This is only my 3rd grow, so I'm totally open to any advice or tips. I wanna really pump out as much as possible from these 5 plants. Strain: Critical Hog, By T.H Seeds Veg Period Length: 50 Days Flowering Week: 3 Lighting: 1200W HPS (2 600's in Air Cooled Hoods) Container: 7 Gal Root Pouches Medium: Soil (TGA Super Soil) Nutrients: None Supplements: Cal-Mag+, Roots Organics Trinity, Botanicare Silica Blast Training/Cropping/Techniques: All Plants Super Cropped, Topped, And Lollipopped Multiple Times, As Well As Tied And Trained As Needed. Air Movement: 3 Oscillating Fans, Five 6" 250cfm Inline Fans (3 Exhaust, 2 Intake) Air Treatment: 1 Air Purifier (Running 24/7) 1 Dehumidifier (Used As Needed) Odor Elimination: None I think that's everything. So again, If anybody has any advice or tips, I'm all ears. I wanna yield as much as possible without using synthetic nutrients.
Top Shelf, Why are you using so many inline fans? Especially the intake ones? I always have been told open holes serve as well as they need to compared to using a fan for intake. I've understood intake inline fans are just needed when ALOT of ducting is used. How much is your total wattage JUST FOR YOUR 5 Fans? If it is 500 watts going 24/7 that adds up to $43.20 per month on electricity alone... just for ventilation! .5 kw x 24 hours = 12 kwh/pday x 30 days = 360 kwh/per month x $0.12 per kwh = $43.20 spent on ventilation EVERY MONTH. HAVE you considered taking a few hours to rethink your ventilation so it could produce the same results? It could save you HUGE.
The fans are only 30W a piece, and I pay $.08/kwh. I'm a fresh air snob, but it's mainly to assist in cooling the 12x12 room, and of course the 2 lights. It gets too warm with just vented intake, which is how i started, so I added intake fans. Also 2 of the inlines turn off at night (1 in and 1 out). I could get the same results from fewer higher powered fans, but I got mine cheap and like the different points of intake/exhaust I can achieve with multiple fans. Thanks for the tip though, and I will consider other options! .15 kw x 24 hours = 3.6 kwh/pday x 30 days = 108 kwh/per month x $0.08 per kwh = $8.64 spent on ventilation each month.
I second the vent advice! Drop the extra inlines. If you don't have the funds to get one rated for your space then use 2-3 of the ones you already got. _________________ Check out my Journal!!! http://forum.grasscity.com/absolute-beginners/1307645-first-grow-organic-northern-lights-pc-grow.html
I appreciate the tips, though I'm not sure the reasoning for doing that? If it's very cost effective to run them (8 bucks a month), and they adequately do the job of refreshing the air in the 120 square foot room, why change them out for anything? I can take and give air in very specific areas with multiple points of intake/exhaust, and it's already all rigged up with lots of ducting going through walls and such. 3 of them are alone needed to cool the hoods, then the other 2 help boost fresh, cooler air into the room. Without the 2 forced intakes I couldn't get the room cool enough. I tried just vented, then moved to 1 intake, but in the end I needed 2. My room is around 85 with all that going, but rises above 93 without the forced intake.
Wow! Well with temps that high, I think there's a bigger problem. What's your ambient temps like? Also, you put that you have no odor control, do you not need it? Or just don't have it yet? _________________ Check out my Journal!!! http://forum.grasscity.com/absolute-beginners/1307645-first-grow-organic-northern-lights-pc-grow.html
I should rephrase that. Those are temps at the canopy, which is rather close to my lights, but not too close. Probably right at the limit, but they have no issues, or signs of heat stress whatsoever. Very lush growth, even coloring, no spotting, leaves pointed up as they should be, no curling or crisping. With peak temps of 85 at the canopy, they are doing just fine. It's a large room, and when you heat the whole thing up, it takes a good amount to cool it down. With all my fans going, air temps 5 feet from plants sits around 78-79. All these numbers are basing it on a clear average sunny day, with ambient outside temps of 70. That makes it roughly 75-77 in the house itself (16 very large windows and 23 foot vaulted ceilings makes for a very hot cedar cabin), and the room is on the 3rd floor, so it gets warm up there on it's own. And yeah, no need for odor control. Out in the woods, big cabin. Neighbors are few and far between, so I'm not bothering anybody. And I'm medical, so I don't need to hide anything.
Haha yea with my little micro grow, it feels like I had the best growth when I was having temp problems. From what I read, if you had the "ideal" environment w/temps where there should be your crop will thrive! Do you have a fan for circulation on the canapy? That should get your temps to where they need to be. At the very least get them down to atleast 79 _________________ Check out my Journal!!! http://forum.grasscity.com/absolute-beginners/1307645-first-grow-organic-northern-lights-pc-grow.html
I'm not having any issues with growth, they seem to be thriving how they are And yes, 3 oscillating fans. I'm sure as the fans pass over the canopy it lowers the temps, but my meter still reads 85 pretty constantly. I'm fine with the heat as is, and it seems the plants are too.
NICE! Hey bud, if it ain't broke don't fix this. I was subbed a while ago. Glad ur journal is a rollin!