Starting My First Grow Need Some Advice

I plan on starting my first grow soon but I have some questions.

1) I plan on using a small grow tent, as i will only be growing 3 or 4 plants, what are some reliable brands because I was looking at HTG AgroMax but i read some bad reviews on here about gassing off.

2) Since I won't be growing that many plants, is there a way I can buy a hid lamp and ballast that supports both a MH and HPS bulb?

3) I want to use a soilless mix so I know exactly what nutrients my plants are getting, so what are some recommended brands of mixes and nutrients?

Last, what are some good strains for beginners and where can I buy seeds from seeing as I'm in the U.S.?

You ask questions that's been asked and answered many times in this comunity, go to the forum for beginners and your answers will I'm certain be answered, best of luck with your first grow, there are good sites to purchase seeds, I myself am in the US and bought from Single Seed with good success, Attitude is an other site worth looking into, I'm sure others will chime in an offer their advise but as I said, do some reading in the " beginners " forum.

on a more helpful note

any HPS ballast will support an equal wattage matal hallide bulb, so it's recommended to pick up one of those

both the secret jardin and gorilla tents are made with good material and have a IR blocker in the ceiling of them. Sunshine #4 is an awesome soilless mix and if you want just add a little dolomite lime to it so it adjust your ph to between 6-7 people say use a lot but sunshine #4 had dolomite in it already and its a professional medium.....works very well As far as the seeds yes attitude is the way to go 100% I have made dozens of orders and had all delivered just make sure you get a guaranteed shipping option.....Maybe choose a autoflower strain for your first time I grow the Dutch Passion Think Different and its an awesome plant and with a little extra time and patience will reward you very well....Or grow something with a strong indica dna

sorry about the late reply im new here so i was thinking they would notify me when somebody replied to my thread but i definitely appreciate the feedback

big.MF.mike said:

I plan on starting my first grow soon but I have some questions.

1) I plan on using a small grow tent, as i will only be growing 3 or 4 plants, what are some reliable brands because I was looking at HTG AgroMax but i read some bad reviews on here about gassing off.

2) Since I won't be growing that many plants, is there a way I can buy a hid lamp and ballast that supports both a MH and HPS bulb?

3) I want to use a soilless mix so I know exactly what nutrients my plants are getting, so what are some recommended brands of mixes and nutrients?

Last, what are some good strains for beginners and where can I buy seeds from seeing as I'm in the U.S.?

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1- I'm getting a 3x3 tent this week from eBay for 100 bucks the 3x3 should fit 4 5 gallon pots in there nicely
2- what's your budget
3-I use soil so idk
4-I use bagseeds and I'm going on my 4th grow. I personally wouldn't spend money for seeds and them die because no experience growing

electric ballasts support both HPS and MH lamps. Gotham hydroponics has great and affordable tents on ebay. I got mine from them have had it for a few years now it's amazingly sturdy. buy feminized strains, don't get auto strains. They aren't worth it, get a timer.

fir3dragon said:

1- I'm getting a 3x3 tent this week from eBay for 100 bucks the 3x3 should fit 4 5 gallon pots in there nicely
2- what's your budget
3-I use soil so idk
4-I use bagseeds and I'm going on my 4th grow. I personally wouldn't spend money for seeds and them die because no experience growing

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ideally i don't want to spend more than 500-600 for everything but i don't want to sacrifice on quality for a cheaper price

mr2shim said:

electric ballasts support both HPS and MH lamps. Gotham hydroponics has great and affordable tents on ebay. I got mine from them have had it for a few years now it's amazingly sturdy. buy feminized strains, don't get auto strains. They aren't worth it, get a timer.

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yea i was looking at lumatek ballasts but the prices are kinda steep and that's what i thought i've been looking at nirvana's bubblelicious strain feminized

big.MF.mike said:

yea i was looking at lumatek ballasts but the prices are kinda steep and that's what i thought i've been looking at nirvana's bubblelicious strain feminized

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Steer clear of nirvana. First strain I grew was bubblicious and it hermied on me. I sprayed it with dutchmaster reverse, thankfully that worked. I tried another nivana seed(Ice) it went full on hermie nothing could save it. G13 labs, DNA Genetics, Dinafem, or Barneys Farm are IMO great breeders.

big.MF.mike said:

ideally i don't want to spend more than 500-600 for everything but i don't want to sacrifice on quality for a cheaper price

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For that you can get everything you need.

3x3 tent on ebay
400w HID aircooled kit (should include MH & HPS lamps)
growing medium(I use waterfarm so I don't offer much soil or soiless mix advice)
carbon filter & inline fan

You can get all of that for less than 600 on ebay.

Some people don't like ebay products. I personally love ebay, I bought all of my grow stuff on ebay and none of it has failed me yet.

mr2shim said:

Steer clear of nirvana. First strain I grew was bubblicious and it hermied on me. I sprayed it with dutchmaster reverse, thankfully that worked. I tried another nivana seed(Ice) it went full on hermie nothing could save it. G13 labs, DNA Genetics, Dinafem, or Barneys Farm are IMO great breeders.



For that you can get everything you need.

3x3 tent on ebay
400w HID aircooled kit (should include MH & HPS lamps)
growing medium(I use waterfarm so I don't offer much soil or soiless mix advice)
carbon filter & inline fan

You can get all of that for less than 600 on ebay.

Some people don't like ebay products. I personally love ebay, I bought all of my grow stuff on ebay and none of it has failed me yet.

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thanks for the advice i'll definitely e checking out ebay and a few other ppl to me to checkout amazon

big.MF.mike said:

thanks for the advice i'll definitely e checking out ebay and a few other ppl to me to checkout amazon

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I have a couple of links to amazon in my signature. They have some great deals too.

mr2shim said:

I have a couple of links to amazon in my signature. They have some great deals too.

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that's pretty much everything i would need as far as hardware other than a tent and a filter for less than $250! is this the equipment you bought?

Dude i would sure upgrade to at least a 600 watt ballast if I was spending 5-6 hundred.
Get as much ballast as you can but a cheap bulb from a us company Eiko sylvania etc..
Pete based soiless mixes can be tricky as they often have ph swings during the grow.
use a 6 inch inline fan.

thecoolman said:

Dude i would sure upgrade to at least a 600 watt ballast if I was spending 5-6 hundred.
Get as much ballast as you can but a cheap bulb from a us company Eiko sylvania etc..
Pete based soiless mixes can be tricky as they often have ph swings during the grow.
use a 6 inch inline fan.

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wouldn't a 600W give me heating issues in a small grow tent and what soil would you recommend

also im saying 500-600 for everything even including the seeds the small things like rope ratchets. EVERYTHING

Usually you want to get as many watts as you can cool. A 600w usually requires a/c in the room the tent is in to properly cool it. I bought my stuff from ebay. If I remember right the cool tube/ballast and bulbs were 170. The fan and filter were 150. The tent was 90, my waterfarm kit was 70, ppm meter was 15, rockwool cubes were 6? and a bottle of nova bloom was 25. So all in all it was around 530.

With a 600w you'd also want a 6" inline and filter which would raise the cost a bit. My filter/fan are 4"

I think the seed I bought including shipping was 35. I usually just buy one seed at a time so it's around 30-40 bucks including shipping. I order from herbies pick n mix, check out my current grow. You seem to have the same budget as me, you might end up wanting to grow like I do which is called around on rollitup it's referred to as scottyballs style.

what is scottyballs style

big.MF.mike said:

what is scottyballs style

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Growing in a waterfarm in a relatively small area with a scrog screen.

https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/344359-pineapple-express-g13-labs-seed.html

that's a nice set up but i don't think i can handle a hydroponic system because this will be in a dormroom the least amount of clean up as possible