Advice for a second grow attempt

[zolrooker]

Hi guys, im back (not quite yet, but exploring the possibility).  Apologies in advance for the long-ish post.

I have been exploring possibilities on how i can start another grow without angering people at home lol. Theres a place that about 15 min away from where i work that i can rent for 1k a month excluding electricity etc. I spoke to the landlord and he has no issues with it as long as im discreet.

I was thinking of setting up something along these lines:

   -Start off with 80x80 grow tent with 4 plants.

   -Im not going to use any heaters etc as i dont want to pay too much for electricity.

This is probably going to cost me another +9k/grow minimum including rent. Not sure if im wasting money..

Rough breakdown on minimal spend:

R1700 Tent

Rent and electricity for 5 months approximately R7500

Seeds and soil: R500

 

Couple of things i want to add

   -add a small LTE router and a camera so i can monitor remotely. (Maybe R1k)

   -Perhaps a watering system that i can water remotely as well in case i go on holiday etc. (Maybe another 1k,  or more.. im not sure)

 

Might add later:

   -Might get a bigger light and second tent so i can veg in one and flower in one. (R7k)

 

What im worried about, is that since it is a remote location.. im going to have problems when there is load shedding. I have emergency lights but they dont work on a timer and have to be manually switched on and off.

 

So, i have 2 questions:

1. Could the lighting issue during load shedding going to be a big problem if i dont have easy access to the place? I really dont wanna drive there every time theres a power cut.. Is there an easy solution to this that someone recommends?

2. What do you guys think about this idea? What would you do in my situation? Am i wasting money and should i rather just buy? Less stress etc .

Im really caught in two minds so would appreciate any opinions from seasoned growers on whether you guys think this is a good idea, or whether this is probably going to be problematic, not ideal and stressfull?

 

Added: The main reason i started growing was to save some cash by growing my own.. but since i attempted my first grow that i had to shut down, i have grown a bit of an appreciation for this hobby . I wish i could smoke the fruits of my first grow so i would know if it was worth it to go out of my way like this to grow my own, or if i would be better off just buying any random stuff off the street. Unfortunately if i buy, then i dont buy inddor as i smoke alot and will end up spending a fortune on top qulaity bud from dealers... so i just buy the cheaper stuff usually and quality is up and down..

Edited September 3, 2020 by zolrooker

[Bakstein420]

Bru that just seems over the top to rent out space for a tent. If you dont mind me asking, what was the issue at home? Is it not possibly easier to work around that or find a compromise with the unhappy party?

[zolrooker]

5 minutes ago, Bakstein420 said:

Bru that just seems over the top to rent out space for a tent. If you dont mind me asking, what was the issue at home? Is it not possibly easier to work around that or find a compromise with the unhappy party?

No compromise unfortunately bro. Ive tried, trust me lol, hence my only option of renting out another place.

Only other option i have besides that tbh is to give someone my equipment, let them grow for me at their place and then split harvest 50-50

Edited September 3, 2020 by zolrooker

[West Coast Vaper]

No compromise unfortunately bro. Ive tried, trust me lol, hence my only option of renting out another place.
Only other option i have besides that tbh is to give someone my equipment, let them grow for me at their place and then split harvest 50-50

What part of the world you at? If you Cape Town side I have some space for you. That way you can grow and visit your skelm on the side.
I have 38 Durban Poison, 3 Strawberry Cheesecake and 1 Jack Berry I'll be moving into the shade house shortly.
So I have space indoors and out.
The reservation is about 30 minutes from Cape Town.

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[Fridge]

Hi @zolrooker, I tend to agree with @Bakstein420. 

Maybe first do the math and compare the costs for your monthly weed consumption against what your grow will cost in a month. If you would spend twice as much on weed from a dealer compared to just grow your own I'd say it's worth thinking about growing your own.

In case you should decide on growing your own I would suggest to work with autoflowers as loadshedding isn't going to mess with their light cycles too much.

One question remains. What would happen if the unhappy party will find out about your project?

[Fridge]

I would take @DamDave 's offer. Very generous man :).

[TheUltimateNoob]

 
So, i have 2 questions:
1. Could the lighting issue during load shedding going to be a big problem if i dont have easy access to the place? I really dont wanna drive there every time theres a power cut.. Is there an easy solution to this that someone recommends?
2. What do you guys think about this idea? What would you do in my situation? Am i wasting money and should i rather just buy? Less stress etc .
Im really caught in two minds so would appreciate any opinions from seasoned growers on whether you guys think this is a good idea, or whether this is probably going to be problematic, not ideal and stressfull?
 
Added: The main reason i started growing was to save some cash by growing my own.. but since i attempted my first grow that i had to shut down, i have grown a bit of an appreciation for this hobby . I wish i could smoke the fruits of my first grow so i would know if it was worth it to go out of my way like this to grow my own, or if i would be better off just buying any random stuff off the street. Unfortunately if i buy, then i dont buy inddor as i smoke alot and will end up spending a fortune on top qulaity bud from dealers... so i just buy the cheaper stuff usually and quality is up and down..

What's up brother man...

Okay, here are my responses;

1) Digital timers bro... Set it and forget it.
Whenever the power trips, it will be for 2 hours at a time. The backup battery in the timer will last 24hrs in order to keep the timings.

The only time this could cause a real problem is if you're growing photos and the 2 hours of shedding is at the end and beginning of the light cycle - essentially shortening 18 hours to 14 hours of light.

Some Sativa strains flower with a bit more than 12 hours of light so I would be careful about what strains I select for this process if you go through with it.

Whatever you want to turn on or off every day, use a timer so you don't have to be there all the time.

When I experience load shedding, I do nothing bro - mainly because I can't do anything... I just let my trees sit in the dark in their environments until the lights come back on. My extraction and everything shuts off.


I don't think load shedding is going to cause you much issues, just slightly smaller yield if its severely affecting your light hours.


...........
2) I think the plan is a bit much because of renting a new space, but I do understand, if you can't grow at home - sometimes it's just simple as that.

This does mean, however, the landlord now knows where your grow is going to be... And that's kinda sensitive info.

So taking that into consideration, I say your plan is viable. It would just be slightly more stressful because your plants and equipment will be on someone else's property and you won't be there all the time.

I wouldn't advise you to start buying again either, it's way too expensive bro. A plan can be made, don't lose hope.

Home grown indoor is amazing if you do it right, dry slowly, and cure for 3 weeks minimum... Its better than anything I've bought and cost me a fraction per gram compared to street prices.


..................
The idea of running your grow at someone else's place isn't bad at all, I would be interested in helping you out honestly - to the best of my ability.
We can talk more in the PMs about that though if you want.

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[afternoon blazer]

Honestly bro. Thats steep cash to spend especially since u still starting out. 

What happens in 3 months for whatever reason u gota stop. 

The investment is too high for the reward right now.

Dave has a awsome solution if u in that area. But if u not. Maybe u gota look for someone like Dave in ur Area.

 

[zolrooker]

What part of the world you at? If you Cape Town side I have some space for you. That way you can grow and visit your skelm on the side.
I have 38 Durban Poison, 3 Strawberry Cheesecake and 1 Jack Berry I'll be moving into the shade house shortly.
So I have space indoors and out.
The reservation is about 30 minutes from Cape Town.

Sent from my DRA-LX5 using Tapatalk

Thanks for the offer brother! Unfortunately I'm in Gauteng, the Vaal area. You've got a good thing going there, I love it

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[zolrooker]

Hi @zolrooker, I tend to agree with @Bakstein420. 
Maybe first do the math and compare the costs for your monthly weed consumption against what your grow will cost in a month. If you would spend twice as much on weed from a dealer compared to just grow your own I'd say it's worth thinking about growing your own.
In case you should decide on growing your own I would suggest to work with autoflowers as loadshedding isn't going to mess with their light cycles too much.
One question remains. What would happen if the unhappy party will find out about your project?

I'll be spending way more growing it. Probably like double tbh

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[zolrooker]

What's up brother man...

Okay, here are my responses;

1) Digital timers bro... Set it and forget it.
Whenever the power trips, it will be for 2 hours at a time. The backup battery in the timer will last 24hrs in order to keep the timings.

The only time this could cause a real problem is if you're growing photos and the 2 hours of shedding is at the end and beginning of the light cycle - essentially shortening 18 hours to 14 hours of light.

Some Sativa strains flower with a bit more than 12 hours of light so I would be careful about what strains I select for this process if you go through with it.

Whatever you want to turn on or off every day, use a timer so you don't have to be there all the time.

When I experience load shedding, I do nothing bro - mainly because I can't do anything... I just let my trees sit in the dark in their environments until the lights come back on. My extraction and everything shuts off.


I don't think load shedding is going to cause you much issues, just slightly smaller yield if its severely affecting your light hours.


...........
2) I think the plan is a bit much because of renting a new space, but I do understand, if you can't grow at home - sometimes it's just simple as that.

This does mean, however, the landlord now knows where your grow is going to be... And that's kinda sensitive info.

So taking that into consideration, I say your plan is viable. It would just be slightly more stressful because your plants and equipment will be on someone else's property and you won't be there all the time.

I wouldn't advise you to start buying again either, it's way too expensive bro. A plan can be made, don't lose hope.

Home grown indoor is amazing if you do it right, dry slowly, and cure for 3 weeks minimum... Its better than anything I've bought and cost me a fraction per gram compared to street prices.


..................
The idea of running your grow at someone else's place isn't bad at all, I would be interested in helping you out honestly - to the best of my ability.
We can talk more in the PMs about that though if you want.

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Thanks brother, great info as alway. Lots of things to consider. Might delay for now and just buy.. Will see how it goes

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[zolrooker]

Honestly bro. Thats steep cash to spend especially since u still starting out. 
What happens in 3 months for whatever reason u gota stop. 
The investment is too high for the reward right now.
Dave has a awsome solution if u in that area. But if u not. Maybe u gota look for someone like Dave in ur Area.
 

Yep bro, lots of things to consider. I already feared spending all that cash only for it to not materialize again lol

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[West Coast Vaper]

Thanks for the offer brother! Unfortunately I'm in Gauteng, the Vaal area. You've got a good thing going there, I love it

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I'll name a few after you in dedication to your loss. Sorry about your logistical problem bud.

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[TheUltimateNoob]

Thanks brother, great info as alway. Lots of things to consider. Might delay for now and just buy.. Will see how it goes

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Always a pleasure

Yeah give it some thought man, don't rush the decision...

I thought of this while trying to figure out a solution;

Renting a space for the sole purpose of having it as a grow space would be in a grey area with the new cannabis bill as the bill only states limits based on the number of individuals residing on the premises.

No one would be staying at your new grow space, it could be used against you in legal terms.
.........
Its just another risk IMO... Any thoughts on that part guys? I'm really not sure about it.



I've also heard of this club that grows your seeds for you at a fee every month until the product is shipped out to you... I can't remember what it's called exactly, but they don't sell weed - they simply charge for the service of growing your trees with everything in pre and post harvest taken care of.

If it sounds more viable to you, maybe do some searching on it.

I really wouldn't want to run my personal grow away from me, but if I had to, I'd rather have it at a facility than a rented space.

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[Q9550]

https://thehazeclub.co.za

40 minutes ago, TheUltimateNoob said:

I've also heard of this club that grows your seeds for you at a fee every month until the product is shipped out to you... I can't remember what it's called exactly, but they don't sell weed - they simply charge for the service of growing your trees with everything in pre and post harvest taken care of.

 

[TheUltimateNoob]

https://thehazeclub.co.za
 

This is the one

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[afternoon blazer]

On 9/3/2020 at 5:02 PM, DamDave said:

What part of the world you at? If you Cape Town side I have some space for you. That way you can grow and visit your skelm on the side.
I have 38 Durban Poison, 3 Strawberry Cheesecake and 1 Jack Berry I'll be moving into the shade house shortly.
So I have space indoors and out.
The reservation is about 30 minutes from Cape Town.

Sent from my DRA-LX5 using Tapatalk
 

Uhhh Dave. Whats going on here btw? starting a farm.

[West Coast Vaper]

Uhhh Dave. Whats going on here btw? starting a farm.

Yeeeah! You know. Bag seed from a buddy who got it from another buddy of ours who does hydro.
Germinated 4 and FCUK all happened. Had a Dammit Dave moment and chucked the rest of the bag in paper towel. Ta Da.
So yeah, looks like farm.
Gonna have to put a few directly into the ground as I can't keep up with the soil.


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[PsyCLown]

So my thinking is, if you're paying a set price for the space then you need to maximize on the space to drop your cost per gram.

 

So regardless of the size of the space you'll be paying for, you want to fill it and use as much as possible.

 

This way if you get say 250g dry from an 80 x 80 tent the cost per gram will be higher than if you put a bigger tent in and yield say 1kg dry.

 

So starting with one of the smallest tents available, not the route I'd go for.

Due to the costs and hassle, I'd want to try bang out a grow and have that yield sustain me for a while - how much do you smoke a month on average? How long would 1.2kg dry last you?

 

The main expense is always the first grow due to the equipment required, after that the equipment has already been bought so further grows are far cheaper.

It's always easier if you can find a friend to go half / half with you so you're not out of pocket as much and you both score in the end.

 

I wouldn't be worried about load shedding, just something you gotta live with. If it starts try adjust your light cycles in such a way that the load shedding has minimal effect on the plants and you're still able to check on them during their light cycle etc.

 

Keep in mind, with equipment you can recoup some costs by selling it later on if you decide to stop or want to upgrade.

With growing vs buying bud, the savings come in monthly as you're not forking out for the bud anymore - perhaps it's going towards your grow now but the biggest difference is you'll be smoking quality indoor vs shit outdoor.

I'm spoilt. I don't remember what it's like to grind bud with seeds. All the bud I smoke hits hard, I actually got some outdoor from a friend, it was a small skinny bud. Smaller than a pinky. Had seeds and I had to smoke 3 bowls to get the same effect as my indoor. It was shit outdoor, good outdoor would be better obviously.

 

What is the main goal here? Save costs on buying bud? Or end up with a better quality smoke for similar money every month?

 

Edit: how is the person going to accurately charge you for the electricity you use?

 

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[afternoon blazer]

47 minutes ago, DamDave said:

Yeeeah! You know. Bag seed from a buddy who got it from another buddy of ours who does hydro.
Germinated 4 and FCUK all happened. Had a Dammit Dave moment and chucked the rest of the bag in paper towel. Ta Da.
So yeah, looks like farm.
Gonna have to put a few directly into the ground as I can't keep up with the soil.


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Ya bro. I was just thinking how the hell u gona manage with soil and nutez for all those

[zolrooker]

So my thinking is, if you're paying a set price for the space then you need to maximize on the space to drop your cost per gram.
 
So regardless of the size of the space you'll be paying for, you want to fill it and use as much as possible.
 
This way if you get say 250g dry from an 80 x 80 tent the cost per gram will be higher than if you put a bigger tent in and yield say 1kg dry.
 
So starting with one of the smallest tents available, not the route I'd go for.
Due to the costs and hassle, I'd want to try bang out a grow and have that yield sustain me for a while - how much do you smoke a month on average? How long would 1.2kg dry last you?
 
The main expense is always the first grow due to the equipment required, after that the equipment has already been bought so further grows are far cheaper.
It's always easier if you can find a friend to go half / half with you so you're not out of pocket as much and you both score in the end.
 
I wouldn't be worried about load shedding, just something you gotta live with. If it starts try adjust your light cycles in such a way that the load shedding has minimal effect on the plants and you're still able to check on them during their light cycle etc.
 
Keep in mind, with equipment you can recoup some costs by selling it later on if you decide to stop or want to upgrade.
With growing vs buying bud, the savings come in monthly as you're not forking out for the bud anymore - perhaps it's going towards your grow now but the biggest difference is you'll be smoking quality indoor vs shit outdoor.
I'm spoilt. I don't remember what it's like to grind bud with seeds. All the bud I smoke hits hard, I actually got some outdoor from a friend, it was a small skinny bud. Smaller than a pinky. Had seeds and I had to smoke 3 bowls to get the same effect as my indoor. It was shit outdoor, good outdoor would be better obviously.
 
What is the main goal here? Save costs on buying bud? Or end up with a better quality smoke for similar money every month?
 
Edit: how is the person going to accurately charge you for the electricity you use?
 
Sent from my Redmi Note 7 Pro using Tapatalk
 
 
 
 

Hey bro, if I rent the place then the plan is to eventually put 2 tents in there. 1 for veg and one for flower...then I can harvest every couple of months or so. The room has its own meter, so I'll be paying 100% for the electricity I use. Don't think I'm gonna go that route for now though. Gonna try and find someone to go 50-50 with for now.. If I don't then I might explore the possibility of renting a place next year, or even just abandon the idea altogether

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[Teal Smith]

Hi @zolrooker , I'was recently also looking for ways around load shedding... The eventual and ultimate answer for me was to use autoflower. They don't mind the on/off during the light cycle like the photo periodics. You could even leave them on 24/0, no dark at all if you wanted. Obviously they still need light to grow so on days where Eskom load sheds 3 times or more it can slow down growth alot unless you have power backup. I also installed a UPS. Looks like you're not going to go that route but if you do at some point, beware that AC fans do not run properly on square or modified sine wave inverters - they need Pure Sine Wave otherwise will become damaged over time. They also end up draining battery life way faster than they should. But PSW are pricey. The easiest and cheapest solution for me was to go with auto. Oh, and if you're near the coast it's always good to have backup for ventilation and air movement as PM can set in fast. Good luck, sounds interesting what you're planning. I like the IP camera idea to monitor remotely. 

[zolrooker]

Hi @zolrooker , I'was recently also looking for ways around load shedding... The eventual and ultimate answer for me was to use autoflower. They don't mind the on/off during the light cycle like the photo periodics. You could even leave them on 24/0, no dark at all if you wanted. Obviously they still need light to grow so on days where Eskom load sheds 3 times or more it can slow down growth alot unless you have power backup. I also installed a UPS. Looks like you're not going to go that route but if you do at some point, beware that AC fans do not run properly on square or modified sine wave inverters - they need Pure Sine Wave otherwise will become damaged over time. They also end up draining battery life way faster than they should. But PSW are pricey. The easiest and cheapest solution for me was to go with auto. Oh, and if you're near the coast it's always good to have backup for ventilation and air movement as PM can set in fast. Good luck, sounds interesting what you're planning. I like the IP camera idea to monitor remotely. 

Thanks bud. I want to do fems to start out with, but will see what happens in future. I've got an inverter, but just need new batteries for it.

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[West Coast Vaper]

Ya bro. I was just thinking how the hell u gona manage with soil and nutez for all those

I've got access to a soil specially made for veld and fynbos propagation and seedlings. My first grow seemed to be ok in that soil what with me not knowing what I was doing. Only thing I added was water.
To make my soil stretch l have bought a bag of just cannabis soil, coir, perlite and vermiculite. Mixing 1 bag my soil, 1 bag craft soil and the extras. Gonna run a test on that and look into food of a sort for the various growth stages. Open to suggestions.


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[GGG]

In general a mix like that would be fine for veg, can do tea's for flower or Flowering nutes like Biobizz or Dirtyhandsinc.

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