Brand Spankin' New

[dimentio]

Hi all,
I've decided I would like to try my hand at growing. I've watched videos and done quite a bit of reading, and I'm prepared to pull the trigger on an order of soil, supplies, and seeds.
4 plants at a time (as per Canadian law... now where'd my halo and wings go...)
Any advice/guidance is definitely welcome! I'm not a rich man so I need to keep "budget friendly" in mind.
My thoughts/shopping list so far:
I have a heated/finished basement and would like to do a closet grow. The closet has doors on it and can be very dark. I'm torn between buying a grow-tent (potentially a 3'x3'x6' vivosun) or just attempting to use the closet.
For lighting, I was thinking (on amazon canada):

• Phlizon 600W LED Plant Grow Light,with Thermometer Humidity Monitor,with Adjustable Rope,Full Spectrum Double Switch Plant Light for Indoor Plants Veg and Flower- 600W(10W LEDs 60Pcs)

OR

• Likesuns 1000W LED Grow Light for Indoor Plants - Full Spectrum Plant Grow Lights for Seedling, Succulents, Herbs and Flower, Daisy Chain - High Power, Dual Chip Design with Large Cooling Fan - Double Switch Vegetable and Bloom Button

For pots:
OPULENT SYSTEMS 3 Gallons Grow Bags Heavy Duty Aeration Fabric Growing Bag Thickened Nonwoven Fabric Containers for Potato/Plant Pots with Handles (Black)

For nutrients:
General Hydroponics GLCMBX0009 Calimagic & Flora GRO, Micro & Bloom Combo, 1 Quart Fertilizer

Others:
-Mechanical light timer
-Oscilating fan for additional air movement
-Intake/Exhaust Fans and ducting (still unclear on this stuff)
-Humidity Gauge
-Soil (unclear on what base soil to get)
-A large tote for mixing soil and nutrients

Again, I would like to avoid buying junk but still want to get into growing. All thoughts, opinions, and suggestions are welcome.

 

[crossfader]

You'll want something better than the Phlizon. I'm using the 600w (actually about 100w from the wall) in a 2x2 tent for 2 plants and while it's gonna get me to the finish line it's gonna be my last grow with it. Going full spectrum light next grow. Onwards and upwards!✌

 

[lvstealth]

i would think about a better light. there are many many threads here with lots of lighting options. one guy, @SpiderFarmerLED has discount codes for SF products, and many here like Mars Hydro. I chose ViparSpectra xs series. if you look around, most have discount coupons on the net. but put aside a bit more for lighting. you want an LED with Samsung Diodes and a MeanWell driver for the better ones.

dont over water - the most common uttered words in the community (well besides "your problem with your plants is over/under watering") - so, from now till you stop, repeat daily - DONT OVER WATER

instead of a mechanical timer - i use the "smart plugs" you can set them up and control them on your phone. it says Alexa, but you dont NEED alexa, just a phone and an app.

a decent thermometer and "humidity gauge" for the environment (not the soil) is another you can put on your phone to monitor, i picked this one, but there are many. if you were talking about a soil "humidity gauge" - i did not get one, someone here pooh poohed them and explained the lift the pot method and that works! basically, you just lift the pot, if it is light water, if heavy dont. but more detailed, just fill an extra bag pot with the same soil, and you will know what no water feels like, then lift your plant ones and see if they are close in weight to the one with no water/plant.

depending on your environment, you might want a humidifier, or even a dehumidifier, a small heater, and some other things for the environment.

as for soil... well, you can spend a lifetime on the soil pick! you said seeds, but being in a legal place, you can get clones, which might be an idea. have you ordered seeds? are you going to do Autos or photos? <--- lots here on both types. back to soil... i just started my first grow, so i am no expert (expert, you know "ex" is a has been, and "spurt", a drip under pressure... jk, going for levity) anyway, i finally decided that i just needed to pick one. i went with what, in theory, is easy for a first timer. a super soil in the bottom 1/3 of pot, and a good potting soil for the other 2/3. in Canada you have some choices i dont, but i picked Purple Cow Indicanja for the super soil (water only soil) if you google it, google "water only soil" super soil takes you lots to weed through all the build your own, and i just feel that with all i dont know as a newbie, that i did not need to use my time becoming a nute or soil maker expert. but, i am just 3 weeks in, so i might be nutzo. many will tell you coco coir, which is coconut husk stringy stuff used in place of peat, but my thoughts are that at that point, you need to give nutes, and so many things can and (if you look at the threads) DO go wrong, most containers have the wrong amounts for cannabis, so you have to google till you get it, and then there is the expense of all the stuff to add to the plant to make it grow right - just seemed easier in my mind to start with a soil that had that stuff then my plant could decide on its own when and what to uptake... or at least till i learn enough to make a decision. that is just my thoughts, keep in mind, i KNOW NOTHING, this is my FIRST GROW. but im a "rocket scientist" and do know that i might have a better chance if i limit what i have to learn at first. limit variables and the learning will happen.

another thought, plant all 4 (at least on your first grow) the same strain. that way you are not dealing with differing needs or heights for them on your first time.

 

[growsince79]

Hi all,
I've decided I would like to try my hand at growing. I've watched videos and done quite a bit of reading, and I'm prepared to pull the trigger on an order of soil, supplies, and seeds.
4 plants at a time (as per Canadian law... now where'd my halo and wings go...)
Any advice/guidance is definitely welcome! I'm not a rich man so I need to keep "budget friendly" in mind.
My thoughts/shopping list so far:
I have a heated/finished basement and would like to do a closet grow. The closet has doors on it and can be very dark. I'm torn between buying a grow-tent (potentially a 3'x3'x6' vivosun) or just attempting to use the closet.
For lighting, I was thinking (on amazon canada):

• Phlizon 600W LED Plant Grow Light,with Thermometer Humidity Monitor,with Adjustable Rope,Full Spectrum Double Switch Plant Light for Indoor Plants Veg and Flower- 600W(10W LEDs 60Pcs)

OR

• Likesuns 1000W LED Grow Light for Indoor Plants - Full Spectrum Plant Grow Lights for Seedling, Succulents, Herbs and Flower, Daisy Chain - High Power, Dual Chip Design with Large Cooling Fan - Double Switch Vegetable and Bloom Button

For pots:
OPULENT SYSTEMS 3 Gallons Grow Bags Heavy Duty Aeration Fabric Growing Bag Thickened Nonwoven Fabric Containers for Potato/Plant Pots with Handles (Black)

For nutrients:
General Hydroponics GLCMBX0009 Calimagic & Flora GRO, Micro & Bloom Combo, 1 Quart Fertilizer

Others:
-Mechanical light timer
-Oscilating fan for additional air movement
-Intake/Exhaust Fans and ducting (still unclear on this stuff)
-Humidity Gauge
-Soil (unclear on what base soil to get)
-A large tote for mixing soil and nutrients

Again, I would like to avoid buying junk but still want to get into growing. All thoughts, opinions, and suggestions are welcome.

The lights you're looking at aren't very good. You need 300w of good led or 400w hps for a 3x3. Whether you use a tent or closet, you need good ventilation- exhaust outside if at all possible.

 

[lvstealth]

there is a bunch of info on lighting on the forum and all over the net. there are many considerations besides the best for the plants. you speak of budget, and LEDs are the budget friendliest, i believe. with an LED though you have the "looks like" wattage rating, not the actual wattage it uses. so, an LED that says Likesuns 1000W LED is probably only 100w really. and what @growsince79 is saying about needing 300w, he means real usage, not rated to look like numbers. so with the 1000 you are looking at, you will need 3 times that. Full spectrum is another consideration. many of the better ones have ir and more of the spectrum that the purple ones dont have. not to mention, the purple ones pictures SUCK! i guess you get use to seeing purple all the time, but it messes with me, i just cant see any detail in purple, old eyes and all.

the equation that someone said on here was 30w of good LED light per sqft, so, you have 3x3, that is 9sqft, or 35 to 40 watts with less great leds. so somewhere between 270W and 360W. <--- i may have that a bit wrong, my memory is not the best, but in general, 300w for a 3x3. then you might want to look at the ppfd chart on them, the 1000w you want to get is

so at 11 inches away you get 364 ppfd

the xs1500 is 3 or 4 times that! for twice the money... but much better.

Spiderfarmer sf1000 is only 100w and it has much better leds and more of a full spectrum and it is using the "good" diodes and driver. but you can daisy chain (link them together) as you get more and more and get hooked! there are lots of others, i just went through this process (lights seem to be sort of a religious thing here, you will find that many are so into their light they will hate all others) once you get around the personalities involved in light choice, lights can be mathmatically calculated for space (while not an exact science, too many other things, it is at least a jumping off point.) dimmable is important too, but most of the "good" ones have that.

at this point, i cant recommend any, but you can get lots of info on the better ones and you can get discount coupons all over the net (i try to stick to people who have coupons and are on THC, support your local forum!)

if you start with photoperiods, you might want more sizes of bag pots. it seems pretty standard to start in a solo cup (and i learned you can use your lighter and burn some nice drainage holes in them) then go to 1 gallon (you might want to - just for the wow of it - check out the threads here on growing all the way in a SOLO CUP!!!! and going for 1 pound in a one gallon pot!!! but that is for the experienced!) then go to a 3 or 5 gallon. if you start with auto flowering seeds, you will plant right in the 3 or 5 gallon bag.