need starters advice

I want to start my own. Looking for a good cheap starter kit that will get me headed in the right direction. that will teach me basics and then ill go from there. at this point have have 0 hardware. I got great building skills. once i learn the process of what i need to build for.. i decided that i think i want to start off with a 400 watt system. was looking at this unit from amazon. can you tell me you're thoughts on this unit or point me to a better choice?
http://www.amazon.com/400-Watt-Hydroponic-Grow-Kit/dp/B007SS2FPA/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1357736322&sr=1-4

St0mp said:

I want to start my own. Looking for a good cheap starter kit that will get me headed in the right direction. that will teach me basics and then ill go from there. at this point have have 0 hardware. I got great building skills. once i learn the process of what i need to build for.. i decided that i think i want to start off with a 400 watt system. was looking at this unit from amazon. can you tell me you're thoughts on this unit or point me to a better choice?
http://www.amazon.com/400-Watt-Hydroponic-Grow-Kit/dp/B007SS2FPA/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1357736322&sr=1-4

Click to expand...

morning man and welcome to the hobby.

anyway, i took a quick look at that link you provided and while it looks like it has most of a basic hydro setup, and at a pretty cheap price, the problem with package deals like that is that most of the components will be inferior quality, that's the only way they can include that much stuff, ...if they used high-quality gear it'd cost at least double.

not to mention that much of that stuff is just not necessary for a successful grow.

...unfortunately, there isn't any easy way to break into this hobby other than just by doing it, experience is the best teacher after all and so the best thing you can do is begin popping some free bagseeds and start killing seedlings, free seedlings, until you learn to keep them alive.

i'd also advise you to pick up a copy of Jorge Cervantes book and start reading it, in it you will find much useful information and it will help you develop a firm foundation in the basics.

as for lights, well, i'd suggest you start with a basic CFL setup, not because CFLs are the best grow lights but rather because they are cheap and easy to find and if, in the future, you decide growing weed isn't for you, you can just use the bulbs around the house.





...i've also included some links for you to study, if you want a surefire method tailored toward simplicity until you learn your way around this beautiful plant then these threads will give it to you and in a few short months you'll be pulling your first harvest of primo bud and i promise you, there is NO bud so sweet as the one you grew yourself.

...this first is to a very simple passive hydroponics system.
The Official Hempy Bucket Thread

...this next is to a very simple and inexpensive 1 part feeding regimen.
*The K.I.S.S. Method*

...this next is to a very simple and inexpensive cloning method, very reliable too.
World class cloner new at walmart

...this one discusses the benefits of vertical growing, the new frontier, the cutting edge, as it were.
Benefits of Vertical Growing

...and this last is to a list of DIY projects, if you need to build something, look for something similar here.
DIY~ LINK-O-RAMA

peace, bozo

Thank you for them links and the welcome msg. funny thing you said about Jorge Cervantes. Last night i watched about 2 hours of video with that guy was about building different systems. i found a few different books he has made im guessing its "marijuana horticulture the indoor/outdoor medical grower's bible"? or grow great marijuana and uncomplicated guide to growing the world's finest cannabis?

for the past few weeks i have been sprouting bag seed. but i cant keep them alive after that i have not even close to the proper lighting for them to grow and i know that. I am getting pretty good at sprouting them. my snake died a wile back so i been using a heat lamp and a heat pad for under the ceramic pot with a wet paper towel. so far the longest i have waited for them to sprout is about 3 days sometimes i even see them sprout with in 24 hrs. Keep in mind at this point i dont even have the correct soil and its bag seed. been waiting on myself to decide on a light before i start buying stuff.

I THINK I know what type of system i want bubbleponics with drip system feed. seams easy enough to build. so far my plan is get air pump water pump with some 3.75/4" net pots big enough for veg? then transport them into 5 gal buckets with net pots in the bucket when ready for flowering. Or starting off with the 5 gal bucket then just pick up the bucket and move from one room to the other? I am still in process of reading your links. and a big thank you again for them and the help..

...get the medical bible, i don't have the other one but i'd bet it's worth having too but the other one will give you a taste of many different things and it will give you a reference to refer to when problems arise.

and again i'd STRONGLY recommend that you read those threads i linked to before you decide on a system, ...as someone completely new to this hobby you don't know enough to judge yet which systems will work for you or what the potential problems are or how to deal with them once they arise and the threads i linked to are all tried and true methods and each gives you a simple formula for success in a different area of growing.

...i've been at this hobby for more than 6 years and i've tried several different styles, from organic soil to Deep Water Culture to hempy-buckets and i'm here to tell you that i truly wish i'd discovered the hempy-buckets in the beginning, it would have saved me much stress and many dollars, ...my grow is easy now for the first time and that has allowed me to relax and enjoy my garden while also allowing me to focus my mind on finding ways to improve things rather than just worrying and wondering what i was doing wrong.

...then there is the feeding aspect, when i first started out the growshop guy sold me a starter package for the Techniflora nutrient line with 5 or 6 bottles of liquid nutrients that needed to be mixed at different ratios depending on which cycle of life the plant you were feeding was in, ...i needed to mix a different formula for seedlings, another formula for vegging plants and still another for my flowering plants, ...now i use a powdered 1 part throughout so all my plants get the same formula, from seedling to clone to vegging plants and to budding plants, all get the same feed.

...do yourself a favor grasshopper and go begin studying those threads while you learn to keep your seedlings alive.

peace, bozo

btw, i popped 30 bagseeds my first try and managed to kill them all within a couple weeks, ...so i started 30 more and managed to keep 5 survivors, 4 of which turned out to be female, ...i cloned and smoked those 4 females for a bit more than a year before i decided to throw down and buy me some magic beans, lol.

The medical bible is on its way.. Im not to big on the CFL setup. i agree with you on the start up cost but the way i look at this is. for a CFL setup i still got to go out and buy stuff and jerry rig it up. then trash it all 6 months later. unless i just want to take apart lamps and im sure my wife would kill me.. im sure it might do the job. but i think i would rather spend the money and just start off with good equipment. and im very safety consciousness I say no to fires.

i dont really have a choice at this point to fail. kinda stuck in a rutt. if i fail at growing this. then im going to be forced back on medication that actually changes me as a person. and i will do anything to stay off that medication. I do have real reasons on why i need this going asap. not just cuz i want to get stoned

you have talked me into that bucket system though i do like the ease of use on that. with that kit i linked not being very good what about that bucket system with http://www.virtualsunhydroponics.com/Agricultural/products/VS400DS.asp?rt=2 ?
and what brand of grow medium do you recomend? perlite/vermiculite at around 3 to 4 parts perlite to 1 part vermiculite

thank you again

St0mp said:

The medical bible is on its way.. Im not to big on the CFL setup. i agree with you on the start up cost but the way i look at this is. for a CFL setup i still got to go out and buy stuff and jerry rig it up. then trash it all 6 months later. unless i just want to take apart lamps and im sure my wife would kill me.. im sure it might do the job. but i think i would rather spend the money and just start off with good equipment. and im very safety consciousness I say no to fires.

i dont really have a choice at this point to fail. kinda stuck in a rutt. if i fail at growing this. then im going to be forced back on medication that actually changes me as a person. and i will do anything to stay off that medication. I do have real reasons on why i need this going asap. not just cuz i want to get stoned

you have talked me into that bucket system though i do like the ease of use on that. with that kit i linked not being very good what about that bucket system with http://www.virtualsunhydroponics.com/Agricultural/products/VS400DS.asp?rt=2 ?
and what brand of grow medium do you recomend? perlite/vermiculite at around 3 to 4 parts perlite to 1 part vermiculite

thank you again

Click to expand...

...well, if you have a small budget getting proper equipment to start is definitely the way to go, most especially because you have a medical need.

...as for the hempy-buckets and the grow medium there is some latitude, some use the perlite/vermiculite mix, some prefer straight perlite, some use a product called 'mapito' which is similar to rockwool, which is similar looking to fiberglass insulation, lol.

...i personally use straight coco with grorocks or gravel or lavarock in the bottom, ...the way a hempy functions is you take any watertight container, i use 6liter trashcans i got at my local dollar store, ...anyway, you measure up approx. 2 inchs from the bottom of the container and you punch a single drainage hole, i use a soldering iron and i poke a hole about the thickness of a common pencil.



so, once i have that single drainage hole i fill the bottom of my 'bucket' with whatever i have handy, lol, in these pics i'm using hydroton because i have it so i use it, i prefer grorocks but these work just fine, ...anyway, i fill up to just over that drainage hole and then i use straight coco on top of that, the plants love the stuff.

anyway, what that does is it creates a mini reservoir at the bottom of each bucket and because the bottom has different properties it creates a seperation, something like a perched water table i think, ...whatever it is, it works like a charm.

...now, i took a look at that last link you provided and again, it's ok just a bit overpriced maybe, and not a lot overpriced either, ...something else you might want to consider is that digital ballasts sometimes cause radio frequency interference which can be a real shock if someone comes knocking on your door wanting to know what you're running that is killing the neighbors TV reception, ...i personally use magnetic ballasts partly because this is never an issue and partly because they are less expensive than digitals and partly because they are VERY reliable AND, if there is a problem with a magnetic ballast you don't need any special training to fix it yourself, you just need some basic electrical skills is all.

so, with all that in mind i'm gonna post some links to the ballasts, bulbs and the timer and to a grow i know that i think may inspire you and this isn't a hempy grow but i really think you'll enjoy the read, ...you really need to go back and read that thread i linked to 'Benefits of Vertical Growing'.

ballasts(get 2), ...a 6-pack of 400HPS bulbs, ...a mechanical timer, cheap and reliable, ...cordset (get 2), ...MaxiBloom.

Blumats, vert, n' dirt

...go back and read that KISS thread too because you're gonna need nutrients and while MaxiBloom might seem too simple it really does give your plants everything they need so it provides simplicity AND thrift.

lol, ...anyway, try to be patient and do as much research as you can before you fork over any cash to be sure when you do spend your money you aren't wasting it.

peace, bozo

btw, there are many ways to grow and all can be done with great success and what i've tried to recommend is a simple approach because when you first start out, simple is good, simple means when something goes wrong you can figure out what went wrong because there just aren't that many possibilities, ...frankly, every thing i'm recommending to you i'm using myself, i like simple, and right now my grow is easier than it's ever been and my yields are bigger than ever as well.