Some Growing Math

ivory420

Member
Since this post has taken a turn to Keurigs I will capitulate here:
I clearly have some learning to do on the topic of posting in forums - sorry for the confusion.

You all gave sound advice once I clarified my position so thank you!
BUT
I disagree with starting small and going through a few grows before I get it right.
Because this is a discussion board, where people exchange opinions freely, I present another situation below.
WHAT IF:
My roommate is an experienced grower and can hold my hand while I set up my first LEGAL HOME GROW the right way.
THEN I can ask him for advice whenever I see a problem.
It makes the most sense to start with a set up that can, in a few months, yield me a sizeable amount(of a selected strain from a reputable seed bank) on which I can smoke for months or a year. How much ca$h would I save at the disp?
It does not make sense, fumbling through things like a NOOB and spending time and $$ making mistakes. Once I've got a nice stash set aside(which is why we all got into this in the first place) I can experiment and learn new things like DWC or adding CO2 or Cloning BUT I don't want to waste my money on nutes, electricity or on buying the wrong lights IF I don't have to.

ALSO - to those who freaked out initially, I ask you this: what commercial operation have you ever seen in a 4x4 tent? LoL
 

Fardsnarp

Well-Known Member
ALSO - to those who freaked out initially, I ask you this: what commercial operation have you ever seen in a 4x4 tent? LoL
A while back the local news interviewed an officer that said they were going to take the confiscated goods, dry it out and weigh it. If over a certain amount they would persue 'intent to distribute' charges. From what I've seen here, most 4x4 growers would be over that limit. Sometimes it isn't your definition of commercial operation that counts. Just saying... :(
 

Tolerance Break

Well-Known Member
Since this post has taken a turn to Keurigs I will capitulate here:
I clearly have some learning to do on the topic of posting in forums - sorry for the confusion.

You all gave sound advice once I clarified my position so thank you!
BUT
I disagree with starting small and going through a few grows before I get it right.
Because this is a discussion board, where people exchange opinions freely, I present another situation below.
WHAT IF:
My roommate is an experienced grower and can hold my hand while I set up my first LEGAL HOME GROW the right way.
THEN I can ask him for advice whenever I see a problem.
It makes the most sense to start with a set up that can, in a few months, yield me a sizeable amount(of a selected strain from a reputable seed bank) on which I can smoke for months or a year. How much ca$h would I save at the disp?
It does not make sense, fumbling through things like a NOOB and spending time and $$ making mistakes. Once I've got a nice stash set aside(which is why we all got into this in the first place) I can experiment and learn new things like DWC or adding CO2 or Cloning BUT I don't want to waste my money on nutes, electricity or on buying the wrong lights IF I don't have to.

ALSO - to those who freaked out initially, I ask you this: what commercial operation have you ever seen in a 4x4 tent? LoL
You have an experienced grower as a roomate, and yet you have no idea how much a simple 4x4 set up would cost, so youre asking this forum?

If you want to do it right, listen to the advice that you have been given. If you think you can take shortcuts to growing a bunch of weed that youre totally not going to sell, go right ahead. Start a grow journal while your at it.
 

StareCase

Well-Known Member
... I disagree with starting small and going through a few grows before I get it right ...
A few folks here, including me, would disagree with that statement. But suit yourself.
... It does not make sense, fumbling through things like a NOOB and spending time and $$ making mistakes ...
Even with some previous fluorescent light growing experience, I still fumbled through my first couple of tent/LED grows just like a NOOB and ended up with bupkiss. Careful not to set your expectations too high, pardon the pun!
... Once I've got a nice stash set aside(which is why we all got into this in the first place) then I can experiment and learn new things like DWC or adding CO2 or Cloning BUT I don't want to waste my money on nutes, electricity or on buying the wrong lights IF I don't have to ...
You need a bit of a level set here.

For you to get that nice stash from a filled 4 x 4, the good lighting alone would consume the most of your initial estimate of $1,000. And you would still need other important things like exhaust fans, circulation fans, heater(s), filters ... the tent.
 

Tolerance Break

Well-Known Member
A few folks here, including me, would disagree with that statement. But suit yourself.

Even with some previous fluorescent light growing experience, I still fumbled through my first couple of tent/LED grows just like a NOOB and ended up with bupkiss. Careful not to set your expectations too high, pardon the pun!

You need a bit of a level set here.

For you to get that nice stash from a filled 4 x 4, the good lighting alone would consume the most of your initial estimate of $1,000. And you would still need other important things like exhaust fans, circulation fans, heater(s), filters ... the tent.
Don't forget PH meters, EC meters, an R/O filter or some form of water filtration, fiskars, timers, and the litany of other small but essential indoor grow materials. I spent damn near 4 grand on my set up, and my first yield was good, but I made tons of mistakes and I happened to have worked with a pro for 5 years.
 

ivory420

Member
Don't forget PH meters, EC meters, an R/O filter or some form of water filtration, fiskars, timers, and the litany of other small but essential indoor grow materials. I spent damn near 4 grand on my set up, and my first yield was good, but I made tons of mistakes and I happened to have worked with a pro for 5 years.
THIS is what I was talking about. Thanks for answering and sharing!
SO my initial startup cost was WAY OFF but I think you're agreeing that: having someone with experience "hold your hand" helped to give you a good yield the first time growing. Am I right?
Any regrets about this? Was your pro friend (sounds like a hooker lol) there to help you with the mistakes? Curious...
 

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
THIS is what I was talking about. Thanks for answering and sharing!
SO my initial startup cost was WAY OFF but I think you're agreeing that: having someone with experience "hold your hand" helped to give you a good yield the first time growing. Am I right?
Any regrets about this? Was your pro friend (sounds like a hooker lol) there to help you with the mistakes? Curious...
Who knew. There's a whole site or organization about growing math.

 

Billytheluther

Well-Known Member
I was doing some math on my (potential) crop and wanted to run it by y'all to see if it makes sense...

If I am growing in a 4X4 tent in a Screen of Green configuration(my whole footprint is covered in green 2 feet thick),
UNDER IDEAL CONDITIONS (but no CO2),
and growing an AVERAGE YIELDING strain,
I SHOULD harvest 1.5LBS dry bud - am I generally correct in this assumption?

IF SO
1.5LBS = 24Ozs
24Ozs X $250 = $6000 :shock:

How much should I expect to spend on a setup to produce those results?
$1,000??

That gives me an almost 5X return on investment(ROI). Then this goes up to 10X or more!
"Cryptocurrency" me all you want but if you want a solid investment look into Growing Your Own and save for life!
By all means give it a shot dude..you will soon find out that it isnt that easy…

You want 6k… ok so 24 oz at 250..

With startup cost all said and done id say about 15000
 

bam0813

Well-Known Member
So you have a “ pro” grower friend but he hasn’t told or explained to you the costs and basic equipment you’ll need. Did he ever show you a garden/plant in person. Are you positive they’ll be there to hold your hand. I’m no pro and run a pretty small grow . Between that and life I know I don’t have time to hold anyones hand.Sorry just kinda weird to have a pro friend who’ll hold my hand but not already informed me about any how’s or what’s
 

Lenin1917

Well-Known Member
When’s the last time you bought weed? Like 2006 guessing by those prices lmao. If you’re stateside good luck pushing higher than 200/oz and that’s top shelf.

you can still setup pretty cheap and make some money though.
4x4 tent $115 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09GW812DJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_FG8QNB3E4PBEWTP3MZVZ?psc=1

650w light mars hydro fce 6500 would be my recommendation $600 Marshydro.com

6in in-line fan 350-440cfm-$50-$150 depending on brand and features, I use cheap fans and they work but my breath room is dialed in so they just maintain equilibrium.

you’ll want a humidifier and dehumidifier too(but you can get away without if you’re in a decent climate and don’t crowd the tent)

if you have central air and heat you’ll probably want portable units for the breath room as well.

start off small, pop a 3 pack of fem beans, bare bones basic grow, get a handle on things. You don’t need all the above equipment immediately but it does make it easier to keep an optimal environment which in turn limits problems in the grow.

if you haven’t done this before it does take practice. Chances are your first harvest will be barely saleable but it gets better.
 

speedwell68

Well-Known Member
I was doing some math on my (potential) crop and wanted to run it by y'all to see if it makes sense...

If I am growing in a 4X4 tent in a Screen of Green configuration(my whole footprint is covered in green 2 feet thick),
UNDER IDEAL CONDITIONS (but no CO2),
and growing an AVERAGE YIELDING strain,
I SHOULD harvest 1.5LBS dry bud - am I generally correct in this assumption?

IF SO
1.5LBS = 24Ozs
24Ozs X $250 = $6000 :shock:

How much should I expect to spend on a setup to produce those results?
$1,000??

That gives me an almost 5X return on investment(ROI). Then this goes up to 10X or more!
"Cryptocurrency" me all you want but if you want a solid investment look into Growing Your Own and save for life!
If you went to the grow shop now, bought the best gear, medium and nutrients today, I reckon you will see some passable weed in about a year. In a 4x4 I have yielded 19oz, it took me a year to get it to that. I realised I could do better, so I invested in new lights, bigger pots, new fans and because of an impending ban on peat sales in the UK I had to change my medium. So I am starting from scratch again.

Yes I can transfer some of what I learned from my old setup to the new, but I am effectively starting again. Because I am in larger pots with a new medium, my watering practices had to change. Because I was in a new medium my feeding ratios had to change. Because I had new lights the height and intensity settings had to change, I spent 6 weeks getting that right. I also have to consider the recovery time from light stress, because I did fuck it up. Because my new lights are much more efficient they produce less heat, so I have had to install heaters and buy a better fan. I have still not got a satisfactory result with my environment so I am going to have invest in a proper control system and get that dialled in. Then the summer will come around again and all the variables will change and that process will start again.

It isn't just plant a seed, switch on the gear and expect an instant result. It isn't plug and play. You also can't expect those kind of financial returns. I guess while you are waiting for your weed to grow you will still be buying it in, so are you happy to make the investment in gear, seeds, time and power costs, whilst still spending out on weed?

You also understand that this is not an exact science. I could go into my grow room tonight and find it all fucked. On my first grow I went upstairs and found a Starling in my tent, god knows how it got in there, my guess is that it came under the eaves of the roof, it had trampled 4 seedlings. By you logic that was $3,000 worth of damage. Recently, I went to water my 12 plants and I noticed 3 of them were deficient, whilst all the others were fine. I took advice and tried various fixes, nothing worked and they got worse and worse. In the end I had no explanation for the demise of these 3 plants, whilst 9 other plants of the same strain were perfect, so I cut my losses and ditched them, again by your logic another $2,500 in the compost bin.

You logic is flawed because you are not factoring in any potential losses or the actual running costs, including your time. I reckon I spend a minimum of 12 hours a week actually working on my grow, chuck in research time and that is more like 20. If I worked a job for 20 hours a week I could expect to earn $200 or $10400 a year

Go and have another think.
 

StareCase

Well-Known Member
... and because of an impending ban on peat sales in the UK I had to change my medium ...
I just read that the UK has pretty much dredged the nation clean of peat. Not to mention the trashing of wetlands to harvest the stuff. Might be time to go back to normal soil.
... I found a Starling in my tent, god knows how it got in there ...
Many a summer morning, before we had some mesh put around our chimney cap, we would wake up to find a Starling freaking out in our wood stove.

Not the brightest birds ...
 

Tolerance Break

Well-Known Member
THIS is what I was talking about. Thanks for answering and sharing!
SO my initial startup cost was WAY OFF but I think you're agreeing that: having someone with experience "hold your hand" helped to give you a good yield the first time growing. Am I right?
Any regrets about this? Was your pro friend (sounds like a hooker lol) there to help you with the mistakes? Curious...
He didn't hold shit lol

I busted my ass moving jugs of water, draining water reservoirs (hydro), flushing the rockwool, cleaning the reservoirs and then, when they all had some water in them, he would start doing the nute wizardry, showing me PPM and PH levels, and giving me bits of advice along the way, teaching me how to clone and whatnot. This was once a week, every week, for 5 years.

I only started growing after he passed away in 2021 as something of a constant reminder of his roll in my life. The better the weed, the more proud I know he would be.

My only regrets are based around personal issues that would sever our working relationship. Make no mistake, I do this because while I enjoyed smoking weed, I have a passion for growing. I love it.
 

speedwell68

Well-Known Member
I just read that the UK has pretty much dredged the nation clean of peat. Not to mention the trashing of wetlands to harvest the stuff. Might be time to go back to normal soil.

Many a summer morning, before we had some mesh put around our chimney cap, we would wake up to find a Starling freaking out in our wood stove.

Not the brightest birds ...
They are stopping peat to protect the wetlands and to stop the carbon impact of digging it up. The ban doesn't come into place until 2024, but as soon as it was announced the availability of peat based mixes began to dwindle and peat free mixes became the norm. I solely used Jack's Magic, can't get that anymore. It is a proper twat, just as I got everything dialled in they went and pulled the rug from underneath me.
 

Bishop12

Well-Known Member
They are stopping peat to protect the wetlands and to stop the carbon impact of digging it up. The ban doesn't come into place until 2024, but as soon as it was announced the availability of peat based mixes began to dwindle and peat free mixes became the norm. I solely used Jack's Magic, can't get that anymore. It is a proper twat, just as I got everything dialled in they went and pulled the rug from underneath me.
Will this ban have any impact on scotch production?
 

lusidghost

Well-Known Member
I started out with 20 something plants in coco. Just keep your EC / PH on point and you can pull enough mids to last you until the next harvest. Then it's just improving quality / quantity with each grow. You can probably get started for around a grand. Especially since you're only growing in a 4x4. But then you'll want to upgrade, and that will never end.
 
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