Need Help with small hydroponics setup!!

donnlinno

Active Member
Hello you guys, Im completely knew to this whole marijuana growing thing, yet I been looking into the basics heavily and now want to take it a step further. Can someone give me some basics on how to start a small little hydroponics setup. We have a hydroponics store here in jacksonville where I live and I would need to no exactly what to buy and how to set everything up. So any help would be greatly appreciated!! Really ready to get started!
 

Ak bong rippa

Well-Known Member
Hello you guys, Im completely knew to this whole marijuana growing thing, yet I been looking into the basics heavily and now want to take it a step further. Can someone give me some basics on how to start a small little hydroponics setup. We have a hydroponics store here in jacksonville where I live and I would need to no exactly what to buy and how to set everything up. So any help would be greatly appreciated!! Really ready to get started!
Buy a Already built hydroponics system so you wont have to build one yourselve i think the cheapest one is 150.00 im not absolutely sure though all i know is they work like magic
 

donnlinno

Active Member
Buy a Already built hydroponics system so you wont have to build one yourselve i think the cheapest one is 150.00 im not absolutely sure though all i know is they work like magic
Yea ma dude, I have a aerogarden and am waiting to buy seeds and learn everything there is to no. Any advice you may have?
 

hydrohombre

Well-Known Member
Or you can buy some net pots (price varies) from the hydro store and some clay pellets(price varies) a couple of rockwool cubes(price varies) and some nutes if they sell a nute kit like technaflora BC recipe for success all for 35 bucks I would go with that then I would go to walmart and buy rubbermaid tote 18 gal or up like 4.50 and snatch a aquarium pump the double one 25.00 for more oxygen for your roots, some tubing for the pump and go home and assemble the thing ,easy drill holes in the lid of the tote a little smaller then the net pots so they can fit snug Then drill a hole in the tote its self not the lid for the air pump tubes to bubble air in the nutes and roots Now get your seeds and germinate in a wet papertowl inside a ziplock bag after cracked put it in the wet cubes (with clean water)with the root down and fill the net pots with pellets half way put the cubes in the net then fill the rest of the way with pellets to the level of the cube when the seed sprouts but under lights cfls are fine for now if your on a budget get some 42w 2600 lumen for 10 bucks at homedepo put a fan in the room ur temp should be some were around 75-85 so u need a thermometer get one that messures humidity also, Use just water for the first day or so mix your nutes 1/2 strengh or a 1/4 and fill you tote your seedlings will grow roots into the nutes after a while and the pump will supply air to your seedlings roots its just a fast guide to get you started read more this forum is full of info and get alot more lite for flowering
 

curious.george

Well-Known Member
Hello you guys, Im completely knew to this whole marijuana growing thing, yet I been looking into the basics heavily and now want to take it a step further. Can someone give me some basics on how to start a small little hydroponics setup. We have a hydroponics store here in jacksonville where I live and I would need to no exactly what to buy and how to set everything up. So any help would be greatly appreciated!! Really ready to get started!
You should get an ebb-flow hydro system. They are the most resilient to problems. Rockwoll or coco coir work great. I would recommend a "turbo garden - ebb flow" and a 400w or 600w High Pressure Sodium light. Get a cool tube or a vented reflector so you can air cool the light.

The problem with aero, NFT, DWC, is that if the power goes out your plants die. You can buy a UPS for a computer for that problem, but it might fail. Pumps break and that can kill plants fast. In ebb-flow you can hand watter once a day while you scramble to buy new parts in a worst case senario.

The aero garden is cool if you only want a few grams of mid grade pot. But its tiny.
 

hydrohombre

Well-Known Member
DWC is better for nubbies no timers less work on initial set up then after you get a hang of it ebb and flow is good because you can get more plants in the tray then a dwc set up
 

donnlinno

Active Member
SO can you go into detail about how its best to creat this ebb and flow and would they have everything at a hydroponics store?
 

donnlinno

Active Member
Well i discreetly went in an hydropics store they seem to have alot of information and will build systems for anyone. But any advice on what to say Im growing that is comprable to marijuana I dont wanna look like a dumbass and tell them what Im doing.
 

curious.george

Well-Known Member
SO can you go into detail about how its best to creat this ebb and flow and would they have everything at a hydroponics store?
The idea with ebb-flow is very simple. There are 2 containers. 1 holds nutrient soup and 1 holds your plants. Once a day the nutrient soup gets pumped in to the container that holds your plants and then drains. An easy way to do this is to put the nutrient tank under the tray that holds the plants. The plants grow in a medium that holds a near perfect air/water ratio, rockwoll is tried and true industry standard, I switched from rockwoll to coco coir because it works great too.

I am willing but a bit nervous to give you more details because my long posts can are pointless rambles bongsmiliewhere my paragraphs bongsmiliemake little sence because I start talking bongsmilie bongsmilieabout one thing and then bongsmilie bongsmiliesome oter subject.

I could answer any question though. I think there are some wes sites with good diagrams and instructions with all the details. Its possible to do it all on the cheep with rubbermade storage boxes, if you have the cash buying a new system like this turbo garden I gave you a link to is a nice thing. The sticky's posts by al b' fucked are good, long and boring, but good.

One good piece of advice, "Do Not Buy That Magic Sauce At The Hydro Shop". Its so tempting because the bottle and the owner of the hydro shop say good things. Those things are mostly problems for you and profit for the store. Just good nutes from a known brand canna,ionic,advanced,... you want to have 35% h2o2 on hand to sterilise stuff. Of course you need ph up and down and a good ph meter.
 

donnlinno

Active Member
Ok now that Im being real and learning so muc I realize this can be costly but very very effective. I will continue to research while saving my money. But let me ask you how much do I have to spend on a light? And is it that great a deal?
 

tyke1973

Well-Known Member
My advice to you would be build tour own there not has hard has you may think go to you tube i watch i grow cronic he shows you you how to build a simple hydrophonic system from start till finish.
 

donnlinno

Active Member
My advice to you would be build tour own there not has hard has you may think go to you tube i watch i grow cronic he shows you you how to build a simple hydrophonic system from start till finish.
Thanks bro! But thats why Im waying my options... I dont no if that would reallly be best it would be cheapest though. It just here in town theres a pretty sweet hydroponics shop and they build them custom there for a pretty decent price. Ill have to see which way Ill come out best because I think Im going to just save and buy a really nice light instead of settling for a low one. Im not rushing into it because I want to get as good as possible the first time. So I dont have to go and buy the good bud I love to smoke!!
 

curious.george

Well-Known Member
So what kind of lighting is best for which? Are you supposed to use different lights for each?
HPS is the most important light you will need. You can grow good bud with only a HPS. HPS is the light you need for fat buds. The MH or florescent lights have a better spectrum for veg, as the HPS spectrum causes some steching. You can get a MH conversion bulb for veg.

Dont skimp on the hood, the bulb must be behind glass! For heat and to prevent a fire which would attract the attention of the cops.

If you have close access to the hydro shop a cheep magnatic ballast will do. Sometimes the ballast breaks, so if you are in the 6th weeb of budding that is a major problem. If the hydro shop is close make sure you can get quick service in an emergency, it must be same day service as your plants cant be in the dark for many days. If a hydro shop is far get an expencive magnatic ballast.

The thing is for any kind of efficent grow you need to be able to take clones. So you want to be thinking allong those lines now. Your first few grows will surly have too many males so the harvest will be a bit small. You need to get a good strain and clone it so all your bud can be killer. Cloning is hard and you should try as soon as you can.
 

donnlinno

Active Member
HPS is the most important light you will need. You can grow good bud with only a HPS. HPS is the light you need for fat buds. The MH or florescent lights have a better spectrum for veg, as the HPS spectrum causes some steching. You can get a MH conversion bulb for veg.

Dont skimp on the hood, the bulb must be behind glass! For heat and to prevent a fire which would attract the attention of the cops.

If you have close access to the hydro shop a cheep magnatic ballast will do. Sometimes the ballast breaks, so if you are in the 6th weeb of budding that is a major problem. If the hydro shop is close make sure you can get quick service in an emergency, it must be same day service as your plants cant be in the dark for many days. If a hydro shop is far get an expencive magnatic ballast.

The thing is for any kind of efficent grow you need to be able to take clones. So you want to be thinking allong those lines now. Your first few grows will surly have too many males so the harvest will be a bit small. You need to get a good strain and clone it so all your bud can be killer. Cloning is hard and you should try as soon as you can.
What exactly is cloning and why does it matter? And what would you reccommend tellin the people I need help from in the hydro shop I need help with and trust me bro Im learning as much as possible now so I will be prepared Im going to be researching for atleast 2-3 more months while Im saving for the setup.
 

fourfinger

Active Member
Well, you can check out youtube. I built everything from there and here. What system were you thinking soil or hydro? Cfl's or HPS or both? How big of a space? etc....
 
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