Hydroponic Setup <$100 using GH Waterfarm and Fluorex

I am planning on growing a small, fast, hydroponic crop in a single room dorm. I am trying to grow three or four ounces. I am planning on purchasing a single stand alone "Waterfarm" system made by General Hydroponics and a single "Lights of America 65 Watt FluoreX Fluorescent Flood Light." The light is about $40 and the Waterfarm is about $60 with included nutrients, grow media, reseviour, etc. How many plants should I grow in a single Waterfarm? Should I purchase more than one Waterfarm? Is only one light enough? What type of seeds and strain should I buy for a fast, compact crop with good yield that will grow short on a shelf? Is this a good setup for the $100 mark? Keep standing up for our rights,
GrowingGreenChi:pimp:

Standalone waterfarms are designed to grow a single plant... no more. I've heard of people attempting to put multiples in one waterfarm... but it never works out.

If you're trying to get 4-6oz.... I'd go for a compact multi-site setup (like the smaller AeroJet systems).

It'll be hard for you to harvest that much using hydroponics on a $100 budget.

For that much money, I'd buy and Earthbox and throw two plants in it and grow in soil. That way you'll have a little extra money to spend on your lighting.

how are you gonna check ph and ec/ppm
the tools alone needed to check will cost over 200 bucks.
go soil with lots of perlite.much safer

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Originally Posted by included

...For that much money, I'd buy and Earthbox and throw two plants in it and grow in soil. That way you'll have a little extra money to spend on your lighting..

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Yeah, a hundred bucks might not be a good marker for hydro. I'd at least go to about a 125 marker and go with soil or organics. That way, you can spend all that extra money you saved on not having to purchase a hydroponics set-up, and get yourself an HPS instead. You'd be amazed at how fast a plant will grow indoors under an HPS, in soil. May not be as quick as hydro, but with good organics the buds will be fatter and tastier.

If you live in the US, Walmart is running a special with Edison. The fluorex lights are only $12, no rebate. That's the price you pay at checkout. I would figure 1 fluorex lamp per plant. How are you going to deal with the noise of the pumps running? You're better off going with soil. I've been dirt farming for 25 years and I am bombing out in hydro. It's tricky. You must have a ppm (truncheon meter) and ph meter. The truncheon is $100 itself. You can't do hydro and grow like the pros here without those two meters. If you're living in a dorm, I saw a really neat grow on overgrow where the guy used a 4' shop fluoro, put the plant (came from bag seed) in the corner of a white room and leaned the shop lights against the wall. He grew an amazing plant, with just soil and orchid nutes.

Learn to not overwater and put plants in a leak proof container. I get a clear plastic container, put 1/2 inch of perlite, then fill the rest of the container with potting soil. Wet the soil and watch the perlite at the bottom, when you can see water at the perlite level, stop watering. Let the top of the soil get dry to touch and then water again. This way you don't have to worry about leaking containers.

If you're still going to do hydro, make your own system, it's easy.

Water farms work great, I suggest growing only one plant in one system so the plant will have more room for roots. I would go for something on the indica side if its indoor, try northern lights. You might also want to look on getting a better light with more lumens. Whats your grow space?

If you flower w/ that 65 watt fluro your not getting 4-6 oz's. Just to let you know.

4-5 oz's? Wow that is alot of budd for a 65 watt light. Wow that is 2.2 grams per watt. I hear it is hard to pull 1 gram per watt for a pro with a 1000watt light... I am thinking if your lucky with your skill level your lucky to get 20-30 grams off 4-5 plants. If your looking to get alot for nothing you should try to steal some lighting and soil if possible. Then you can spend the $100 on fresh water for your plants. I mean it is possible to spend $100-$150 and get 4 ozs. Here is how I think it will happen. Go on ebay, buy the ph tester kit that is a drip one that cost $5. Go to wal-mart and buy a rubbermaid tupper ware contanier $8. Buy a bubbler from the fish department and wand that makes oxy. Get some grilling rocks, red lava rocks from garden section $5. Get some really small pots to fit in tupper container about 4, $3-$5. Drill alot of hols in the pots s the roots and grow thru. Get come conadian peat moss cubes, similar to rock wool cubes, if walmart doesn't have them go to home depot. Buy a couple shop lights from wal-mart's lighting section $9.95 each. Buy what fits your space for lighting. If possible buy to dual 4ft fluro. $20-$30 together. And your set to go. I bought a tds metter off ebay for $23.00 and the you need some ferts about $10 for a small amount. I eman that is under $100, around $80-90. That is the cheapest way to go and that doesn't mean you will yeild anything, your plants can die the first week if you don't read up on how to do hydroponics.... Goodluck

This may have not been said earlier in the thread, but it sure is evident now. I am a first time grower. First time grower of much of anything. I don't know where my 4-6 ounces idea was coming from. I guess seeing Reeferman's 1-pound plants made me greedy... I still would like to do hydroponics, General Hydroponics' AeroHydroponics preferably. After looking at my space I am considering the Rainforest System, probably the smaller 36 site one:
"RAINFOREST® 36
Six 3" Site Aeroponics System

The RainForest 36 is our least expensive RainForest system. It is ideal for small projects in limited space. A submerged pump circulates and aerates the nutrient solution.
This Systemâ??s size is 12â?� circular
This system includes:
â?¢ 4 Gallon Reservoir with Lid
� Rio® 600 pump assembly
â?¢ 3â?� Plastic Cups
â?¢ CocoTek Liners and Caps
â?¢ 3-Part Flora Kit"
Specific Stats and pictures from manufacturer website.

With either 6 of the Wall-Mart Fluorex style lights, as Fluorex was suggested by Jorge Cervates in High Times, or a single 250 or 400 watt HPS with reflector. I am willing to increase the amount of money I spend, to maybe the 400 dollar mark as an ideal max. Is this smaller "Rainforest" system large enough for some good sized plants? How short can I grow them while still getting good bushy buds? How much room should I have total if I use this system, including space for lights, flowering, resevouir, etc. How many ounces should I shoot for if I am growing maybe six shorter, bushy plants? I really want to use AeroHydroponics if possible, I am impressed by what I've heard of it. Thanks a lot for your help in this, I am ready and willing to learn and can put in some hard work. Peace,

-Chris :rasta: :pimp: (I consider myself a rhasta who wears a Fedora and looks like Shaggy, so try to mesh those two pics and you may get a good idea of the smiley I should be posting.)

Read some posts. Make your own system and you will save a chunk of money. Then buy the best lights you can. And get some general hydroponics micro and bloom nutes. Get a ppm meter and a ph meter. Buy some vinegar for ph down adjusting. That's about the bare minimum you need. Then prepare to be busy for awhile. Oh, and Zandor always says grow some soil plants too. Hydro can be a bit tricky. Especially for someone who has never grown before. Good luck.

this is an old post, but some relevant info you need to consider:

I have a Waterfarm and I consistently pull 5 ounces per plant under an air-cooled hood with a 400W HPS. The plant grows to 3-3.5 feet. Ebay has someone selling 400W HPS systems for $99, but don't have the aircooled hood, just the batwing reflector. You could probably make due with that type of light, though.

So, $60 for the WF and $100 for the light. You would also need an airstone and extra air pump for about $7. And finally, the nutes that come with the WF are great, but are not enough to carry you through one entire grow cycle: you need to buy more nutes. Whether you buy more General Hydroponics nutes or someone else's is up to you. Believe me, though after the first harvest, you can sell an ounce or 2 of the weed and easily reouperate your investment twice over.

Good luck!

Zandor says, "Get a few soil grows under your belt and learn to grow, before you attempt hydro"...

latewood says, "grow soil plants as a back-up to hydro failure."

I would like to add, that there is no way to achieve the yield you are looking for, unless you invest 2-300 bucks in at least a 600w/1000w light...MH or HPS

If you want to grow and use cfl's...you can, and have alot of fun doing it, but you are going to yield what the plants give you. I believe that you can never shoot the hard nutes to them, unless you have a big enough light to create the photosynthesis necessary to make them thirsty enough to uptake the nutrient levels you will need for that type of yield from 4 plants.

build 3-4... 5 gallon bucket bubblers...
from wally's...
4 buckets w/lids 25-30 bucks
2 dual airpumps. 25-30 bucks
4 paks airstones 5 bucks

from hydro store:
gh 3-part nutes 35 bucks
hydroton 15 bucks
4 3-3/4"netpots 2.50 bucks
rapid rooters 5-10 bucks.
ph down

you need a ph meter(got to have) and a tds or ec meter (you can do without this at 1st)
the ph meter is essential...PH is the beginning of alot of problem's you encounter during a grow. on ebay for 20-50 bucks everyday.

ppm's however can be controlled by using a % of the advertised values on the bottle...
for instance, If you use full blown gh 3-part at 8ml per gallon each part 24ml per gallon total...you get aroud 3.0 EC/1500 ppm's (this is about as high a nute concentration you want)
By cutting that in 1/2 you get approximately EC1.5/ppm levels of 750...
so diluting even further to 1/3 or 33% nute value you get approxiamately EC 1.0/450-500ppm's

so nute values can be approximated, and if you change out fresh nutes each week, topping off in the middle of the week with ph'd water...you won't have a problem

Here is an approximate break-down as I see it.
Seedlings... no nutes
early veg 33% nute values 4-500 ppms
vegging fully rooted...50% nutes approx. 750-800 ppms, and up to 1200ppms
bloom 100% nute values 1250-1500 ppms...follow me?
now this is just an approximate guideline.

you should invest in a tds or EC meter ASAP.
But with these guidelines, you can grow without one.

hope this opens up some ideas for you. lw

the waterfarm kit is a really good deal becuase you get the nutrients grow rocks and everything.

they work great, and I recently had a huge harvest using the new 200 watt florex light.

Not to rain on your parade, but did no-one else see that this is a DORM ROOM!!
I would say that security is your primary concern, whatever your setup. You have a 3-4 month window where no-one can find this or you're locked up. I hate to put a damper on your plans, but you should seriously consider waiting 'till you have your own apartment and a VERY absent landlord.