MJ City Grow diary?

I'm always interested in good stories.

I can't wait to look at pictures of dirt in pots!

As long as you have your medical MJ certificate you can legally grow for you and one other person in Mass. Until about a year or so ago you could grow for yourself and up to 5 (iirc) people. They knocked it down to 1 other person when they started planning for dispensaries. One will be opening up like 10 minutes from me when they get their shit together. They've been "Opening Soon" for a year now. :\

you don't have to go too crazy on lights.CFLs are pretty cheap, not that hot, and can do 6500kelvin (light, not temp). you can getbasic shop clamp lightsdepending on your setup.

As far as the lights go, I'd highly reconsider any recommendation for CFL's. They're low in wattage, yes, but they're also low with their life-hours. Only worse choice would be incandescent. There's also something to be said for the quality of light.

Anyone pushing a certain light type based on the Kelvin temperature or the lumen output needs to be questioned hardily. Science has proven long ago, it's not the quantity of light (lumens), it's the quality of light (Photosynthetically Active Radiation, or PAR). Different types of crops have varying "optimal nanometers level" on the spectral range, but typically speaking, you're looking for the reds with a little bit of blue. This is a large reason why HID's have been such a go-to cornerstone in the marijuana lighting world. Although not the most efficient light-source, they have a long-life and offer up the colors your plant craves. You can dump any assload of lumens on a plant with little to no success if you're not feeding it the spectrum it needs to grow.

But like I said before, all I know are lights. That's just one piece of the puzzle. You have a little more room for wriggle when you're growing on a 4' square tent as opposed to 22,000 sqft. warehouse. For your tent, I imagine a 250w HPS should be sufficient. Another option is to get one of those Electronic HID ballasts that is 'adjustable'. Traditionally, an HPS lamp was only good with a ballast for that specific wattage. With these newer electronic ballasts, they come with a dial that lets you adjust for different wattages on your lamps. So if 250w wasn't sufficient, you could exchange the lamp to 400w, turn the dial up to 400w, and not be out anything else. The ones I've seen typically go up to 1000w, but that's more than you'd want in your tight of a space. Remember that the physical heat of the lamps goes up quite drastically as you increase wattages, and that can be damaging to your end-product.

Also, I realize I'm coming off sounding a bit snobby, but it's really based on what I've seen in the market lately. There's so much misinformation out there, based on hearsay rather than science, that it leads to an inherent distrust with most lighting options. Most of what I learned stemmed from my job, and my interactions with a Neil Yorio (google him). He's joined forces with other leading minds to design what I believe will be the best LED option on the market. Not saying it's right for your application, because it'll probably cost more than your entire set up. And I'm not shelling his product either.. just saying there is a ton of really good, scientifically backed information out there. If you're interested in what he has to offer, or just care to read a little of the science they've put into their lights, this is their new website:BIOS
Worth noting, I do not believe his new light has even hit the market yet. But if you read into it, and the history of Yorio and his colleagues, you'll realize this guy really knows his shit. It truly was a treat to meet him, and I don't have the least interest in growing.

The biggest myth is thinking plants will be at stage X at week Y. Overall, you can use low wattage T5 lights for veg and you get (if everything goes amazing, which has yet to happen) 1 gram per watt. I used tents and 400 watt HPS watered by flood and drain trays.

how good are the closet systems you see in the mag's?

such asGrow Cabinets Archives - Grow Boxes | Grow Rooms | Hydroponic Grow Systems

Paranoia_sl said:

how good are the closet systems you see in the mag's?

such asGrow Cabinets Archives - Grow Boxes | Grow Rooms | Hydroponic Grow Systems

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Any plant will grow with soil, water, and light. Closet systems are fine for personal grows. You may find "systems" limit space, which limits lights (heat). Tents are a "system". Awesome to grow in, but you are limited by walls. Closed in also increases mold situations as you have moisture, warmth, food, and air. Circulation can control humidity, but you are again limited by "what fits inside".

zippitydoda_sl said:

Any plant will grow with soil, water, and light. Closet systems are fine for personal grows. You may find "systems" limit space, which limits lights (heat). Tents are a "system". Awesome to grow in, but you are limited by walls. Closed in also increases mold situations as you have moisture, warmth, food, and air. Circulation can control humidity, but you are again limited by "what fits inside".

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so the 1lb tomato is out of the question were talking more like a few oz's?

Paranoia_sl said:

so the 1lb tomato is out of the question were talking more like a few oz's?

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More light = more tomatoes = more heat = more ventilation needed = more space needed, so what you buy up front is your limitation.

Dizzie_sl said:

Filter: Noisy as fuck ordered a controller for it...They are very noisy hairdryer or so if you do this.

As for actual seeds, ordered some Lemon Kush and Northern Lights as a backup...Heard Lemon is a very nice high and not mongy...

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you wanna put some ducting between the filter and fan my bro