Low budget grow

[DRM Ranch]

We all come across a time when we are a bit short on the cash we might like to have, I'm there now.

So I'm looking at a few options for reducing the cost of my electric use. I have a budget of just $250 for my lights in veg and $300 in flower.

I can eat up the $250 in veg with 42 18 hour days under 864w of T-5 lights...

Or

I can veg for 60 days and save $30 using just 4 lamps (216w) to start and add 4 more every 15 days. That's 216w day 1-15, 432w day 16-30, 648w day 31-45, and 864w day 46-60.

I'll be able to flower under a full 864w for 74 days with my flower budget.

I'm leaning toward the 60 day veg, but can't be sure I'm right.

Strain: Super Silver Haze
Lights: 8 lamp T-5HO times 2 with 6500k bulbs for veg, and 3000k bulbs for flower.

Any input would be spectacular.

DRM Ranch

 

[zBRiCKz]

Personally I like 6 week veg periods.

 

[DRM Ranch]

I'm limited in the number of plants I can have by both space and law so I'm wanting to get the largest bang per plant that I can.

The cuts I have yeild around 4oz with a 6 week veg time in hydro, under 1kw lights.

I've already stretched my limited budget on equipment and supplies as well as meds for the next 150 days , I'd like to see 16oz out of my little 4x4 area, that would keep me good for another grow.

 

[DRM Ranch]

Personally I like 6 week veg periods.

The grower I'm getting my cuts from seems to like the same length of veg time, I'm not sure why though.

 

[labexperiment]

My friend grows one plant with T-8 and yields 1 lb in the that box, he has been growing for 30 years, and that box is probably 15+ years old.

But to specifically respond to your inquiry I would add lights as the plant grows and save the 30 dollars.

 

[DRM Ranch]

^^That's a pretty cool grow box thank you for posting that.

 

[AKgramma]

I'm limited in the number of plants I can have by both space and law so I'm wanting to get the largest bang per plant that I can.

The cuts I have yeild around 4oz with a 6 week veg time in hydro, under 1kw lights.

I've already stretched my limited budget on equipment and supplies as well as meds for the next 150 days , I'd like to see 16oz out of my little 4x4 area, that would keep me good for another grow.

DRM, you need to go with what your finances and space allows. If you can veg longer, then you'll get a higher yield, esp if you use larger buckets or bins and some creative training. Those small unneeded branches close to the main stem can be cloned for a perpetual grow.

Like you, I am also limited by law, space, and finances, so have elected to use 23w CFLs, so I don't have to install a ventilation system. The fans do all the work.

Also, like you, my goal is fewer, but bigger (wider), plants, with clones waiting in the wings to replace those harvested. First grow I used 3 gallon pots. This grow I am using 4 gallon bins. Next grow I'll use the 5 gallon bins I bought for vegetable gardening. (My outdoor soil is crap).

If you can grow a couple of monster mommas indoors, you've beat the system!

 

[Fuzzy Duck]

Instead of using 18/6 for veg switch to 16/8 it grows plants just as well.

Get a shorter flowering time strain... super silver haze is largely sativa about 10 to 12 weeks of flowering time aprox

 

[DRM Ranch]

Instead of using 18/6 for veg switch to 16/8 it grows plants just as well.

Get a shorter flowering time strain... super silver haze is largely sativa about 10 to 12 weeks of flowering time aprox

I didn't consider an altered photoperiod, that is absolutely an option.

That could eek out 47 days of veg at the full 864w with my little budget, I'll have to look into how that might look in a ramped wattage situation over 60 days.

Any way I splice it I'm looking at a fairly fixed number of Watts being delivered to the plants, I'm just playing with how it's being parsed out to them.

I'm aware that SSH has a lengthy flower time, I somewhat feel if I can save durring the veg period I might be able to put that money toward a little longer time in flower if needed.

I will not be working with a different strain for a while, perhaps when I feel I've a bit more experience under my belt with this strain I'll try my hand at something different.

 

[Atulip]

If you're wanting to cut electricity costs, consider the gas lantern routine. It's the method of vegging with 12 hours of light, then 5 & 1/2 hours of dark, then 1 hour light, and another 5 & 1/2 hours darkness. The light in the middle of the dark period prevents them from flowering, and essentially puts them on a 13/11 light schedule.

 

[DRM Ranch]

I'm running two sunblaze T-5HO 4' 8 lamp fixtures, if I ran the gas lamp method I would expend some 673,920kWh over a 60 day veg period $256.09, that's over my budget of $250.

An 18hr 60 day veg cycle nets 933,120kWh at $354.59, also over my budget.

As close as I can come to my budget and still provide a standard 18hr photoperiod is to alter the number of lights used. Your link did spark a thought that I feel I can live with...

I can switch my lights on in banks of four so I can have either 4,8,12, or 16 lights on...

So the following daily schedule nets 18 hours of light

0-2hr 4 bulbs
2-4hr 8 bulbs
4-6hr 12 bulbs
6-12hr 16 bulbs
12-14hr 12 bulbs
14-16hr 8 bulbs
16-18hr 4 bulbs

The total cost is $236.40 over a 60 day veg period with 622,080kWh used, and in my opinion is a bit more doable and natural than the photoperiod interruption method outlined in the gas lamp method.

I'm no more sure of this methods viability than I am of anything else, however it does seem workable and does use up less than my budgeted figure.

DRM Ranch