New Grower Top Tier 1m2 Grow setup advice!! (LED) (Best Available)

[DarkGreen]

How do.

Im a complete novice grower, I currently have a batch of BB Blue Cheese Autos in my mini Greenhouse in the garden (3 weeks growth from germination) but I'm looking to set up a high quality small scale grow in my garage in future.


Id love some advice from knowledgeable types about what to go for. I'm looking to spend £600-700 max.

Some Background info, I live in the North of the UK, and I have a large garage, but due to it also being a home gym I only want a tent roughly 1m square and upto 1800mm high.

Obviously its Baltic freezing here in winter so a tube heater will be a requirement in winter, but I really want it to be an LED setup, I fancy a GN Holographic series 1 or perhaps a Helios pro.

Would really appreciate a heads up on what you would do with that money and that size of tent requirement.

Im a total newb, and with every company calling out their products as being the best im completely dazzled.

At this point my choices are simply based on, product A is the most expensive, so therefore product A must be the best etc etc.

Cheers in advance

 

[blue]

Hi Again

That's a reasonable budget, but wont get you the "best" - but is enough to get a good setup which will provide and essentially "save" you money (that you would have spent on weed) to upgrade down the line.

It's june now so the weather is okay - but in the baltic freezing garage, you'll need a bit more than a tube heater to keep the temps up if using an LED.

In 1meter square you should be able to fit in 4 medium sized autos or 2 bigones (or two photoperiods if you get a hankering down the line)

Here's my experience from swapping HPS to LED: (all indoors in a well insulated house)

Growing in a small cab (60x60x180ish) with really good extraction and a 250w hps in UK. Average summer the temps got into 90s (too hot)

Same Cab with GN LED and same extraction, but coming into autumn, i had a temp drop of around 25f - so 65f (too cold)
I added one small tube heater which added about 7-10f to the cab. so that sorted it for me.

Ambient temps outside the cab would probably be around 70f.


It seems like you "could" go the 400w HPS route (quite a cheap setup these days) for the winter and this will provide the heat needed for the tent (between 75f-85f ideally with the lights on)

And then for the summer if the temps creep up, you can get a nice LED with all that money you saved.

I',m just in the UK grow shops filling up a basket I'll brb

 

[blue]

Well i was shopping at loads of sites and they kept breaking on me - probably pressing the buttons to fast "tat ....tat .....tat...." lol

But saw this and it's good (with a few minor upgrades and changes)

https://www.hydroculture.co.uk/value-series-coco-kit-medium

Ask them if you can pay for some minor upgrades.

• Secret Jardin DS120 (120cm x 120cm x 185cm) - Nice
  
• Euro Reflector - Okay
  
• Maxibright Compact Ballast 600W - Good
  
• Sunmaster Dual Spectrum Lamp 600W - Good
  
• Maxiswitch 2-Way Light Controller with Grasslin Timer - Hmm - Uprgrade to Maxibright timer relay with 4 plugs on
  
• Jack Chain – 4m - Good
  
• Ruck RK150 Inline Fan - Excellent! Lovely fan
  
• Prima Klima Carbon Filter - Okay (Possibly ask for upgrade to Rhino)
  
• Standard 150mm Ducting and clips
• Large Cable Ties (X2 for hanging filter)
• 2 X Canna Coco Growing Medium 50l - Good - Uprgrade to canna coco professional plus
  
• Hydroleca 8-16mm 10l - Don't even know what this is!? If perlite - then yes keep it.
  
• Hesi Coco Nutrient Starter Kit - No Thanks - Ask to upgrade to (all Canna) Rhizotinc, CannaCocoA&B, Boost.
  
• pH Liquid Test Kit - NO THANKS! Must Uprgrade to a digital (good european one is Essentials, Best is Bluelas)
  
• pH Up 250ml / pH Down 250ml
• Budget EC Meter - Meh, again - maybe upgrade to an essentials EC meter
  
• Max / Min Dial Thermometer - okay
  
• 5 x 15L Pots / 5 x 3.5L Pots / 5 x Round Saucer 30cm- I preder square pots and a 1.2m square drip tray.

This comes in at £510 - but the upgrades will set you back a bit more so probably £600 to £650

But that's only what i'd do lol ^_^

Edit: And an internal fan for movement (and little feed for your pots, but you can get those from a garden centre or make them)

... and a lion bar (not entirely necessary...but usefull half way through the setup ^_^)

 

[DarkGreen]

Well i was shopping at loads of sites and they kept breaking on me - probably pressing the buttons to fast "tat ....tat .....tat...." lol

But saw this and it's good (with a few minor upgrades and changes)

https://www.hydroculture.co.uk/value-series-coco-kit-medium

Ask them if you can pay for some minor upgrades.

• Secret Jardin DS120 (120cm x 120cm x 185cm) - Nice
  
• Euro Reflector - Okay
  
• Maxibright Compact Ballast 600W - Good
  
• Sunmaster Dual Spectrum Lamp 600W - Good
  
• Maxiswitch 2-Way Light Controller with Grasslin Timer - Hmm - Uprgrade to Maxibright timer relay with 4 plugs on
  
• Jack Chain – 4m - Good
  
• Ruck RK150 Inline Fan - Excellent! Lovely fan
  
• Prima Klima Carbon Filter - Okay (Possibly ask for upgrade to Rhino)
  
• Standard 150mm Ducting and clips
• Large Cable Ties (X2 for hanging filter)
• 2 X Canna Coco Growing Medium 50l - Good - Uprgrade to canna coco professional plus
  
• Hydroleca 8-16mm 10l - Don't even know what this is!? If perlite - then yes keep it.
  
• Hesi Coco Nutrient Starter Kit - No Thanks - Ask to upgrade to (all Canna) Rhizotinc, CannaCocoA&B, Boost.
  
• pH Liquid Test Kit - NO THANKS! Must Uprgrade to a digital (good european one is Essentials, Best is Bluelas)
  
• pH Up 250ml / pH Down 250ml
• Budget EC Meter - Meh, again - maybe upgrade to an essentials EC meter
  
• Max / Min Dial Thermometer - okay
  
• 5 x 15L Pots / 5 x 3.5L Pots / 5 x Round Saucer 30cm- I preder square pots and a 1.2m square drip tray.

This comes in at £510 - but the upgrades will set you back a bit more so probably £600 to £650

But that's only what i'd do lol ^_^

Edit: And an internal fan for movement (and little feed for your pots, but you can get those from a garden centre or make them)

... and a lion bar (not entirely necessary...but usefull half way through the setup ^_^)

WOW

How helpful are you??

it all sounds turbo complicated though?

I really only understand the basic principles.

are those lamps or LEDs??

The reason im moving towards LEDs is I have to be away from home for days at a time, but by winter, when I'd need the heat of a lamp, hopefully my GF would be trained up enough to look into the tent and monitor things whilst im away.

thanks so much for your help, im looking at that gear now

 

[blue]

You're welcome

it all sounds turbo complicated though?

Nahhh - It's all just bits and peices - put em together and you got a grow room WooP!

I really only understand the basic principles.

Me too! (well ... kinda) ... and that's what we're here for

are those lamps or LEDs??

That's a HPS setup - Feel the heat brother!! But dont touch em with the fingers .... very pretty ... but super hot!! Yeah - if you got his way you can get a Sylvania extended blue spectrum 2700k HPS bulb ... it sounds complicated ... but it means "Win"

The reason im moving towards LEDs is I have to be away from home for days at a time

Hang the lights on chains - they wont burn ... and buy a known tent like above - not one made out of cheese (or someting flammable)

I can see the allure of LEDs- i've got one myself - proud owner of a Grownorthern MS006 - and will probably upgrade to the HS1 ... but they're pricey mate, and you'll need two to get the best out of that area
Then you''ll definately need some heat to get up to that magic 75-85f number. In the winter, you'll need quite a lot of heat if running an LED

Yeah! Get the upgrades, if you've got the extra cash and don't mind the extra heating bills, i'm a firm believer in Grownorthern products (not sponsored - just like them) - but you can get cheaper products that will do the job - Price Point / Quality - its ultimately your choice.

So it's just the light you're stuck on - the other bits look like what's needed.

I've been through 3 different setups now (CFL, HPS, LED) - a learning curve you could say. Although it's easy to look back and say - i wish i'd just bought a rocking system that makes it easy!

Needs to be tailored to your usual environment.

The grows that set on fire are the ones that are homemade. Dont use cardboard boxes - flammable materials - and never leave a grow un-attended for days. You'll need to water the plants anyway.

a good LED generates next to no heat so even with a plant grown and pressing against the light - no chance of burning! (not that i'd like to test that ... but imo .... no chance)

 

[dota2]

You can grow with the led 'till winter comes and add the hps then. Since it's low heat and power (hs1) you can let it burn along the hps. You have heat, led, thric production, you have everything man :-D. I ordered the hs1, still waiting. Man they move slow haha.

 

[DarkGreen]

Quick update:

Ok, Blue I followed your advice and got a secret Jardin, but I went for the DS90 as its going in my garage and my girlfriend is already stressed out about the whole idea, so I just wanted a size I could slap one or two (staggered) autos into.


I managed to find a GN MS0004 on eBay for 100 notes, apparently never used... But all the LEDs work and it's immaculate (good deal?) it'll have to do till I can justify an HS1.. I don't want to be one of those claffs with all the gear and no idea.

Bought a shed load of AN gear: Grow a&b, bloom a&b, voodoo juice, big bud, B52 and Overdrive


I got an 80w tube heater to keep my temps up during the winter and spring....and summer lol. If as Blue suggests this isn't enough, I also have an oscillating column heater, which is crazy powerful, but I'm trying to keep energy costs to a minimum


I know Blue is a pro and I'm not discarding your hps advice but I work offshore so I want a simple low electricity and heat setup that my GF can monitor while I'm away. Everything will be timed by plug and grow timers.




Now, my question: ventilation.

I'm about to purchase a 4in inline fan and carbon filter kit, but do I need to?? Or will an oscillating fan be all that's required? I'm not worried about smells (I live rurally, countryboy checking in) so I can keep the vent flaps open

 

[DarkGreen]

As I'm attempting to follow the Zen masters grow style I'll also be using plagron light mix and I already have 3x 15L airpots.


Just could use some ventilation and airflow advice.

 

[DarkGreen]

Or nah...

 

[DarkGreen]

I now have a rhino 4" single speed extractor fan. It's so strong in the 90x90 tent it sucks the sides in.


I had a black orchid axial flow before that, but it was complete shite. I test it by blowing vape mist over the intake end...

It barely pulled in a few wisps at point blank range.


It's in the bin now.


Not sure on AFNs opinion of Black Orchid products, but personally I'll be swerving them in future