Hello to everyone in uk420!

After recently growing a beautiful harvest of white russian with a friend, i have decided to buy my own set up and start a small grow myself.

I will be growing 2-3 mango plants in soil with a 300 quid max budget. I am very excited about this solo grow as it's the first one i have taken sole responsibility for

The thing i need help with is general grow room design and equipment. I will try and make the questions posed as informational as possible as i see alot of silly questions asked which are near on impossible to answer e.g what plant should i grow?!?.

1) I can buy a grow tent going up to a medium size (1x1x2) but is it worth building one to save some money?
2) I will be using a 250 w HPS lamp through out but is it worth gettin a 250w CFL for vegging?
3) I will be using a carbon filter and 100mm extraction fan, will that be adequate extraction?
4) Do i need an intake fan?
5) I have NO knowledge on grow mediums, what is a good soil to grow my plants in?

Thankyou to everyone who helps.

Llama

Hello Llama

1. 1X1 metre would need a 400watt lamp to cover it. Also the tents would eat alot into your budget. I'd say you were better off buying a wardrobe if you intend to use a 250. Space is better suited and it would be cheaper.

2. The 250 cfl is ok for starting the plants, but you're much better off vegging with the hid. The problem with the cfl is that you have to have it very close, this cuts down the spread. You won't cover all the plants when they're in their bigger pots, plus the hid gives much better growth than the cfl imo.

3. I'd say a 100mm fan might just do it if you used an active intake too, although i'd play it safe and use a 5 inch especially with the summer coming. I don't grow in a drobe but there are plenty of drobe growers who will be along to help i expect, i'm not sure what most of them use.

4.Intake fans are a godsend, i know people do without them but personally i wouldn't, especially if the budgets allows for it

5. It's not actually soil you grow in, it's compost which is designed for container growing. But good examples are to be found in the Which trials thread...sorry i'm no good with comps, don't know how to all the linky type stuff and i'm far too stoned to even try and learn

Personally i like the Jab compost (not tried the added John Innes) it's very cheap too and readily available at garden centres. I'm trying some West+ Advanced at the mo and it seems to be going well, seems to rewet better than the Jab, costs a little more but not excessive like the 'specialist' composts.

Alot of people seem to like the Biobizz Allmix, Playgron Royalty and Canna Pro composts from Holland, but you will pay alot more for these. Choices choices eh

All the best with your future grows

I concur with regards the fluorescent for vegging - I enjoy the perversity of using lamps from the supermarket myself, but 125 watt enviros are reckoned to be much better value than 250s and ought to be more than adequate for a tray of seedlings in 7cm pots for the 2 or 3 weeks before they go under the HPS for at least another 3 weeks.

I've had great fun with 250 watt HPS lamps, but a 600 is the way to go if you have the space - it'll make it a doddle to produce 8 ounces -(expert growers can get 20), and a bigger grow will let you do just one grow in the winter when temps are favourable and give you the rest of the year off.

With regards plant numbers, 4 would fit around the lamp more easily. Bear in mind that you'll be starting off with at least twice that number of unsexed seedlings. I strongly suggest training the plants rather than growing "trees".

If I had a space suitable for a 1 x 1 metre tent, I would instead pop up B&Q for 2x2 timber and foil-backed plasterboard.

Nice one

I can get a diamond reflector for 50 quid and the hps bulb shouldnt be too much on top of that. There are so many different types of bulbs though, whats the best one to get? I need a 250 w one

Any one an expert on the best soil types to use?

PEACEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

i would say 250hps, they say growlux is a veg/flower lamp, if you go your local garden centre, buy any decent soil. most people appear to grow with biobizz grow and flower. your extracter sounds good, as the extracter empties room, fresh air will force its way under door