Pubdate: Thu, 01 May 2003 Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON) Copyright: 2003, Canoe Limited Partnership Contact: http://www.fyiottawa.com/ottsun.shtml Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329 Author: Jason Blotchford, Sun Media Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) WEEDING BACK ON EXPENSES It takes less than $1,500 to get a personal grow operation up and running with six plants flowering every six to eight weeks. A Toronto man named Gary set his up in his basement with two 400-watt metal halide bulbs which cost about $400 each. One is for the vegetative stage when the plant needs light 24 hours a day, the other for the flowering stage when the plant needs light for 12 hours. "I figure that's about the maximum wattage you can use without raising eyebrows at Toronto Hydro," said Gary, who rents a Toronto house and has his utility bill included in the rent. Gary does not believe in electricity theft. He doesn't want an increase of more than 20% in power usage. One hour with his bulbs costs 6 cents. Multiply that by 36 hours (one day's lighting) and that's $2.16 per day or $64.80 a month. "That's not going to set off alarm bells," Gary said. Grow Room The grow room needs to be about 2x3 metres and about 2 metres high. Gary's is entirely covered in a layer of Mylar reflective material, which cost him about $50. Gary uses a small $40 fan to remove air from the area and gently blow the plants when the lights are on. This is to keep the room cool (25C) and supply fresh CO2. For the first three weeks, plants are under light all the time and are fertilized with a 20-20-20 mixture after the first set of leaves show. "I just have to be sure not to over-fertilize," Gary said. "That's a classic mistake." Finally, Gary needs planter boxes, pots and good seeds to get the plants going. Seeds are sold through the Internet and can cost anywhere from $100-300 for "Good seeds can make or break an operation," Gary said. "I make sure not to scrimp." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake