Preamble:
I'm a new grower, with a lot of gardening experience. I can't smoke or vape cannabis without trying to cough up my lungs. I chose capsules for my meds. A size 2 capsule will hold 150mg, and a size 0 holds 250 mg or ¼ gm. That's enough for now, as I'm not trying to get high. Buying from a licensed producer, or the illegal dispensaries is far too expensive on a pension, which is why I'm growing my own.
After reading the material here, I decided on growing hydroponically. I have a reverse osmosis system as the water from my well is not potable. The arsenic content is ten times the maximum set by the World Health Organization. Note that only 25% of the water fed to a RO comes out as potable. The remaining water is waste. I started by installing a 55 gal (200l) drum as a tank so I'd have plenty of water on hand for my grows. Alas, the first time I filled the tank, the pipe in my well burst at the pump down at 350 ft or 106 meters. I dropped the pump down to the 430 ft. (130 m) level, used heavier pipe, and had to replace the wiring with a heavier gauge. As this cost $1400, I decided against hydroponics and looked for a method that used much less water.
I decided on growing in coconut coir as it seemed to require much less water. This method also has the benefit of giving me full control of the nutrients for my plants. As the recommended nutrient strength is the same as that for hydroponics, I should also realize a savings in nutrient costs. I decided on General Hydroponics Flora Series nutrients as they have a good reputation.
Calculator available on request.
Equipment:
Grow Tent: Fusion Hut 2' X 4' X 5'
LED light: King X6 Dimmable 1800W Full Spectrum COB LED Grow Light (300 actual watts max)
Ventilation: Fusion Breath 6" Fan & Filter Kit (good up to 12m3)
Heat: similar to Royal Sovereign HCE-100 Ceramic Electric Heater
Humidifier: ZooMed Reptifogger
Heat/Humidity Controller: ZooMed HygroTherm
Electrical:
- 2 Woods 50009 Indoor 7-Day Heavy Duty Digital Outlet Timer with 2-Outlets
- 2 desk fans: 6"
Grow Pots: DIY 3.8 US gal (15 l) fabric pots made from 3oz/sq yd landscape cloth
Drainage Trays: Standard size fiberglass horticultural trays with egg crate diffuser
Measurement:
- oral syringes: 1ml, 5ml. 10ml as required for nutrients (free at pharmacies in Canada)
- pH meter: Etekcity 0.05pH High Accuracy Digital
- TDS / EC meter: NADAMOO TDS Meter Digital Water Tester
- 3 Kg X 1gm kitchen scale (for measuring water volume; 1Kg = 1liter)
- shot glass (to calibrate pH and TDS meters)
- AcuRite Wireless Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer with Humidity Sensor
It requires approx. 50% of the expanded coco coir's final volume of water for the expansion. I pH adjusted the water to 5.8. It took about 10l water per bag before the run off was at a pH of 5.8 as well. When I filled the grow bags, they bulged out enough that they wouldn't fit in the drainage trays. My solution was to cage them with 16ga 1" X 1" fencing, in a 36" width. A little planning went into deciding on the width to buy and the cut pattern to minimize waste.
My next post will quickly cover the first two months of this grow.
