Hello everyone. Planning my first grow

[JayGee]

Greetings!

Pretty new here, been lurking as well as using the Cannabis grow bible and reddit as my chief sources of info.
What got me interested in doing my own grow was an episode of Dragon's Den in which a guy was selling a grow kit.

https://thegrowkit.ca/product/4x4-grow-tent-kit-2

The kit idea seemed easy and i searched around on Canadian web pages for comparable systems. Still, they range from 900-2000 for a 4 plant setup, so I did more research and found that i could individually purchase each piece( or comparable) off amazon.ca

This is a rough supply list from Amazon.ca:

-Vivosun 3 gallon pot 5 pack: $19

-VIVOSUN 6-Pair 1/8 inch Rope Hangers: $30

-Vivosun 4" fan and carbon filter kit: $156

-VIVOSUN Horticulture 48"x48"x80" Mylar Hydroponic Grow Tent : $180

-VIVOSUN 7-Day Dual Outlet Digital Program Timer: $20

- VIVOSUN Indoor Hydroponics LED Grow Room Glasses : $19

-Carson Micro Brite Plus 60X-120X LED Lighted Pocket Microscope : $17

-AcuRite 00613MB Humidity Monitor with Indoor Thermometer: $12

-VIVOSUN Gardening Hand Pruner Pruning Shear with Straight Stainless Steel Blades : $13

For the lights my initial plan was some Viparspectra lights (2 450s or 4 300s) but after seeing some of the hate on 'blurple ' lights (despite some good grow journals) I kept looking around. The xhgrow lights from the growkit.ca are also sold on Amazon and are not 'blurple'.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B07DWQF86T?th=1&psc=1

At $170 ( average draw of 300w) they seemed like a good deal. $340 for 600w true power seemed to be more appropriate for a 4x4 tent despute the growkit.ca saying 1 300w is enough for "4-5 big plants".

I was then pointed to this light:

https://m.alibaba.com/product/60803104470/Shenzhen-BAVA-480w-dimmable-full-spectrum.html?spm=a2700.icbuShop.41413.44.4d17511cjqUyyz&subject=Shenzhen--BAVA--480w--dimmable--full--spectrum&detailId=60803104470&redirect=1

For $300us. I'm unsure about shipping costs, but assume it would end up costing up to $600 (less than half the cost of ordering from the horticulture group). Will the 480w produce more light than the 600w worth of COBs? Is it really worth spending 2x the money ?

For soil and nutes:

https://www.hollandindustry.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=foxfarm+

Seemed to be the cheapest Canadian source for FFoF? Unless someone knows of a better place ?
Would promix hp and 30&% perlite be a good enough alternative?


-Fox Farm Ocean Forest Smart Natural Potting Soil With Bat Guano - $44.99

-FoxFarm Big Bloom 1 Litre - $29.99

-FoxFarm Grow Big 1 Litre -$39.99

-FoxFarm Tiger Bloom 1 Litre - $34.99

Will one bag of FFoF be enough for 4 pots? Some suggest putting some Happy Frog on top when starting them in the pot. Is it worth it, or will most autos be able to start in FFoF?

Other nutes ive considered: general hydroponics trio( 55 bucks), advanced nutrients trio( 88bucks ) and sensi grow/bloom a+b( 140 bucks on amazon.ca)

What ph meter should i get?
Will the exhaust fan move enough air, or will O need a fan inside?
Am i missing anything?

Any other suggestions?

[Toker1]

Don’t know about Canada. But here in the states... I pay $12.50 for 1.5 cubic ft of FFOF soil.
You can easily fill 4 of the 3gal containers. You will have soil left over.
I mix HF with OF when plants are young or sensitive.
A cheap $20 PH pen will do fine.
Get a 6” fan minimum for a 4x4 tent.

[PhantomSulker]

I was give a crude setup in early December and started everything up on 12/16, I have been figuring it out by reading everything I could I also have a log of everything I bought and what I was thinking at the time. You might find some useful information in my 1st grow journal.

https://forum.growweedeasy.com/forum/growing-community/286163-first-time-grower-i-really-needed-a-hobby

Good luck, best hobby in the world!

[Canuck147]

Welcome to this forum JayGee - Amazon is great - the only thing missing are the seeds you want to grow - don't be cheap, buy quality seeds.

[Potted]

I would upgrade to a 6” combo with a adjustable fan and scrubber right off the bat. Hi J G welcome to the site lots of peeps here to help if needed,seems like u did your homework. I’m doing 6 autos with ffof and the ff nutrients trio, ffof is a hot soil to hot for seedlings, start with a good seed starter soil until plants get a good start, transplant to forever home with ffof in a week or two depending on growth of seedlings.

[JayGee]

Appreciate the replies!

Are 3 gallon pots sufficient ? Would there be any advantage to 5 gallon pots? 7 gallon?

With a 6" exhaust, would a fan inside be necessary? The 6" is 440 cfm, so it's moving a lot of air...?

[Toker1]

I do a minimum of 1 gallon per pot for every month you plan on keeping her inside the container. So 3 gallons are good for a 1 month veg and a 2 month flower.
Yes... the exhaust fan is also used to remove excess heat. So you need all the CFM a 6” has to offer. You also need osolating fans that blow a gentle breeze across the plants.

[JayGee]

I plan on doing autos so 3 gallon should be good then. If i still need a fan inside, i might as well stick with the stock 4" and add a fan or 2 inside.

[Toker1]

Do what you need to... but the two fans do different things. Exhaust fan is for heat removal and bringing in fresh co2/o2 into the room, while osolating fans are for air circulation (combats pests & mold while allowing better co2/o2 exchange on the plant’s leaves).

[Potted]

Pot loves a breaze since ti pollinates in that way,a fan also helps reduce chances of mold and flying insects buzzing around imo it’s a no brainer.