**Nute schedule placed at front of thread for easy access. First post starts below. Seed/Clone (mL/gallon) GH Series (Micro/Bloom/Grow) \n1/4 mL MBG 2mL Calmg 1mL Rapid Start \nVeg \n5mL MBG 2mL Calmg 1mL Rapid Start \nVeg-Flower transition \n7mL M 10mL B 5 ml G 5mL Koolbloom 5mL Floranectar 2mL Calmg 1mL SUPERTHRIVE \nFlower 8mL M 12mL B 5 mL G 8mL Koolbloom 8mL Floranectar ( only used week 3-5) 5mL Calmg 1mL superthrive \n\nFlower schedule is feeding every 3 days. Nutes - RO water with molasses (40mL/gallon) - water. Repeat. The last 2 week flush will be just the molasses feed. Once a month I'll add in 10mL/gal FloraKleen during the water cycle. This helps with my salty build-up. ************************************************************************************************************** Greetings fellow imbibers, I am designing a hydroponic grow room to go in an attic space. Before I start a journal, I had a few questions that I need help with. Instead of peppering the forum with a list of questions, I'll only pose a few. I have been researching this for about 6 months. 1. The tallest point in my attic is 7ft at the peak. When I drop down a 1000w light, that cuts off about a foot so that leaves me with 6ft of space. The light is dimmable so I can cut it back when the plants get close to it. Here is my question: what hydroponic system has the lowest footprint height-wise? I was originally thinking a home-made ebb and flow but that is way too high and leaves me little space to grow. What I may have to do is switch over to an ebb and Grow system as the pots sit directly on the floor. C.A.P. Custom Automated Products: Ebb & Gro 12 Grow Site System Complete w/ 55 gallon reservoir - NEW Version [EBB-12] - Hydroponic Systems - Grow Systems - Discount Specialty Farm, Greenhouse & Garden Supply Store - Horticulture Source I also found a pre-made ebb and flow system that is only 16" high. http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-Ebb-N-Flow-DWC-Hydroponic-System.asp What do you guys recommend? Can you top and crop plants enough to grow them successfully in a 4-5ft space? Keeping in mind that you need space between the plants and the light. Is there a better system (DWC perhaps?) that gives me more growing space? I still may attempt a DIY solution. In my veg room, my mothers and clones don't need all that space so my home-made ebb and flow unit will work just fine in there. 2. I am actually building a room within my attic. It will be framed, insulated and dry walled I am building a square opening to set a window air conditioner. The back side of the AC unit will vent into the attic (outside of the grow room) which is literally like 4 ft away from the soffit which is porous and leads directly to the outside. Any moisture drain I plan to reroute into a drain tube, run it over to the soffit, drill a hole and drop it down into my gutter downspout so no water will ever be seen dripping out of my soffits. My question: the back side of the AC unit will be in the hot attic (90 degrees or so)...will it be able to work without over heating? I am not an AC expert, but does the unit get it's air from the front panel and expel out the back? So if the air inside is cool, then the AC unit should be ok? Again, room within a room. Btw, I am using a cage fan to move the cold air into the veg room. I really look forward to any help I can get. Hopefully before too long I too will be winning [
wellcome to GC first.[quote name='Green Gun'] 1. The tallest point in my attic is 7ft at the peak. When I drop down a 1000w light, that cuts off about a foot so that leaves me with 6ft of space. The light is dimmable so I can cut it back when the plants get close to it. Here is my question: what hydroponic system has the lowest footprint height-wise? I was originally thinking a home-made ebb and flow but that is way too high and leaves me little space to grow. What I may have to do is switch over to an ebb and Grow system as the pots sit directly on the floor. if your plants are say 5ft tall and you turn down the light your going to reduce the light to the bottom of the plant. What do you guys recommend? Can you top and crop plants enough to grow them successfully in a 4-5ft space? Keeping in mind that you need space between the plants and the light. Is there a better system (DWC perhaps?) that gives me more growing space? I still may attempt a DIY solution. have a look at http://forum.grasscity.com/do-yourself/600352-budslingers-recirculating-bubble-buckets.html and this http://forum.grasscity.com/plant-training/48363-scrog-method.html 2. I am actually building a room within my attic. It will be framed, insulated and dry walled I am building a square opening to set a window air conditioner. The back side of the AC unit will vent into the attic (outside of the grow room) which is literally like 4 ft away from the soffit which is porous and leads directly to the outside. Any moisture drain I plan to reroute into a drain tube, run it over to the soffit, drill a hole and drop it down into my gutter downspout so no water will ever be seen dripping out of my soffits. My question: the back side of the AC unit will be in the hot attic (90 degrees or so)...will it be able to work without over heating? I am not an AC expert, but does the unit get it's air from the front panel and expel out the back? So if the air inside is cool, then the AC unit should be ok? Again, room within a room. QUOTE] ask jj in this thread , what he don't know about a/c is not worth knowing http://forum.grasscity.com/do-yourself/1064606-lets-convert-c-chiller.html i have all of the above apart from the a/c in my journal below if you want to see. hth middy
Midlife, Much thanks for your links. Threads go by so quickly here, that those threads would have been very hard for me to find. I will read them now. Thanks again!
Attics are a ruff place to grow in. It's 90 up there now and u want to put a 1000 watt light up there. I would recommend waiting till fall or winter to start. It will be almost impossible to keep those temps down to 75
That's my quandary. It's a puzzle for sure. But I will try to tackle it no matter what as the reward is worth the challenge Any and all input is invaluable to me. The enclosed rooms will be framed, insulated, and drywalled for as much shielding as possible. The flowering room is 6x6x7. The veg room 5x6x7. Powerful 16k btu AC unit placed in the flower room venting out a close side soffit. 2 strong fans moving air out of each room vented to the outside via side soffits. And squirrel fan moving cold air from flower room into veggie room. Plus an oscillating fan in each room. Lastly, I still have to board half of my attic floor yet...I am looking at about 2 months away from being up and running. I have a friend who grows commercially who will give me clones to start up with. Getting Jack the Ripper, Afgan Kush x White Widow, and Blue Dream Haze
Those sound like some good strains to run. If u start In 2 months you should be good to go depending on your state. That is y I dont do indoor during the summer. Where I live it like 100 all summer but my ladies out door are loving it. Sounds like u got a good grasp of what is going on can't wait to see it up and running.
Sgtstadanko, where I live its already in the 100's or high 90's. Do you have problems with it.being too hot outdoors? I had a crop already for spring from an auto but last season my 5 were killed off in the heat. I have switched to coco which makes it easier to water daily to cool them. I use pots...any advice?
[quote name='"lovetolearn"']Sgtstadanko, where I live its already in the 100's or high 90's. Do you have problems with it.being too hot outdoors? I had a crop already for spring from an auto but last season my 5 were killed off in the heat. I have switched to coco which makes it easier to water daily to cool them. I use pots...any advice?[/quote] Nope the love it. Check my journal " nor cal 2012" monsters and they're are other journals that still make me look small ( ok maybe like 2 or 3). I am a 215 patients so it's a little easier for me to do it.
One window AC for both the veg and flower rooms? For the veg or starting room I would look into T5 HO lgrow lights. If your looking into doing a perpetual grow I would do some research into like a DWC or bubble bucket Sea Of Green grow.
I am reading up on the SCROG method right now. I was looking into fluorescent lighting for the veggie room. Something much cooler and that has a very thin profile. I am trying to get most of this stuff worked out before I start construction which is soon. I am going to try to put a strong AC unit in the flower room and using a squirrel fan in that room, pump cold air into the veggie room. Here is a sketch of what Im thinking of. I have a central hallway splitting the two rooms. Due to the nature of having to take advantage of the tallest point in the room (the 7' ridge) this is the best way to use my space (imho). You can see that there is a 4' crawl space you have to come through to get to this section of the attic. About a 10 ft crawl. Yikes misspelled retaining wall heh The interior walls are just white plastic using the Green Man roll up wall scenario (1st 1:30): [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kapr9A_Z8NA&feature=related"]how to grow weed - part 2 - YouTube[/ame] When the lights are on in both rooms, I can open (roll up) both interior walls and cool the entire space.
You going to be venting the hot air up out high outside of the house? Also if smell is a concern then your going to want to look into a high velocity fan with a carbon scrubber. If doing a perpetual sea of green then a 1k light for that but since most sea of green grows are kept short you could probably use a T5 light for vegging anf clones.
I'll have a blower with a carbon filter in each room pushing air out. I have looked at T5s and still determining if I'll have enough room. But if SOG grows are shorter than that is what I'll be doing. As far as the AC, I had some help from JJ on how to make this work in the attic: http://forum.grasscity.com/do-yourself/1064606-lets-convert-c-chiller-5.html Getting very close to starting up this project and a journal.
[quote name='"Green Gun"'] I'll have a blower with a carbon filter in each room pushing air out. I have looked at T5s and still determining if I'll have enough room. But if SOG grows are shorter than that is what I'll be doing. As far as the AC, I had some help from JJ on how to make this work in the attic: http://forum.grasscity.com/do-yourself/1064606-lets-convert-c-chiller-5.html Getting very close to starting up this project and a journal.[/quote] Sog are kinda risky. Are u a legal grower. The only reason I ask is to get a descent yield u would need like 30-40 plants in 1 gal pots. That is alot of plants. If u were to get busted for what ever reason they just see that as u have 40 plays up there. Look into scrog. U could do like 4 plants and make them grow across the screen thus making more colas. The same out come u going or with 40 little plants.
Just be careful with an attic grow in the winter. You will be the only house without snow on the roof, assuming you live in such a climate...
Thanks for the tip. I am covered. And I am leaning towards doing a SCROG set up. Looks very doable I usually see snow that actually accumulates about 1 day a year. Excellent tip though if I ever take this show on the road
[quote name='"Green Gun"'] Thanks for the tip. I am covered. And I am leaning towards doing a SCROG set up. Looks very doable I usually see snow that actually accumulates about 1 day a year. Excellent tip though if I ever take this show on the road[/quote] That's good that u are covered legally. I as well. Mind I ask where u are going. Don't need the city and all maybe like north state of where ever.
Im more towards the middle of the country. I wonder what would be the cheapest best way to water proof a 6x6 wooden floor? I am thinking about a redundant system for water leakage protection. Which is paramount for an attic grow.
[quote name='"Green Gun"']Im more towards the middle of the country. I wonder what would be the cheapest best way to water proof a 6x6 wooden floor? I am thinking about a redundant system for water leakage protection. Which is paramount for an attic grow.[/quote] Plastics and at lowes or home depot or what ever hard ware store it's called " R-tech". It's is a plastic foam. It like styrofoam but thicker. It's water proof mold poof. They are light an come in sheets like 5x5 or something and they are only like 10-15 bucks. But that on top of the plastic and you should be good. It has worked well for me for more than 3 years now.
Thanks Sarge, I will look into that. I believe I am going to do the SCROG method. My only concern was that you have to do most of the training during the veggie phase. I am setting up a perpetual grow and would have trouble transplanting the plants embedded in the screen out of the veggie flood table over to the flowering room flood table. I think I have solved the problem by designing the grow tables to be easily moved. I will move the entire flood table from the veggie room to the flower room. I will just have to have my mothers and clones in a separate spot. Maybe a separate flood table. I really like the idea of fewer plants making a bigger yield. Combine that with my ceiling height challenge and we have a winner I only hope to get to be as good of farmers like you guys. It's a goal to strive for. I want my friends' eyes popping out when they see the final product hehe. Can you imagine: Lol j/k..