Lights & Soil

[Hallucinogen]

G'day all,

 

Can some accomplished growers help me with what lights and soil to buy and from where?

 

I'm gonna grow in a normal size closet so what lights would do that for 2 or 3 plants?

 

Cheers!

[Spurious]

Briefly,................

 

Premium grade potting mix

 

400-600W agricultural tuned HPS, eg. sont-a-gro or similar

 

Confidor powder, for fungus gnats

 

Fongarid powder, for pytheum

[didjeridrew1]

Armstrong lighting out of Arkansas, USA has great quality lights....they even offer switchable HPS/MH lights....i got a 400w switchable from them for my first grow and it seemed to do really well for the clset i sety up for my girls....they are fairly cheap...$220 USD....and come with a one year garantee.....

 

for soil i just used regular pottingsoil with worm castings mixed in.....i layered the dirt withriver stones...you know, the little flat smooth ones....start with a layer of pea gravel at the bottom (increases drainage, prevents root rot)....than a layer of soil, then stones.....

 

easy formula, bottom to top....5cm pea gravel

10cm soil

layer of river stones

fill with soil

[Tom]

Armstrong lighting out of Arkansas, USA has great quality lights....they even offer switchable HPS/MH lights....i got a 400w switchable from them for my first grow and it seemed to do really well for the clset i sety up for my girls....they are fairly cheap...$220 USD....and come with a one year garantee.....

My local hydro shop sells 400w HPS with reflector and a Son-T-Agro globe for $180 Australian, and I also support a local business.

[pipeman]

I'd try and get a potting mix with a PH between 6 and 7 if you can and also mix in 30 to 50% perlite for better drainage.

[white_cluster]

Hortico brand premium potting mix is great shit, not woodchip crap like most soil's, only comes in 15ltr bags unfortunately. But check it out its the green bag. I dont use it cos it costs too much and I dont grow pot in soil anyway, but would if I did. Also get a small bag of perlite to mix in. and some 350mm standard nursery pots. and kitty litter trays to sit em in. (cost 2 bucks from crazy clints, while the actual pot trays cost like $4 and always overflow.)

 

Chuck some blood and bone into that soil mix anyways to keep em growing through veg. If you can find a bag of bone meal alone get it, its valuable shit to the dope grower but getting rarer all the time. Don't put any rotting composts or garden soil in there.

 

For a light you want a 400w HPS, itsa what most perso growers use and lights most standard wardrobe/cupboards. Dont get it from the US like didgeridrew, poor guy got scammed, check out your local hydro store.

 

While your there get some nutrients, buy cheap powdered hydro nute from Manutec and Manutec bloom booster for nutes if cost is a problem,

[Guest Wilderbud]

Hortico brand premium potting mix is great shit, not woodchip crap like most soil's, only comes in 15ltr bags unfortunately. But check it out its the green bag.

Hmm, almost thought it was the same stuff I use - I use some soil from Australian Gardener - its also in a green bag and is excellent organic soil. Id stay away from the cheap crap for good plants as its not consistent soil.

 

Cheap soils are usually dusty or full of twigs [dusty is bad and full of twigs isnt good for seedlings (just sift this out of good soil which happens to have chunks)]. Good soils look like compost [dark and airy] - if you have good dry soil in a pot and water it slowly from the center then it should quickly get evenly moist [if a pool of water gathers on top then throw the soil in the bin] and it should let all excesss water drain freely [if it takes 10 seconds for water to start dripping then it should drip freely for 10 seconds after you stop watering].

 

I think established gardener brands like Hortico and Yates are usually better products but you can get some brands that are worth using [buy a bag and try it - if its crap just mix it into your garden]. Definately water all the dust out of any soil before putting it in pots as the dust collects at the bottom of the wet medium and blocks drainage holes and causes root rot [dust is the side effect from handling it so itll always have it].