What I can say from my experience with PH testers.
I started with a cheapo $10-$15 meter from Amazon. It worked well for a month or 2 then started acting up and couldn’t get it to calibrate right.
After that, I switched to the PH Strips which is a very cheap route. But I can without a doubt say that the strips worked better than the cheap PH pen. It worked well just comparing the color chart and never had issues.
After awhile, I became uncomfortable not knowing the exact PH value of my input water. I purchased an Apera PH-20 which is a high end budget friendly PH pen ($50ish) comes with 4.0 and 7.0 calibration fluid and a nice case to hold it all as well. Couldn’t be happier with my purchase and it’s been smooth sailing ever since.
It's all just as important as one another to get it dialed in correctly to get the best potential out of it but personally the efficency of the lights so getting a good light would be no.1 for me since it uses the most electricity and is the biggest rolling cost!
I found a travelling luggage rack with a zip up plastic cover that looks like a small grow tent for 20 bucks at Walmart and tossed the cover to use the rack to hang lights and fans. I boxed it in on 3 sides with flat white cardboard panels and duct tape to reflect the light. It gives me a 3×4 space and produces consistently about 5 z with 150hps, 4 CFL, and a small 8" LED adjustable RWB grow light and 2 small fans Electric bill for the entire set up is about 20$ /month.
My first light was a 150hps with 4 crl spirals for side lighting. I have since added an LED. Total in lights 300 bucks. I get about 5 z in a 3×4 area each run. I have a veg mom chamber in another room I got for 10 bucks at a garage sale, an old phototron with a top light I added and fans in at the bottom and out at the top. I can use it to make clones when necessary. I've been lucky to be blessed with an ideal environment without much effort. It remains about 75 f and 50 to 70 percent humidity year round and allows for good air flow. No pests or mildews other than the occasional fungus gnats.
If you look on the rafters in most barns there will be piles of free bat guano. Drywall scraps are almost entirely made of gypsum which makes a great source of calcium and ph up. Compost and earthworm bins will save you a ton as well. The things you mostly spend money on are the electrical devices and lights, fans, etc, the soil, the genetics, nutrients, pots, meters and sensors, and the electricity itself.
I try not to go cheap on most equipment but I have found some super cheap fans at salvation army stores. Some of those old fans are made to last forever.
Happy frog soil $12 a bag , 30 gallon smart pot $4 , Clones at dispensary $20 , General Hydroponics Flora-Nova $14 Boom here in Norcal we have triple digit heat. Plants grow massive a 20 gallon will dry up in a day.
Is there evidence that chloramine-treated water will kill the beneficial microbes? Everything I've researched shows that it doesn't. I even found a YouTube video of a guy doing some controlled experiments and testing microbe levels and found that the plants getting chloramine-treated water didn't have fewer beneficial microbes than plants getting RO water. Just use tap water, no need to let it sit out
I bought viparspectra xs lights because I thought they were the new best lights and then boom..bar style lights hit the market big and now I want all bar style lights. I have the mars fc 6500 and it's rocking my 5×5
20:50 restaurants will give you pickle buckets by the tons. I also use half native soil with my grows outside. I always thought the soil was best suited for the environment..but I add a shit ton of shit though. No matter what, you'll get hooked on growing. That means you'll wanna research everything possible about the subject, which presents new avenues of knowledge you didn't even knew existed. Those are your babies and you'll always want the best for them.. and just like a junkie does.. he finds that money for them 😊
Roots organic terp tea u can grow on a 2 part system for $15 a bag plus also offer microbe charge and a bloom booster…all are brewable, top dressable and water soluble and organic stuff is cheap and best nutrition I’ve ever used
Just completed my first grow this year. Started with old seeds that were given to me. Not feminized, no idea what strain, no info beyond "here's a bag of old seeds you can have" from a friend. Planted 5 into an existing outdoor vegetable garden. 3 germinated. Based on the leaves I think I had 1 indica, 2 sativa, all females. Soil I amended only with organic compost from my home compost pile. Even the well water was free. Literally cost me zero dollars. No tent. No lights. No fans. No electricity. No nutes. None of that. I didn't overcomplicate it. My next grow will be one that includes organic dry nutes and things I drop a little coin on to try for better quality and yield, still outdoors. The only cost I incurred on my first grow was $25 worth of canning jars for curing/storage. Got my meds for free aside from those few jars. 3 plants. Free outdoor grow. Meds for at least year for 2 people. It really does not have to be any more complicated or costly than obtaining your seeds and water. If you can grow vegetables and make your own compost, you can grow cannabis.
I love learning from your videos. And I expect my future grows to produce better quality and bigger yields because I'm watching. But make sure your poor ass viewers like me know they can get their meds very cheaply if they have a patch of dirt or a pot with some compost, a seed, and some water. I never pH tested my soil or water. My veggies that prefer 6.5-7 pH grow fine in my garden, so why wouldn't weed, right? Beginner's luck. I'll take it. Keep doing what you do, gents!
I got a fecida 600 w with 60 w draw from Amazon. It's 70 quid dimmable, up and down facing fan, adjustable and full spectrum with white blue and red diodes. Ppfd is amazing in 2×2 space. I nowhave3. One in the vedge area. And two in flower. 👌
When I first started out, before investing in a tent, my first few grows were in the spare bathroom shower! It was perfect, tiles & full glass enclosure worked well reflecting the light around.
i see and purchase alot of gear on social med.people try this, spending alot of$ and give up and sell their stuff at half price-buy gently used,DIY,and make your own nutes. if you can-stay out of the grow store
I started with what I had, I am constantly up grading grow equipment. I built a room with 2×2 framing and panda film a cheap Amazon light, and a couple of fans.
I’m going with 2 4ft t5 light’s hopefully it works
What I can say from my experience with PH testers.
I started with a cheapo $10-$15 meter from Amazon. It worked well for a month or 2 then started acting up and couldn’t get it to calibrate right.
After that, I switched to the PH Strips which is a very cheap route. But I can without a doubt say that the strips worked better than the cheap PH pen. It worked well just comparing the color chart and never had issues.
After awhile, I became uncomfortable not knowing the exact PH value of my input water. I purchased an Apera PH-20 which is a high end budget friendly PH pen ($50ish) comes with 4.0 and 7.0 calibration fluid and a nice case to hold it all as well.
Couldn’t be happier with my purchase and it’s been smooth sailing ever since.
THE MOST UNDERRATED COMMENT IN THIS WHOLE VIDEO:
“His woman is amazing for allowing that”
🤜🏼🤛🏼 💯
Rob is the man
It's all just as important as one another to get it dialed in correctly to get the best potential out of it but personally the efficency of the lights so getting a good light would be no.1 for me since it uses the most electricity and is the biggest rolling cost!
Just found this episode! I love the on a budget advice stuff guys, thanks for always considering the costs for us. Ok, imma watch it now 😁
I found a travelling luggage rack with a zip up plastic cover that looks like a small grow tent for 20 bucks at Walmart and tossed the cover to use the rack to hang lights and fans. I boxed it in on 3 sides with flat white cardboard panels and duct tape to reflect the light. It gives me a 3×4 space and produces consistently about 5 z with 150hps, 4 CFL, and a small 8" LED adjustable RWB grow light and 2 small fans
Electric bill for the entire set up is about 20$ /month.
My first light was a 150hps with 4 crl spirals for side lighting. I have since added an LED. Total in lights 300 bucks. I get about 5 z in a 3×4 area each run. I have a veg mom chamber in another room I got for 10 bucks at a garage sale, an old phototron with a top light I added and fans in at the bottom and out at the top. I can use it to make clones when necessary. I've been lucky to be blessed with an ideal environment without much effort. It remains about 75 f and 50 to 70 percent humidity year round and allows for good air flow. No pests or mildews other than the occasional fungus gnats.
If you look on the rafters in most barns there will be piles of free bat guano. Drywall scraps are almost entirely made of gypsum which makes a great source of calcium and ph up. Compost and earthworm bins will save you a ton as well. The things you mostly spend money on are the electrical devices and lights, fans, etc, the soil, the genetics, nutrients, pots, meters and sensors, and the electricity itself.
I try not to go cheap on most equipment but I have found some super cheap fans at salvation army stores. Some of those old fans are made to last forever.
Love it!
Happy frog soil $12 a bag , 30 gallon smart pot $4 , Clones at dispensary $20 , General Hydroponics Flora-Nova $14 Boom here in Norcal we have triple digit heat. Plants grow massive a 20 gallon will dry up in a day.
Like
Walmart 7gal grow bags are 1 dollar. The bags you buy at the check out register
Is there evidence that chloramine-treated water will kill the beneficial microbes? Everything I've researched shows that it doesn't. I even found a YouTube video of a guy doing some controlled experiments and testing microbe levels and found that the plants getting chloramine-treated water didn't have fewer beneficial microbes than plants getting RO water. Just use tap water, no need to let it sit out
I bought viparspectra xs lights because I thought they were the new best lights and then boom..bar style lights hit the market big and now I want all bar style lights. I have the mars fc 6500 and it's rocking my 5×5
D&g dodisdos x girlscouts fire one.
it took me watching twice to realise they think they finished their youtube stream but didn't…WOOPS haha
I’ll build you a 8 light flower luxx645 room 4 light veg room for 11k hmu if interested
I do perpetual grows with auto's in Canada, sometimes I do more than 4 too but don't tell big brother
Use HPS in the winter , share the heat to warm your house.
I built my green house with salvaged steel tubing only had to buy 1×4 strapping and polly
20:50 restaurants will give you pickle buckets by the tons. I also use half native soil with my grows outside. I always thought the soil was best suited for the environment..but I add a shit ton of shit though. No matter what, you'll get hooked on growing. That means you'll wanna research everything possible about the subject, which presents new avenues of knowledge you didn't even knew existed. Those are your babies and you'll always want the best for them.. and just like a junkie does.. he finds that money for them 😊
Roots organic terp tea u can grow on a 2 part system for $15 a bag plus also offer microbe charge and a bloom booster…all are brewable, top dressable and water soluble and organic stuff is cheap and best nutrition I’ve ever used
Just completed my first grow this year. Started with old seeds that were given to me. Not feminized, no idea what strain, no info beyond "here's a bag of old seeds you can have" from a friend. Planted 5 into an existing outdoor vegetable garden. 3 germinated. Based on the leaves I think I had 1 indica, 2 sativa, all females. Soil I amended only with organic compost from my home compost pile. Even the well water was free. Literally cost me zero dollars. No tent. No lights. No fans. No electricity. No nutes. None of that. I didn't overcomplicate it. My next grow will be one that includes organic dry nutes and things I drop a little coin on to try for better quality and yield, still outdoors. The only cost I incurred on my first grow was $25 worth of canning jars for curing/storage. Got my meds for free aside from those few jars. 3 plants. Free outdoor grow. Meds for at least year for 2 people. It really does not have to be any more complicated or costly than obtaining your seeds and water. If you can grow vegetables and make your own compost, you can grow cannabis.
I love learning from your videos. And I expect my future grows to produce better quality and bigger yields because I'm watching. But make sure your poor ass viewers like me know they can get their meds very cheaply if they have a patch of dirt or a pot with some compost, a seed, and some water. I never pH tested my soil or water. My veggies that prefer 6.5-7 pH grow fine in my garden, so why wouldn't weed, right? Beginner's luck. I'll take it. Keep doing what you do, gents!
I got a fecida 600 w with 60 w draw from Amazon. It's 70 quid dimmable, up and down facing fan, adjustable and full spectrum with white blue and red diodes. Ppfd is amazing in 2×2 space. I nowhave3. One in the vedge area. And two in flower. 👌
When I first started out, before investing in a tent, my first few grows were in the spare bathroom shower! It was perfect, tiles & full glass enclosure worked well reflecting the light around.
Good video I had to buy all my gear 1 thing a month and now I finally have my first grow in flower thanks for all you do !!!
No money and no room so I grow outside, someday I'll grow inside, my dream is to grow weed myself I love it.
i see and purchase alot of gear on social med.people try this, spending alot of$ and give up and sell their stuff at half price-buy gently used,DIY,and make your own nutes. if you can-stay out of the grow store
I wish someone could hook me up with some seeds for my first time I want to see if I got what it takes
Not the jenco jeans lol
I started with what I had, I am constantly up grading grow equipment. I built a room with 2×2 framing and panda film a cheap Amazon light, and a couple of fans.