Hi Rollitup!

I figured it's only appropriate that I introduce myself.

I've been a lover of a heavy indicas since I was a teen and have recently found a new friend in edibles. I find that I stay high for up to six hours when taking edibles which is awesome on the weekend.

As you may know we recently legalized cannabis up here and that really stirred my interest in growing my own. Honestly I was expecting it to be a lot harder than it really is. I started a small legal grow in early November and I've just begun flowering. I currently have four northern light plants going. I'm hoping to get about 8 ounces which would cover all my smoke for a year. If I can pull that off, I'll be using the next grow to make edibles. I'm a big fan of gummies and caramels.

I've learned so much from this site. What I needed to purchase to get started, pitfalls to avoid and help and encouragement along the way. Normally I don't participate in forums. I scavenge the info I need then move on. But I figured you all seem like a pretty friendly lot so I think I'll stick around for a while and make myself comfortable.

Welcome to RIU!

Welcome Laughing Grass. I wanted to check out your forum. I understand what you mean by the legalization. Most my family is out of Ontario. Are you growing indoors or outdoors? I am aware that grow supplies are little more expensive and harder to get up there. Are you growing organic or bottle? If you give me a rough idea of what your doing, I may be able to guide you in the right direction. I started the same way 3 years ago in Arizona. Btw ,super illegal state to be growing in.

Thanks @BarnBuster and @Stockthemperor

Currently I'm growing indoors and everything is going well with no calamities so far. I attribute this to a friend that works for and LP helping me out with a feed schedule and addressing potential nutrient problems before they occur. I'd like to take credit, but I can't. He's a bit unreliable so everything else has been learned on this site.

It's a bummer that it's still illegal there. I'd be terrified to even plant a seed knowing that i could possibly go to jail. Is medical legal in Arizona? When it was only medical that was legal in Canada many of my friends got their ACMPR card for bogus things like sleep issues and imaginary pain that they didn't really have. Seemed almost too easy.

Pretty much everything is more expensive here and some thing completely unavailable and non-importable like hydorguard. I consider myself shopping savvy and was able to source everything I needed for $1,500 CAD including seeds. I ended up buying the light from the US. With import fees and shipping it was still $150 less than I would have paid to buy local.

I'm using a 3x3 tent but I think it's a tad bit too small for four plants. I may move to a 4x4 before starting my next grow.
For lights veg and flower I'm using a HLG 300 v2 LED. If I move to a 4x4 tent I'll upgrade to the HLG 500. The manufacturer claims the 300 is suitable for flowing a 3x3 area.
I have a four site DWC non recirculating, though I'm not convinced I'll stick with this method due to the amount of physical labor involved. I'm thinking either coco or RDWC next time, but I have a couple months to decide.
For nutrients I'm using non-organic general hydroponics flora series as well as armor si, calimagic, floralicious and florablend. I'll start adding liquid koolbloom at the next reservoir change. I'm also using advanced nutrients voodoo juice for beneficial bacteria but I'm switching to mammoth p for the next grow. I can get that for about 1/4 the cost of the voodoo juice and the dosing is way less.

I have a post going in hydroponics that I've been updating once a week.
https://www.rollitup.org/t/first-timeer-showing-off-new-grow.981183/

Yes arizona is legal for medical only. I'm in colorado now, no need to worry about that anymore lol. Sounds like you bargain shopped for sure. I'm definitely a fan of led lights. I used LEDs for my first 2 1/2 years of growing. I personally see the biggest benefit when you mix grow light types. Leds with hps, or leds with cmh. Alot of times leds lack ultra violet and the ability to spread light out. They have a more focused beam of light.

In regards to your 3x3, I'd reccomend a 4x4 for 4 plants. I only have about 3 plants in a 15 square foot area. I pull around 12 ounces a grow. Space will really limit what you produce unless you train. Scrog, low stress training, sea of green.
Just some food for thought, have you considered organics? Sometimes I watch Mr. Cannucks Grow on Youtube. He purchased Gaia Green products, it's right out of Canada. http://www.gaiagreen.com.
I dont think coco is bad idea at all. It really all depends on what's better for you. Personally I buy soil. Plant my seed in my final pot most the time. I start feeding at 3 1/2 weeks old. Since its organic, absorption is slow. You feed once a week and the plant stays perfectly balanced. Much tastier smoke and in my opinion about 60% cheaper than synthetics.

I'll check at your thread. I always have interest in hydroponics. Oh and btw hopefully I gave some good information. It just seemed that maybe you were considering other options. I kind of like to experiment with growing and trying new methods. You cant learn If you dont fail.

I love Colorado. My parents took us to Aspen a few times for vacation when we were kids, sure beats Blue Mountains in Collingwood.

I want to stay away from soil due to the bugs and hassle of getting rid of a bunch of soil. I'm also not keen on the neighbors seeing me slugging bags into the house. I worry about people trying to break in. Of course with coco, I would have the same problem as soil. Hydro is really fun and I don't believe . I like being able to see significant changes daily. If I stay with hydro, organic nutrients will cause problems with bacteria.

I always appreciate advise. I'm still very green and learning.