hugetom80s
Well-Known Member
Okay, I'm the new guy - new to the forum, new to hydroponics, and so on.
My first shot at 'ponics I'm basically planning to a six-pot DWC built into a 18gal rubbermade bin thingy. There's gotta be dozens of the same design out there commerically and home-built. I'm gonna build my own.
I'll be growing spinach, lettuce, and probably collard greens for a number of different reasons. A: I'm paranoid as fuck so I'm not gonna photograph anything illegal (and if I screw stuff up I need to post pictures so people can tell me what I did wrong). B: Those seeds are cheap as hell so I can start over as many times as I like and be out like 10 cents. And of course C: I'm a cheapskate and I want to prove to myself I can grow something without killing it before I invest in some expensive lights. So I want something veg-only.
I've got all the parts for building the DWC set-up tracked down and figured out.
So here's what I'm thinking: I've got to get an EC meter (or something that does that job) - that's a given. I'll need pH strips and/or a meter, but I can probably do the meter like the lights - prove myself as grower rather than a killer before I start buying the more expensive toys. I need to get net pots and media (probably hydroton and some rockwool cubes). I need a simple florescent light like the 20" or whatever two-tube fixture. Toss in a timer for the lights. And of course I need nutrients.
First question: Am I forgetting anything in that list?
Second question: Any suggestions where to get that stuff on a budget?
I "know a guy" who swears by AN, and I definitely like what I read about some of their stuff, but (same as the lights and such) I can't really justify going out to buy fancy nutes if I haven't proven I can grow with hydro first. I'm not a teenager any more, so I like to think I've learned to keep my potential mistakes as cheap as possible. So what I'm looking for is something in the "not crap" category that's not expensive either and would work well with leafy foliage plants like I'm talking about.
Then, once I've got the skills to back it up, I can think about getting some fancy lights and a NFT with kick-ass nutes and so forth.
I just figure it makes more sense to learn to drive on the POS Ford crapmobile and buy the Corvette once you have a clue how to not smash it into stuff, right?
My first shot at 'ponics I'm basically planning to a six-pot DWC built into a 18gal rubbermade bin thingy. There's gotta be dozens of the same design out there commerically and home-built. I'm gonna build my own.
I'll be growing spinach, lettuce, and probably collard greens for a number of different reasons. A: I'm paranoid as fuck so I'm not gonna photograph anything illegal (and if I screw stuff up I need to post pictures so people can tell me what I did wrong). B: Those seeds are cheap as hell so I can start over as many times as I like and be out like 10 cents. And of course C: I'm a cheapskate and I want to prove to myself I can grow something without killing it before I invest in some expensive lights. So I want something veg-only.
I've got all the parts for building the DWC set-up tracked down and figured out.
So here's what I'm thinking: I've got to get an EC meter (or something that does that job) - that's a given. I'll need pH strips and/or a meter, but I can probably do the meter like the lights - prove myself as grower rather than a killer before I start buying the more expensive toys. I need to get net pots and media (probably hydroton and some rockwool cubes). I need a simple florescent light like the 20" or whatever two-tube fixture. Toss in a timer for the lights. And of course I need nutrients.
First question: Am I forgetting anything in that list?
Second question: Any suggestions where to get that stuff on a budget?
I "know a guy" who swears by AN, and I definitely like what I read about some of their stuff, but (same as the lights and such) I can't really justify going out to buy fancy nutes if I haven't proven I can grow with hydro first. I'm not a teenager any more, so I like to think I've learned to keep my potential mistakes as cheap as possible. So what I'm looking for is something in the "not crap" category that's not expensive either and would work well with leafy foliage plants like I'm talking about.
Then, once I've got the skills to back it up, I can think about getting some fancy lights and a NFT with kick-ass nutes and so forth.
I just figure it makes more sense to learn to drive on the POS Ford crapmobile and buy the Corvette once you have a clue how to not smash it into stuff, right?