i cant speak on the autos but if you want easy and cheap go for Fox Farms Ocean Forest soil and add some perlite or vermiculite or coco for aeration/drainage. Some decent worm castings will also help quite a bit and basically can never harm the plants.
Im not sure if its a factor, but i recently heard that as well as alcohol, THC interferes with your sleep level and pretty much prevents you from reaching deep, full levels of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Which is why most people tend to remark or say they dont dream when sleeping high. REM...
It still might be worth it to go to the site you suggested due to build quality/replacement boards, however HLG is having a black friday sale right now on the 600 kit
What makes you say that? Ive done my research and I'M still considering one. Its fucked up that they falsely claim its close to 1000wHPS but I dont need 1000 watts.... The approximate 650-700 watt equivalent provided sounds perfect for the 2-3 plants i intend to grow if recreational gets passed...
the smell will likely return a bit after a proper cure. the tastiest bud ive ever had was harvested and jarred (with the humidity monitored) months before i smoked it