New Grower Gratefully green husband

[Smowkabowl]

I am pretty sure he means $2000 for the entire year to include all inputs: equipment, electricity, nutrients, everything needed for 3 or 4 grows depending on the strains he choses.

@Smowkabowl We need more information before we can offer valid advice. Climate is a biggy. How many plants at a time? what style of growing (soil, coco hydro etc.)? LEDs lights are the most economical in the long run but need the above information first. Are you a DIY kind of guy or do you need to buy ready to run? What is your power voltage and how many amps and how many circuits are available in the garage. Subtract 20% from the breakers capacity. What is your water source and quality? It may seem a little overwhelming at first but a good plan will save a lot of $$$ down the road. I started too small and spent 3 times to get to where I am now so I know how not to do it again.

Hey @Mano'Green,
Not totally sure about circuits and amps and voltage but I'm sure I'll be okay with a small grow for now. I have 4 outlets, 3, 48", 2 tube fluorescent fixtures and a garage door opener in there now. I'll have my brother in law electrician check it out and move some lights and amp it up if necessary. Peace.

 

[mcpd_refugee]

For the light(s), if you’re interested in COBs, you should have a chat with @BigSm0. He runs cobshop.net and he’s a straight shooter. He can talk all day about lights.

 

[G.Leave]

With a light of that power i would assume you will harvest far more than a couple of ounces every few months!! Many/most growers using top end cob lights pull well over 1 gram per true draw watt.

Germination - I have been growing for a long time and have excellent germination rates. You dont need any fancy gear, as long as you have a warm area to put them in. I get excellent germination rates in 24-48 hours in an 80 degree room.

Sounds to me like you should be giving outdoor growing a shot some day!!

Swing by my threads in the dragon meds category....you dont need fancy gear or even the right indoor climate(mine is hot and super dry) to pull some really fantastic bud. I pull nearly 1gram per watt(pulling 400 grams every 70 days on the average), and my lights were less than $300. Ultra high efficiency is good sure, but at what cost? Sounds to me like you are gearing up to grow far more weed than you will need! Start small and expand if you need to. Consider getting some auto non feminized seed down the road and breed your own essentially making seed cost nothing.

 

[iampepe]

Those perfect suns will grow you some nice nugs, I almost went with one of his lights before deciding on an Amare because COB's, he wasn't using cobs a couple years ago. Glad you arent thinking about a cheap ebay led light, they do work but not for very long.
For sprouting do it like these guys, i've been doing it this way for years and have nearly a 100% germ rate. https://www.autoflower.org/threads/mephisto-germ-tech-a-quick-guide.52948/
For your water I'd use the well without salt.
Cheap tents work fine and with autos you can save on that duck tape, there is no need to worry about light leaks. :smoking:

 

[Smowkabowl]

With a light of that power i would assume you will harvest far more than a couple of ounces every few months!! Many/most growers using top end cob lights pull well over 1 gram per true draw watt.

Germination - I have been growing for a long time and have excellent germination rates. You dont need any fancy gear, as long as you have a warm area to put them in. I get excellent germination rates in 24-48 hours in an 80 degree room.

Sounds to me like you should be giving outdoor growing a shot some day!!

Swing by my threads in the dragon meds category....you dont need fancy gear or even the right indoor climate(mine is hot and super dry) to pull some really fantastic bud. I pull nearly 1gram per watt(pulling 400 grams every 70 days on the average), and my lights were less than $300. Ultra high efficiency is good sure, but at what cost? Sounds to me like you are gearing up to grow far more weed than you will need! Start small and expand if you need to. Consider getting some auto non feminized seed down the road and breed your own essentially making seed cost nothing.

@912GreenSkell
Cool dude, yeah I may be going a little overboard but I ultimately want press my own rosin and may need some tonnage for that. It's amazing the amount of trichomes some of these autos are producing. Appreciate the advice and I will be checking out your threads. Peace.

 

[Smowkabowl]

Those perfect suns will grow you some nice nugs, I almost went with one of his lights before deciding on an Amare because COB's, he wasn't using cobs a couple years ago. Glad you arent thinking about a cheap ebay led light, they do work but not for very long.
For sprouting do it like these guys, i've been doing it this way for years and have nearly a 100% germ rate. https://www.autoflower.org/threads/mephisto-germ-tech-a-quick-guide.52948/
For your water I'd use the well without salt.
Cheap tents work fine and with autos you can save on that duck tape, there is no need to worry about light leaks. :smoking:

@iampepe ,
Thanks man, I'll check out the link. As far as the well, I don't think it would matter with an RO system it would remove the salts. The biggest advantage to the untreated well is that it would be less work on the filters prolonging their life and costing less in the long run.

I was thinking the same about the tent too, except I don't want any hermies because of a pinhole or something.

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

If 71°F is the warmest it is going to get in the garage you do not need air conditioning. Plants are happy all the way up to the 90s with enough humidity. Forget about running CO2 in a tent period! It is hard enough in a sealed room and IMPE is not worth the time or money to speed up or increase yield. I have done several runs with CO2 with little to no increase. Get the biggest TALLEST tent you can fit in your space. Use rigid styrofoam insulation on the outside of the tent or plan on heating the garage. Plants stop growing below about 65°F. Go with an 8" Hyper Fan exhaust. It has built in speed control. Starting with too little CFM capacity is problematic. You can put the Fan and filter can outside of the tent and pull the air in through a regular AC filter to keep the air clean and free of critters. The RO system looks good on paper. I have no experience with this unit. Get better Quality PH/TDS meters (I use BlueLab now). Going organic is good but it is difficult to solve deficiencies. I have no experience with the soil/coco products you have chosen. I am sure others will chime in on that. It sounds like you want a perpetual grow and you do not want to build your own lights? Remember that you will need to raise or lower the lights or plants individually to do that. Autos can get much bigger than you think. @BigSm0 has COB lights that would work well for what you are planning. Each COB is hung separately and the are passive cooled. You should have a chat with him before you buy.

OMG you are going to get an earful about germination. I am using GroDan's rockwool A-ok starters and system right now but before I started growing in hydro I used sponges like Rapid Rooters in a room that is 78°F with 25% strength nutrients. Both systems work well for me. At least when I don't screw up.

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

@912GreenSkell
Cool dude, yeah I may be going a little overboard but I ultimately want press my own rosin and may need some tonnage for that. It's amazing the amount of trichomes some of these autos are producing. Appreciate the advice and I will be checking out your threads. Peace.

Check out my DIY Rosin Press Thread in my signature..............

 

[Smowkabowl]

30 years is a long time and proves that it's "never too late" for a hobby. You came to the right place. I hope your first yield "blows you away"!

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

Hey @Mano'Green,
Not totally sure about circuits and amps and voltage but I'm sure I'll be okay with a small grow for now. I have 4 outlets, 3, 48", 2 tube fluorescent fixtures and a garage door opener in there now. I'll have my brother in law electrician check it out and move some lights and amp it up if necessary. Peace.

If your brother-in-law knows about your grow you will need to feed his habit . Just kidding. It is really possible you do not have enough capacity as all four outlets could be on the same circuit. The inrush current for cobs can trip a fast breaker so be sure to consult the brother-in-law.