March 8, 2015
2oz Closet Grow with 150watt Light – Cannabis Grow Journal
My advice to new or beginning cannabis growers is to start small, at least at first. Rarely are people amazing growers straight out the gate. Usually it takes most people a couple of grows before they really start to understand the principals growing good bud.
I’ve seen many a (newbie) grower go out and drop hundreds of dollars for the latest and most expensive grow equipment, only to end up killing their plants. Why? Because they gambled on their grows, before first gaining any real growing experience.
Don’t make this same mistake!
Truth is you don’t need the biggest lights, or even that much money to start bringing home the bud. The sooner you jump in and start, the better.
A lot of people might tell you that a 150 watt light isn’t worth the trouble and you won’t grow much with it. Personally, I think its the perfect size for anyone new to growing, on a tight budget or trying to keep things extra compact. Plus, they don’t put out a lot of heat and won’t leave you with any big electric bills.
Grow Overview
Cannabis Strain Grown
Lemon Skunk ordered from the Marijuana Seed Shop
- 60/40 Sativa dominant Hybrid
- Super Lemony smell during flower
- Yielded just over 2 oz, including sweet leaf and popcorn buds
- A relaxing yet euphoric high that creeps up on you, great for walking or chilling outside
Read the Full Strain Review HERE
Setup
Grow Space
4′ x 2′ Closet
Grow Lights
150 Watt HPS light – $70
3x CFL 45 watt lights ( 2x Veg & 1 Flower) – $24
SunBlaze 2′ dual T5 (Used) – $45 (Note: These T5s can be hard to find used and are expensive new, if your unable to get any T5s at a decent price, its best to roll this cost into more 45 watt CFLs)
Grow Medium
Super Soil – $20
Potting Soil – $15
Perlite – $5
Grow Supplies
3 gal Fabric Pot – $3
Small Fan (Big Lots) – $6
(Hacked) Computer Fan – $5 (Option: Used during seedling phase. You can use bigger fan so long as its not directly pointed at the seedling)
DIY lighting Fixture – $10 to $20
Grow Time – 12 weeks
Yield – Just over 2oz (including sweet leaf and popcorn buds)
Total Approximate Cost – $200
Tips on cutting COSTS
During the apocalypse your going to have to be resourceful to survive. Why not get a head start and learn to do as much as you can with less.
- Find as much stuff as you can used. I alway prowl Ebay/Amazon for deals!
- If someone you know has an item you can use, ask to barrow it, and…
- If you can make something yourself, then do it!
Using these points, in some cases, you can grow for dang’ near free!
Conclusion
The 150 watt HPS works! It also helps that you can the bulb as close as 4 inches from the canopy. The temperature never went above 78 degrees ferinheight. A fan constantly pushing air over bulb and canopy is a must. One big drawback of the light is that it can really handle one plant.
Working with super soil is easy, the only hard part can be getting your hands on smaller quantities of it or finding all the ingredients you need to mix your own. With super soil all you have to do is water the plant, everything else is taken care of in the soil.
If this is your first go at growing, soil overall is much more forgiving when making mistakes. Also with super soil, I’ve noticed that you can go a lot longer in between waterings. The soil does an excellent job of protecting the plants roots.
The felt containers holding the soil also does an excellent job of helping to get more oxygen to the plant’s roots. They are often cheaper than plastic containers anyway, so they are the perfect option for budget grows using soil.
Grow Downsides
The biggest downside to this grow was the total absence of smell control. The Lemon Skunk has a great smell that wasn’t crazy dank, so you were able to just close the closet and room door to block the smell. The last couple of weeks, just a faint odor would leak out into the house, which for everyone may not be good. Other plants you grow may be even more dank, and controlling the smell may be an even bigger issue.
Your going to have to get personal with your cannabis plant, by this I mean your going to need to use some more intermediate growing techniques to get the most out of growing with this type of setup.
Techniques such as topping and low stress training (LST), which aren’t necessarily difficult to do. But as a first time grower, your going to have to subvert any urges to let the plant just grow natural.
More about Growing Cannabis
How to MIX your own SUPER SOIL…
Want MORE BUD? Use these techniques
Ready to get SERIOUS about GROWING….
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Written by: Buds McGee
Filed Under: DIY Projects, Growing
Tags: 150 watt HPS, budget grow, closet grow, lemon skunk
nala420
March 18, 2015 at 3:59 pm
Cool web site . Q : I am only using worm tea , working great so far . What additive do I use besides the tea. Stem and branches would be light yellow . So happy summer is here ..project. I will try the low wattage also , in my closet .
Buds McGee
April 2, 2015 at 1:17 am
Hi Nala, the best thing to do is mix up some super soil (Check out the link on the top of the site) and use worm tea in conjunction with the super soil during flowering. As far as other additives you can use if you are using super soil is general hydroponics flora series, which is easy for beginners. Hope that helps, let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for the comment… good luck with your grow!
Buds McGee
October 28, 2015 at 2:21 pm
That is Awesome! As far as I know, you really only need to use the tea, as it has an abundance of nutrients and beneficial bacteria that will grow chronic!
superd
February 25, 2016 at 2:23 am
Great Article! I am about to start my first grow. I purchased a 400-watt HPS, commercial light and I plan to do my grow in my basement (crawl space and completely dark). Do I need to build an enclosed environment (grow box or grow tent) or will it be ok to allow the plants to be in the open with just the light and a fan?
Thanks,
Superd
Buds McGee
March 7, 2016 at 6:02 am
Glad to hear your on your way. Growing is a very rewarding experience. You don’t need to build an enclosure since the space is entirely dark anyway. Allowing the plants to be open with just a light and fan is growing at its most basic, which is something I’ve done many times.
Zen420
May 10, 2016 at 1:20 pm
So how did you handle co2?
Buds McGee
May 26, 2016 at 10:46 pm
C02 systems are for very high end grows. The lights here are not powerful enough to use any C02 enrichment. Hope that answers your questions… thanks for your comment.