Going shopping need help!

Nightballa613

Active Member
this is my first time growing and i plan on doing a cheap cfl soil grow for the moment. i have around 70 dollars to get a few things from walmart or homedepot. wat should i get? at the moment i have nothing just a blank canvas. thanks for the suggestions
:joint:+:blsmoke:=:mrgreen:(just thought of that so i thought id add it in)
 

wbinwv

Well-Known Member
How many plants are you planning on growing?

I built my CFL fixture for around 75 dollars. When loaded with (12) 26 watt 6500k bulbs it throws 20,000 lumens for veg. When loaded with 42 watters it throws 32,400 lumens. I have flowered with it successfully. it's 25" by 20".

It's not "pretty" but it works. You can use it's design as a guide or copy it.
Here's a pic of my current set for an upcoming scrog. I'll veg with the CFL's and then flower with a 400Watt HPS. I'll also include a generic diagram of how i built my hood.

Good luck





 

Nightballa613

Active Member
wow thanks man i appreciate it alot. but how do i tell which cfls i need for which stage?
also wat exactly is the scrog method i know of sog is but not so much scrog. also i was wondering how many plants you are growing and how big you let em get. lol also one last question. ive done most of my research on hydro but i cant afford that at the moment but i was wondering wat type of soil or mix or whatever do i need for my plants.
 

wbinwv

Well-Known Member
wow thanks man i appreciate it alot. but how do i tell which cfls i need for which stage?
also wat exactly is the scrog method i know of sog is but not so much scrog. also i was wondering how many plants you are growing and how big you let em get. lol also one last question. ive done most of my research on hydro but i cant afford that at the moment but i was wondering wat type of soil or mix or whatever do i need for my plants.
For the veg stage you'll need CFL's that emit the 5500 or 6500k spectrum. That's the blue spectrum that plants love when veging. Wal mart and lowes will have a large selection of these. 26 watt 1600 lumen bulbs are 3 or 4 dollars a piece.

For the flower stage you'll need CFL's that emit the 2700k spectrum. That's the red spectrum that plants love when flowering. Wal Mart and Lowes also have these. The 42 watt 2700k spectrm CFL bulbs run between 8 and 9 dollars each.

SCROG is a methos that involves training your plants along a screen in veg. The bud sites all get equal light therefore increasing your yield. It's the best way to grow with CFL's or Flouros in my opinion. You can google it and learn much more.

My scrog net is 3x3 and I'l be using just 2 maybe 3 PPP females. I'll veg until my screen in 60% full and then flip my light to 12/12 and let the screen fill out. I hope to get 2 ouncs dried per square foot.

3x3 = 9 sq ft x 2oz = 18 oz dry yield.

Go to a local greenhouse and look for soil made by Foxfarm, Bacto, etc,,, stay away from soil with fertilizers already in it. Ask the person there for their best soil mixh that has perlite in it.
 

Nightballa613

Active Member
ok so i just got back from walmart and homedepot. i picked up 4 23 watt soft white cfls, a heavy duty timer,and a thermomter/hygrometer,i also have a 23 ozone lite i figured id give a try. i was looking for a fixture that could hold all of my cfs like ive seen before but i couldnt find any at homedepot or walmart. any suggestions? wat are they called? where can i find em?
 

wbinwv

Well-Known Member
You can build a fixture or use one of the cheap four socket vanity lights that you can get at wal mart or Lowes
 

Nightballa613

Active Member
i couldnt seem to find a cheap plain looking one but i guess i will have to go back later.
any other suggestions of wat i may need? by the way again thanks alot
 

wbinwv

Well-Known Member
You'll need some nutrients. You can research what you need online.

You definitely need to build some type of hood or reflector. If you dont you'll lose 1/2 your lumens.

Also you'll have to get some bigger pots to transplant into.
 

wbinwv

Well-Known Member
Have you got that much before? SEems like a lot. Good Job!
No, I havent. This will be my first scrog but in all of the research I have done growers indicate that they have gotten yields of 2 to 2.5 ounces or even more per sq foot of screen. I think that I can get 2 ounces per foot. Time will tell.
 

raeman1990

Well-Known Member
hey man while your out you will need some Y splitters they help alot, 2x as many lights, better for flowering, usually 10,000 lumens per plant flowering is what to go by
 

Nightballa613

Active Member
how many cfls do u think i need for the veg stage
i plan on having enough money by the flowering stage to buy a 400 w mh/hps conversion system.
this is my first grow and ive done all my research on hydro because i thought i was gonna go that that but not enough money for hydro but wats the watering like for soil?
 

Nightballa613

Active Member
ok thanks and im guessing i dont follow the directions on the bottle? how do i figure out how much nutes i need per gallon or whatver?

also wbinwv i thought of a way to improve your hood design i was thinking you could put mylar or even that cheap reflective wrapping paper on the inside of the box
 

wbinwv

Well-Known Member
ok thanks and im guessing i dont follow the directions on the bottle? how do i figure out how much nutes i need per gallon or whatver?

also wbinwv i thought of a way to improve your hood design i was thinking you could put mylar or even that cheap reflective wrapping paper on the inside of the box
I guess I could but it's painted flat white and works fine. I actually lined it with Mylar once and had an experience where some seedlings died so I took it off... In retrospect, I had my lights too close. I just never put it back in.

The nutes will have instructions on how to mix them per gallon of water on the package.
 

Nightballa613

Active Member
so are u supposed to follow the bottle or not? also how many more lights do you guys think i will need right now for vegging?so far i have 5 23 watt soft white bulbs.

also does anyone els know where i can find a really cheap fixture that will hold all of my bulbs?
 
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