The Growers Guide to Cannabis
The Growers Guide to Cannabis -
What do I need to buy to grow 1 pound of weed?
or
Avoiding the trap of cheap complete kits for cannabis grows.
When you’re looking to put together a complete marijuana grow room from scratch, it can seem real daunting, especially if you’re not sure how you want to grow, and what you need to buy. It may seem just easier to click “buy now” on an all-in-one complete cannabis grow room kit and think that you are getting it cheap. Well you are .. and you’re not. Experienced growers can generally see what’s missing from these kits, or the fact that often at least one major element (ventilation, lighting etc) is made of a substandard quality and that’s going to let the whole grow down. (and in the case of some cheap HID lighting, may even burn the whole grow down!)
So does this mean I can’t get a good deal on hydroponic equipment?
NO!! You can still buy cannabis grow equipment cheaply …
….you just need to know what to buy and where to buy it from ![:)]()
Years of obsessive growing, moderating and advising means that the Growers Guide team has this info. We’ve been updating the website to include some of it, and we are using Amazon as a good supplier because:
- They are trustworthy: they won’t release payment to the supplier until YOU have received your goods
- All different hydro stores list their stocks there which means you can shop around for the best kit at the best price
- We get 4% commission .. lets be honest about this. Its not a million bucks, but hopefully it will help us with the running costs for the site and continue to provide growers with the best information about growing cannabis we can. (and it doesn’t cost you any extra!)
(back to the question!)
What do I need to buy to grow 1-2 pounds of marijuana?
This came from a specific live chat question, so we know that the person concerned doesn’t need a grow tent. Budget is always a factor when setting up from scratch, so we’ve aimed at best quality combined with cheapest start up costs (ie they will be good for more than just one grow) To grow up to 2 pounds, you need to cover a 1.5 by 1.5m area (that’s 5 foot by 5 foot)
Lighting.
We love our LED grow lights but whilst they will keep on producing the yield over and over again for 5 years, we think that given there are so many other pieces of hydroponic kit to buy at start-up, it’s better to recommend an HID lighting system. Remember though that your light is all-important to getting a good yield and high resin production. You really don’t want to skimp by not giving your plants enough watts/foot. [notify textbox-white]
Grow Light Kit With Digital Ballast
was $599.99 now $346.79
SAVING: $253.20
4 star review
Most growers can achieve a pound and a half easily from this light. Its not necessarily the cheapest, but its air cooled reflector will save you untold amount of problems.
What’s great about this choice is that it comes with both Metal Halide (grow stage) plus a sodium bulb (flower). For the asking price I don’t think you can get such a good quality air cooled 1000 watt system and it will cover a 5’ft x 5’ft area well.
personally I would be looking to swap out the bulbs for Phillips after the first couple of grows though as I don’t think you can beat them
If this is a bit out of the price bracket or too large, have a look at this 600 watt air cooled system digital ballast system, its also a very good buy with two bulbs, MH & HPS:
was $349.90 NOW $223.48
SAVING: $126.41
4 star review
To run the air cooled part of the light IT IS A GOOD IDEA (but not absolutely essential) to give it its own dedicated exhaust fan and this little 6″ in line will be perfect and again is a excellent quality for the price asked (you will also need some 6″ ducting): 
was $39.99 NOW $23.49
4 star review
ducting: Dundas Jafine AF625ULPZW Aluminum Foil UL Listed and Marked Duct, 6-Inches by 25-Feet
Ventilation
(see here for more info) Main extraction and filter: this is going to depend on the size of your room, however for both of the above sizes running with a air cooled HID lighting system, then this 6″ exhaust fan and carbon filter combo will do you very nicely. It will keep good airflow and environmental levels steady: add the flow rate controller & you should be able to keep your marijuana grow room in optimum conditions:
VenTech Hydroponic 6” Inline Fan and Carbon Air Filter 6” Duct Flange Combo Set for Odor Control
$130.22
was $23.45 NOW $11.95
SAVING: $11.50
You also need an oscillating fan like this wall mounted one (saves on floor space): 
was $24.95 now $19.95
SAVING: $5
and finally I recommend a good quality temp/humidity digital gauge to help monitor and dial in your environmentals: This model costs $11.72
Hydroponic system
To get the most yield out of your light & area, then going hydroponics is definitely the answer. Hydro just grows plants bigger and faster and that’s a fact. If the budget is tight when you’ve factored in the above, then for now personally I would go for a hand watered to waste co-co / perlite system in 3 gal pots as the cheapest and easiest step into hydroponics there loads of information on the site here’s a link to get you started . There’s ideas in there on how much coco & perlite costs too. You can use standard pots or better still 3-Gallon Smart Pot
- If this isn’t your thing and you just want to get growing sharpish then have a look at this system (with the add-on kit): it will grow large plants very well and is fairly easy to use:
- Comes complete with everything you need to start growing
- Increases oxygen to the roots for vigorous growth and healthier plants
- Includes dual diaphragm air pump
WAS $514.60 NOW $404.99
saving: $109.61
and you may as well add on the
General Hydroponics GH6635 Waterfarm Circulating Add-on Kit
However with a recirculating hydroponic system you will need a pen to measure both ph and Cf levels and in this area its just not worth skipping on quality so even though pricey this is the combination pen I would recommend from Hanna. Its a ” 3 in one” so as well as the above will record water temps too: You will also need liquids to calibrate the pen on a weekly basis
Hanna Instruments HI 98129 Waterproof pH/Conductivity/TDS Tester
WAS $154.00 NOW $132.30
Nutrients
Im not going to go to far into the additives at this stage, there are loads of great products out there that can boost performance and yield.
But as your base feed I would recommend General Hydroponics 3 part program: its a excalent feed, versatile for both grow and veg ,and works well with most additives:
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General Hydroponics Flora Series QT – FloraGro, FloraBloom, and FloraMicro
This is the one that I’ve been using for the past few grows. Its very economical to use (has a high dilution rate so lasts a long time), is easy to adapt to plant’s differing needs (this set does both veg and flower) and importantly, marijuana plants LOVE it!
It costs $34.90 for the 3, and comes with free shipping from Amazon.com
was $40.94 now $34.90
SAVING: $6.07
Now to be fair there are other little things you’ll probably end up buying to enhance performance, etc etc but all of those can be left to another season. If you are looking for a complete marijuana grow kit, then this is how to do it. Everything listed above should enable a grower (notwithstanding pests, diseases and grower error) the capability to produce 1-2 pounds in one crop.
In summary, here’s what we suggest:
Virtual Sun VS1000DS 1,000-Watt Grow Light Kit With Digital Ballast
LEDwholesalers GYO2402 6-Inch 240 CFM Air Duct Inline Hydroponic Booster Fan
Dundas Jafine AF625ULPZW Aluminum Foil UL Listed and Marked Duct, 6-Inches by 25-Feet
VenTech Hydroponic 6” Inline Fan and Carbon Air Filter 6” Duct Flange Combo Set for Odor Control
$130.22
SE Electronic Stepless Speed Controller
16″ 3 Speed Wall Mount Oscillating Fan Grow Room Fans
Acu Rite Indoor Humidity Monitor
$11.22
General Hydroponics WaterFarm Controller Kit 8/Site
Hanna Instruments HI 98129 Waterproof pH/Conductivity/TDS Tester
General Hydroponics Flora Series QT – FloraGro, FloraBloom, and FloraMicro
total cost: $1132.02
total savings: $422.31
so if you are looking for a complete marijuana grow room set-up kit for sale, think first before buying an “all-inclusive”.
With a little know how and some internet browsing, you can create your own kit made of quality equipment that delivers in terms of yield and price.
Now you can save a further $123.31 by choosing the cheaper light option, which brings in your complete cannabis grow kit to around a $1000. That ain’t bad for what isn’t after all a small personal grow space .. think how much it would cost you to buy 2 pounds of marijuana! And with this hydroponic equipment – and a little know how – you’ll be producing this much season after season. Happy growing folks!
If you are serious about growing then you should also read our guide to continuous cycle grows here
The post What do I need to buy to grow 1- 2 pounds of weed? appeared first on The Growers Guide to Cannabis.