Growing for yourself: what would it cost

Icemud said:
Here is the cost analysis of my very 1st grow about 8 years ago... Obviously your first grow will have the most costs associated with it, but every grow afterwords will be much cheaper since you don't have to repurchase the equipment. I also opted for "used equipment" whenever I could find it.


Here is the link to the grow journal: 1st Medical Grow, 3 Strains in 2x4 Hydrohut

here is the final weigh in....

2x Chemband's
260g. dry

2x University Hill's OG's
177g dry

2x Blue dragons
137g dry (usuable)
22g (Unseeded buds from hermie plant)(should be fine smoked)(not added to total yield)
23g (seeded from hermie plant)(for use as edibles/butter)(not added to total yield

Total Yield dry for this grow = 574g = 20.5oz = 1.25lbs
(this figure may change slighly due to slight weight loss during curing process.... also a good 19g's went to test smoking....not included in total (estimate)....

Cost of project:
  • 250$ (600w ballast with air cooled hood, carbon filter, 4" fan, one 600w Ushio HPS + 1 400w Ushio HPS)
  • 250$(400w HPS ballast, cool tube, 400w Ushio HPS, grow tent, 6" fan)
  • 40$ semi used carbon scrubber
  • 60$ hanna ph meter
  • 20$ hanna ppm meter
  • 30$1 box dual layer 25x6" flexible ducting
  • 80$ est..Earthjuice nutrients (grow, bloom, catalyst, metak, micro)
  • 20$Europonic humic acid
  • 14$ x 2 Unsulphered molassas
  • 25$ Bio Weed and Bio Root by GOrganics
  • 15$ Botanicare cal mag
  • 30$ Hygrowzyme
  • 20$ Soil ph/moisture probes 2x
  • 30$ 6x 5 gallon pots
  • 25$ 6x 3 gallon pots
  • 20$ 1 bag happy frog soil
  • 12$ 1 bag organic compost
  • 12$ 1 bag earthworm casings
  • 15$ 1 bag perlite
  • 50$ est. guano's (peruvian seabird, indonesian bat, mexican bat, jamaican bat)
  • 40$ 2x airstones, 2x air pumps
  • 8$ 2x 5 gallon buckets
  • 25$ ph meter calibration liquids ph 7.01 and ph 4.01
  • 65$ clones
  • 20$ scrog screen construction
  • 15$ drying box construction
  • 40$ glass storage jars
  • 150$ distilled water...estimate for cycle
  • 360$ electricity (estimate) (increase in electric from around 70$/month to $150/month = 90$ extra per month x 4 months
  • 30$ trimming scissors 2x
  • $8 mosquito dunks
  • 8$ yellow sticky cards
  • 6$ pyrethium spray
  • 8$ neem oil
  • 40$ ona gel 2x
there may be other things i am forgetting but I believe this is the most of it...

Total estimated cost from start up to finish= $1841.00 +/- about 100$

Total Cost= 1841$
Cost per gram = $3.21 (1841/574g.)
grams per watt = .574
grams per kilowatt hour (estimated .301g) ( 77 days of 12/12 at 1000w)= 924kwh (for flower) + 91 days 18/6, Half at 400w, half at 800w = 982.8kwh for veg. Total kilowatt hours estimated 1906.8Kwh

Since about $1000 or more of this was equipment that does not have to be replaced, if harvested about the same amount, the next grow would only cost about $1.46 per gram... estimated...

Now that I have been growing for quite a while, switched to LED lights and lowered my energy consumption, my cost of growing really is just replacing soil each cycle (about $60 total per cycle) and whatever nutrients I may be out of.. (maybe $100 per cycle). Its extremely cheap to grow now. I also stopped buying "distilled water" and invested about $200 into a R/O system which has saved me a ton of money, and also allows me nice clean great tasting drinking water.

Hope this is helpful.
Click to expand...
It’s very helpful, especially for people thinking about starting out.
 
Uh-oh. I’m afraid that “squirt” is budding....

Is this what flowering looks like? This plant is still on 18/6 and it’s supposed to be photo period. Wtf. Is it budding? If it is then fml! its not ready for budding!
 

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KrunckleSam said:
Uh-oh. I’m afraid that “squirt” is budding....

Is this what flowering looks like? This plant is still on 18/6 and it’s supposed to be photo period. Wtf. Is it budding? If it is then fml! its not ready for budding!
Click to expand...

Did anything happen? Is your timer off?
I assume, this wasn't supposed to be an auto-flower?
 
Growdad420 said:
Did anything happen? Is your timer off?
I assume, this wasn't supposed to be an auto-flower?
Click to expand...
It’s supposed to be a photo, maybe I ended up with one auto strain in my mix pack. No, nothing changed with timer. The only thing that did changed was I moved it from under my 1000w led (my back light) to the 600w led (my front light) but would that do it? I wonder if anyone else has had that issue?
 
KrunckleSam said:
Here’s the set up. I figured putting it directly under the 600w rather than partially under the 1000w would be fine. Plus it was getting so tall I wanted to be able to move the light up as it grew and not effect the short shits in the back.
Click to expand...

Very weird.. prolly an auto got mixed in more likely.
 
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