Some of you may or may not remember me ...

anyways, I spent 2k last week on supplies and put them in storage. I'm saving up again to spend another 3k in July, and I am going to start the OP in August. I'm going to mirror the same op as "Al B Fuct" from rollitup. The local owner of the hydroponics store was SO helpfull, and helped me budget my op and figure out everything I need.

He pointed out a few weaknesses in my plan, (that I already had been worrying about) and I have been wrestling with whether or not I am going to scrap my plan and sell my materials at a loss. (I spent 2k on lights, soil, etc, but I might let it go for half)

Reasons --

Rental Property.

He initially told me a good means of finding a "off the books" type landlord (less professional) would be to shop around for "for rent by owner" signs, instead of using the internet. He also recomended a few other methods, but I am just very paranoid that the owner could become a problem. By August, I WILL have the budget to move to Humboldt, but on craigslist -- every single property says "no 215, will check electricity bills" etc etc. I found 1 ad that said 215 ok, but it was 1800 a month.

another problem --

strain selection.

Because this will be a decent sized perpetual op, consisting of 1 harvest every 2 weeks, I need a 2 month type strain that is NOT auto flowering, so that I don't have to spend tons on seeds. Obv cloning is the way to go for this type of op. Not a tough question / problem -- but any wisdom would be appreciated. this will be a 4 station, 4 1000w light rotating op. Ie - harvest 1 crop, move the other 3 over, start 1 more, repeat. Any experience with this?

another issue --

paranoia.

recently, a close friend of mine (and possible partner in the OP) had 6 people show up at his house, looking to rob him. He was running a clean, well organized operation (not a grow) and not working with shady people......and he still has had to deal with robberys and whatnot multiple times. It just reminds me that this is in fact illegal, and I can not rely on society for protection and I don't know how far I am willing to go to protect myself from this type of problem. ( I am way to old for dumb kids and robberies and all that nonsense)

The simple solution seems to be to move to norcal.

anyways, I am by no means an expert so any advice, input, and .02 is as always appreciated. Hopefully you guys can provide the help I need ;-)


peace

well, the best advice I could give you, is too late ... I would have recommended you do a couple successful grows, before buying all that gear ... your hydro-store guy didn't do you any favors by selling you a lot of stuff you aren't familiar with ... if possible, you may hold on to that gear, you may need it in the future ... and, start with bagseeds, typical first grows are disastrous, it's a shame to watch expensive seeds go belly up ... keep up the research, don't plant, until you have a good grasp on it ... and, use common sense, there is a LOT of bullshit growing advice going around the Internet (here, too) ... "keep it simple, and, when in doubt, imitate nature" ... good luck, and good growing

__________________
" keep it simple, it's a WEED ! "

" when in doubt, imitate Nature "

" 2008 people voted for Obama to prove they weren't racists.....in 2010 they will vote to show they arent socialists " - Islandborn

also, regarding how far to go, protecting your crop: if someone tried to rip me off, there will be a serious fight ... and, that's about it ... I won't take a life, or spend my life in prison, over a damn weed, regardless of how much money or time I have invested in it ... don't get me wrong, they'll take a good ass-whuppin', but that's where I stop myself ... (invade my home, threaten me or my family, kick my dog, I'll kill ya dead on the spot, and not even blink) BUT, not for pot, nope, never ...

__________________
" keep it simple, it's a WEED ! "

" when in doubt, imitate Nature "

" 2008 people voted for Obama to prove they weren't racists.....in 2010 they will vote to show they arent socialists " - Islandborn

I had some coin when i first started, instead of buying alot of equipment i went on a trip to find out how to do it.I bought a good grow book got on plane went to bc and learned some basics.You have to remember that a grow shop is in business to make money they saw you comming (no disrespect intended) and sold you alot of stuff it sounds like.You should be able to find some good beans to start with by searching the net buy less expensive basic simple strains to start maybe get lucky and they throw in some extras.I have a security system called brinks he's a 150lb french mastif who can make you crap your pants just looking at you. Sweet as hell but really scary lookin. I call this preventative security measure #1. Wish you best of luck hope this helps.

What Image Reaper said. Likely a good idea to quit buying shit till you know how to use it.

But...you've already broke the first rule of growing. Don't tell anyone.

You've just told everyone interested...the size and scope of your plans, and that you know it's illegal. Have you mentioned your equipment purchases, or future plans to any "friends"? Not to make you overly paranoid, but you really need to cover your own ass. I'm sure all of us here are legal and legit, but ya just never know...

__________________
Your disappointments grow in direct proportion to your expectations.
If you are comfortable with your facts, you should assume I'll be comfortable challenging those facts.

Horticultural Myths and Folklore
Fox Farms Feeding Schedule
Dealing With Heat Issues in the Desert
Rusty's Bonsai Re-Vegging
CanCom Troubleshooting Forms