Help a guy out - ultimate setup

[omerta]

Hello everyone,

New here. This is my first post.

I'm hoping the pros here at 420 could help a newbie out. I would like to put a "small" growbox together. The ultimate growbox/tent so to say.

Lets say money isn't a problem (regarding the setup, not when it comes to electricity) and I want to average 1kg every cycle. I know it really depends on my skill and equipment, and that's what i'm trying to figure out. What if my skill is on point...what equipment would make my goal attainable without a problem?

right now, I am contemplating either a 240x120cm (that is about my size limit) tent. 2x600w hps or a bit smaller tent with a single 1000w

so now I need some really solid recommendations when it comes to growing style (12/12, SOG, or just 20 plants with enough space)

What about a watering system vs soil. From what I am reading hydro is the way to go when it comes to yields. So if hydro then what exact system is the easiest to operate?

Anything else you could ass to help a brother out?

(cooltubes, filter type, certain strains??)


Yes, I have read and searched everywhere on many different forums...there is just so much info around that I feel like my head is going to explode. Please point me in the right direction so I can buy my ultimate setup and start learning.

I know it will take lots of learning to reach my goal but I do not want the setup to hinder me.


Thanks in advance

 

[Hiker]

Welcome to

If you wanna try hydro, that's fine. I find it easier, but many don't think so. Everything with hydro is faster. They grow a little faster, but they also die faster. If something goes wrong in your hydro system, things can get bad real quick. The bright side is, they can also recover quick! In soil, you have that "buffer" of the soil. By the time you see a problem with the plant, the roots have been unhappy for awhile. Then when you take measures to remedy the situation, it takes awhile to see the results. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. I'm just describing the differences as I see them. I'm also a fan of flood and drain, or ebb & flow, style hydro systems, but DWC is probably more popular.

Given my preference for hydro, I would still recommend starting in soil. You didn't mention if you have any experience growing MJ. I think it would probably be easier to learn without also managing the complexity of a hydro system. Maybe do a first crop, or a few, in smart bags or something like them. Since you plan to do perpetual, I assume you're gonna want mothers, right? Most growers keep the mothers in soil/soilless anyway, so you might as well get some experience with soil first.

Most growers, myself included, go through this progression: soil -> soiless -> hydro
I think it works well to ease you into it.

I agree about 2 600's vs a 1000. Heck that space is big enough you might be able to squeeze in 3 600s. A 1000 normally covers about 4'x4', or half your tent. You could put 2 1000's in there too, but that will generate a lot of heat. If money isn't an object, but you're trying to keep the electric bill down, you should really consider EFDL or LED. There are just soo many benefits. There are a lot of guys using LEDs here, but only a few using EFDL (Induciton lamps). I just setup my room. I used HPS because I didn't have the capital to start out with LEDs. I'll upgrade sometime this year. Right now, I'm leaning towards the EFDL lamps though. They have all the same benefits LEDs have compared to HID, but offer advantages over LEDs (cheaper, longer bulb life, possible cooler running). The 2 technologies are pretty close though. I'm watching a few grow journals closely to help make my decision.

This leads me to my parting advice...
Start looking at journals. Find a growers that have spaces similar to yours. Then start looking at the different gear they use. Some will sound more appealing to you and/or make more sense. This place is a wealth of knowledge about growing, but most of it is buried in the journals. Searching can help, but nothing beats reading through some journals. That's where you get to really learn from others' mistakes.

Good luck and I hope you start a journal when you get going.