Honest question. dont know if this is the right place for this

So, my husband is a MMJ patient, this substance has helped him immensely before medical marijuana he was on many different opiates for pain issues and then more pills to counteract those pills and so on and so on. I am very supportive of this use because of how positive it has been in his life. I work alot, a whole lot and do not personally smoke but dont really care that he does because its for medicinal purposes and way better than the opiates when we met.

Because I work so so much, I am VERY frugal. He wanted a grow locker because he believed it would help save money in the long run. Well its here and set up but I am not exactly happy. The thing was about 3k and he keeps going around in circles about how it could be better etc etc etc if he built his own, well if he built his own it would not have cost 3 grand and all that happy horse****. I am ok with the grow locker, but not so ok with the zillion additions and additional systems he wants to build that will make the electric bill go up even more.

So here is my question, does the what seems to be manic obsession wear off at any point? I'm at this point like yes, there are plants, is it a big deal, not really because it cost alot to make them grow and all that. And he's not so mellow about it.

and when to take clippings for cloning

need a little more info, but yeah, there can always be upgrades. however, once you hit the holy grail (1gpw), you're dialed in and just go perpetual.

tell me about this 3g, and list what he's working with. when i was running 6kw total, the grow cost 100$ a month in power, and produced 1200$ a week.

nunyabizbro said:

and when to take clippings for cloning

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cuttings can be taken any time after proving sex. keep a mother, flower out your phenos, keep the best, forget the rest. your moms can produce upwards of 60 cuttings every two weeks, or as little as one if you keep it bonsai.

I don't know what the fuck your even talking about. but my advice is I know you will not be able to afford a 3 thous watt a day electric bill. that about 450 a month plus reg house electric use and other grow equipment. your bill will be about 540 a month. would it not be better to get a caretaker ? that knows what he or she is doing. that 500 a month could be buying pain meds . that's a lot of meds .

well we bought a system that was completely contained it was a hydroponic ebb and flow, he's currently growing gsc. I do knot know what gpw is. The plants themselves look awesome and he's only growing 8. its called a superflower LED. we bought it and it has all the upgrades possible to it, the bill has gone up 100 bucks. theres 12 spots for plants 2 can filters airstones ebb and flow system kind led and then 2 more led in there and a circulating fan along with the tray.

I think the plants will do well but he just is constantly checking and rechecking and rechecking and rechecking. I honestly dont get it as I used to grow veggies and was like ok, theres spinach outside. I water it it will still be there tomorrow. I just feel like OMG we spent that much money and now you want to do something different, you cant return that shit.

He says he wants to try a fog and aero hybrid system now, and granted building it from scratch and doing it isnt expensive, but why after you have all the supplies for the other shit and the grow is going beautifully?

Hey, OP. Not sure if this is the correct sub-forum, but fuck it, you're here and it's interesting. That is a LOT of money to have dished out! My entire operation costs less than that, and I grow for a living. Having said that, it will pay you back many times over. You'll see the ROI in less than a year. If your husband is growing only for himself and a couple buddies, it'll only cost you less than $100 per month in necessities (mainly nutes and electricity). As for your husband catching the grow bug, that probably won't go away Once you come to appreciate this magical plant, it's easy to become obsessed with it. My relationship with this plant is a strange, wonderful thing: it's a lot like a romantic relationship, they are finicky and demand a LOT, whether your in the mood to mind them or not. But they reward you like nothing else, no wonder why were only interested in the lady plants. The shine has worn off the apple a bit for me over the years, but they're still my obsession, and now I know who's truly working for whom. Again, just like a romantic relationship...

correction, dwc system.

gpw is gram per watt. fog is a waste of time, nutes don't atomize, but aero is great for higher yields. it's all about the dissolved oxygen. personally, i would have started with a dwc (deep water culture) system to start with, and start small. i'm wondering how much experience he has?

and yeah, for about 500$ you can build a rail system, aero/nft recirculating. another 500 could get you 3-4 1kw hps lamps, and he'd be blowing up.

one thing you can hold over him is that the money was spent, so do the best you can with what you have, make it make, and then change. be happy with what you've got for now, and do everything you can to master it. i personally don't care at all for led lighting, i prefer tried and true hid's.

nunyabizbro said:

correction, dwc system.

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dwc rocks. the only thing i'd change is the lighting. nothing else is necessary.

well yeah I think checking their water temp and ph 3x a day is normal, as for some reason they are very very finicky. but the giving them a good stare so often to fogo other daily activities like eating yourself concerns me. Having beautiful plants in the expensive system and then wanting to forgo that system kinda freaks me out, like I said, you cant return that shit

it does wear off and become more of a chore, but there's always something new about it too, different strains, nutes, methods...

give it a bit. i think things will turn out alright. as for the checking, there are a lot of things that can go wrong when you're working with hydro systems. water is consumed rapidly, leaving salts behind, which can change your ph, fertilizer concentration, and even temperature, inciting rapid failure. no soil means no protective buffer. also, keeping a close watch is a good way to curb insects and pests, should they ever invade.

and cat, there is no experience in this equation, just lots and lots and lots of reading and reading and reading. what changes would you make with the lighting, so far the LED lights we have a 450 and it has served the plants well. the two on the sides of the cabinet are like a blue LED, they look nice and bushy and ready for flowering at the end of these 4 weeks, as far as pests are concerned there are none here so far, which is great. We have a sealed box locker inside another completely sealed room, the temps have been ok so far too

i prefer high intensity discharge (hid) lighting, metal halide preferable for vegetative growth (blue/white) and high pressure sodium (red/yellow) for flower. mh and hps are the tried and true lighting choices for commercial growers, and some only use hps, veg and flower. i just can't see led's yielding watt for watt what hid's can do, but i'm old school, and not completely familiar with some of the improvements made to leds.

however, with big hot lighting comes the need to vent and cool. cool tube reflectors are amazing for this, and as i said, 500$ goes a long way, especially if you can do some simple wiring and are not afraid of a raw ballast. but you're adding another fan, ducting, etc... it's a catch 22...

imo, it'll wear off a bit, give it a grow or two and he'll be looking at it less as an obsession and more of a chore imo..

also, all of the money spent should be the biggest chunk of money to be spent for now on in.. sure, you might find a few things here and there that you'd like to change that might cost a bit of money, but for the most part, the majors, lighting, nutes, box, etc, etc, are all out of the way and except for nutes and electricity won't have to be bought again..
just wanted to say thanks for being so supportive, not everyone is so lucky to having someone like you by their side being ok with our hobby..

hope that helps some..

thanks alot guys, I thought the aero looked kinda neat, but he's planning on just keeping enough for himself for meds and then possibly selling some off to a dispensary. According to math, since I like math, what he gets rid of should recoup the 3k. I told him once he makes money for whats going on down there to try other things but would rather he stuck with what is working at the present moment until those losses are recouped. Just because that really is alot of money. I could see maybe adding another exhaust fan in the system, as personally I think that could help the temperature control. There have been a few days that the AM temp has been in the 80s or almost 90 and that is bad, very bad. How do you guys keep your water cool as at teh end of the week we are hitting 70.


Well I am big into natural stuff, foods, exercise (fuck gyms run outside and do calisthenics). The opiate and opiod drugs put a crazy strain on our relationship along with all their side medication apart from what they just did to his body. This is a much safer alternative and I think its a positive hobby as long as you live where its ok to do it.

80 and even 90 can be ok, depending on strain, but you should strive for room temp. another fan will definitely help. a cheap quick fix for cooling water temp is to freeze gallon jugs of water, and toss them in the res periodically. if you want to spend a few dimes, go for a water chiller designed for the capacity of the res. glad to hear that pot can help get rid of the pills, those things are nasty...

an aquarium chiller, never thought of that. I was putting dry ice by the res. that seems more sensical, we usually have like 10gal in the res, what kind should I look for?

just look for one that's rated for the size of your rez, or something adjustable. you don't want to overkill, but it needs to be enough. imo, brands don't matter so much, as long as it gets the job done.

I second Tylers post. Like Racer says, it will wear off a bit as he becomes a little better at it; he will realize he doesn't have to keep a nightly vigil and will once again allow himself to have a life. That set up is pretty expensive, but hopefully it is worth it. Watch out for all the add-ons they try to sell you. Many of them are not necessary or the companies try make the essential parts as an extra, so you much pay them again. Growing mmj is not like growing a vegetable garden, it is a serious hobby for most that begin to dabble in it.

You definitely don't have to spend a lot of money on nutrients etc. One thing about the MJ stores is they will try to sell you all kinds of bogus crap. The only fertilizer I use/need is Dyna-Gro. I do add some Kelp and Molasses to the mix and I'll spend the money on some good soil. There is still a great divide between LED people and HPS folks, but I'm sold on the LEDs as long as you spend the money and do some research to get a good light or two. LEDs will definitely save you a lot of money in the long run and will help keep the temps cool.