Cheaper supplies for future grows

[Atriax]

My current grow seems to be going smoothly enough but im also thinking ofnwhat i can do for my next ones. Namely saving money on the consumable supplies like nutrients soil ect listed below. I'm currently using foxfarms coco coir and ocean forest soil for my grow setup and dynagrow for nutes. Basically just following the beginners guide. Can anyone recommend cheaper but still effective versions of the stuff I listed below


Fox farms coco loco/Ocean Forest
Rockwool cubes (not recommended in guide but came with the grow tent)
Dynagrow foliage pro and bloom
Bloom city ph up/down
Bottled distilled water (not sure how much I trust my tap water with its 9 ph and mineral content making it "hard water")

[90Gizmo]

Are you looking to change your grow technique to a less expensive one or source what you're using at lower cost?

[quirk]

$25/gal and in my never to be humble opinion, the best on everything except my lawn. It gets Hasta Gro Lawn. Different nutrients for different grass.

[Atriax]

Are you looking to change your grow technique to a less expensive one or source what you're using at lower cost?

I'm fine with either honestly.

[OldManGrower]

You're biggest money saver would be to find an alternate for the distilled water. You could also choose to use garden soil and compost from a garden center. Otherwise no, unless you want to make your own soil by composting.

[Bluey]

Make your own soil which is free and catch rainwater, also free. Germinate seed in paper towel and once popped transplant to soil, no need for cubes.
On the nute side if your soil is good kelp extract I found was sufficient once to twice a fortnight at around 1 teaspoon/gallon. Use large pots if using soil.
pH down lemon or lime juice but any fruit that contains citric acid, alternatively buy phosphoric acid.
pH up pot ash is the norm, also known as potassium carbonate.
you can suppliment nutes with a couple of nitrates, magnesium nitrate and calcium nitrate are fine, they work as a cal/mag suppliment
Edit. Dolomite lime is the better pH stabiliser if your using soil as its also a calcium suppliment. Good soil doesn't need much supplemental nutes, if any, but crap soil in small pots will need heaps and give pH problems too.

[changeofpace2014]

A "tankless" counter top RO system..Works great, but really slow to fill... Around 55$...All the grow tables are for RO water so when one uses tap water they are eating in to there target EC before they even add one drop.

[golfnrl]

Others have said it but the distilled water isn’t necessary. Use tap water and ph it to the proper range. Making your own dirt as suggested is probably the least expensive. If you don’t want to grow in soil my experience is you get what you pay. By that I mean you get better results using better quality products. I’ve basically replaced all the cheap $hit I bought as I was starting out. I went least expensive and it has cost me in the long run. If you grow in coco you can clean and reuse but having tried that I have found it to be a hassle and not worth the time and effort. I use CX horticulture nutrients. I’m not sure how that brand fares as far as cost goes. I use cause it was recommended by autopot and it helps grow outstanding marijuana.

[Franklin]

Recycle your soil by adding fresh home compost (a worm bucket is easy and fun) and/or some Dr. Earth's. No need to buy new soil again ever unless you get hit with a bad infection. Think about it--composted plants literally have everything your growing plants need, throw those nutes away. You'll save additional money because you don't need to ph living soil, the movers take care of that. You could also buy a water filter instead of the distilled.