New beginnings

[sal0me]

Hi,

New to the forum and never grown anything. From what I've read, a DWC system is probably the best way to start. I would prefer to grow in some cupboard space, and was only wanting to grow two plants in the long run but perhaps only begin with one.

 

I saw this

http://www.hydroponicxpress.com.au/shop/p-deep-flow-dutch-bato-kit.html

online but would rather buy locally. I could travel anywhere between Northern NSW and Brisbane if the right store could be recommended as would prefer not to buy online.

 

In regards to the sizing of plant, but would something like this

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2x-Hydroponics-German-Grow-Light-Tent-XS-Indoor-Room-60x60x140cm-Aluminum-Foil-/191377450017?hash=item2c8efc2421&autorefresh=true

or this

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Premium-German-Product-line-High-Quality-Grow-Tent-Room-Hydroponics-Indoor-Kit/331551650070?_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140117125611%26meid%3Dcb5c60d88ae84d8eb1cb63dd883f6012%26pid%3D100009%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D10%26sd%3D261978778949

be ideal as I could grow one or two of these in my cupboard? They are 60cm, 60cm wide 140 high but there are a few compartments so I could use two of the compartments. If you follow. Would that be high enough to grow one plant in each tent? Which tent should I be looking at if I'm wanting to add my own lighting and DWC system rather than buying some all in one solution.

 

With the lighting I wanted to go the full spectrum LEDs as they seem like the best option considering my needs? What kind of wattage should I be looking for?

two of these 600, two 450s or two 300s?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2PCS-Full-Spectrum-Marshydro-600W-LED-Plant-Grow-Lights-Lamp-For-Indoor-Plants-/281759177840?hash=item419a27dc70

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Super-Pro-450W-Full-Spectrum-10bands-Medical-Flower-Plants-LED-Grow-Light-Panel-/201065404754?hash=item2ed06e9952

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2PCS-Super-Pro-300W-Full-Spectrum-10bands-Medical-Flower-Plants-LED-Grow-lights-/201074802601?hash=item2ed0fdffa9

I noticed the wavelength goes to 650 on some of those but ideally it should go up to 750nm?

 

If i were to get a tent, one of those DWC setups and one of the LED full spectrum lighting systems, nutrient solution and my seeds, that would be everything right? what else am i missing here? Do I need ventilation? That isn't really an option. I feel somewhat lost but feel like I'm heading in the right direction.

 

I did notice some seeds from overseas that look awesome, but again I am a bit hesitant to buy online.

I'd consider risking having some seeds sent online. I saw this site

https://amsterdammarijuanaseeds.com

 

Looking forward to the process and the outcome. Help would be appreciated, thanks.

[sal0me]

 

Too many questions?

 

No one can help me regarding the above?

 

I'll investigate further myself : (

 

[DailyTokin]

Hey mate,

Medium=Id probly start with coco, its a lot easier too start with.

Tent.= You would be better off getting 160 high or higher if it fits. You will run out of room really quick in flower. 2 tents if you don't want to wait, 1 for veg,1 for flower. Veg tent won't need to be as tall. If wanting to flower 1 or 2 plants, id go at least 60×90×160

Fans= You will need a fan or fans depending on size, inside tent to get air movement across plants. Also a inline or centrifugal fan to exchange air inside of tent with fresh air. You can start with a cheap inline fan and ducting or a quality silenced fan and insulated ducting , many option depending on budget/ stealth requirments.( May also want a fan speed controller to turn down speed) If you get a fan bigger than you need you can run it lower reducing sound. Some fans have this inbuilt. Also would pay to get matching size carbon filter.

Lights= Never used Led, so can't help there. Only used fluoros and hid. If going hid, id get a air cooled hood. There's a few led diarys around, id have a read. Heard good about Spectrum King(full spectrum)and Growblu.

 

Have a look around, there's plenty of info in Grow rooms,Lighting,Ventilation ect on starting/setting up. Same as seeds, id start by looking at the seed bank threads.

Hope that helps a bit mate, good luck

[selectivesight]

Too many questions?No one can help me regarding the above? I'll investigate further myself : (

Don't rush into it - read and ask as you just did. It's not to many questions...

 

As DailyToken below has mentioned coco is a good medium - I use a 60/40 mix of coco and clay balls.

 

Lighting i to have never used leds so can't say to much about them.

 

Usually you want or aim for a 1 to 1 air venting solution - meaning same in as out...

 

Try not to overwater or over feed...I feed 3 times a day for 1 minute on a recirculated system.

 

 

 

Hey mate,

Medium=Id probly start with coco, its a lot easier too start with.

Tent.= You would be better off getting 160 high or higher if it fits. You will run out of room really quick in flower. 2 tents if you don't want to wait, 1 for veg,1 for flower. Veg tent won't need to be as tall. If wanting to flower 1 or 2 plants, id go at least 60×90×160

Fans= You will need a fan or fans depending on size, inside tent to get air movement across plants. Also a inline or centrifugal fan to exchange air inside of tent with fresh air. You can start with a cheap inline fan and ducting or a quality silenced fan and insulated ducting , many option depending on budget/ stealth requirments.( May also want a fan speed controller to turn down speed) If you get a fan bigger than you need you can run it lower reducing sound. Some fans have this inbuilt. Also would pay to get matching size carbon filter.

Lights= Never used Led, so can't help there. Only used fluoros and hid. If going hid, id get a air cooled hood. There's a few led diarys around, id have a read. Heard good about Spectrum King(full spectrum)and Growblu.

 

Have a look around, there's plenty of info in Grow rooms,Lighting,Ventilation ect on starting/setting up. Same as seeds, id start by looking at the seed bank threads.

Hope that helps a bit mate, good luck

Good advice mate!

[El Gato]

Yep coco is great for beginners, dwc not so much.

[spider_b]

Yep coco is great for beginners, dwc not so much.

 

 

totally agree

[spider_b]

U also mention ventilation......   that is critical no matter wat medium u decide to use.

 

also I wouldn't order seeds from amsterdam, I have had successful orders from herbies and bonza ..  I go no tracking just basic stealth, i beleive tracking on small packages may arouse suspicion.

a safe address away from where you are gonna grow is a good idea also

 

good luck with everything

[merl1n]

+1 El Gato

Coco is a bit easier for beginners. Using a RTW (Run To Waste) system in coco is very simple and has very little in the way of complications.

From all reports DWC can be a bit more difficult to manage with fluid temps and aeration being two primary areas of concern. Get them wrong and you can have all sorts of problems from algal blooms to system blockages

Im using a recirc system with perlite and clayballs. Its a system I've fine tuned, which took a bit of time to refine, but works well for me now.

 

Now as for "how you do it" that's up to you. Personally I'd recommend starting small, LEARNING, then expanding. I've known many a grower go big, cock up or get busted and then give up. Some people start with the idea of becoming 'czars' only to be burnt. So start small, learn the basics small scale then expand if you want. My start was in an old Salvo wardrobe, then expanded and modified and expanded and modified. Actually after every grow I find something to improve or change. I've been growing for a few years and its always changing. Now I've made a purpose built, solid wall collapsible room.

You NEED to start making a plan. Work out what you will need, as you acquire things, cancel them off your list. Plants need light, air and water. So that's where you start.

 

As for ventilation, the answer is yes, you NEED ventilation. Your intake vent/fan should be down low, where the air is coolest. Opposingly your exhaust vent should be up high and on the opposite side to your intake vent. where the hot used air sits and vented outside. You want this air to preferably  be passing thru the plants canopy to remove pockets of stale air. This is where you'll be needing some sort of oscillating circulation fan blowing back and forth thru the vegetation.

I'm still using HPS. For me it works and works well. Be aware of Growlush lights, not good reviews from all reports. But LED aren't my thing.

 

The only other thing I didn't see in your shopping list was meters. You'll be in need of some way to read TDS (Total Dissolved Salts) and pH. You can buy a single meter that reads both BUT if the pH section stuffs up, the TDS side will often die at the same time. In my opinion for TDS the best is https://www.bluelab.com/products/type/meters/truncheon-nutrient-meter.aspx I've had the same meter for many years and only needed batteries. There is no test fluid, which some other meters need and they are reliable. As for your pH you could go buy a meter. I have in the past and both died. Now I use a single dropper into a test tube, where the fluid changes colour. Accurate everytime and no batteries required

BTW TDS, EC, CF and PPM are all measures of the same thing, salts in your fluids. They are different terms and measures. TDS (Total Dissolved Salts) EC (electrical conductivity) CF (conductivity factor) and PPM ( parts per million). Now there are some big mathematical equations to convert one to the other and you can google them if you want. My old truncheon reads in EC, CF and PPM and the conversion is done for me.

 

As for your beans (seeds) follow Spider B's advice.

 

Hope it helps

Merl1n

Edited August 31, 2015 by merl1n

[sal0me]

1: Tent

Ok thanks so much for the replies. I have been on a reading spree and have a better understanding of what I would require. I've managed to get some larger cupboard space going, but the depth is still capped at 60cm. So the tent option seems to be these standard Growlush tents,

 

.9 x .5 x 1.6 - growlush do bad lights are the tents also average?

http://www.aussieponics.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=65&product_id=335

 

or a longer tent

1.2 x .6 x 1.5

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/croydon/other-home-garden/grow-tent-1-2mx0-6mx1-5m-reflective-aluminum-foil-hydroponics/1069310481#

 

Ideally, now that I've got more height and length for cupboard space I would like a taller and longer tent. But there doesn't seem to be any that I've found which allows for only 60cm depth that are taller than 1.5m or longer than 1.2m.

 

I'm presuming the larger the better? Could I grow two plants in either of these or just one? I think one may be all I need as it's just for personal use. But I would get the larger tent if it's better for growth even if I could only grow one in it.

 

2: Seeds

I've looked at Bonza seed bank which seems good I've found a few strains that seem interesting to me. Will order a few seeds from there.

 

3: Medium

Coco Coir Medium (canna or house and garden)

 

4: Method

Run to waste. I'd be happy to water the plants myself daily, seems like it would get to more of the root system by doing this as opposed to using pumps + a seperate tanks. Because of my height limitations, would I get some kind of system that has a tray underneath the pot that can be removed every day?

 

5: Nutrients

I've read a lot about this and feel I can just buy Canna or House and Garden nutrients and as mentioned above get myself a nutrient metre. I've read a fair bit about nutrients, climate and humidity and stuff and feel more or less comfortable to at least be able to purchase and then proceed with caution. Can always ask lots of questions before I start.

 

6: Lighting

I've read a lot on here about LEDs and from everything I've read it seems I'm going to have to shell out here as cheaper options are no good. Lots of info I wrote down and have learnt from Knarfman, ie the leds need to be lower to the plant. The lighting is directional, so better to get 2 x200w lights right up close rather than 400w. I should get 5w LEDs. I've taken note on where I need to place them during different phases. So looks like I'll be spending some money here, some I liked were Growblu and Lushledlighting.com

 

7: Ventilation

So this is the area I require the most assistance with. So I should get a mixed flow fan perhaps to blow air around, because I have LEDs I won't need as much circulation? And they are quiter. I read on a post here the 6" 150mm centrifugal fans run at 52db where as a mixed flow fan runs at 34db. And that is 4 times quiter? But many suggest, and logic suggests, getting a 200mm centrifugal fan with fan control and running it on a lower setting. So that is a fan for moving air around. But I need an extraction fan with insulated ducting and that should have a carbon filter on the end? Can I have this just blowing into the room it's going to be in? I can't have this hanging out the window of where I live. What am I not understanding here? Plenty probably.

 

Long post I'm sorry but I've been reading lots and feel somewhat ready to proceed excepting the insulation.

I'm going to end up shelling out heaps for the led lights. UVB lighting, 5w minimum leds and full spectrum that is where the cost will be. That and the insultation/fans.

 

Looking forward to proceeding and will definitely do a grow diary after I get everything. Probably a few weeks away still

[merl1n]

Being that you are going to be in a restricted space I'd recommend SCROG (Screen of Green) where you spread your plant/s out to fill the space. This way you maximise you bud growth and minimise the number of plants. For example I'm in a 3m x 3m room and grow one (1) plant, this is one grow https://cannabis.community.forums.ozstoners.com/gallery/image/10063-7/

What you cant see in that pick is my SCROG table, which is a steel frame with fencing mesh over the top. Like this https://cannabis.community.forums.ozstoners.com/gallery/image/17476-rough-sketch-steel-table/ This table is placed over the top of my pot and the growth spread out underneath the mesh until the table is full. Once full I turn 12/12 and allow the growth to come up thru the netting. On every upward growing shoot is a bud. The buds can be real heavy and need to be supported above, otherwise they end up pointing to the floor. Now I could use shitloads of string and tie each bud up, but instead I use 2 trailer nets to support the developing buds, set a two differing levels. If you look closely at the bottom left of this pic https://cannabis.community.forums.ozstoners.com/gallery/image/10059-3/ you can see the cabling of the trailer net holding the stems upright. This allows me to still have clear access to be able to manage bud growth and placement.

 

Just some ideas

Merl1n