dr.tomb
Well-Known Member
Hey guys,
Just thought I would let you in on a little journey i have gone through and where im at today.
It all started about a year ago, i decided i would start a small operation so i could smoke for free. From the start of the journey until now i wish i had something to read, or rather stumbled upon the information sooner (its all in here some where, you just need to do the searches) when i started so i could have saved a lot of time and money. Although im still small, 32 plants between two spaces, its bigger and easier then the original 4-6 i started with.
Originally like most i started with soil, and i made all the amateur mistakes, from too much nutes, to over watering. Basically i spent to much time worrying and not enough enjoying of the beauty that is the marijuana plant. Dont get me wrong, soil is rather easy and it does take alot of the issues with over fertilization out of the equation, due to the buffering effects of soil.
In the middle of my soil grows i started reading an article about an easy method of growing in a passive hydro system (which i can not locate the article now). It basically talked about using perlite in a cat litter tray with a few plants. It did work, but my problem was that there was no drainage at all and i ended up with what i believe was a case of nute lockout due to salt buildup.
From there i read about how great aeroponics was, and i decided to give that a go. I found that this system was a lot of extra work, from the constant pHing from the swings, to the awkward water changes (made a tote with a drain spout) and the leaking that i encountered, i found that it just wasn't for me. If i had to travel i was worried about pump burn outs and complicated explanations for my partner on how to pH, how to change the water and so on.
Then finally i found this article about hempy buckets and i gave it a spin. Boy oh boy am i telling you, it was the best and easiest solution of my life. The pros of the system are that there is basically no over watering, if a pump dies (ill get to that) your plants should survive for 3-4 days on the hempy reserve, the cost of perlite is very very cheap, and in my opinion easier to dispose of if your tossing in a garbage (1/10th the wieght).
So what is hempy, well again refer to this article, but basically it is a bucket with a drainage hole drilled about 1.5-3 inches from the bottom. (I drilled my hole about 2.5" up, using a 1 inch bit so basically the bottom of the hole sits at 2" up) When you water this bucket the water fills up the bottom of the bucket and then flows out the hole when it gets too high. You fill this bucket with washed perlite (make sure you wash it other wise you will get a clay like substance in the bottom of the pot and worse in the bottom of your res) and plant your rooted plant in this perlite. For the first 5-15 days it will be a little work, as you will need to water at the stem straight down, so that the plant forms its tap root down to the bottom of the hempy bucket. Once this is complete then you can sit back and relax, water only every couple of days, or if you are over eager, water as much as you like, the bucket will self regulate and prevent you from drowning your plants.
So what does this setup cost? well lets make a quick break down. Keep in mind you can make it cheaper if you reuse 2L pop bottles, or coffee cans, build your own room ect.
My Setup cost
------------------
Grow tent 4'x4' (best investment i ever made, aside from light) - $120
600W HPS Light - $150 (got it from craigslist or kijiji, ballast, bulb, and fixture)
16 Plastic Trash Cans from dollar stores - 16 @ $2 = $32
Perlite, purchased huge bag that filled 32 trash cans for about - $30
Plastic Mesh (to cover the 1" holes and keep the perlite in the can) - $2
Silicone Glue (food safe, to hold the plastic mess around the hole) - $5
Drill and bits were free, but borrow a drill and bit is less then - $5
Wood Trough with drain - $40
Water Pump (im using a 340gph pump to do 16 cans) - $30
Tubing for a drip system, plus connectors and t's $40
Fan from walmart $10
5 gal bucket for a reservoir -$5
4 Plastic Milk Totes (to set the trough on, and the reservoir under)- Free (took from behind a local corner store)
Misc little costs lets say $20
Total - $484 (keep in mind you need the light anyways, i also didn't add in nutes of your choice and some sort of filter/odor prevention is recommended, but it can weight until you switch to flower)
Feel free to ask some questions.
Just thought I would let you in on a little journey i have gone through and where im at today.
It all started about a year ago, i decided i would start a small operation so i could smoke for free. From the start of the journey until now i wish i had something to read, or rather stumbled upon the information sooner (its all in here some where, you just need to do the searches) when i started so i could have saved a lot of time and money. Although im still small, 32 plants between two spaces, its bigger and easier then the original 4-6 i started with.
Originally like most i started with soil, and i made all the amateur mistakes, from too much nutes, to over watering. Basically i spent to much time worrying and not enough enjoying of the beauty that is the marijuana plant. Dont get me wrong, soil is rather easy and it does take alot of the issues with over fertilization out of the equation, due to the buffering effects of soil.
In the middle of my soil grows i started reading an article about an easy method of growing in a passive hydro system (which i can not locate the article now). It basically talked about using perlite in a cat litter tray with a few plants. It did work, but my problem was that there was no drainage at all and i ended up with what i believe was a case of nute lockout due to salt buildup.
From there i read about how great aeroponics was, and i decided to give that a go. I found that this system was a lot of extra work, from the constant pHing from the swings, to the awkward water changes (made a tote with a drain spout) and the leaking that i encountered, i found that it just wasn't for me. If i had to travel i was worried about pump burn outs and complicated explanations for my partner on how to pH, how to change the water and so on.
Then finally i found this article about hempy buckets and i gave it a spin. Boy oh boy am i telling you, it was the best and easiest solution of my life. The pros of the system are that there is basically no over watering, if a pump dies (ill get to that) your plants should survive for 3-4 days on the hempy reserve, the cost of perlite is very very cheap, and in my opinion easier to dispose of if your tossing in a garbage (1/10th the wieght).
So what is hempy, well again refer to this article, but basically it is a bucket with a drainage hole drilled about 1.5-3 inches from the bottom. (I drilled my hole about 2.5" up, using a 1 inch bit so basically the bottom of the hole sits at 2" up) When you water this bucket the water fills up the bottom of the bucket and then flows out the hole when it gets too high. You fill this bucket with washed perlite (make sure you wash it other wise you will get a clay like substance in the bottom of the pot and worse in the bottom of your res) and plant your rooted plant in this perlite. For the first 5-15 days it will be a little work, as you will need to water at the stem straight down, so that the plant forms its tap root down to the bottom of the hempy bucket. Once this is complete then you can sit back and relax, water only every couple of days, or if you are over eager, water as much as you like, the bucket will self regulate and prevent you from drowning your plants.
So what does this setup cost? well lets make a quick break down. Keep in mind you can make it cheaper if you reuse 2L pop bottles, or coffee cans, build your own room ect.
My Setup cost
------------------
Grow tent 4'x4' (best investment i ever made, aside from light) - $120
600W HPS Light - $150 (got it from craigslist or kijiji, ballast, bulb, and fixture)
16 Plastic Trash Cans from dollar stores - 16 @ $2 = $32
Perlite, purchased huge bag that filled 32 trash cans for about - $30
Plastic Mesh (to cover the 1" holes and keep the perlite in the can) - $2
Silicone Glue (food safe, to hold the plastic mess around the hole) - $5
Drill and bits were free, but borrow a drill and bit is less then - $5
Wood Trough with drain - $40
Water Pump (im using a 340gph pump to do 16 cans) - $30
Tubing for a drip system, plus connectors and t's $40
Fan from walmart $10
5 gal bucket for a reservoir -$5
4 Plastic Milk Totes (to set the trough on, and the reservoir under)- Free (took from behind a local corner store)
Misc little costs lets say $20
Total - $484 (keep in mind you need the light anyways, i also didn't add in nutes of your choice and some sort of filter/odor prevention is recommended, but it can weight until you switch to flower)
Feel free to ask some questions.
plants are beautiful!!
