Ghetto Grow - Beginner - Assistance would be amazing!

I think Purp has you set

3 Likes

@StealyLegz you are lucky to be dealing with the Kaaps humidity, try Durban! 80-90% average in summer and the host of issues that accompany it. I would get a dehumidifier in the meantime to keep your climate constant ( & for just in case ) and avoid white powdery mildew setting in. Just my 2c worth as I learned the hard way!

3 Likes

@StealyLegz there has been numerous universities proving the benefits of vibrations on plant growth I remember in elementary school what do you mean science project with house plans putting them under headphones with various genre is to compare growth I do remember that Static-X cannibal corpse wasn’t a hit for some reason…lol

3 Likes

Watch classical music be the one to stimulate plants I know that’s what they use to stimulate brain for training and studying methods I personally play a lot of dub and reggae for ganja,
Fitting tunes if I say my self like eek-a+mouse ganja smuggleing or sizzla high grade hits are definitely staples

2 Likes

lol, my plants get the cannibal corpse and all sorts of metal every morning at feeding time

3 Likes

@PurpNGold74 tell em now. Find one guy and stick with them otherwise it gonna have a headache lmao. One idea turns into 40 quick lol. Nice ghetto setup.

4 Likes

Again, thank you all for the input!

@PurpNGold74 - Thanks for answering my questions. I’ll invest in a humidifier this month and perhaps a light next, or should I reverse the order? I’m not really sure which will be more important in the coming weeks. The tent I guess I’ll keep as space isn’t an issue. IF the plants ever become big enough, I can look at taking it down, being my first grow, I don’t have high hopes.

@Budz I’ve been looking at the HLG 350R, it’s just within my budget, so should I go for it? If there is any other model you would recommend, please let me know! :slight_smile: They all look amazing to me. I’m thinking put the 350R in the middle of the tent, with the two 1 meter ones on the sides?

@Leholf Thanks for following along and the great music recommendations :grin:! I’ve got them listening to classical 15 hours a day, with a 1-hour drum and bass set to get them going in the mornings. My girlfriend is pretty upset about losing an Alexa to plants, but I figure you’ll be able to taste the difference in the smoke, so she’ll come around eventually :stuck_out_tongue:

@Hogbud Agreed friend! Cape Town’s climate seems perfectly suited to growing. I’ll be getting a dehumidifier ASAP, thanks for the suggestion. Try to learn as many lessons the easy way as possible!

@Vosnok Haha, that’s brilliant! I’m doing to give those artists a listen, as they’re all new for me. Might have to incorporate them into the ladies’ morning wake-up/workout mix!

@Mark0427 Thanks!

Alright, from my side things seem peaceful in the ghetto. The Sweet Rebel has perked up a bit, but still looks like a tomato plant:

The Durban Poison seems to be thriving best of all at the moment:

The Northern Lights has also chilled out with vertical growth and seems to be bushing out horizontally now. I’m guessing this is pretty normal?


The CBD Skunk Haze is the only slight worry. The leaves are doing the same curling as the Northern Lights did, but to be honest, I’m just happy she’s alive, so no big deal.


Lastly, the ghetto “tent” is holding up nicely, both in temp and humidity (18 degrees celsius and 65%) and in the duct tape itself. Here’s a picture of all the plants together for scale :slight_smile:

Please keep the comments and advice coming. I appreciate everyone following along!

4 Likes

Yeah that sounds like a good plan. Would flower your area fine between the 3. It’s up to you if you pull the trigger or not. I’ll say I don’t regret going HLG at all.

Edit. I will add though. This light kit is cheaper and makes a better light. The 350r is last gen (diablo) boards. The v2 288’s are the newest generation. Obviously better. Diablo boards have been discontinued. Once they are sold out they are gone.

The 350r runs 330 actual. This one can be turned up to 350. Which is funny that the numbers are reversed.

4 Likes

Lol well unless she is growing the pot ? Listen to the boss, yip I do mean good old Bruce :wink: apparently a middle ground?

2 Likes

Yup lights listen to your northern personhood budz knows :wink: hlg smash it outa park , but there are other options that are cheaper

2 Likes

Don’t however disregard home built or manufacture specials from China , yea yea I know y’all don’t like buying China but your whole , our whole economy is
. Anyways lots of ways to achieve same sames

@StealyLegz If you want local quality LED lights manufactured in SA, check out Indorsun. They have great products, excellent back up and know their stuff. I have 5 x 220W Midnight Sun with Far Red running my flower room. Not sure if I’m allowed posting links etc but google them and they will put you on to one of their agents nearby…

4 Likes

@Leholf Hahaha, shot homie! I’m guessing you mean a LED along the lines of a KingBrite? It’s seeming like the best option considering the shipping costs of the US brands. Let me know if you have any recommendations on models for a 2m squared “grow room”?

@Hogbud Yo! Getting a recommendation for IndorSun really made me stoked, thanks! I’ve got 2x110w IndorSun Comets with far-red. I thought I paid R7000 for sub-par lights, it was painful, so you’ve really turned my evening around. If you could review the previous pictures I posted and suggest a supplementary light for the incoming veg and flower stage that would be awesome!

@Budz Thank you so much for the recommendation. I was ready to purchase and got the checkout and saw shipping is $150. That’s basically 1/3 of the total price I was paying and pushes it out of my budget :frowning: Would you recommend I go for a cheaper Chinese brand LED or just leave the plants with what they have, get a dehumidifier and get the HLG next month if it’s still available?

Also, I’m getting fidgety, haha, should I start HST my photos? The auto’s I’m guessing still have a while till LST right?

4 Likes

@SilvaBack203 @Dr.ofSmokology @Docnraq I’ve been doing lots of reading as @Underthestairs suggested and seen you offer great input in other journals. If could keep an eye on this “grow” attempt and throw in comments when you feel required that would be amazing!

5 Likes

Man… $150? That’s not right at all. I could litterally have it shipped free to me and ship it to anywhere in the freaking modern world for under $70. I could litterally ship it today for. The whole light assembled is under 5lbs. This is what it would cost me to send it to S.africa. but then again. You only said Africa. Even so. I could hit the worldwide saver and ship more than it weight for $105 to literally anywhere in the world. Odd they ask for $150.


3 Likes

Set to watch. @Budz @PurpNGold74 got you for sure. Really love your room and ladies.
That shipping is crazy. Try 3rd party vendor that carries hlg if you wanna stay the route

2 Likes

Thank you! Very kind.

Thats crazy! I did just pay 13 dollars for ground shipping of a 1/2 gram bracelet took a week.

Lights are gonna be the single most important purchase for your grow.
Hands down.
Cheap tents and fans and nutes and pots will all work at least once but the light has to work everytime. It has to be bright enough for your quality and quantity needs while still fitting into a specific space. Everyone raves over HLG here on the boards. Im sure they are very good lights but a very large Investment to say the least. Knowing they are at the top makes them desirable but often unrealistic. Know that no matter what light you get or who makes it, as long as the wattage and spectrum is there, you’ll get good grass. If not, expect subpar results. Is weed good even if the buds aren’t rock solid?? can be. I have a marshydro light. 2 of em actually. A ts1000 and an fc3000. I like em both. One plant under that ts1000 would likely be pretty darn good and solid. Is it the best light…no. Does it work? Yes it does. So does the fc3000. Very well cuz I’m stoned as hell right now. Can ya tell by my ramble?
My advice, don’t break yourself, buy one that works for sure and is at or just above your price range. Save all the money you would have spent on weed over the next year then buy that top of the line light…you know the one you drool over when you look at it? I know for a fact I’m wasting at least 50 watts of my light because of my inexperience. On 3rd grow and still working on that even canopy full tent look. Looking forward to more from you, thanks for the tag and welcome to the best hobby ever…very rewarding.

2 Likes

I play music for my plants, and stories from audible too. I don’t expect a result, it’s just being friendly.

Good luck with your grow, I’m on my first grow and it’s hydro based.

2 Likes

Yes and YES!!!

Im sure these have been answered. But felt like reanswering lol

Well :poop:. This wins haha

3 Likes

Um… HLG kits are cheaper than their equivalents in spider farmer, mars and vivosun… Kingbrite is the single only brand I’ve seen recommended here that actually was less than $1 per actual watt to purchase… take the sf 2000. $300, 250w max. If you turn it above 250 it voids the warranty (I own this light, bought it when it was even more). Don’t get me wrong. This light does great work. But I built my hlg for ~260 out of pocket…

This is as about as high as I like to put it. The driver 100% would allow me to go higher, but I’d lose longevity in the diodes. Now this is higher efficacy LEDs than any of the other companies I listed. And it’s pretty drastic. So… now why would anyone pay $300 for 250w of acceptable light when they could pay less for 260w of excellent light? Misinformation is the blight of this community. Ever since HLG became an official partner with Samsung (earlier this year), their lights got even better and a lot cheaper. Which is why they are pushing the kits. HLG doesn’t actually produce anything. They’re an assembly company. Since their partnership is in they don’t seem to want to do anything except distribute. Which is fine with me. My 5th grade science fair crystal radio was more complicated than using these kits. The v2 288s are actually 100% manufactured by Samsung, then they stamp HLGs name on there, opposite of their own, for hlg to sale exclusively. I’m sure this is why the diablo boards were discontinued. They weren’t made by Samsung. Just the diodes where.

1 Like