Hey guys,
Quick intro, I am a 21 year veteran of the Army, medically retired, and suffering from PTSD and depression and looking for some relief that doesn’t come in pill form. Army docs wanted me taking 15 pills a day and I’m done with all that.
I have read a lot of great info in the forums. I received my gorilla glue and Golden Leaf seeds a few days ago but kinda scared and I feel a lot unprepared to throw one in the ground.
Now for the questions… I am looking to get a 4X4 tent I saw in another post, but have no idea what the best light would be (can’t remember the term seed to harvest) or something like that. A light that covers all spectrums of the growth stages.
I am also curious how the humidity is controlled in the tents, I see a lot of talk about that. Geez I have read so many dang posts and I can’t remember any other questions and my notebook is in the van my wife took to the store a min ago. Well, I’ll leave it at that for now. You guys are rock solid on info, thanks for being here for the FNG’s
1st, thank you for your service, and 2nd, welcome to the forum.
I would start with your budget, with a line for initial investment and another for ongoing inputs. Have you determined what you can spend? I like to start with how much you’re spending on cannabis right now.
Thanks for the welcome… ummm actually I have only spent 75.00 for a baggie of “this guys” best weed, not even sure what it was but it has lasted me 8 months. I pretty much just smoke before bed for pain and to sleep but I don’t smoke everyday. Budget wise I am on a fixed budget, retirement disability and SS, but have other funds to use for a start up. 4 or 5 bills for a good light would be ok if I have to go that high.
I wouldn’t go with a 4x4 tent if you just want to grow enough to meet your needs. You’ll still grow plenty with a 2x2. Probably a lb of wonderful flower a year if you get good.
I’d look at HLG 135 RSpec kits at Rightbud. Everything is a bit backordered right now. Alternatively, you can get an HLG 100 or even 65. They seem to be strictly 4000k temperature (great for tight vegetative growth, but not widely used for flower production. Possible though).
I agree in that your consumption is small enough you don’t need much space. I would, however favor a 2 X 4 X 6 tent as it adds a lot more versatility.
Horticulture Lighting Group makes the recognized state of the art in LED’s now and one of their 260’s would likely do you just fine. It’s also far more economical than lower quality lights.
If going with the 4 X 4 you would want to look at an HLG 550.
@KeystoneCops, not concerned with stealth at all. My wife’s stepdad lives with us and I moved my dad down with us and everybody knows the deal. Stepdad moved here from CA and had a medicinal license over there so was getting bud from Sacto to grow for himself, but this endeavor is mine, looking to learn about growing, reaping what I sow, and using it as a meditation medium. Kinda like watching paint dry but something will be growing instead of drying. I was kinda looking at getting the bigger tent to actually grow veggies and spices in the winter. I cook a little also and would love to have fresh produce at my fingertips.
If you are in a cold climate you may want to look at something like CMH or MH/HPS as those grow good weed and generate heat. Stay well away from the blurple lights from overseas: there really are only a few good names out there. HLG, Fluence, Spyder Farmer, CHILled Logic to name a few.
Fantastic. You might be able to use an HLG 260 XL positioned primarily over half of the tent, with herbs/greens soaking up the spillover on the other half of the tent. Two HLG 260 XL kits would cover a 4x4 canopy exceptionally well, but cost over $700. You can build your own light, as many members have, and save much more money.
You can use HID lights like 315w CMH or 600w HPS. They’re quite inexpensive initially, but ~40% less efficient to run in the long run, and you’ll need to do the math to determine which makes the most sense.
@Myfriendis410, I live in West TN, it gets cold in the winter but I’m thinking I will be growing inside so I hope I don’t have to worry to much about the cold.
@KeystoneCops, wow, yeah I really like those 260’s, they are nice. Now when it says kits, how much kitting am I going to have to do??
Thank you for your service FNG! If I could, I would share some of the Dosido F2 from my dispensary with you. I’ve had all the Verano premium stuff that can get to 35% plus. Gelato, Magmile Landrace,Wedding Cake, and some Motorbreath that was 38+. ( if chasing numbers is your thing)
My point is I would rather have something like this Dosido F2 which is still up there at 30.2ish, but man I man, this is so chocked full of tasty/sticky goodness that I could hardly grind it in a grinder!
I’ve seen the Dosido seed but I haven’t grown any. It’s a cross of Faceoff OG x OG Kush Breath. Revolution has really been solid lately, while a
$1.3 Billion company like Verano can’t bust a grape.
You can watch people assemble them on YouTube, but they’re pretty straightforward. You might have to strip wires, but otherwise it’s just screws and tape.
You can sorta see it in this photo. It has a dimmer which is super nice when you want to work on your room. It generates very little heat given the amount of light it produces and plants love it. The only downside is the price, particularly here in Canada. If I had to do it all again I would build this light and save 40 percent anyway!
Besides lighting, air movement is critical! Not just a gentle breeze on the plants but regular complete exchange! As you can see I have an Inkbird controller that has 2 outlets it can control. Each outlet has a sensor, one for temp and one for relative humidity. I also have a 6" fan for this room that has a carbon filter and its own sensor for either temp or humidity. This allows for versatility when using humidifier, heater, air con or what have you. 2 controls is not enough in my opinion.
The dimmer is a great thing too for seedlings! Or for veg / flowering. You can control plant stretch and penetration with the light output and distance from the plants. Although you can use shelving or platforms to bring stretchy plants closer to the light.
@SKORPION, I went and looked at your log, thanks for the tag. Going to go thru it again and take notes to remember. So is the… uggg can’t remember the name of the soil… frog farm or something like that, what most people are talking about and using good for a NU B??
So I will say this. I suffer from PTSD, insomnia, pain beyond most can handle and a few other things. I was at one point taking over 55 pills a day. I’m slowly weening off all that toxic material in favor of marijuana.
I went with a 4x4 and for good reason. You will be on a search for a strain and or strains that works best for you. I’ve been to Amsterdam 5 times and so I have smoked over 200 strains. It takes about 12 different strains to really do what I need to do. Three trips to Colorado and I found the perfect strain for me…Tora Bora.
