Hi everyone, I’m new to ilgm and I plan on starting to grow my own cannabis starting in December. I’m on a limited budget of around 1100 dollars. I want to make my money stretch if possible so any tips or ideas would be appreciated. I am starting from scratch and just from reading other topics on the forum I know that I want to spend a good chunk of my money on the lighting. I will be growing indoors and I need to either build or buy a tent. I will be growing a maximum of 6 plants that will be full grown and 6 seedlings. Any tips for diy would be awesome. Thank you all in advance
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Uh oh… i love this part! So… quicj couple questions
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Do you have a medium chosen? Soil is ‘good old fashioned’ and simple. Hydro makes bigger faster plants but bit of set up cost.
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Lighting. Do you have a preference? And what region are u located. Hows ur outside temps and in house temp control. Hows the RH (relative humidity)
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Buy a pH pen and ppm/ec/tds reader asap! Now. Apera from amazon (its light blue) comes highly recommended. Naybe $20 bucks.
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Dude did i say i love this part! (When its not my cash
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Genetics. I HIGHLY recommend u browse ILGM strains. The photos speak for themselves. Look at a few journals. Its crazy.
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The tent. 6 plants. Do you plan to lst? Scrog? Top or fim? Helps with spacing. Now put this way. One plant can fill a 3x3 if its trained too. But. U can get INSANE yeilds off 3 plants trained differently but as well plannef out, outta that same 3x3. For 6 plants? With proper lighting and move around/play space (ull get addicted and beans happen to plant themselves once u start) no smaller then a 5x5 maybe 6x6.
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All that with a grain of salt. Im using 13w leds n cfls in lamp fixtures inside a fish tank. But i dont have 1100 
. So answer a few. N ill find people with better ‘credentials’
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@PurpNGold74 I live in Oklahoma, so my outside temp fluctuates. We have the most bipolar weather ever. My temp inside will be around 70-80 degrees. I plan on using soil I have a compost going right now with worms to hopefully have some worm castings by the time I get started. I think I would prefer led lighting but I am open about the subject. I want everything as organic as possible. I don’t really know how I want to grow. I like the ScrOG method just by the pictures and reading on it. And I am going to buy seeds from ilgm for sure. I want good genetics for my cannabis and just from reading the forums I can see how awesome the seeds are from here
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lol 
. You think your inside temps will be 70-80 until your lights start heating everything. Always over-buy when it comes to cooling if ya are in OKlahoma. Spend all on lights and cooling. Dirt and seeds are cheap. Get the best light build for 600$ from @dbrn32 to guide ya, and be ready to add a window ac at double what ya think ya need.
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This though! And for dirt look around @garrigan62. Ull find LOADS of read material. But if u choose to build ur own soil he is the guy…
Actually typing that out has me thinking. KIND soil just showd me something beautiful. Type it in the search bar and check that recent grow. @SilentHippie was the grower. DBRN is light god. @raustin and @Covertgrower all know they deals too. (Sorry. Yall should know these tags coming by now and everyone else ur tags are coming too) so set ur 5-6 to the side. Start googling good tents. And get this party startd.
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@garrigan65’s soil recipe:
Full Recipe
8 1.5 cubic ft bags of Roots Organics soil or a high-quality organic potting soil with coco fiber and mycorrhizae (i.e., your base soil)
25 to 50 lbs of organic worm castings
5 lbs steamed bone meal
5 lbs bloom bat guano
5 lbs blood meal
3 lbs rock phosphate
¾ cup Epson salts
½ cup sweet lime (dolomite)
½ cup azomite (trace elements)
2 tablespoons powdered humic acid
1/2 Recipe
4 1.5 cubic ft bags of Roots Organics
12.5 to 25 lbs of organic worm castings
2.5lbs steamed bone meal
2.5lbs bloom bat guano
2.5lbs blood meal
1.5lbs rock phosphate
3/8 cup or 6 tablespoons Epsom Salts
1/4 cup or 4 tablespoon sweet lime (dolomite)
1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons azomite (trace elements)
1 tablespoon powdered humic acid
1/4 Recipe
2 1.5 cubic ft bags of Roots Organics
6.25 to 12.5 lbs of organic worm castings
1.25lbs or 20 ounces steamed bone meal
1.25lbs or 20 ounces bloom bat guano
1.25lbs or 20 ounces blood meal
3/4 lbs rock phosphate
3/16 cup or 3 tablespoons Epsom Salts
1/8 cup or 2 tablespoons sweet lime (dolomite)
1/8 cup or 2 tablespoons azomite (trace elements)
1.5 teaspoons powdered humic acid
1/8 Recipe
1 1.5 cubic ft bag of Roots Organics
3.125 to 6.25 lbs of organic worm castings
.625 lbs or 5/8 lbs or 10 ounces steamed bone meal
.625 lbs or 5/8 lbs or 10 ounces bloom bat guano
.625 lbs or 5/8 lbs or 10 ounces blood meal
3/8 lbs or 6 ounces rock phosphate
3/32 cup or 1.5 tablespoons Epsom Salts
1/16 cup or 1 tablespoon sweet lime (dolomite)
1/16 cup or 1 tablespoon azomite (trace elements)
3/4 teaspoon powdered humic acid
3 Likes
Lighting Something you need to read,Garrigan65
This is really large I mean really…lol But A must have…
Types of Lights for Cannabis Growing - Different Marijuana Lighting Sources
Light for cannabis plants
Without light, cannabis plants cannot grow. In the countries in which marijuana grows best,
the sun is the source of light. The amount of light and the length of the growing season in
these countries results in huge tree-like cannabis plants. In most parts of North America,
however, the sun is not generally intense enough for long enough periods of time to produce
the same size and quality of cannabis plants that grow with ease in Latin America and other
tropical countries.
Sunshine is most intense at the equator where it is closest to the earth. Some of the largest,
resin-coated buds in the world grow beneath this blazing sun. So what’s this got to do with
indoor growing? Plenty. Light is one of the most basic needs of all cannabis plants and the
most often mismanaged.
Even the most experienced growers forget about the basic needs of a cannabis plant, especially light.
The answer to the problem of lack of sun, especially in the winter months, shortness of the
growing season, and other problems is to grow indoor under simulated conditions. The rule of
thumb seems to be the more light, the better.
The common incandescent light bulb emits some of the frequencies of light the cannabis plant can use,
but it also emits a high percentage of far red and infra-red light which cause the cannabis plant to
concentrate its growth on the stem. This results in the cannabis plant stretching toward the light
bulb until it becomes so tall and spindly that it just weakly topples over.
There are several brands of bulb type. One is the incandescent cannabis plant spot light which
emits higher amounts of red and blue light than the common light bulb. It is an improvement, but
has it drawbacks. it is hot, for example, and cannot be placed close to the cannabis plants.
Consequently, the cannabis plant has to stretch upwards again and is in danger of becoming
elongated and falling over. The red bands of light seem to encourage stem growth which is
not desirable in growing marijuana. The idea is to encourage foliage growth for obvious reasons.
Flourescent light tubes range in size from one to eight feet in length so you can set up a
growing area almost anywhere. There are two types of flourescent lights; standard and the
wide spectrum. They can be used in conjunction with one another, but the wide spectrum lights
are not sufficient on their own. The wide spectrum lights were designed as a supplementary light
source and are cheaper than the standard lights.
Wide spectrum lights emit the same bands of light as the standard but the standard emit higher
concentrations of red and blue bands that the cannabis plants need to grow.
The wide spectrum lights also emit infra-red, the effect of which on stem growth we have already
discussed. If you are planning to grow on a large scale, you might be interested to know that the
regular fluorescent lamps and fixtures, the type that are used in commercial lighting, work well
when used along with the grow lights.
These commercial lights are called cool whites, and are the cheapest of the fluorescent lights we
have mentioned. They emit as much blue light as the standard grow lights and the blue light is
what the cannabis plants use in foliage growth.
Intensity
Now we come to the question of intensity. Both the standard and wide spectrum lamps come in three
intensities: regular output, high output, and very high output. You can grow a crop of cannabis
plants under the regular output lamps. The difference in using the HO or VHO lamps is the time
it takes to grow a crop.
Under a VHO lamp, the cannabis plants grow at a rate that is about three times the rate at which
they grow under the standard lamps. People have been known to get a cannabis plant that is four
feet tall in two months under one of these lights.
Under the VHO lights, one may have to raise the lights every day which means a growth rate of ate
least two inches a day. The only drawback is the expense of the VHO lamps and fixtures. The VHO lamps
and fixtures are almost twice the price of the standard.
Now that you have your lights up, you might be curious about the amount of light to give you cannabis
plants per day. The maturation date of your cannabis plants is dependent on how much light they receive
per day. The longer the dark period per day, the sooner the cannabis plant will bloom. Generally
speaking, the less dark per day the better during the first six months of the cannabis plant’s life.
If your cannabis plants receive 12 hours of light per day they will probably mature in 2 to 2.5 months.
If they get 16 hours of light per day they will probably be blooming in 3.5 to 4 months. With 18 hours
of light per day, they will flower in 4.5 to 5 months. Its a good idea to put your lights on a timer
to ensure that the amount of light received each day remains constant.
Energy Emissions In Arbitrary Color Bands
40 Watt Flourescent Lamps
In Watts and Percent of Total Emissions
Daylight Cool White Gro-Lux GroLux WS
Light Type Band Watts % Watts % Watts % Watts %
Ultra-Violet -380 0.186 2.15 0.16 1.68 0.10 1.42 0.27 3.16
Violet 380-430 0.832 9.60 0.72 7.57 0.70 9.67 1.07 12.48
Blue 430-490 2.418 27.91 1.98 20.78 1.96 27.07 1.22 14.29
Green 490-560 2.372 27.38 2.35 24.67 1.02 14.02 1.24 14.49
Yellow 560-590 1.259 14.53 1.74 18.27 0.10 1.42 0.83 9.77
Orange 590-630 1.144 13.21 1.69 17.75 0.44 6.05 1.36 15.93
Red 630-700 0.452 6.22 0.81 8.47 2.86 39.55 1.86 21.78
Far Red 700-780 0.130 1.53 0.07 0.81 0.06 0.80 0.69 8.10
Total 8.890 100.0 9.52 100.0 7.24 100.0 8.54 100.0
Grow Light Guide
Horticultural lighting systems allow you to extend the growing season by providing your cannabis
plants with an indoor equivalent to sunlight. This is a great advantage for those of you who
appreciate having a year-round supply of fresh flowers, veggies and herbs. Artificial lighting
is also a great way to jump-start spring by starting your seedlings months ahead of the last frost.
There are three main types of horticultural lighting systems.
In summary, marijuana has a lust for light. HP sodium lamps produce 20% more light than super metal
halides. Horizontal reflectors yield up to 40% more light than vertical reflectors. Hammer or pebble
specular, anodized aluminum or white are the most reflective surfaces for hoods. Mirror finish is
the absolute worst reflective surface for a hood. Hang 400 watt lamps at 18-24” above garden, 600
and 1000 watt lamps, 24-30” above garden. Use a light meter. Grow the strongest, healthiest cannabis
plants that reach their maximum potential for resin production. Bright light brings big buds.
HID (High Intensity Discharge) Lighting
HID lighting is the most efficient way to convert electricity into light that is available to
the consumer. There are two types of HID grow lights used for horticultural lighting:
HID Light Efficiency
Metal Halide - MH
Metal halide bulbs produce an abundance of light in the blue spectrum. This color of light promotes
cannabis plant growth and is excellent for green leafy growth and keeping cannabis plants compact.
It is the best type of light to be used as a primary light source (if no or little natural sunlight
is available). The average lifespan is about 10,000 cumulative hours. The bulb will light up beyond
this time but due to the gradual decline of light, it is not worth your while to wait for the bulb to
finally burn out. If you compare their lumen (brightness) per unit of energy consumed, metal halides
produce up to 125 lumens per watt compared to 39 lumens per watt with fluorescent lights and 18 lumens
per watt for standard incandescent bulbs.
High Pressure Sodium - HPS
High pressure sodium bulbs emit an orange-red glow. This band of light triggers hormones in
cannabis plants to increase flowering/budding in cannabis plants. They are the best lights
available for secondary or supplemental lighting (used in conjunction with natural sunlight).
This is ideal for greenhouse growing applications.
Not only is this a great flowering light, it has two features that make it a more economical
choice. Their average lifespan is twice that of metal halides, but after 18,000 hours of use,
they will start to draw more electricity than their rated watts while gradually producing less
light. HPS bulbs are very efficient. They produce up to 140 lumens per watt. Their disadvantage
is they are deficient in the blue spectrum.
If a gardener were to start a young cannabis plant under a HPS bulb, she/he would see impressive
vertical growth. In fact, probably too impressive. Most cannabis plants would grow up thin and lanky and in no time you will have to prune your cannabis plant back before it grows into the light fixture. The exception to this is using a HPS light in a greenhouse. Sunlight is high in the blue spectrum which would offset any stretching caused by HPS bulbs.
Common manufacturers of metal halide and high pressure (HP) sodium lights include Philips,
General Electric, Iwasaki, Venture, and Osram/Sylvania. Many of the manufacturers buy and use
the same components, often manufactured by competitors. Most often the bulbs have the exact same
technical statistics.
Lighting Chart - A guide for wattage per square foot.
HID Light Output Primary Growing Area Supplemental Area
100 watts 2’ x 2’ 3’ x 3’
250 watts 3’ x 3’ 4’ x 4’
400 watts 4’ x 4’ 6’ x 6’
600 watts 6’ x 6’ 8’ x 8’
1000 watts 8’ x 8’ 12’ x 12’
HID Lighting Helpful Tips
Hanging height: Due to the heat that is emitted from these types of fixtures, you should hang
them according to size. Smaller wattage systems (100 and 250) should be hung about 2 feet from
the tops of the cannabis plants. Medium wattage systems (400 and 600) should be hung around 3 feet
from the top of the cannabis plants. High wattage systems (1000 and up) should be placed at least
4 to 5 feet from the cannabis plant tops.
How long should lights run?
This depends on the type of cannabis plant. Most cannabis plants and vegetables need about
10 to 12 hours of light to promote growth. cannabis plants that produce fruits or flowers
will show improvement with up to 16 hours a day of supplemental light.
Fluorescent Lighting
This type of light is perfect for starts and seedlings. They are also popular for growing low-light
cannabis plants like herbs and African violets. Fluorescent lights are low intensity and need to be
placed within 8" (up to 15" for shade loving cannabis plants) of the cannabis plants to be effective.
They are a poor light source for flowering and budding primarily because of their low lumen output.
Daylight Cool White Gro-Lux GroLux WS
Light Type Band Watts % Watts % Watts % Watts %
Ultra-Violet -380 0.186 2.15 0.16 1.68 0.10 1.42 0.27 3.16
Violet 380-430 0.832 9.60 0.72 7.57 0.70 9.67 1.07 12.48
Blue 430-490 2.418 27.91 1.98 20.78 1.96 27.07 1.22 14.29
Green 490-560 2.372 27.38 2.35 24.67 1.02 14.02 1.24 14.49
Yellow 560-590 1.259 14.53 1.74 18.27 0.10 1.42 0.83 9.77
Orange 590-630 1.144 13.21 1.69 17.75 0.44 6.05 1.36 15.93
Red 630-700 0.452 6.22 0.81 8.47 2.86 39.55 1.86 21.78
Far Red 700-780 0.130 1.53 0.07 0.81 0.06 0.80 0.69 8.10
Total 8.890 100.0 9.52 100.0 7.24 100.0 8.54 100.0
Grow Light Guide
Horticultural lighting systems allow you to extend the growing season by providing your cannabis
plants with an indoor equivalent to sunlight. This is a great advantage for those of you who
appreciate having a year-round supply of fresh flowers, veggies and herbs. Artificial lighting
is also a great way to jump-start spring by starting your seedlings months ahead of the last frost.
There are three main types of horticultural lighting systems.
In summary, marijuana has a lust for light. HP sodium lamps produce 20% more light than super metal
halides. Horizontal reflectors yield up to 40% more light than vertical reflectors. Hammer or pebble
specular, anodized aluminum or white are the most reflective surfaces for hoods. Mirror finish is
the absolute worst reflective surface for a hood. Hang 400 watt lamps at 18-24” above garden, 600
and 1000 watt lamps, 24-30” above garden. Use a light meter. Grow the strongest, healthiest cannabis
plants that reach their maximum potential for resin production. Bright light brings big buds.
HID (High Intensity Discharge) Lighting
HID lighting is the most efficient way to convert electricity into light that is available to the
consumer. There are two types of HID grow lights used for horticultural lighting:
HID Light Efficiency
Metal Halide - MH
Metal halide bulbs produce an abundance of light in the blue spectrum. This color of light promotes
cannabis plant growth and is excellent for green leafy growth and keeping cannabis plants compact.
It is the best type of light to be used as a primary light source (if no or little natural sunlight
is available). The average lifespan is about 10,000 cumulative hours. The bulb will light up beyond
this time but due to the gradual decline of light, it is not worth your while to wait for the bulb to
finally burn out. If you compare their lumen (brightness) per unit of energy consumed, metal halides
produce up to 125 lumens per watt compared to 39 lumens per watt with fluorescent lights and 18 lumens
per watt for standard incandescent bulbs.
High Pressure Sodium - HPS
High pressure sodium bulbs emit an orange-red glow. This band of light triggers hormones in cannabis
plants to increase flowering/budding in cannabis plants. They are the best lights available for
secondary or supplemental lighting (used in conjunction with natural sunlight). This is ideal for
greenhouse growing applications.
Not only is this a great flowering light, it has two features that make it a more economical choice.
Their average lifespan is twice that of metal halides, but after 18,000 hours of use, they will start
to draw more electricity than their rated watts while gradually producing less light. HPS bulbs are
very efficient. They produce up to 140 lumens per watt. Their disadvantage is they are deficient in
the blue spectrum.
If a gardener were to start a young cannabis plant under a HPS bulb, she/he would see impressive
vertical growth. In fact, probably too impressive. Most cannabis plants would grow up thin and
lanky and in no time you will have to prune your cannabis plant back before it grows into the light
fixture. The exception to this is using a HPS light in a greenhouse. Sunlight is high in the blue
spectrum which would offset any stretching caused by HPS bulbs.
Common manufacturers of metal halide and high pressure (HP) sodium lights include Philips,
General Electric, Iwasaki, Venture, and Osram/Sylvania. Many of the manufacturers buy and use
the same components, often manufactured by competitors. Most often the bulbs have the exact same technical statistics.
Lighting Chart - A guide for wattage per square foot.
HID Light Output Primary Growing Area Supplemental Area
100 watts 2’ x 2’ 3’ x 3’
250 watts 3’ x 3’ 4’ x 4’
400 watts 4’ x 4’ 6’ x 6’
600 watts 6’ x 6’ 8’ x 8’
1000 watts 8’ x 8’ 12’ x 12’
HID Lighting Helpful Tips
Hanging height: Due to the heat that is emitted from these types of fixtures, you should hang
them according to size. Smaller wattage systems (100 and 250) should be hung about 2 feet from
the tops of the cannabis plants. Medium wattage systems (400 and 600) should be hung around
3 feet from the top of the cannabis plants. High wattage systems (1000 and up) should be placed
at least 4 to 5 feet from the cannabis plant tops.
How long should lights run?
This depends on the type of cannabis plant. Most cannabis plants and vegetables need about
10 to 12 hours of light to promote growth. cannabis plants that produce fruits or flowers
will show improvement with up to 16 hours a day of supplemental light.
Fluorescent Lighting
This type of light is perfect for starts and seedlings. They are also popular for growing low-light
cannabis plants like herbs and African violets. Fluorescent lights are low intensity and need to be
placed within 8" (up to 15" for shade loving cannabis plants) of the cannabis plants to be effective.
They are a poor light source for flowering and budding primarily because of their low lumen output.
7 Likes
Wow that is some awesome reading material @garrigan62. Thank you for the info and for the soil recipe. I appreciate all the input and the tips from all of you guys @bryan @PurpNGold74 @Vexer. I will keep reading everything you guys put out and any links you want to send my way. I really want to have everything set up and ready by this December if possible. I hope to have my medical marijuana license by September and ideally would start the growing ASAP.
1 Like
Ah sorry. I put the horse before the carriage so to speak. Any more questions feel free to fire away. I have u markd for watching so no need to tag me. Best of luck again
Personally, IF you have the stuff lying around to build a grow space, or get your hands on it cheap as chips, then look at that route over a tent as that’s going to give you some spare cash for lighting and, arguably more importantly in Okieland, environmental control. I’d certainly be looking at QB kits or a DIY strip build for lighting over HID because of heat and electricity costs.
Strain? I swear by Northern Lights for starting out with. Don’t care what anyone says, I know how hard it was for me to kill that strain, short of snapping the main stem clean off 1/2" above ground (yes, I managed to do that), they can really take anything and everything you throw at them, then laugh at you and keep growing. My first escapade in stupidity was thinking I could grow a plant on a west-facing windowsill in Belgium which didn’t get much direct sunlight, and during that time I ended up in hospital for 9 days and my missus didn’t know what she was doing with the plant in that time so it wasn’t watered properly or anything. Even after all of that, I still got several grams of smokeable off of it, so I can safely say the Auto NL is a hardy little blighter that even the most ham-fisted idiot like me can get something from even when you do pretty much everything wrong, and I don’t see any reason the photo version will be any softer regarding the punishment it will inevitably get as you learn to grow.
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TENT…search Amazon and Ebay. Lots of affordable tents around.
4x4x8 cost $70. Will hold 4 plants easy. If you grow short auto’s there are several varieties that are a slender profile with few side leaves…this type could add more.
Remember height is important. Once the Ladies switch to flower, they grow vertically almost doubling in size. Don’t wait too long they will be touching the lights.
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Yeah I have been looking at tents on amazon. I just can’t decide if I would rather build one myself or not. So many options on everything. I want to purchase the seed deal from ilgm that’s is called sweets or something because I would love to grow some Girl Scout cookies 
2 Likes
Well, this is where it comes to your own abilities. If you build your own room, you can adapt it and alter it to your own needs, whereas with a tent you are tied to a specific layout. But, OTOH, once the bug bites then your original diy build room will start growing, you’ll always be changing things, mainly because you can, so you have to think of that sort of thing versus buying a tent, then another tent or a bigger tent, and so on.
So first take your time and decide precisely what sort of layout you wish, especially if you’re going to end up planning for a space for seedlings, another for veg and another for flower. You have the time to figure that out and, well, proper planning prevents p***-poor performance…
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Go on wish. Bought a grow tent, timer and 45w light for under 100$. Walmart for fox farm for growth and blooming.
I might settle on buying by a tent instead of building one but as far as lighting goes I’m hoping @dbrn32 will help me to build a nice light just from reading the threads on here I see a lot of people seem to want to build their own and I don’t want to skimp on the lighting I want to grow good product for myself and if I do this I want to do it right. Thank you all for the comments and tips I appreciate it all 
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Happy to, let me know what you’re thinking.
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So I have 1200 dollars to work without my total setup, I can grow up to 6 plants legally although I doubt that I will do that many I was thinking maybe 1-3 max at a time. I was hoping for a 6x6x8 area that I would build but I might buy a tent that’s 4x4x8 to save money for lighting and everything else. I’m not very light savvy, I seem to lose myself a bit when you get technical but I’m rereading a lot and looking up terms to try and grasp a little better. Just from reading your threads I know you have a great understanding so I’m going with your guidance 
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That’s what I’m talking about @Yamiraiden you got great help from @garrigan62 for soil ( awesome ) and @dbrn32 for lights ( the man ) and the other input awesome everyone I’m here if you have any questions I love my 630 cmh with 2 315 watt Phillips bulbs and I just ordered a awesome 6foot light mover @Donaldj recommended good luck and welcome to the forum 
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