Yes, make or buy a small table to put your plants on. I personally use a folding card table and place drip trays underneath each pot. Move your table into the corner of the room so two sides are reflected. If you have to leave 18inches or so around the sides so you can get to the back of it. If you want to you can make a couple of temporary cardboard walls with mylar on them and enclose your whole table. This would be best.

Yes, hps [high pressure sodium] and mh [metal halide] are two types of hid [high intensity discharge] lights. Either can be used for vegetative growth or flowering. There are many places to order HID lights online. I never did it but I heard http://insidesun.com was a good place. You will have to do your own research as far a best price and such. If you got a hydro shop nearby this is a good place to go, but they may be a bit pricey. You can also check out eBay. Personally I would just go with a 400W right away. A 400 will cover your 4x4 table fairly well and you will be able to finish 10 small plants with it.

As a beginner I would use a good, two part hydroponic chemical nutrient. Two part means there will be two bottles each for veg and bloom(A and B) that need to be mixed to constitute the nutrient. They are easy to use and give good results. Some are more expensive than others, you will have to decide according to your own pocketbook. You can order nutrient online, usually the same place you get the light, as well. Also available from the hydro store if you go that route. Even the cheapest hydro formula will be better than Walmart brand or Miracle grow, but they can be used in a pinch.

I would not bother with the guanos until you are a little bit more experienced. While it is an excellent organic fertilizer, there are different types of guano that need to be used at different times. Also you have to amend your soil and provide other nutrients, too much for a beginner IMO. After all, you want to learn and still produce a decent harvest, right?

After you get your HID light, use that for flowering only and keep the flouros for rooting and veging clones in a separate area. Your flouro lights will be enough to keep 10 clones alive and growing sufficiently. This way when you are done flowering a crop you can immediately move in ten more and have easily 5-6 crops a year.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Perp Reviewed by Perp on . Growing on a budget Is it possible to get good results using 4 full-spectrum 40 watt flourescents along with 4 regular shop lights to grow 10 plants, a simple fan to move the air around, and careful feeding? I don't have the money for lots of bells and whistles- my grow room is about 12 x 12, in the basement, lined with mylar on three sides. What else must I have to grow nice plants? All the suggestions I have seen seem to involve complicated set-up and I just wonder if it can be done for less. Rating: 5