Thread: First Time Growing

So I just recently moved from Southern California to Florida, I am still a patient there and really don't wanna be prosecuted for "buying drugs" so I have decided that growing is best
I have never grown here or in cali and would really appreciate it

I'm using a closet roughly 6'x2'x8' Ive been looking at hydro systems (basically homemade Resale)
like this Hydro2Grow 6 Plant Hydroponic system 10GAL LETS GROW! | eBay
and probably will start with 4 seedlings just to get the feel for it.

so my questions are
Will that 10 gallon reservoir be good for 4-6 large plants?
will a 400 watt hps system be sufficient for 4 plants in that grow space?
whats a cheaper way to for grow lighting than with Hps system?
what kind of nutrients do you guys recommend?
and Some friendly tips for a bigger yield?

Any help is greatly appreciated

If you've never grown before I'd stay away from hydroponics at first, you're margin of error is minimal and it only takes one mistake to kill your grow.

Thats is an interesting set up, they reem you for shipping though! LOL

That is basically a 10 gallon tote and lid with an acquarium pump. You could assmble this yourself for less then $20.

I was going to build it myself but idk seemed easier to order it cause it comes with net cups and Rockwell cubes ect
So what is a good way to start in soil?
I just didn't want to worry about transferring from pot to pot and don't know wattage needed if I don't use the 400watt hps?
hydro doesn't seem that hard as long as the ph level in the water is good and the plants have the right nutrients and lights I
really don't understand what could go wrong..
but idk haven't done it before, I just don't wanna be prosecuted for using something that helps with my conditon..

I've never tried hydroponic so I can't speak from personal experience, I've only read in a few different publications to give soil growing a try first to get a feel for it. I'm on my fourth grow and I THINK I finally am getting it right but I can already see I've made a few mistakes even with this grow. It's not as hard as some people may lead you to believe but it's not as easy as others may think. 400W for four plants should be plenty, you'll need to consider removing the heat from your grow area though. Another option is LED lights which produce little to no heat and are much less expensive to operate and will last many times over longer then HPS however your initial cost is higher.

what about Coco coir? my friend said he does grow bags or tote tubs of "60% coco, 20% vermiculite, 20% perlite"
and hand water

Coco coir growing is about the most forgiving of any 'hydroponic' system. I don't know if you even want to call it hydroponic. I have been using it for about a year and its excellent. In flowering, I have my girls in a 3 gal bucket, and I use just plain coco, not vermiculite, no perlite. Your friend may not know it, but vermiculite holds moisture, perlite counter acts the vermiculite. In my opinion, you would be better off not using either. Coco is almost like growing in soil....except it has no nutrients in it for the plants. So, you would be TOTALLY in charge of feeding the plants. I feed my plants with nutrients and feed them once a day, letting the overflow drain to waste (about 20%). Each plant gets about a quart of nutes via a timer. Using coco coir, I can tell you that I have never had a plant 'in shock' after replanting it, which I cannot say for any other method especially hydroton, where I could definitely see them having trouble the first day or two.

I use hydroton. I start them in Rapid Rooters. No problems for me.

Beware coco coir is going to require frequent flushings with clearex to prevent salt buildup. coco is notorious for salt build up.

Good Luck

Purple Daddy does make a point worth noting, in that hydroponics can be a bit technical to get started with.

Unlike soil, which can be somewhat tolerant for "mistakes" made with nutrients, Ph adjustment and so on, the hydroponics approach is immediate, and can be severe if something truly drastic has happened, or if an infection suddenly gets into the system.

However, if one keeps a close eye on what's going on, and variables such as temp, Ph, and the correct set of nutrients are maintained, the results can be astonishing. This I have seen personally, which is why I'm inclined to do this myself.

Think of hydroponics as intravenous feeding for the plants. In essence, any fluctuation in the growth dependent variables is going to become manifest almost instantly, but what you get for the effort is very prolific yields in a relatively short time, within a limited space, and using recyclable water. It really depends on your circumstances, but if at all possible, I would still consider giving the hydro approach a try, if even on a small, experimental basis just to get started.

Bah it aint no fun unless ur getting ur feet wet

For simple hydro, I'd suggest DWC. There are videos on youtube that show various ways to grow in hydro. For DWC all you need is a 5 gallon bucket with netpot, small air pump, air tubing, good airstone, some hydroton (the clay pebbles), and a rapid rooter plug. For nutes I ususally suggest Dynagro. It's a one-part fert and has pretty much everything plants need. The expensive part of hydro is getting a good pH/TDS meter, which is expensive. Hanna makes a good one.
Soil grow for a beginner might be best, but no, hydro isn't hard. You have to buy some stuff and do your research however. You can get a bucket and netpot at your local hydro store. They probably have the other stuff too or you can get alot at Walmart or such. You might need some pH up and down too, also available at the hydro store. You can ask them for advice too. You want to clone, which will keep a cycle of living plants growing. Alot of people use a cloning gel, also available at the hydro store. Personally, I'd use the buckets instead of one large tub because one bucket per plant is easier to control.
You can also check out instructional videos:
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A 10 gallon bucket will be fine if you are using a drip system.

Push some seeds in the dirt and go man...