Paranoia: Buying a lot at hydro store

The nearest hydroponics store is 30 miles away so naturally I want to get my shit in as few trips as possible. I'm a bit paranoid so what do people think of going into the store once and buying a shitload of stuff, I'm thinking like a few hundred dollars worth? And it's pretty obvious in this case why I'm buying it. I'll probably be getting this stuff.

foxfarm big bloom nutes
foxfarm grow big nutes
foxfarm tiger bloom nutes
foxfarm ocean forest soil

ph up formula
ph down formula
rockwool cubes
cloning gel

possibly a 250 watt hps
fan timer
water meter

And finally, some way to measure pH and possibly tds or ppm. To go with this, is it absolutely necessary to have a tds meter of some kind even if I just plan on following the foxfarm feeding schedule at low doses, and adjusting concentrations based on how well the plants are doing?

If I must have some way to measure ppm, what meter do you all recommend?

So is it risky to buy this much shit at once? I'm thinking it should be safe since a cop probably won't follow me 30 miles back home. And I'll pay cash. Just looking for some peace of mind I guess.

Only a couple hundreds dollars worth of stuff? YOu have nothing to worry about. You would have nothing to worry about spending a couple of thousand. Buying stuff at a hydro shop is not a reason to search your house, your car, your person, etc.

There is no risk in going to the hydro shop. It is not illegal. It would be like being nervous about giong to home depot and picking up soil. Would you be nervous at home depot buying garndening stuff? I doubt it, so don't trip about the hydro shop.

As far as the meter goes, I got my ppm and my pH meter on ebay for like $25 each. The ppm meter I got only goes up to 999ppm so I have to mix equal parts nutes and plain water to get a reading, but shit, for $25, I don't mind.

If you are going to get a light, you can get a ballast kit from HTG supply for way cheaper than a pre made setup. THe 250watt lights are under $50 I think. I got my 600watt for $105. Many online stores will ship for free if you spend enough. And if you are spending a couple of hundreds dollars, I'm sure you can get all that delivered for free. That means no gas money, and you don't need to be paranoid because you are not going into the store.

I ordered over 2 grand within a couple of weeks. Your biggest problem is properly disposing of your trash. Don't put everything out on the street. Try and dump as much as you can at another location, like a dumpster somewhere. Ordering online is much safer than buying from a brick & mortar store, in my opinion. You don't have worry about being followed home, for starters.

alright thanks guys. I'll play it cool, won't worry about it.

Hey, question. Wouldn't online ordering be potentially more dangerous than going to the shop? I don't know but i always figured that most websites for this kind of stuff were flagged and monitored. Is that just a myth?

don't worry the cops can't do anything. if they think you are dealing marijuana then they might do something. but i wouldn't worry about them searching you just cause you bought stuff for growing plant plus they don't even know if your planting weed or any other crop. so chill out man.

Buying a lot of stuff? Where is this lots of stuff?

Most hydro store guys will not bat an eye as you count out 10s and 20s to cover that 4300$ bill.

The most dangerous thing I would worry about would be cops following you home, buy across the nearest state borner to nick that one.

I once made nearly that exact purchase but sub a 400 for the 250 and add 3 bags of FFOF and some fungi. No sweat at all. Hydro dudes aren't like cops there usually like old hippies from the ones i have met. They let ya walk around and take a look not chase you down like a car salesman. I would have fun with it, if your scared of being followed home go to the hydro store then do some errands and go to lunch, hell hit a friends house if there clean. I have never been followed and i have never met someone who has been followed. I'm not saying it doesn't happen but i don't think it's common. Shop with pride and a smile.
P@ssw0rd

speedhabit said:

Buying a lot of stuff? Where is this lots of stuff?

Most hydro store guys will not bat an eye as you count out 10s and 20s to cover that 4300$ bill.

The most dangerous thing I would worry about would be cops following you home, buy across the nearest state borner to nick that one.

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i agree! that really isnt alot of stuff! trust that! more like a little bit of stuff, lol

Now look what you went and made me do, all in fun man don't take offense.

htg supply is a great place to shop online and he always throws in extras or upgrades you....shipping was discrete...Bump up to the 400w like password said or order there rebuild kits and do a vertical grow,cheaper grow more.....

P@ssw0rd said:

Now look what you went and made me do, all in fun man don't take offense.

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huh????????????

Originally Posted by laqouri
i got a couple clones saved up and i want to try to germinate them any suggestions?



lol that shits funny

All this stuff is normal to buy for indoor gardening.. a lot of newbie growers just don't get that.. lol.. my aunt has an indoor grow room with a big set up.. lol.. her and her friends like to grow orchids, strawberries, and tomatoes indoor hydroponically.. lol.. totally legit. It's a big hobby for serious gardeners.

indeed i have purchased from htgsupply before and they are great. Only free upgrades i got was a lighter but they did offer a greater incentive for me to return. I have no experience with there lights but they look good, i buy lights used as cheap as i can, rewire a new bulb and i'm good. I know ebay is thought of as a bad idea but if you have a friend you can trust there a great source of used equipment on the cheap.

I can vouch for HTG as well.. great prices, quick shipping, no questions asked if you have any problems. Great people to work with, if you have any problems just make sure to call them, they slack on emails but a quick phone call will fix any mess.

Thanks all, completely at ease now.

Cr8z13 said:

I ordered over 2 grand within a couple of weeks. Your biggest problem is properly disposing of your trash. Don't put everything out on the street. Try and dump as much as you can at another location, like a dumpster somewhere. Ordering online is much safer than buying from a brick & mortar store, in my opinion. You don't have worry about being followed home, for starters.

Click to expand...

I split the diff. I travel a lot for work, and just hit the local shops of where ever I'm at. Cash, & rental car.

Pay cash. You're growing tomatoes.

Buy online, and there's an instant record with a (probably yours) full name and address on it.

I mean, is gardening a crime? Who the @#$% said you were growing anything illegal? I don't know how convoluted you can make buying gardening supplies... But, if you're sweating bullets, trembling, and pissing yourself when you buy the supplies, maybe they will suspect something...

Whatever the case is; cash is anonymous, plastic is not.

I have been using credit cards, my own car, and ordering online for years with no problems. The hydro shop guys don't care what you are growing. Even if you are pissing yourself buying the stuff, they just want to make their money. As long as you don't say, hey I need this to grow weed, they could care less if you spend a million dollars.