Need help with my first grow! 500$ budget!

Ok so I've been reading for quite a while now and I think I'm ready to give it a grow. I feel like I have a good knowledge base to start with, but I'm still unsure of how to get he most bang for my buck, there are so many varying opinions on the net and it gets confusing. My latest plan consists of a DIY grow box made with 3x 54 gallon roughneck bins stacked up and lined with mylar. This would only cost me 60 bucks and would give me a 21.5 W 42.5 L 54H grow area ( 26 cubic feet ). I plan to use a mix of 10 of these cfls for lighting (6x 6400k 4x 2700k for veg and switch ratios for flowering) - http://www.lowes.com/pd_46931-75774-L65TN_0__?productId=3197521&Ntt=42+watt+cfl&pl=1&currentURL=%2Fpl__0__s%3FNtt%3D42%2Bwatt%2Bcfl&facetInfo= - http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100676712/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053. For exhaust I would be using 2 x pc fans right up near the lights blowing into LIGHTLY stuffed diy carbon filters (4.7x4.7" each 70 cfm each) and one of the same fans at the bottom for intake. I'll also have an oscillating fan opposite my exhaust fan blowing cool air over the lights and another fan on the plants, with a large oscillating fan blowing outside of the box..... and I planned to grow 4 x Mi5 Autoflower (feminized) in 2 gallon pots ( main concern is that I only have about 34" of actual grow height to deal with and they can get bigger than that, but I'm guessing they wont in 2 gallons?) With this setup everything from scratch ( seeds,reservior, air pump/stone, nutes etc all included) would run me just over 500... But I'm guessing with that much $ I could do a lot better...

I'm guessing there's a much better way I can go about my first grow on a 500$ budget... But either way I'd like to stick to 4x Mi5 Autoflowers for my first grow... I have a closet that is approx 2 feet deep x 12 feet wide by 12 feet high... I could section off an area in here to grow but ventilation could be an issue, because I can't put holes in any of the walls and it has sliding doors... I also have a fair amount of open space in my room itself to something up... about a 4 x 8 x 12 area... Odor will be an issue depending on how stinky Mi5 is, as long as the stink doesn't leave my apartment I'm good.

I planned to do my first grow in soil, but I am open to hydroponics if I can get a good 4 plant setup on this budget... Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to help!
 

dsam

Well-Known Member
I would say get an ebay tent instead of the containers it will save you a lot of headaches in the long run. stick with CFL if thats what you are going for but they tent is a game changer for sure.
 
I would say get an ebay tent instead of the containers it will save you a lot of headaches in the long run. stick with CFL if thats what you are going for but they tent is a game changer for sure.
The problem is if I get a tent it's going to cost me more to vent it and I'm on a pretty low budget... I'm guessing even with a small tent I'd need at least a 4" inline fan and carbon filter? I need a nice small grow chamber for 4 x auto flowers that can be easily ventilated with 3-5 pc fans, will that even be enough to vent the heat from 600-700 watts of cfls in a 26-30 cubic foot area?

My initial plan was to get a tent on ebay for 110$ a 400w - 600w mh/hps and a 6" inline fan/carbon filter combo and I'd be golden. But that alone is going to run me close to 500$ (but i initially intended a 1200$ budget)

As I said all I've been doing is reading for the past couple months, and I'm not coming here to bother you guys before putting work in myself >.< there's just so many varying opinions and methods...

If anyone with lots of experience knows of a fool proof way for me to veg and flower 4x autoflower plants (Mi5) on a 500$ budget that would be awesome. I have all my nutes mediums and everything down... I just need a good ventilated grow chamber and lights to work with on this budget (I only have 200-300$ to spend on JUST the grow box and lights, rest is for seeds and other supplies)
 

DSB65

Well-Known Member
This stuff does get expensive...you could always build a box out of 4 by 8 plywood....
 

eguidry

Member
36"x20"x60" tent = $90
250w hps/mh light+ballast = $120
6" inline w/ carbon filter = $150
[shipping included]

if $140 isn't enough to cover the rest of the grow then id go with your setup or be willing to spend the $$ for a quality setup that will last
 
36"x20"x60" tent = $90
250w hps/mh light+ballast = $120
6" inline w/ carbon filter = $150
[shipping included]

if $140 isn't enough to cover the rest of the grow then id go with your setup or be willing to spend the $$ for a quality setup that will last
Where are these prices from? I've never seen any of those items that cheap o_O... But I think I'll just go with my original setup... I think it will work well... my only problem may be heat... But I'll figure something out, thanks again guys.
 

ULMResearch

Active Member
It's so worth biting the bullet and using whatever it takes of your budget to get an HID light. You can get a 400W HPS cooltube system on Amazon for like $145.
 

yesum

Well-Known Member
htg does not have a good rep for their filters. I got a cheapy I am happy with at aegsupply on ebay.
 
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