Hydro shops

[pipeman]

So I was driving home from work today and noticed a hydro shop and thought I'd go and take a look.

 

They said you pay about the same price for a 250WSonT as a 400WSonT, about $260 including the ballust and reflector will a precut hole for venting. Considering this I might rethink my grow setup to take advantage of 400W of bud growing power.

 

He pegged me as an MJ grower straight away, which I thought was amusing. Without any indication from me he started talking about closets, no. of plants, yield etc. I wonder what % of their business comes from mj growers?

 

He told me to get my first grow all set up would be about $600. Based on the limited research I've done that seems pretty high. I don't mind spending that kind of money but I won't waste it either. then he said that for my first grow I'd need to come in every week so he could help me along (yeah right, and try to sell me something every time I bet). then he started talking about spending more for quality and "doing things properly" and I wondered what I had said for this guy to think I was a complete fucking moron. He pushed a bit to hard and I ended up deciding I wouldn't go there again. When are pushy salesmen going to learn that they are throwing away repeat customers?

[Lindsay]

Hi Mate,

 

What city are you in, maybe we can suggest a good shop? Yeah i agree about the sales thing...Im in sales (not hydro) and hate pushy people. I find a little more 'mellow' approach can be pretty effective. As you said most people are looking for a good place where they get looked after and can go back time and time again.

 

Good luck.

[pipeman]

I'm currently in Brisbane.

[Tom]

pipeman, I bought my second 430w Son-T about 6 months ago for $220 (the first one cost $250), a one hundred litre bag of 60/40 perlite/vermiculite costs $50, nutrients for a grow $50, my ventilation fans and the oscillating fan are s/h but would cost around another $60 new. The wall lining (builders foil), flat white ceiling paint (spectrum reflection), hooks, chains, pots, home made watering system, etc would come to around $200.

 

$600 is not too far off the mark.

 

However as much of my gear has come from garage sales and salvaged bits and pieces the cost of that set-up was only around $400.

 

[numerike]

I picked up a second hand 400W HPS from a hydroponic shop for $100 !

 

It lasted about a month but when i was reconfiguring the room, i tested it and, the it looks like the transformer blew... The globe was fine as i tested it on a friends ballast.

 

My Hydroponic setup consiting of 5 buckets, 5 individual air pumps, and all the neccessary nuts, all for arounnd $250 (including net pots, clay etc).

 

$360 i beleive is a great price on setting up 5 plants for first hydro grow. $600 is a great step for first timers, but if all goes well it would be a great investment

 

I reacon the choice of going for the cheaper setups then gradually upgrading is a better option than going for a straight out expensive setup.

[Tom]

My last grow using a single 430w gave me a dry yield of 15 3/4 oz, this was an above average return for the light but even if you were only to get half that then the $400 - $600 is a worthwhile investment.

[BobGreen]

I believe in doing things cheap, as long as you get the same result. It's $195.00 for a 400W SON-T-AGRO 4PC SM CH from NUTRIFLO HYDROPONICS SYSTEMS in Gosford, buy a few meters of Panda film some holeless pots and a pump, timer and some nutes a huge block of coco coir from Big W is about $12.00, the exact same thing in a hydro shop would cost $20.00 -$25.00 I recon.

 

You don't need to spend $600.00, the shops will try and sell you a lot of shit you just don't need, trust me.

You just need to know what your doing.

 

If I was you I'ld go for a 600 watter though.

 

Bob

[joedave]

Pipeman here is a website that might have what your looking for?

www.hydrocentre.com.au

 

Happy hunting

[RobbieGanjaSeed]

Brisbane hey........hm.... pushy salesman......."doing things properly".........."spending a little more"............Caboolture Green Power Hydroponics?

 

Agh, to be fair there's probably as many pushy guys as not. But, you'll spend every cent you have and then some if you don't vet out the needs, from the wants.

 

Your needs, his wants.

 

Take a simple bucket bubler system. most hydro shops I know of pretend there's no such way to grow. One shop however bridged the gap between this impossibly cheap hydro system and his desire to make money. The result was a simple 5 gal. bucket with a hole cut out of the lid with a mesh pot and air pump, was over a hundred dollars!

 

Take care, go steady, and count ya fingers after you shake a hydro shop owner's hand .

 

Oh! and as to how much business do the pot growers count for in the hydro industry? I was in the Lismore hydro shop some years ago. A guy walked in and asked some general questions about growing roses or something. The owner of the shop didn't have a clue what to tell him, and the gardener damn near dropped dead at the price of seeting up a garden.

 

When the guy left the shop, I asked the owner of the store how many straight growers come in. He told me that was the first straight grower he had ever had in there to his knowledge . But it was Lismore. And he was a real honest guy too. He helped me set up my very first crack at hydro and set me up cheap as mud, and was incredibly helpful all the way through the grow. I guess he figured a happy customer with a good crop is a good bloke to have on side, I dunno. Or maybe he was just a decent bloke.

 

And after growing inside now for 8 years, and having tried everything from a wacky 400watt mercury vapour up to a 600watt hps, I agree with bob. There's many people who have grown with lights longer and better than I, and from them I hear use a 1000watt light. But in your cupboard, it might be a tad too much. There's a world of diference in the final outcome between a 4 and 6 hundred watt light.

 

And there's a guy in the valley that sells 600watt lights cheaper than anywhere I can find elsewhere. I cant think of his name or how much he charged, but if you want to puruse it, I'll chase it up. He's not a hydro shop, he sells electrical stuf, he's very helpful and a decent guy. He sold me a large chinaman's hat reflector for 30 dollars. I priced the same reflector yesterday at SA hydroponics at Lawnton, it was 66 bucks.

 

cheers

 

rob

[pipeman]

thanks all for your advice. maybe I was a little quick to judge the guy.

 

joedave, thanks for the link, some easy to understand advice, which is what I need . It was tempting just to throw them some cash and get them to supply the cabinet with a system in it, but I think I'll get much more satisfaction from putting it together myself. Plus I plan to be somewhat discreet and buy my setup from a few different shops.

 

I'm still not sure how paranoid I should be, but walking out of a shop with lights, fans, mylar, pots, nutes, pumps, timers, hoses would play on my nerves to say the least.