious changing of nutrients when beginning flowering phase) since I'm using the fogger method?

I have Jorge Cervante's "Marijuana Horticulture" book, and while I love it, there's not a whole lot in there regarding aero grows.

Any help and/or critique would be appreciated. Thanks!
-=T=-

I bought the same book, its wonderful but does lack a few details about Hydro grows. I grow alot of tomatoes and peppers in aerogardens and i can say for sure that the extra room you have will come in handy. I am planning to flower mine under CFL's . I bought some 42 actual watts and 105 actual watt bulbs from 1000bulbs.com

Im hoping they will see me through flowering, I am running a test now with bag seed, using a DWC system with no drip tubes. I let the action of the bubbles keep the pellets wet, the seeds seem to really like the "rapid rooters" i use. I got 120 of the ones i use for 11.00 dollars through park seed company. they are called Bio dome refills.

Your bucket sounds like it will be nice. I need something to add to my res to make res changes easier. For now i throw a powerhead with a water hose attached into the res and suck the water into a bucket. Then i refill it with a 5 gallon water bottle i make ro/di water in. I have a 4 gallon res, I change my res at every stage change which is roughly every two to three weeks depending on growth.. I move in steps with liquid nutrients. 1/2 strength steps.

I top off my res with clean water. I use a ro/di filter to get zero PPM, i like starting at zero, makes using a meter a snap.

Get you a EC or TDS meter and some sort of PH testing. You can get ph color kits from walmart or petco. I use a TDS/ec meter from hm digital. You can certainly spend less but i like the quality of the one i bought. I liked it so much i bought their PH meter too.

having a meter for TDS or EC is critical. even the 12 dollar models are helpful. Liquid nutrients are almost always over powered so having that meter will guarantee you do not burn up your plants.

Hope something helps,

JP

justparanoid said:

I am planning to flower mine under CFL's . I bought some 42 actual watts and 105 actual watt bulbs from 1000bulbs.com

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info, JP! Just a question, what type of CFLs did you get, the warm white, or the full array (in Kelvin)? I know there's a particular array to shoot for during the veg stage, and another array to go for during flowering.

No problem, I went with 6500k for veg and 2700k for flowering. bought them at 1000bulbs.com but i hear the higher watt bulbs are supposed to be showing up at hope depot or lowes.

JP

cfls dont fit your criteria though......they yeild over 25% less than the hps. your going to have to invest in lighting either way, the hps is better and you can get a 250w or 150w for about $70 at www.htgsupplies.com Im not bashing you or cfls btw. cfls can be effective but if you check out plants grown under an hps to an equal wattage in cfls the difference is pretty clear.

well the good news on that is once you buy all the bulbs you could have bought a better light. i discovered that but since im growing in a cabinet i have to use cfl.

thanks for correcting us, im always learning.

JP