I’ve been growing a crop for nearly the past decade. Not trying to sell it. My mom had some land in the boonies with a small pond. I used to locate the grows near the bank. In a lined 5gal bucket of my soil/compost recipe ive been perfecting for years. Best crop of my life…5#'s from 3 plants. that was an unbelievable year despite the run in with botritus and a bit of powdery mildew. But… you know the end of that story. Each strain has individual needs so I just keep it simple and watch for resulrs till I’m sure the nutes are about done and then feed treat accordingly. We had well water. PH was 7.0 all the time.
I just wanted to say thank you for the contribution. I have a nice settlement coming I hope in a few months due to a slip in a parking lot that shattered my thigh into 5 pieces. I’m gearing up for the most massive perpetual harvest (or as close to it as I can get) and moving to the west where rec and medical are legal. My goal is to become a grower for a dispensary. Like I said. In the past I gave most away, not most but I didn’t sell it despite the harrassment of friends about the $ I could make. Ik loose lips and whatnot but I speak of two ppl I a grew up with whom also grew. Ienjoyed coming home at night and looking at that 5 tier bookshelf stacked 4 d4eep and 8 across with about 6 strains. What a feeling… Anyway. I have the knowledge to do it. But the scale is much bigger. Biggest yield to date and I’ve always kept my mothers in my closet selected from the hardiest of the seedlings. And I’d clone and grow one out doors. However I have done about 6 indoor 400wt hps inside. As you know. They both have pros and cons. But I enjoy indoor better
I’m going through Sensi seeds. Well… i was till i browsed the genetics here. I thought only Sensi could sell the original Jack Herer? I wanna grow Jack Herer, bubblegum Green crack, Gorilla glue. But I don’t want 6 foot plants, or master kush. But only doing two first few runs, and from what they say possibly the real Durban Poison. But most certainly the JH. Idk the genetics seems to be my main obstacle. I’ve heard nothing but good things about JH. Too bad I can’t get a clone from someone. Which would make the offspring F2? Is that right.? Still learning. Here’s a topic that infuriates me. Local dealers get good bud. Really good. But you never no idea what it is. Hell it could be G13xhashplant and they say it’s white widow… Or my fav line. “Yo, got that dro!” As if growing hydro has squat to do with the potency in my experience. Saves you about 2 weeks. But can be very unforgiving. Ebb and flow. Pump takes a dive. And the pants die in a matter of hours or less. One reason I only go organic. I’m renting a 3bdrm. Cloning mothers in bathroom room. One 10x10 bdrm to veg. One to flower. 4000wt each all air cooled lamps. And hiring an electrician to install a new homerun dedicated to the grow. I mainly wanted to say thank you, and ask about those genes. I would assume Sensi can be trusted, but now I’m wanting to go with y’all. On all the reviews no one ever talks about the smoke. Just the. Customer service. Which is cool, but I wanna know if the results match the description. And what about feminized seeds? I worry they will be lesser quality or the new auto flower crops they are crossing now? What’s your take on that? I know my grow is actually kinda small. I don’t have 6 flower rooms in a damn warehouse. But I do believe I can produce bud of equal or better quality. Not sure what to expect as for yield, or how many a year. I’m hoping to time it so when the clones are ready, the flower room is being harvested, the veg moved into flower and clone into veg then new clones rooted. I assume in a 10x10 4000w grow I can get 5+ pounds maybe 8-10 times a year. Enough to make a living and maybe expand and hire a cpl dudes. Any thoughts?
2 Likes
I’m wishing you well. With the strains I have gotten from ilgm and others description of their strains unless you go wrong drastically they are pretty accurate all though one may display a different pheno. But close, lots of happy customers and their customer service is great. I haven’t heard of anyone that followed directions and lost their plants not be reimbursed with fresh seeds. Good luck I wI’ll set to watching if you are going to continue on this thread ad a journal once you get started. We would love to see your progress too on the development of your rooms. That being said I believe I remember you are using hid lighting? Just to let your know if you ever decide to see what led can do (way cheaper to run but you can get or build real quality lights that are killing it) we have lighting experts and disease experts. ( I say experts but I’m sure they would not call themselves that rather they are knowledgeable in those fields)
Good luck brother happy growing
If you need anything you can tag anyone in by simply putting a @ in front of their name.
@Sirsmokes would be me
A tag will notify them next time they are on here
I’ve kicked around the LED option. For two 10x10 rooms what would you recommend? I’m sure 4000wtHID is sufficient. And I’ve desigened stand alone cooling for each string of lights
They are all multilamp ballasts that can run either MH or HPS . I’ve got pages upon pages of equipment lists and prices. No diy here. I’m praying for a 200k settlement. But 25 will still make it happen. (Suing for half a mil , slipped in a wet parking lot)But just 25k will get me there and I can get licensed, find a grow to work for. Then let them sample my products. I’m spending ,$2000 on the 8 lights, having to trash or resell the reflector to get the single 8’s in. With 4;lights I’m pushing cool air through 3 hi vel fans. Pulling in cool air from an air conditioned 7x5 closet exhausting in attic. Both rooms .A fellow grower uses this method and he can hold the bottom of the glass for some time before it’s uncomfortable.Without the cooling. You can’t touch the glass with a 1000wt hps fully ramped up.
His 1000 about 8" to a foot from the canopy. Big difference in 2 to 3 feet. It took some trial and fail but his yield has almost doubled. I’ve priced all my equipment including genetics at a bit over 8k I’m budgeting 10.my thing is I know shit about LED. And I’m not trying to throw in another learning curve. All I know is they are the rage and grow well as I’ve seen. I mean the flower room , I’m sure you know will be wall to wall buds. I’m intrigued… But to start I feel more secure doing what has worked in the past. Off the top of your head… To flower 10x10. How many lights are we talking about. I have no worries about hear fr the HIDs I can keep the temp betw3en 75 and 78. Now I may purchase a strip to keep the mothers alove in the tub.
Oh yes this thread will need open a lomggggg time. My case is on year 5 I give my deposition on the 19th and my lawyers are working for the standard 33.3. I’m hoping for an offer soon to get my life back. Yes. I’ll post it all here. Thanks for the info and warm welcome
1 Like
Please be aware that you will struggle to make anything commercially. It’s either Oregon or Colorado who have stopped giving out licences, we all know what’s happened to prices there because of oversupply so many are going bust because they simply cannot sell their stuff, California is EXPENSIVE as the rules on licensing/lab testing/packaging are so strict, and so on.
It’s not just a case of dropping some beans and selling great weed to dispensaries at top dollar any more, the top dollar is either no longer there or the costs involved are at Formula One levels of prohibitive (How do you make a small fortune in Formula One? Start with a big fortune). You also need to make the connections as you’re already going to be on the back foot against those who had the investment in the business made before things were legalised.
Oh, and I would definitely recommend LED for commercial, for two reasons. First, although the initial outlay may be higher than HID, in the long term that pays back in decreased energy costs and less on ventilation and so forth, and, second, I’ll have to look but I’m sure an Eastern state banned the use of HID for commercial as the shock to the local energy supply would have been rather hard. So be aware of that, and I’m sure others will follow under “environmental” laws same as incandescent lightbulbs, and soon the halogen spotlights, are effectively banned in the EU. Spend the money on LED now, you don’t get an extra bill should declare that you cannot grow under HID.
I’m not trying to pooh-pooh your idea, I wish you all the success in the world. I just want to make sure you understand the potential pitfalls ahead, especially as you may want to grow your favourite strains but they’re also the same as everyone else is. As is usual, too much of something is not always a good thing so it MIGHT be an idea to look VERY closely at the market you are thinking of entering and go for a VERY specialised, maybe medical, grow so you have something that may stand out from the crowd.
Your timing also has to be critical. We see what has happened in Colorado and prices must be close to rock bottom now, there’s going to be a LOT thrown away and small businesses will go down. There will be a race to the bottom for quality, and knowing when to step in with the good stuff will be critical should you wish to make a decent buck. That’s the way I see it, the market is so volatile now because so many things are up in the air it’s a huge risk but could work IF the product and timing is right.
Good luck
5 Likes
So if you do not have millions to invest and are not going to do all the licencing hoop jumping or legal fee paying its not what you think it is.
Honestly… if you want to make this a legit profession for yourself as a grower get in with one of the legal growers in one of the legal states. Learn the industry ropes, work for someone else, see what kind of daily issues they go through… growing is actually the easy part… its the legal system they have to deal with daily that is the very hard and very expensive part. This way… should you choose to try it with a large investment sum. You will know all the risks before trying for the rewards.
I can easily do a large legal grow solo and have been asked more than once to do partnerships… hell I have a close family member that does the legal permitting in my state for cannabis. BUT… ya I am good on that cause I already know…
3 Likes
This bit. You are talking about dealing with how many agencies? Town, City, County AND State? That’s paperwork that reaches “Belgium” on the admin scale, and when I say that I mean that, despite how everything can be done electronically here paper still rules, in triplicate, signed in the blood of a grandparent who died on a Thursday.
The time spent on that side alone consists of a considerable part of the day, and that is a cost that must be factored in.
1 Like
I thought I had outlined that int my part. Get residence. A license and a job with a grower. Pretty sure I did. Anyway. I know it’s a job
I think there is some confusion going on here… so the way you worded your posts it sounds like you wanted to “grow for a dispensary”. That you wanted to “get a place” and “set up a grow room inside of it” and “grow a product for consumers to purchase off a store shelf”. Then you talked about the set up you want to do and maybe hiring some people to help you with “YOUR” grow…
At least everyone that has read your posts thus far is comprehending it this way. So I think you are misunderstanding how it works. I will enlighten you as to why we are all replying in the way we are.
So there are some dispensaries that grow their own products, but they’re few very few… dispensaries are like liquor stores. They sell products produced by a separate company which is a different business altogether… those growers have licenses for every location they OWN… they do all the paperwork, deal with state government inspections, have the products reviewed for their content by an independent company, then they have packaging / branding for every type of product they are producing, and on and on.
To have your own set up you need to have your own grower licence, because every location and every plant must be accounted for legally in the permitting. This is why they have different size permits for different size grows down to indoor size, outdoor acres, and greenhouse size. You can not grow your own and sell it to another grower or for another grower with their permits for your own location. Plus current growers already have very expensive set ups and would not need yours as well.
However you do not need anything other than a personal background check and do the application process to work for a licensed grower as an employee on one their locations. Which is what I was talking about in my first post…
2 Likes
Yeh… probably was confusion. No I plan to relocate to one of the States. Take up residence in a house I can later have a decent grow in. But first while applying for licensing and all the red tape get a job in a dispensary or grow up. And once I’m gainfully employed start collecting (slowly) the equipment needed to build the grow I wanna start. I know there’s a right way and wromg way to go about it. And if I never get licensed to grow commercial them I’ll just do a small personal grow
It’s all about growing the herb. That’s all I really care about. I’m confident I can grow a product as good if not better than anything around . Hell i could habe eayde my main living for over a decade in my home state had a chosen to sell my personal. But I just liked having unlimited amounts of herb. So no I’m not relocating. Buying 10k worth of shit and starting to grow before I take the right steps first. I’m hoping for about a 250k settlement on an accident that happened in 2014. I’m also a very talented artist and I’d like to take my life to the other side of the us and do the two things I love most. I’m not up to date on the best or hottest strains these days. But all that knowledge will come if I’m able to get a gig with a grow op. And even if I don’t I may just apply for a license to grow just for my needs and spend more time drawing. Sorry for the confusion. If you care Instagram danny.croft.art. I’m in my middle age time of ilfe and I’m just trying to take it easy and maybe do what I love for the rest if it. I’ve served my country, did three tours. Went to Ranger school and did and saw shit I don’t ever wanna think about again. Now it’s just planning something to take me into my golden years and I love, no im obsessed with the growing of cannabis. About as much as drawing. If I can grow small commercial great. If not then I’ll try for growing just for myself. Sorry about all the confusion.
2 Likes
I answered pretty quick. Yeh… that’s about how I thought it worked. And I hear the red tape is miles long. Thank you for taking the time to lay it all out. And I’m sorry for my rambling on the first post. Sometimes being really high I go off on wild tangents.
I know an artist in Denver who told me it works about how you said. Bottom line I’m gonna finally have a nice nest egg for once in my life, and this is a passion I’d like to pursue. With really nice equipment not all DIY stuff I put together from Lowe’s… Which actually will get the job done well. It’s how I learned. Trial and error and I became obsessed. I have the type personality when I get into something… I go all in. I mean it’s really bad. I did it with software engineeromg, cannabis horticulture, freshwater planted aquariums. Gunsmithing.motocross, And drawing. I studied after the service both formally and classically as a chef and frrom age 23 to 40 it was a big part of my life. But it was my living and I never became as obsessed as the other things I never can seem to turn into a lucrative endeavor. But maybe it’s all wrong to do what you really love for a living. Now I don’t wanna end up with a freaking warehouse running 7 flower rooms and harvesting every 12 days. But if I can get the necessary red tape cut through and establish a commercial grow, I think I could do alright with one veg, one flower and place to clone and keep mothers. Maybe I’m all wrong and should just apply to grow 6 plants for my own meds. 6 right and that’s total, flower, veg all total 6. I could still be happy doing that. But it’s not gonna be the investment I’d wanted. 4000watts in a 10x10 room would produce quite a few pounds don’t you think. (I’ve designed a way of cooling the lights that will let you get them imches from the canopy. That’s another thread and when I do neither a commercial grow or personal I’ll exain it all. ) And work it so they cycle on and out at the right times I could make a good living. Not trying to make 2 million a month man… I’d be happy if I could sell to one or two small places and make about 60k a year. Im honestly just guessing. I’ve grown a lot but never a perpetual setup. But I could always just work in the industry and pursue my art more. So yeah I started off on this thread half cocked but thanks for the advice. And I meant maybe if I was really successful, I might hire one or two ppl to help out. But honestly aside from the harvesting I think this size grow is doable for one.
I appreciate all your advice… LEDs huh? They are just so so expensive. The grow shop I use wants 3k for a four foot light. Jesus. I get what you’re saying about the HID drain. The truth is. I just love them and over a few years and a lot of trial and error I managed to get them to run so cool, 1000wt lamps can be inches from the canopy. But it’s still using hid. And avoiding the reasons you underlinem My budget for the two 10x10 rooms was 10k. And I can get it all including top notch genetics about 8, 8500. I’m not sure how close LEDs can be to the canopy or even how much I’d need to fill out a 10x10 flower room. But if I pull air from an air conditioned closet pushing it through 8" ducting with another hi velocity fan between 2 and 3 and one 8"duct fan pulling it up attachedat the end I can get them so cool you can hold the round glass lamp housing in your hand … For as long as you want. Can get inches from the canopy. But. If I stock two 100sq foot rooms with ample LEDs… That’s gotta be in the 10s of thousands… Or is there a way to build them using strips that is cheaper?
Just my 2 cents…
1st thank you for your service. I salute any and all members of the armed forces. Good people
2nd they are sadly true. The game has changed… so to say. But the more things change the more things stay the same. Big biz killing the little guy… quarter million wont shake a stick at these million dollar growers.
3rd look into QB and COB. I know u said u like HID but if youre doing it for profit. Then u should think longterm profit. If u spend 10k$ on lights. The led’s will pay got themselves over the course of 2-3 grows in energy saved. Just browse this site (and a few more but deffo this one)
4 im high n forgot my other points but i wish you nothing but the best. Take it slow and easy. Like u say get ur feet wet on someone else’s dime. Set ur world up. And set it on 
Take a look at hlg and timber companies. The wall watts may seem low. But all that TRULY matters is wall wattage anyway. No one counts ‘equivalent watts’. Its pseudoscience. And the quality of the light. Most lights its 50 wattd per something… a good enough qb its more like 30-40 watts per square something. Seriously its a great investment if u have the cash anyway
I’m thinking more and more about the LEDs. That would make the ducting… most of it, and the 8 hi vel fans redudndant. I need to look into what the cost of enough led to pack a 10x10 room with buds. My supplier had a four foot light and it was 3000. Yeh 250k isn’t much. But I suffered dearly and hope I get it. I don’t wanna compete with the big guys. Which is a stupid thing to say cause I would be. I would just like to rely on the quality and offer a small alternative. The bottom line , truthfully. I just wanna grow. I just wanna grow. If I can get a job with a grow op and see about going to a state that allows the user to grow personal I. Think I’d be happy. Maybe.
1 Like
Hit reply too soon. I won’t know till I get out there and feel it out. Thanks for the help. I could live off my pension and growing is not about getting rich. I just love tending to , mixing soil, and watching them grow.
LEDs 30-40 watts per square foot?! Jesus. That’s like triple my budget just for the lights. But man, a lot of ppl are doing it. Let’s see what my settlement brings and decide there. I was gonna pump 4000 HID into each room . 50 per sqft would be 5000, but ik 4000 will grow buds wall to wall in a room that size. I hear ppl saying they build them? Does that cut much off the bottomline?
If you’re going to use LEDs, you’re going to need to do more research. The 30-40wsqft wont apply for a large commercial grow as it would for a small personal grow. You’re going to want your lights to output a certain PPFD and be uniform. I would look into Fluence lighting as a source for lights. 3000$ for a 4’ LED is a RIP dont buy that.
Fluence puts out a great light for commercial purposes. Look them up on youtube. A lot of commercial growers using their lights and seeing phenomenal results.
There are some cheaper options. Some reputable companies are Horticulture lighting group quantum boards. Timber Grow Lights. PLC, Apache, Amare.
1 Like