Welcome to the forums and thus our lovely community @DeadW8life.
Reading your into and the back story gave me a nice smile, yes much has changed but much is still the same.
As @dbrn32 cleared up for you SOG is still the ideal method for yeild but many shy away from it for a handful of reasons, legality, wanting variety (there is so much and it’s easily obtainable today), as well as the space to keep a mother plant healthy.
When it comes to nutrients as @Covertgrower mentioned our first recommendation will be Jack’s nutrients. It’s a 3 part dry nutrient that is hydro quality and checks all the boxes including price, performance, ease of use.
However ignore their sales pitch, just get Jack’s part A, a bag of calcium nitrate which can be found anywhere but jacks sells it also as part B, some Epson salts or magnesium sulfate which also can be found anywhere.
A bottle of PH up and PH down will be needed as well as a cheap TDS pen and a decent PH pen, we recommend Apera starter kit with all the calibration fluid however bluelabs or Hanna also see reliable tools.
If we can all back up and start from the first part in any system it would be your space, 3x5 you said? What are the exact measurements including height?
A 3x4x5 tent can be purchased very easily however modifying the space yourself will give you more room, this means lining the space with mylar you can purchase online or by painting it flat white.
Is there a window nearby or what were you thinking in terms of exhausting your oxygen rich air?
When it comes to exhaust fans AC infinity is making some of the most affordable top quality fans and tents, they have controllers in their T series and a T6 would be ideal for your space.
A cheap duct fan can be used, the standard ones but as your probably aware they are fairly loud and a controller will have to be purchased separately. The downside to aftermarket controllers is they will only be able to control the exhaust fan on one variable, humidty or temperature, even if it can detect both. The AC infinitys however can monitor and control the fan according to both temperature and humidity at the same time. The controllers are key to keeping variables ideal inside the grow space which allows better plant growth.
Next would be your lighting, if you have a bit of time and some basic tools you can build your own which will allow for the most ideal setup and cost. A lighting thread in the lighting section called DIY lighting is the place to discuss this and @dbrn32 leads that conversation along side many other members who enjoy this aspect of the hobby. LED’s are definitely the way to go, if your set on buying something HLG is our favorite American manufacturer, ChilLED has some nice stuff and Growers Choice. If you prefer cost savings and don’t mind Chinese products with the Korean led diodes all the companies are using then Kingbrite from Alibaba would be your go to. Personally I use both HLG and kingbrites, many refuse to buy the Chinese products however due to the overwhelming amount of garbage they flood our markets with however kingbrite is a solid producer who has been proven within the growing community and they products have their own advantages like low cost, water proof options, uva led’s into the boards, etc. This is a highly personal choice and a point of some tension at times such as Ford vs Subaru rally cars if you will lol
Once your space and lighting is chosen then the decision of plant count and growing medium will be your main focus.
Most experinced growers will recommend shying away from soil, unless that’s your goal, soil organic only etc. Organic can also be done in a soil less medium however like coco and coco is the most popular option, due to all soil less options allowing for direct nutrient access leading to bigger yeilds in a much shorter time. There are hydro options and aeroponic options as well however they do have a sharper learning curve and a low tolerance for error in trade for huge yeilds.
Seaa of green or what are your thoughts to fill your new space? It’s totally personal so don’t let anyone tell you that you have to grow this method or these type of plants.
One of my top recommendations is to consider a system of auto watering with a gravity feed reservoir, that water can be just water if you choose to go soil or it can be nutrient water like I use and run nutrients through coco medium.
There are a couple key reasons for this:
#1 you can leave your plants alone and don’t need to water everyday, they self water as they need it and it does a flood and drain with a 3 way valve this allows you more freedom to enjoy your garden or get out of the house Durring the week/weekend.
#2 when running coco or any other soil less nutrient in a traditional system we must always feed & water to 20% run off, this means that runoff needs to be collected daily by you and then you have waste water to deal with. This is also not the most environmentally friendly option. While autopots are a bottom feed system and the only waste water that is left is when you clean your reservoir bottom once and a while. So again you avoid becoming a slave to the watering of plants.
#3 many see improved yeilds.
Here is a guide (at the end of the first post hit the blue be that reads Summerize this thread, to speed things up if you don’t wish to read every single post but the first post is the most important)
So there is a couple key things to consider, again any questions feel free to ask and tag us. When someone doesn’t know for sure they will often give an opinion and tag other members more experienced members for clarity.
On the forums you can tag a person (it will give them a specific notification so they know to read your post) simple use the @ symbol and then type their name with no space @ nicky will show as @Nicky