First timer here.....the more I read, the more I'm confused

Hi guys, let me first say that I have truly tried to do my homework the last month and I apologize in advance for being such a newb. The vast amt. of various opinions and info on the internet makes it damn near impossible to pick an initial setup for the first time grower.

Let me give you guys as much as I can in terms of what I'm working with thus far, then I'll ask for your specific suggestions on some things if alright

1.) I got the cart way ahead of the damn horse and thus I already received my seeds last week.

Seeds: Nirvana 5ct. AF fem Short Ryder

Germination plan: Nirvana Germination kit

2.) Grow area......Closet: Area = 48" L X 68" H X 36" W

Reflective material: HTG Supply roll of Mylar/White Poly

3.) 3gal grow pots

4.) Light cycle: 20/4 straight threw


So not much as you can see.....

BUDGET remaining: $300

Things I need your suggestions on....

LIGHTS: This is easily the most difficult and frustrating decision I'm trying to make. I need ample lighting for at least 5 autoflowering plants in 3gal pots. Heating will be of some concern however the closet isn't that small, and it has an AC vent going into it.

What do I get for +/- $200 ???

I keep leaning towards a HTG supply 400watt MH/HPS complete grow light for IIrc $170....however I'm scared of heat being that I really don't want to do an elaborate ventilation setup my very first go around. If I got this light, I would run the 400watt MH the first 3weeks, and then finish the rest up with the 400watt HPS. Minus the heat concerns, that light setup seems to me like it would turn great results on 5 plants.

SOIL/Nutes: I need a medium/nutes for the 5 plants grown in 3gal pots....whats my best solution for +/- $50?

So I'll stop there for now because if I can just get the light, soil, and nutes headed my way, I'd imagine the smaller stuff will come much more easily. Any, and all advice is really, really appreciated....and a big THANKS in advance

with proper vents, a 400 MH/HPS setup would be solid.
OR
i'd say just get a few CFLs, a nice potting mix and some nutes..your seedlings will do fine with CFLs till bout 3-4 weeks..then save up till your wallet allows it and get a MH/HPS light kit and a proper vent...then u could even use the CFLs for side lights if need be.

Ok you got Batman here to help... Gotham is safe.. and so is your grow.

I've run a 400 and even a 600 without aircooling or ventilation before and got great results so with only one light I wouldn't worry about that too much. Is this in an above ground room or basement setup? With a 600w in a basement you'll just need a fan or 2. I have a couple oscillating ones cooling a few plants under 600w ballasts without conditioning. If not using a basment, an air conditioner is a great thing to have. Even a small window unit does wonders. It also keeps the humidity low. In a basement I recommend using a dehumidifier. I keep mine set at 55% humidity setting.

One 600watt ballast totally rocks and you can pull off much larger numbers that with a 400w. I regretted purchasing a 400w and will never use one again. 600w ballasts like the Phantom and Lumatek's I own are fantastic and well worth the money spent. You'll triple your harvest easily by adding in the extra lumens. If going non air cooled I highly recommend the mini sun soaker HTG carries for a non expensive reflector. I love mine. I also own some cooled hoods. The Easycool line is also great for not too much $. If money was no object check out the blockbuster.

An easy way to get some decent dirt without complicating things... pick up some Fox Farm Ocean Forest. After planting, do not feed your plants the first 10-12 days. Then start feeding with 1/2 doseage.. and work your way up to a normal feed. Buy a bottle of PH down and add a thimble size amount of that to every one gallon jug of water you mix some nutes in.. good to go. Keepin it simple. You can fill quite a few 3 gallon pots with a bag of Ocean Forest. Pay no attention to posts on here claiming it's too hot for young plants. I've planted over 100+ young seedlings and clones directly in this soil with great success. It's also great to mix in 10% perlite with this soil. But not necessary.

Don't whatever you do.. do not overwater. Get used to how much your plants weigh when you pick up the pots. Feel em when they are watered. Feel how much they weight when they are dry. Overwatering locks out nutrients and plants suffer.

As far as nutes go.. I've run FoxFarm, and Botanicare, and now GH Flora. I like GH Flora the best so far. Only feed every other watering.

In Veg
5ml Micro
5ml Bloom

In Bloom
5ml Mico
8ml Bloom

I myself am working up to 10ml bloom with the plants that take heavier feeds. You'll notice I do not use the Grow nute. It is unnecessary. If you wanna google the Lucas Method.. you can read all about it. Basically the Micro nute has all the Nitrogen you need.
5ml= 1 teaspoon btw, Mix one at a time in your one gallon jug with plain tap water that has sit out a few days to let the chlorine evaporate.. assuming your city has chlorine in the water supply and not chloramine.

Once you get some more cash and want to add bloom boosters or additives, check out Koolbloom liquid. & a Humic acid product, I am currently using one called Sea Green. Humic acid products help the plant absorb more of the nutrients in the soil as well as break down the salt content left by using bottled nutes. Adding a carb product in bloom or even unsulphured blackstrap molasses at 2tsp/gal during your plain waterings will also be considered beneficial.

From now on skip buying Nirvana seeds. Don't waste money on Greenhouse, Eva Seeds, World of Seeds, DNA/Reserva Privada, Barneys.. etc.
Check out some of the more talented breeders who work with better genepools. Stay away from feminized seeds & Autos. Buy regular seeds, Pull the males. Better genetics to start with equal better harvests. Talented breeders with better lines IMO are Bodhi, Subcool/TGA seeds, Dankhouse Seeds, Gage Green. I also like Alphakronik gear. I see and hear very good things about Mosca, Hazeman, Pisces. Those are all breeders who I respect and the gear is all relatively easy to obtain. Except for Bodhi gear. You gotta work a little harder getting your hands on his stuff. It sells out in minutes. There are some great peeps including myself who are members of RIU's Seed Collectors thread who can give you good advice on strain selection.

There ya have it. Feel free to check out my thread in my Sig link. You can see I have some beautiful looking plants.
Everything I expressed here was my opinion and based on real experience.

If you wanna make some dank ass buds that look like this
My Chernobyl (TGA Subcool Seeds)


Ya gotta do things right and practice makes perfect. It doesnt hurt to ask people with real experience. The dangers of asking questions on sites like this one tho... alot of bad information out there.

Good luck.

Are you kidding me recommending not buying wos. There about as solid as any auto ive grown!!! Your right about bad information as your doleing out a heap. Dont ad ph down unless you know what your ph is to begin with. Your starting water ph plus add nutes will usually lower your ph sometimes to low . My advice get a ph pen before you start your grow it is probably the most important equipment you'll need other than lights. Id recommend root organic soil with one tablespoon of dolemite lime per gallon of dirt. Pretty much stops all cal- mag diffencies. If heat is a big concern you might look at T-5 ho lighting , youll need an 8 bulb. Tge heat difference between a 400 watt and 600 wont be great so if going mh/hps i'd opt for the 600 watt.id use 5 gallon smart pots. With 5 gallon pots you wont need to feed for the first month.

wrexican.....thanks for the reply, and I haven't completely ruled out the CFL route for my first grow....however, I have a feeling that after the first grow I'll already be looking to upgrade my lighting and overall garden size.

Batman.....nothing short of a fantastic reply, and I will be sure to take your advice very seriously. I hear ya on the Nirvana/Fem/Autos...and ultimately I hope to evolve into big boy growing with photoperiod/high yield strains. Your grow is truly the stuff that is fueling my dreams currently. I know having results like that is rewarding as hell....and that's why I'm very motivated to try my best to succeed at this.

Let me see what I can get ordered up today, and I'll give you an update later this evening with whats hopefully headed my way.

Thanks very much again guys

as long as u got decent extraction and intake/ gaps for natural intake, then 400 or 600 hps wont b a problem. 250w cfl's will do fine especially if u have them hanging between or to the side of the buds with a main one on top but as u know the more umens the more bud (as long as they dont get heat stress lol). id b very sceptical about gettin the 600 hps coz they do get warm but its impossible to tell not being there and seeing the room. i started on just 1 250 cfl and next time adding another 2x 125 cfl reds to go on either side of the girls, with the old 250 staying abover the plants.

as far as soil goes, id get a loam soil, so it has good water retention plus good drainage balance. put a bit of perlite in there if u want its not gonna hurt. ADD DOLOMITE LIME to ur soil mix it has magnesium and calcium and it will buffer ur soil at pH 7. get pH up for adjusting ur feed and water every time u feed and water coz nutes are acidic. u can get pH test kits for bout £4 its easy and crucial. Soil shouldnt really be a big deal, jus go for somethin common like i know alot of people use fox farm but wotever u use if its got its own nutes in then dont add any extra for the first 3-4 weeks and then start on 1/4 strength and work up to half and then full strength right near the end coz i hear alot of people sayin that autos are reaaaaaally sensitive to nutes.

its really not that hard to keep them alive so even if u fuck up it aint the end of the world its a learning curve go for it and good luck