Questions about my grow design ???

[Pepe]

OK, here's my lastest idea for my grow box design. But before I want to explain my goal. I want to learn the Sea-Of-Green technique for a later larger bigger grow op. For the moment the efficiency and the productivity of the grow don't matter much. I just want to sharpen my skills at growing/cloning/nutes.

The grow box will be 24x24x72 inch (60x60x180 cm).
The first compartment at the bottom is the nutes reservoir (green and blue).
The inside walls of that compartment will be painted black to help absorb any light leaks into the nutes section.
The second compartment will be the grow chamber with the light (yellow) at the top connected to a can filter (red).
The E&F table (pink) will be on a self which can be raised or lowered as needed to adjust the distance to the light.
Air will come in from holes in the sides then move thought the plants, go into the light reflector to cool the light and then out the grow and into the can filter. This way only one fan can cool the grow, replenish CO2, cool the light and filter the air for smell prevention.
I didn't draw the inline 449 CFM fan which will be placed outside the grow just ahead of the can filter.
I will grow a mom in that room, once the mom is big enough to produce 10-20 clones the mom will be killed. Clones will be taken and eventually planted into the 12/12 SOG cycle using 5.5 inch mesh pots with clay pellets as the medium.
The grow box will be placed in the basement where ambient is usually around 10-15 C temp ( 50-60 F)
The light will be placed in a hood, not a cool tube. I don't like that the Pyrex glass of the cool tubes blocks some of the red spectrum of the light from getting to the grow.

So here are my questions:

- What's the biggest size bulb can I put in there? Will it be able to accommodate a 400W or will I be stuck with a 250W?

- This question for SOG experts: What should be the maximum distance between the light and the E&F table? Can I get away with a grow chamber of 4 ft (120 cm) total height? I could place the light on top of the cabinet if extra height is needed.

- Which strain would grow relatively short to minimize grow chamber height?

- Will this set up with a can filter be successful in completely preventing any smell?

- Knowing that cool tubes are better at keeping the grow cool, would I be better off with a hood and smaller 250W light or with a cool tube and a bigger 400W light?

- The equipment I have right now would only allow me to adjust the speed of the fan and a thermostat can turn the fan on or off as it gets too hot. Is there a way I can have the fan at idle speed with the thermostat cranking it to max speed when it gets too hot? This way I could have the fan working at idle speed all the time day or night but if it gets hotter, the fan would just bump up speed. Are there any components/tricks which would allow me to do this?

- Any other tricks/advise you wanna throw into the mix?

Cheers,
Pepe

[CoreyP]

I have a question. Are you planing on using this box for a SOG grow? If so it is not nearly big enough. Im sure you know that though... But if you are planing on using this for like 1 or 2 plants it should work fine. The best way to grow in this size box would be SCROG.



That is a sog grow. You need at least 2 rooms and they need to be of decent size. I probably just read your post wrong though. Are you asking if your box will work for 1 or 2 plants and ALSO asking a seperate question about sog?

[Pepe]

Originally Posted by CoreyP

I have a question. Are you planing on using this box for a SOG grow? If so it is not nearly big enough. Im sure you know that though... But if you are planing on using this for like 1 or 2 plants it should work fine. The best way to grow in this size box would be SCROG.



That is a sog grow. You need at least 2 rooms and they need to be of decent size. I probably just read your post wrong though. Are you asking if your box will work for 1 or 2 plants and ALSO asking a seperate question about sog?

SOG could most certainly work in a 2x2ft size grow. I saw a guy who could put 80 plants on a 4x4ft table so it stands to reason I could probably grow 20 plants on my tiny 2x2ft table.

Of course I probably won't grow that many at first, I will limit myself to maybe 10 plants and see if I can handle that. But the more I look at it the more I start to realize that for 10-20 plants or more squeezed into a 2x2 grow I would probably need a 400W lamp.

With SOG you can put very very young plants into the 12/12, as soon as your cuttings are fairly well rooted, you can put them in your 12/12 very close together. They will grow like a "bud on a stick" if you will, all buds being top buds and no significant growth beneath the top of the canopy.

A grow with that many plants is an amazing thing to see, a beauty really!

Now I know that doing SOG in a single box is not very efficient but I need to learn SOG and a single box is my only option right now. I don't want to learn any other technique and I can't have more then a single 2x2ft grow so that's the way it's going to have to be for now.

Cheers,
Pepe

[CoreyP]

Nah bro, i think you got it twisted. The whole point of sog is to grow ALOT of plants to make up for their small size. In a 2 ft space you couldnt grow very many plants at all even if they are small. So if you grow a few small plants in that (what i think is a very tiny space) then your harvest will be minuscule if any. You may want to rethink/rebuild this grow.

Also the "i dont want to learn any other technique" attitude isnt a very good one. Why not learn all you can? Learn something better suited to your space. Im not saying you cant grow a few plants in that tiny amount of space, im saying the number of plants you CAN grow in that space isnt going to be enough for a good sog harvest. And if this is all you the space you can have then that means you dont have space to keep a mother and get the clones started which is what keeps a sog going.

[ChilliWilly]

You want a 250 in that size cab, not a 400. I'd go for a scrog type grow. Nothing wrong with sog if that appeals though. I think you would be best to leave the flood tray fixed and move the light. Most growers use lamps with remote ballasts, and you can get cheap adjustable hangers for the reflector. For height, the best thing is to go for a shallow-shape res, and have the tray right on top
Go for an indica for low height, but with 6ft height, you should have plenty of room for more sativa types too.

[DrBudGreengenes]

Originally Posted by CoreyP

I have a question. Are you planing on using this box for a SOG grow? If so it is not nearly big enough.

Why would you say that it's not big enuff?
My SOG is in 2sq. ft. with CFL's ....210 watts,27 Plants....21 grams dried per plant....and I Harvest 3 per week
Im sure you know that though... But if you are planing on using this for like 1 or 2 plants it should work fine. The best way to grow in this size box would be SCROG.



That is a sog grow. You need at least 2 rooms and they need to be of decent size. I probably just read your post wrong though. Are you asking if your box will work for 1 or 2 plants and ALSO asking a seperate question about sog?

Nonsense ...."CoryP" have you ever managed a decent size SOG? or are you quoting some "Book Learnin"

[DrBudGreengenes]

Originally Posted by Pepe

SOG could most certainly work in a 2x2ft size grow. I saw a guy who could put 80 plants on a 4x4ft table so it stands to reason I could probably grow 20 plants on my tiny 2x2ft table.

Of course I probably won't grow that many at first, I will limit myself to maybe 10 plants and see if I can handle that. But the more I look at it the more I start to realize that for 10-20 plants or more squeezed into a 2x2 grow I would probably need a 400W lamp.

A 250 would work just fine....but the 400 would be better if you can keep the temp down

With SOG you can put very very young plants into the 12/12, as soon as your cuttings are fairly well rooted, you can put them in your 12/12 very close together. They will grow like a "bud on a stick" if you will, all buds being top buds and no significant growth beneath the top of the canopy.

A grow with that many plants is an amazing thing to see, a beauty really!

Now I know that doing SOG in a single box is not very efficient but I need to learn SOG and a single box is my only option right now. I don't want to learn any other technique and I can't have more then a single 2x2ft grow so that's the way it's going to have to be for now.
Keep momma alive in a 5 gallon bucket with a CFL in it and root clones in a tupperware bread box somewhere on a shelf..and turn this Opp. into a "Perpetual Harvest - SOG"
Looks like you will be fine
Cheers,
Pepe

Good Luck Bro...

[DrBudGreengenes]

Originally Posted by ChilliWilly

Go for an indica for low height, but with 6ft height, you should have plenty of room for more sativa types too.

Indys don't like to play along with the SOG game very well without a 2 week or so veg time.
Sativas and Heavy sativa mixes Now that is what SOG was developed for by the guys a SSSC years ago...cut clone ....root clone...flower clone...dry and Enjoy and repeate as needed

[Pepe]

Originally Posted by DrBudGreengenes

Indys don't like to play along with the SOG game very well without a 2 week or so veg time.
Sativas and Heavy sativa mixes Now that is what SOG was developed for by the guys a SSSC years ago...cut clone ....root clone...flower clone...dry and Enjoy and repeate as needed

With a Sativa strain, how tall do you expect the gurls to get if stretching is not an issue? I though that people prefer to use Indicas for SOG because those don't grow as high ?!?!