Hi folks,

I've been considering a home grow for some time now, but am a little worried at the initial investment as well as the possible low yield from the plants.

I'm fairly lazy, so I would like some honest responses as to the amount of work involved in a small home grow.

I have my eye on this:

Grow Tents > Dark Room Grow Tent Packages > Dark Room DR60 Grow Tent Packages

I figure this should be sufficient for 2-4 (max) plants. I'm also considering buying a Wilma 4 pot system (with cubes, nutrients, etc):

Hydroponics>Wilma Systems>Wilma 4 Pot System

Is the grow tent large enough to grow 2-4 plants in it? Is the light sufficient for a decent yield (I'm hoping for 2-3 ounces per plant (dried). Ambitious, or achievable? I'm prepared to spend a small amount of time looking after the plants (bugs, nutrients, etc), but I have no real interest in gardening. I'm hoping a decent setup such as the one I've posted will, for the most part, take care of itself. I'm also considering the autoflowering AK-47 feminised seeds.

If this is a decent setup, with yields of approx 3 ounces per plant, with maybe 3 plants growing together, I think I'm comfortable investing in it. Else, I'll stick to meeting my guy on the street..

This is for personal consumption, so I don't require more than a couple ounces per month tops. With grow time, etc, I figure 3 plants every 3 months is more than enough for me. I am against funding criminal activity, so growing my own would stop me from funding Vietnamese grow houses.

Thoughts?

Peace

.. we can ignore the size of the Wilma system - I realise it is slightly too large for this tent, but you get the idea..

The best you can hope to expect depends entirely on the effort you wish to put-forth.
I can appreciate your wanting to keep from supporting gangs and such. I feel the same way. If and when you get serious, I'll help all I can. But I don't do lazy well.

Easiest and cheapest method for a lazy newbie...outdoors in the soil.

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Thanks for the quick response.

Outdoor growing in Scotland is unlikely - not enough sun, temperatures far too low.

I appreciate that there will be maintenance involved. I don't expect to plant a seed, walk away, and have a harvest 3 months later.

I guess what I'm looking for is confirmation that the size of the room is ok, how many plants I can grow at any one time, whether the wattage of the light is sufficient for up to 4 plants, and if auto-flowing plants are ok or not (I'm told they grow shorter than other plants, which suits me fine given the size of the tent I'm considering).

Is the package I posted worth it? Too small/cheap? Is the light good enough? Are Wilma systems good, or is there a better alternative for a similar amount of money?

Thanks again.

Excuses, excuses...lol. (kidding)

Twasn't what you said, but ok...Would be nice though.

With a low-rider strain you'd likely be ok, but any strain that's sativa dominate, you'd run into a headroom problem requiring lots of tying-back and training. In a 4 foot tall CFL growtent, the effective light only extends what...20 cm max...? (7 or 8 inches)

Plus, you have to add the reflector height, pot height, and the few inches of buffer zone between the plants and the light. The remaining space available is the max height of your plant.
Example:
reflector - 8 inches tall. (plus the hanger and chains)
pot size - 10 inches tall (3 gallon pot)
buffer space - 4-6 inches. (closest you can get the light without burning)
In a 140 cm (4 foot 7 inches) that leaves about 75 cm (2 1/2 feet) for max plant height. Kinda short for final plant height without training. (and training is a little more work, lol)

I'm a soil guy, so no comment on the hydro system. The tent would be good for vegging, but I'd prefer a taller tent that wouldn't restrict my options in the future. Will you be upgrading the light to HPS, or growing taller plants? This is something to take into consideration now, not later. Go big or go home, lol.

Let us know which way you go.

__________________
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