I'm about to grow again. The last time I grew weed was 20 years ago, using the book by Ed Rosenthal and some random phpBB forum. A lot has changed, now we have feminized seeds that auto flower? Wild!
I'm looking for a bare bones setup that will work to produce flower for my personal use, 6 plants.
I read over the FAQ on the wiki and the beginners guide (sticky post top of sub).
460.8 kWh of electricity (10 bulbs / 4 months on 24/7) = $50.64
seeds from friend, feminized auto-flowering $0
Total: $297.61, figure an extra $100 for incidentals.
(Please keep in mind this is exactly what I did years ago and it worked so well, unless I am forgetting something.)
Am I missing anything? The first grow I did I used fertilizers like blood meal and bone meal and tried to manage N·P·K .. ended up burning the plant. The second grow I did (was a COMPLETE success) used nothing but dirt, perlite and a lot of worm castings, if I remember correctly. Worm castings are so gentle you virtually can't use too much (I think?) and provide all the fertilizer/nutrients you need. Is that right? Is 25lb enough for six 5 gallon buckets?
Is that enough perlite? Need any other soil conditioners or additives?
Would you change anything, for example lighting, that would be cheaper or about the same price?
If I had an extra $200 what would you add or improve?