first 400w grow.. got a few questions

ok so i just picked up a 400w hps from htg and am about to get my grow started. This is my first real grow and am trying to do this on a buget.
So my first question is if I got some compost thats been outside in subzero temps for a few weeks would I run a risk of introducing bugs to my grow. My thinking is that the cold will have killed off any bugs that were in there but im not sure.
Also can I get a successful grow w/o the use of any nutes. Im going to be using ff soil but dont want to spring all the cash on some nutes until I'm bit more experienced. I know I wont have an amazing grow but I just want to be able to get my feet wet and get some smokable buds to reward myself

burnonedown21 said:

ok so i just picked up a 400w hps from htg and am about to get my grow started. This is my first real grow and am trying to do this on a buget.
So my first question is if I got some compost thats been outside in subzero temps for a few weeks would I run a risk of introducing bugs to my grow. My thinking is that the cold will have killed off any bugs that were in there but im not sure.
Also can I get a successful grow w/o the use of any nutes. Im going to be using ff soil but dont want to spring all the cash on some nutes until I'm bit more experienced. I know I wont have an amazing grow but I just want to be able to get my feet wet and get some smokable buds to reward myself

Click to expand...

Good question on the compost. I'm no entomologist, but I would imagine that something could survive or lay eggs in the compost if it stayed warm enough. Is this from a compost heap you currently have going or composted matter that froze over? Either way, I can't really answer that one but I would be careful of bringing anything from the yard into your growroom even if it's frozen over outside.

As for the fertilizer, you really don't need it if you have some good soil and just plan on growing your plants from seed to harvest. If you're keeping moms, cloning or trying to give your plants a boost during flowering, you might want to get some but if you're just growing out a few plants you just need some good soil and lots of patience.

Thanks. And with the compost heap i was thinking a few days before I brought it in I would break it down into small piecees and leave it outside so there are no pockets of warmth. Its mainly egg shell grass clippings coffee grinds and fruit peels if that makes a difference

are you sure there's no 'hot pockets' in the compost?? i hear those things will burn you're upper lip....

lame jokes aside...

if the compost pile isn't hot on the inside, then no breaking down of anything happened, and it's not compost, it's just trash...... that's what i've been told... it should be like 80 degrees in the middle of an active compost pile..... that's what I've been TOLD. i dnt know if it's true.....

Don't do it freezing temps don't kill all bugs, why take the chance. Ever bring in wood in the winter.? The only way is to heat it up to kill every thing and I don't know what the temp is. Go to Home depot and get some liquid ferts $ 3 to $6. That's cheap.

never bring anything from outsie into your grow room. a compost pile should be hella hot in the middle, not sure on the exact temp but i know if not properly managed a hot commpost pile can at times spontaniously combust. If its cold, like said before is just a pile of trash. (full of bateria and bugs) ff soil will get you through 2 months max, you need nutes. you dont have to buy expensive nutes, go to walmart and pick something up. its better than nothing. just remember you get what you put in to it. if you grow with garbage product you end up with garbage weed.

redivider said:

are you sure there's no 'hot pockets' in the compost?? i hear those things will burn you're upper lip....

lame jokes aside...

if the compost pile isn't hot on the inside, then no breaking down of anything happened, and it's not compost, it's just trash...... that's what i've been told... it should be like 80 degrees in the middle of an active compost pile..... that's what I've been TOLD. i dnt know if it's true.....

Click to expand...

yah compost piles are hot in the middle i dont know exactly how they work either but i remember when my mom used to have them if it was cold outside and she went to use it steam would come off of it.

I agree with everybody pretty much that using the stuff from outside is risky. For one, most bugs where you live probably lay eggs each fall knowing that they will go through a hard freeze during the winter, then when it warms up they reactivate and start developing into bugs, just like the seeds of the plants that die in winter and come back in spring. When you bring those eggs indoors, they will heat up, hatch and boom, you have bugs. If you do use the soil, have some safe bug product handy, like BANG! or Don't Bug Me, to kill them when you see them. Also, neem oil is cheap and can be sprayed onto seedlings to make your plants less attractive to the bugs.

It will be hard to not put a little money in your grow. The reason I say this isn't because it's not possible to grow a couple plants cheaply. I say it because you will start to bond with your little plant the moment it sticks its head out of the ground and as it grows, so will your love for it. Then, you'll want to take care of it and raise it into a strong, healthy lady and when all is said and done you will smoke her ass to ashes. But, the point is, you'll get into it and want to spend a little bit on her. You've already forked out some cash to get a 400w HPS, so plan on spending some more as you go and it will be a much more enjoyable journey for you and your plants.

Also, do a lot of learning and planning, this will help you decide the best ways to spend your limited cash without wasting it or spending too much.

Good luck.

thanks for all advice, much appreciated. and just to clear it up compost does need to be hot in the middle to work but its been in the negatives around me for a few weeks now. And bugs lay their eggs in balls so the outer layers die off but the core stays alive, by breaking down the compost and letting it be fully in contact w the environment i was hoping to kill off the whole ball of eggs. I did take everyones advice to heed and have decided to buy some nutes instead