Couple beginner questions 🤔

[GreenFrogGrows]

I'm about ready to start, have my tent set up just budgeting for soil and nutrients if needed. I like everything I will need before I start and if I need extra nutes or pest control I can go from there. All organic of course!

First thing I'm worried about is I think I messed up a little with my light/tent choice.
I have a 3x3 tent and a 100w light, 100w spider farmer cant remember the model. I only want to start with one plant and upgrading later, will this be enough for now?

Soil wise, I've seen pretty widely here that a home made coco based medium is ideal, I was considering gro-dirt as a living soil because I heard how great it can be for beginners because it's known as water only. I'm the kind of guy that likes to research a lot before diving and I'm finding myself at a crossroads, living soil or home coco mix with nutrients at different stages?

Lastly my biggest concern is temperature. Thermo says it tops around 27c with 40% humidity, once the plant is in there how easy is it to control these metrics? The best place I can have my tent is in the garage, space wise.

 

[Goonie Goat]

I only want to start with one plant and upgrading later, will this be enough for now?

That will be enough to raise seedlings and early veg, for example; germinate seed in cup, wait until roots come out of the cup and then transplant into final container - that is when you will need the bigger light. A 3×3 tent will need around 300w.

I was considering gro-dirt as a living soil because I heard how great it can be for beginners because it's known as water only.

Honestly for a beginner I'd be going Coco over soil, you'll tend to give them too much love and end up killing plants, not to mention it could be hot for seedlings. Coco minimises those possible risks when it comes to overwatering / damping off
Pinegrow Coco from Bunnings and green Planet A and B should be good, can use their massive bloom in flower but its not really necessary.

Get a few pH meters and a cheap EC meter and you're good to go

 

[GreenFrogGrows]

That will be enough to raise seedlings and early veg, for example; germinate seed in cup, wait until roots come out of the cup and then transplant into final container - that is when you will need the bigger light. A 3×3 tent will need around 300w.

Looks like I made a mistake oop, I'll see if I can find a use for the 100w light
Brands to recommend? Mars Hydro caught my eye

Honestly for a beginner I'd be going Coco over soil, you'll tend to give them too much love and end up killing plants, not to mention it could be hot for seedlings. Coco minimises those possible risks when it comes to overwatering / damping off
Pinegrow Coco from Bunnings and green Planet A and B should be good, can use their massive bloom in flower but its not really necessary.

Should I mix anything in to the coco like perlite or worm castings etc? Lots of folk boasting benefits but I can see now how it'll be harder to manage given its an ecosystem

I'll definitely get some pH meters, had one but lost it in a move, damn box goblins

 

[Sedge]

Looks like I made a mistake oop, I'll see if I can find a use for the 100w light
Brands to recommend? Mars Hydro caught my eye



Should I mix anything in to the coco like perlite or worm castings etc? Lots of folk boasting benefits but I can see now how it'll be harder to manage given its an ecosystem

I'll definitely get some pH meters, had one but lost it in a move, damn box goblins

Depends on how much your willing to outlay for a light ,,
But you get what you pay for .

Coco, with around 30% or more perlite is good and castings only help

Unless your using minimum of 50 litre pots you may as well forget about any ecosystem ,,smaller pots dry out too quick and kills any micro life,, and watering them only drowns any life that’s trying to get a foothold . And you’d really want a different medium to suit micro organisms .if your new to growing I’d just stick with the medium you already mentioned ,,once you know what’s going on then maybe try for full on organic teaming with life.

 

[Aye Shroomer]

Good luck mate.

Like others said. That light is not strong enough to get to the finish line. I’ve made that same mistake.

But I will say that the GroDirt will be an easy choice. Just don’t over water it. Plus that fact you have already purchased it you may as well use it. Buying more stuff at this stage before you have even grown a plant can make this hobby even more daunting.

Just grow and learn. Fuck up and learn. It’s the best way to know what to do better next time.

HPO grodirt worked really well in a self wicking planter. Also meant I wouldn’t over water it. But even if you grabbed a 60L flexi bucket that would work too.

Edit. I read that wrong. You haven’t bought the soil yet. Still it’s good stuff. But maybe the coco will be more forgiving.
I also used the Green Planet dual fuel before and that’s a super simple product to use with coco.

 

[Green Genius]

I'm about ready to start, have my tent set up just budgeting for soil and nutrients if needed. I like everything I will need before I start and if I need extra nutes or pest control I can go from there. All organic of course!

Do you have a local hydro shop near you? I highly recommend going in for a chat.

One big piece of advice we have is look for someone doing it the way you want to do it and copy them.

 

[Goonie Goat]

Looks like I made a mistake oop, I'll see if I can find a use for the 100w light
Brands to recommend? Mars Hydro caught my eye

That light will still have a purpose, maybe make a seedling/clone setup with it .

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/284268835449?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-154756-20017-0&ssspo=Cn9qYMSpSEm&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=ngs3heohruu&var=585763943225&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

That should do a 3x3, 15% off with coupon JAN15OFF

Yep you can mix up some perlite and castings into the Coco if you want to, no harm by doing so.

 

[MM2K6]

That light will still have a purpose, maybe make a seedling/clone setup with it .

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/284268835449?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-154756-20017-0&ssspo=Cn9qYMSpSEm&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=ngs3heohruu&var=585763943225&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

That should do a 3x3, 15% off with coupon JAN15OFF

Yep you can mix up some perlite and castings into the Coco if you want to, no harm by doing so.

Goonie and the team give the best advice trust me I learnt!

 

[Dotts]

Nope to Mars Hydro and/or Spider Farmer lights.

Save up a few extra $$ n get a quality light...

Horticulture Lighting Group Premium LED Grow Lights for Agriculture

Premiere high end indoor gardening LED grow lights for hobbyists & professionals looking to remove HPS & lower electricity costs by 60% while increasing yields.

horticulturelightinggroup.com

Lumatek

Shop Lumatek Grow Lights online and in store at Grow Kings, where we bring you one of the world's most renowned brands specialising in LED grow lights. Lumatek is synonymous with premium quality and cutting-edge technology in the field of horticultural lighting

growkings.com.au

..if your after a easy n simple growing try some Canna Terra with matching nutes...

CANNA TERRA | CANNA Australia

CANNA TERRA is a line of nutrients and substrates which are specially developed for growing plants in peat based potting mixes. CANNA TERRA can be used for cultivating in both pots & open potting mixes, indoor & outdoor.CANNA TERRA nutrients have been developed to give excellent results with...

www.canna.com.au

To many people get put off growing cause of poor quality gear..

We wanna see you thrive GreenFrog!

More people growing the better I say!

 

[Hudo]

@QuickBloomLights are selling these now. Id probably buy one off them. Then you will have easy warranty support if needed with them being Aussies dunno how far @Green Genius new lights are away

Digi-Lumen 400W HALO 6 Bar LED Light with Built in Driver

Digi-Lumen Halo 6 Bar 400 W LED Maximum PPF @ 400 Watts 1080 µmol/sPPF Efficacy 2.7 µmol/JOutput PPFD (µmol/m²/s) @ 30 cm 1394 µmol/sManual Dimmer 160 W/240 W/320 W/400 W 0-10 V Control PortsBuilt-in Driver. Durable and reliable power source, all in one design.Polycarbonate Cover Protects LED...

www.quickbloomlights.com.au

 

[Mellow oldfark]

Imho for beginners interested in an easy grow.
Canna terra hands down the easiest most versatile medium and seed raiser.

 

[Goonie Goat]

Nope to Mars Hydro and/or Spider Farmer lights.

Save up a few extra $$ n get a quality light...

Horticulture Lighting Group Premium LED Grow Lights for Agriculture

Premiere high end indoor gardening LED grow lights for hobbyists & professionals looking to remove HPS & lower electricity costs by 60% while increasing yields.

horticulturelightinggroup.com

Lumatek

Shop Lumatek Grow Lights online and in store at Grow Kings, where we bring you one of the world's most renowned brands specialising in LED grow lights. Lumatek is synonymous with premium quality and cutting-edge technology in the field of horticultural lighting

growkings.com.au

..if your after a easy n simple growing try some Canna Terra with matching nutes...

CANNA TERRA | CANNA Australia

CANNA TERRA is a line of nutrients and substrates which are specially developed for growing plants in peat based potting mixes. CANNA TERRA can be used for cultivating in both pots & open potting mixes, indoor & outdoor.CANNA TERRA nutrients have been developed to give excellent results with...

www.canna.com.au

To many people get put off growing cause of poor quality gear..

We wanna see you thrive GreenFrog!

More people growing the better I say!

$1200 for a 300w light? Lmao

 

[Goonie Goat]

@QuickBloomLights are selling these now. Id probably buy one off them. Then you will have easy warranty support if needed with them being Aussies dunno how far @Green Genius new lights are away

Digi-Lumen 400W HALO 6 Bar LED Light with Built in Driver

Digi-Lumen Halo 6 Bar 400 W LED Maximum PPF @ 400 Watts 1080 µmol/sPPF Efficacy 2.7 µmol/JOutput PPFD (µmol/m²/s) @ 30 cm 1394 µmol/sManual Dimmer 160 W/240 W/320 W/400 W 0-10 V Control PortsBuilt-in Driver. Durable and reliable power source, all in one design.Polycarbonate Cover Protects LED...

www.quickbloomlights.com.au

That seems like a good price, wonder what diodes they are running.

 

[Hudo]

That seems like a good price, wonder what diodes they are running.

Dunno quick bloom doesn't tend to sell shit though. On the subject of diodes have you seen the Vesta strips yet. They run a 2700k and a 5000k strip on the same board at 98cri. But 60 bucks each. When they release the next series and these drop like the EB series did ill be onto them

https://www.digikey.com.au/en/products/detail/bridgelux/BXEB-TL-L1120Z-2750S4000-A-C3/13181813?srsltid=AfmBOoqBzOWX30ITCvgRQJ-_quVkVQ8eE2-hNSdIxR-JVpHsJQJlLFj4reU

 

[Goonie Goat]

Dunno quick bloom doesn't tend to sell shit though. On the subject of diodes have you seen the Vesta strips yet. They run a 2700k and a 5000k strip on the same board at 98cri. But 60 bucks each. When they release the next series and these drop like the EB series did ill be onto them

https://www.digikey.com.au/en/products/detail/bridgelux/BXEB-TL-L1120Z-2750S4000-A-C3/13181813?srsltid=AfmBOoqBzOWX30ITCvgRQJ-_quVkVQ8eE2-hNSdIxR-JVpHsJQJlLFj4reU

Ahh yeah i remember seeing them awhile back, gotta use some controller I'm pretty sure to change the colour if I remember correctly. They seem pretty neat, wonder how much they'll drop. Which generation are they upto now eb4?

 

[Hudo]

Yeah 4 I'm just searching for options. Can't seem to find a supplier for the EB4 though. You have the 3's don't you? What current you running them at

 

[Goonie Goat]

Yeah 4 I'm just searching for options. Can't seem to find a supplier for the EB4 though. You have the 3's don't you? What current you running them at

Nah I got gen 2, had them running at 0.76a for years, first couple of strips are showing their age now from the current hogging.
It's done me fine but it's definitely time for an upgrade.
I have my new gear, tent and lights all ready to go but have to replace a few weatherboards and fix some other things before I can set it up.

 

[MM2K6]

I love the fc-e6500 I got a few weeks ago, Mars hydro is best value for money easy! it's a fucking great light.

 

[snapper]

I love the fc-e6500 I got a few weeks ago, Mars hydro is best value for money easy! it's a fucking great light.

I have read a few reports of Mars products being a pain in the bidet hole because of poor or non existent warranty service. Buyer beware.

 

[MM2K6]

I have read a few reports of Mars products being a pain in the bidet hole because of poor or non existent warranty service. Buyer beware.

Mine is perfect, all though I was told to check the wiring and soldering by the experts here in this forum, mine has had no issues. I check shit right over too mate.