Newbie with supplies, future plans, thirst for knowledge.

Hello,

So I planned a little while ago that I was going to start a grow-op in the house I was residing in, but have now planned on moving out, but keeping my equip. I initally plan on a DWC grow, and evetually turning it into an upkeep-reduced Recirculating system. But nevermind the recirculating one. For the moment I wish to start with 4 plants, two in the large Rubbermaid and the other two each in a 5 gallon bucket. I have currently with me;

1 Large green Rubbermaid bin
2 Nesting pots, 1 around 6" other 4"
1 pH testing kit
1 Reservoir temp. regulator
1 ea. pH up & down
1 4L jug of B.C Boost nutrient (3% Nitrogen, 0% Phosphorus, 2% Potassium. Should there be no phosphorus in there? I plan on purhcasing the B.C Bloom mix for the flowering stage later.)
1 bag of Schultz aquatic water garden soil (Bought by mistake, replace most likely with Coconut Fiber that's low in sea salt and not fine grained)
45 pack of grodan mini-starter blocks
2 Aquarium Air pumps built for 10-30 gallon aquariums (single output ea.) (Only have one airline at the moment)
1 400 watt HPS light bulb

From the looks of the place I plan on moving into, my grow room is looking to be no bigger than 5' long and wide and 7' foot ceiling.

My list of things to still purchase is:

Aluminzied Mylar
PPM meter (required or not?)
Lighting Fixture
B.C Bloom Nutirent Solution
Airstones
2 5 gal. buckets

sorry for the length of this, but here are some questions that I need cleared up. I know the area of nutrient usage is diversified among many differing opinions, and i have gathered that a plant needs a list of nutrients that changes during veg. and flow. stages. But I would like to know the comunally agreed upon types and levels of nutrients that are needed, and hwo to calculate how much of each nutrient is needed according to your reservoir size. and how to check your nute levels. Also Air and water temps that are recomended.

Just need a push in the right direction, really hesitant and just need to connect a few mental links to get my flow going.

Thanks in advance as well.

Hi froc, I just started growing late last December so I am a newbie like you. I am growing using a DWC setup with four plants in one 14 gallon rubbermaid tub. I just wanted to suggest that you might be happier not growing four plants in three different containers and using one larger container instead. I don't know if you were planning on connecting their reservoirs, but you would have to deal with a lot of daily upkeep since you would have to check the pH and the water level of each reservoir. So maybe you aren't setting up a recirculating system yet, but I would recommend either 'unifying' the reservoirs or buying a larger rubbermaid to grow the four plants in together, just to save yourself the hassel of adjusting each reservoir.

If you plan on growing all four in a single rubbermaid, I would suggest a size larger than 14 gallons. My four plants are all healthy and growing quickly, but they are starting to shade each other out now that they are almost four weeks old. They need more surface space. I think five gallons per plant would be a good rule of thumb.

I'm not sure what the soil is for, maybe you bought it on accident thinking it would make an ok medium. For DWC I would recommend expanded clay pellets or chunky gravel (although the weight of gravel maybe prohibitive), something that won't hold a lot of water. The medium will be exposed to the water constantly so you don't want it to be something that will absorb and hold a lot of water and could keep your roots from getting all the air they need.

For airstones I would recommend the heavy round kind. I use 5" diameter round airstones and they work well. They don't float in the reservoir and they distribute the air well. I think the main advantage is that they don't float at all. I have read that some people have trouble keeping their long airstones flat on the bottom of the DWC.

Thats about all the advice I can come up with. Remember, I'm just a novice too. I haven't been doing this long, so take my advice with a healthy dose of skepticism and good luck.

i am going to try to grow for the first time. i want to do it out doors but i will most likeky end up trying it in my closet or something, could anyone give me a list of supplies i will need to grow some nice plants. i plan on starting out with four purple widow seeds...so any help would be good for me.