by Nebula Haze
See Other Examples of Cannabis Growing Setups
600W Premium LED Grow Setup
Grow light: HLG Blackbird LED grow light
- Average Yields: 11-22 oz ounces (22 oz is 1.5 pounds)
- Plants: Recommended 2-8 plants
- Optimal grow space is a 4’x4’x6.5′ grow tent
- Actual Power Consumption: About 600W at full power, and can be dimmed down to as little as 100W for younger plants or if the temperature is getting too high
- How Far to Keep from Plants: 24-30″ from the top of plants in the vegetative stage, and 20-24″ away in the flowering stage (watch plants for signs of light stress)
HLG Blackbird LED grow light – great seed-to-harvest cannabis grow light designed a 4’x4′ grow tent that can produce up to 1.5 pounds of buds per grow
Estimated Setup Cost: $995 plus seeds
- Includes everything you need to get started: LED grow light, grow tent, fan, carbon filter, grow medium, plant pots, and nutrients
About the HLG Blackbird LED Grow Lights in this Cannabis Growing Setup
HLG has been serving the cannabis community for years, and test all their lights specifically on cannabis plants. They currently produce my favorite LEDs for growing weed and offer a variety of sizes and options to help cannabis growers whether they want to grow small or grow big. Under HLGs, I’ve found plants grow fast and healthy, producing some of the best LED yields of all the models I’ve tried.
Pros: The HLG Blackbird is a reasonably priced 600W LED grow light that offers the same or better yields and bud quality than any 600W LED grow light I’ve found in its price range. They are designed specifically to be used in a 4’x4’x6.5′ grow tent to grow cannabis from seed to harvest, and are lighter and easier to install than equivalent wattage LEDs I’ve used in the past. The diode spread and reflector system seems to get the same amount of light to nearly the whole tent, without major “hot spots” in the middle like LEDs from the past.
Cons: They cost more than a “generic” 600W LED.
Estimated Cost: $995 plus the cost of seeds
Summary of what’s in this HLG Blackbird LED cannabis grow light setup
Complete Grow Supply List
This cannabis grow room setup list includes all the supplies you need to get to harvest.
HLG Blackbird LED Grow Light (600 watts, can be dimmed down to as little as 100W)
HLG Blackbird LED grow light (designed to be used from seed to harvest)
- Yields: 11-22 oz per harvest
- Simple to use and hang. Works exactly as you’d expect.
- Great to use from seed to harvest (the spectrum works well for all cannabis stages of life)
- Runs much cooler than a 600W HPS or other common grow lights that produce yields this high
Cost: $700
HLG Blackbird can produce up to 22 oz of weed when used as instructed
This setup can grow many plants at once so you get a good amount of strain choice for one LED light
Grow Space
- Grow Tent Recommended Sizes
- 4’x4’x6.5′ – an example is the CoolGrows 48”x48”x80” Grow Tent
- Learn more about grow tents
- Cost: $100
- Exhaust Fan + Carbon Filter Kit
- When you’re growing enough weed to fill a 4×4 tent, you need to make sure that smell isn’t escaping. A good fan and a reliable filter will take care of this problem.
- Example: Vivosun Exhaust Fan + Air Filtration Kit
- Cost: $130
A 4’x4’x6.5′ grow tent is ideal for an HLG Blackbird LED grow light
Add a fan and carbon filter to vent heat away from your plants and filter the smell of weed.
Plant Pots
I prefer fabric pots or air pots because cannabis plants grow faster when their roots get air from the sides. However, the extra air from the sides also means that fabric pots and air pots need to be watered more often than standard hard-sided plant pots for the same size plant. Both types work great for growing cannabis indoors. Often the best plant pot is whatever is cheap and easy for you to get.
- Recommended: Fabric pots between 2-7 gallons (any fabric pots work great so I pick whatever is cheap or looks the best to me)
Cost: $20
These 5-gallon fabric pots work great in this setup
Grow Medium (Soil, Coco, Hydro)
Grow mediums can include coco coir or soil (hydroponics for more advanced growers) but if you’re not sure, a coco-based soil like Coco Loco is perfect for beginners.
- Recommended Soil: One 2 cu ft bag bag of coco-based soil with perlite should be able to fill 15 gallons worth of pots. For example, it will fill 5 x 3-gallon fabric pots.
Cost: ~$40
Coco Loco is a coco-based rich airy soil that cannabis plants thrive in
Nutrients
Many nutrient systems have a nutrient schedule so you give your plants the right ratios for each stage of life. Basically, you use a “vegetative” or all-purpose plant nutrient for the first part of your plant’s life and a “bloom” or low-nitrogen nutrients when buds are forming. Tip: Always start at half-strength with a new base nutrient system since the recommended amount can be too high for cannabis plants.
Recommended Nutrients: Dyna-Gro Grow + Bloom nutrient combo is excellent, cheap, and easy to use for growing cannabis indoors.
- Dyna-Gro “Grow”: Give 1 tsp per gallon of water during the vegetative stage.
- Dyna-Gro “Bloom”: Give 1 tsp/gallon of water after buds start forming.
Cost: $20
Dyna-Gro Grow + Bloom is my recommended nutrient system for any grower that doesn’t know what to get. One bottle for veg, one bottle for after buds start forming. 1 tsp/gallon. Can be used in any grow medium from soil to hydro. Super simple!
Other Supplementary Items
- Get your seeds – $10-15/seed (on average, can be more or less depending on the breeder)
- 24-Hour Timer (to put your grow lights on a timer so the plants get a day and night period on a schedule) – $10
- Water containers (I personally use a 3-gallon or 5-gallon water jug to mix up nutrients, but anything can work) – Much cheaper at Wal-Mart ($5-15) than online!
- Extra 1/8″ Rope Ratchets (sooooo handy) – These can be used to hang your grow light or carbon filter from inside the tent, and still be able to easily move it up and down without needing any strength. Your grow light usually comes with a set of rope ratchets, but it’s a great idea to get an extra set to hang the carbon filter – $15
- Thermometer/Humidity Monitor with a probe so you can keep track of the temperature inside the tent – $15
- PH Test Kit – Prevent potential nutrient deficiencies by testing the water pH – $20
- Measuring spoons for measuring out your nutrients (many people already have these) – $10
Estimated Total Cost: $995+ plus the cost of seeds
- $995 includes the grow light, grow tent, fan, smell filtering, plant pots, coco coir grow medium, and basic nutrients
- Optional extras add to the cost
