Perpetual Harvest Setup

Discussion in 'Grow Room Design/Setup' started by Pixel8dXomb13, May 25, 2015.

  1. #1 Pixel8dXomb13, May 25, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: May 25, 2015
    Alrighty, so I am about to chage things up a bit in my grow room. What I have going now is a 4x4x7 tent in my 10x10 grow room. I  grow from seed to harvest in the tent. I start with CFLs for sprouts and then move to 600w MH, and eventually HPS for flowering. I have been growing for over a year now indoors (working on my 5th harvest) and there are a few things I need to change. Number one: too much weed. I grow more than I can smoke and selling it is too risky. Number two: I want a smaller plant count.
     
    So I want to use my space differently. I have the 4x4 tent, and a 5x2 work bench beside it. I want to use the 4x4 tent to flower using a 300w LED I have, and I want to veg under the work bench with a 4 bulb 4ft t5 HO. Two plants vegging, two plants flowering at all times. I will pull a clone from the plants I put in flower each time. I will be growing my two favorite strains so far, White Widow and Girl Scout Cookies.
     
    So my questions are:
     
    1. Can I use a 300w LED in a 4x4 tent for two plants? I was considering hanging up a mylar partition using a 4x4 piece I have lying around to make it a 2x4 and using the other space for storage. I don't know though. Is it feasible to maybe use the whole space? Should I make it smaller?
     
    2. How hot, exactly, do LED lights run? I have no experience with them, but I have heard they are significantly cooler compared to HIDs. I know I can grow right up to my T5 HOs and not worry about burning them. With summer coming and no AC in my grow room, heat is a concern. And running an AC unit may be a little too conspicuous in my current setup. But I do have a 440 CFM inline fan and carbon scrubber system in my tent exhausting through the cieling. LEDs do not come with cool tubes, so should I be concerned?
     
    3. Lastly, at the moment I am using soil. But if I wanted to switch to hydro later on, what type of setup would work the best? I thought maybe a DWC? Could/should I run one pump for all four buckets?

     
  2. #2 BYOweed, May 26, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: May 26, 2015
    1. Yes, you can grow 2 plants under that 300w LED, some additional CFLs on the sides would help. I'd use as much space as you can, veg longer and get them bigger before flowering. Keep in mind plants usually stretch 2-3 times in size during the flowering phase.

    2. I have no experience with LEDs either, and have heard the same. Turn it on, let it run for a while and test it with your hand. If it's too hot for the back of your hand after 30 seconds, it's too hot for your plants.

    3. I have no experience in hydro. Head over to the hydro section to get a better answer.

    Are you topping or scroging? Both help to increase yield and utilize space.
     
  3. I will be using a combination of topping, LST, and super cropping to make as many tops as possible, fill out the space, and make an even canopy. I want to try out the scrog thing soon, and when I get this perpetual harvesting thing down I will more than likely give it a go. I also want to try out main lining.
     
    Do you think using a 4x4 space is ok for such an under powered light? I know it is more about foot print, but I am a little scared of losing yeild due to less light reflection.
     
  4. #4 BYOweed, May 26, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: May 26, 2015
    If you want lots of tops and an even canopy topping once and then scroging is the way to go. Mainlining is cool, but IMO scroging is easier and more efficient. A little research and set up before you start will go a long way. All you need is a safety fence from lowes or home depot, that fits your space and has 2 inch holes. (Usually comes in 2ft by 25ft, so just cut two 2x4 pieces)

    1432641138978.jpg

    How many plants are you growing in the 4x4 tent? Just put them toward the middle, hang the LED right over them, and possibly add some CFLs on the sides. The additional space surely won't slow them down.
     
  5. Thanks for the safety fencing idea. I was considering jute twin grids with 2 inch squares. My only concern is once you get them in the grid it is pretty much set there is no fooling around with them. But it seems like it would be best to control the area they fill under my light. I am cutting back to only two plants in the 4x4 flower tent. I have been growing between 6 and 9 each go up until now. But that just grows so much weed! I don't wan to ever not be growing, but if I ever want t scale things back up I can use the led to veg. I still have the cfl setup I started with, so I can get my side light game going.
     
  6. #6 BYOweed, May 27, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: May 27, 2015
    That is the problem with scrog, it makes watering and stuff a bit of a hassle, but in the end it's worth it. And pretty much anything with 2" holes will work, just throwing some ideas at ya.

    And yeah that sounds like a plan, should work out well
     

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