Im an absolute beginner in growing, altough ive always been interested. I have a nice closet, dimensions w49' x d22' x h81'. Theres a wall outletr in the center of the back wall. I dont know much, a basic understanding. Grew 2 plants in this closet. random bag seeds some, organic miracle grow, and a 120w grow light from home depot. I know nothing about lighting. I got about a quarter after 5 months haha. So im here. Im intrested in possibly going hydro but I dont know enough and dont have enough input to make a good choice, alls i know if i want to use the space as efficiently as possible. So if you have any thoughts or suggestions please let me know. Thanks.
Hello Noogly :wave You've come to the right place for great advice, GrassCity will take good care of your plants. Start by researching through this sites Stickies, they're at the tops of each section. They are packed with solid information. Light- HID, Flouro's, LED's. CFLs are the cheapest route but no where near as efficient as HID's. With CFLs you need 100 actual watts for one plant, 50 extra for each extra plant. So if you grew 3 plants, 200w would be the minimum. If you choose HID, a 400w will do for 1-4 plants. 600w, 2-6. 1000w, 4-8 plants. Soil- Miracle gro is a no good for cannabis because of the time release fertilizer. You can not properly flush out the nutrients because the time release capsules open when you water. Foxfarm Ocean Forest or Roots Organic are quality bagged soils. Nutrients- Plants need food to thrive. Again, Miracle Gro is a no go. The Foxfarm nutrient trio(Grow Big, Big Bloom, Tiger Bloom) is a great cheap nutrient lineup. Ventilation-\tThey also like their fresh air both circulating in the grow room, and directly on them. An oscillating fan blowing on the plants with increase the strength of the stem and branches, as well as cool your plant off. Part of ventilation is odor control. You'll need a carbon filter(or DIY Ona Gel bucket, search on this site) to keep the smell under control. Questions are welcome!
[quote name='BYOweed']Hello Noogly :wave You've come to the right place for great advice, GrassCity will take good care of your plants. Start by researching through this sites Stickies, they're at the tops of each section. They are packed with solid information. Light- HID, Flouro's, LED's. CFLs are the cheapest route but no where near as efficient as HID's. With CFLs you need 100 actual watts for one plant, 50 extra for each extra plant. So if you grew 3 plants, 200w would be the minimum. If you choose HID, a 400w will do for 1-4 plants. 600w, 2-6. 1000w, 4-8 plants. Soil- Miracle gro is a no good for cannabis because of the time release fertilizer. You can not properly flush out the nutrients because the time release capsules open when you water. Foxfarm Ocean Forest or Roots Organic are quality bagged soils.
Definitely HID, I'd go with a 600-1000w HPS air cooled hood for 6 plants. If they are not at a local hydroponics store, then online yes. After you germinate you should plant 1/2 deep. Keep the soil somewhat moist, and warm until they sprout. When they sprout, turn on the lights. For the next 3-4 weeks you won't need any nutrients. Water when the top inch of soil is dry. Water until you get 5-10% runoff, (when 5-10% of what you watered seeps through the drainage holes or bottom of container)
Thank you for your responses and helpfullness. Im learning alot. Now you say definetly HID then say 600w-1000w HPS? if i do go with the hps am i gonna need to swicth watts during flowering? or can i use the same light? What about HID? Lights is where im truly lost, im a decently experienced gardener so soil watering etc etc isnt a problem , but ive always used the sun, and i was growing tomatoes haha. Thank you again.
HID or High intensity discharge has much better light penetration than flouro's. They are also much more powerful when you compare 600w of HID to 600w of flouro's. The one downside to HID lighting is the heat they produce. This is why there are Cool Tubes and Air Cooled Hoods. These use strong airflow to pull all the hot air out of the Cool tube/Air cooled hood before it gets into the grow room. The color temperature of an HPS(High Pressure Sodium), is in the red spectrum. MH(Metal Halide) is in the blue spectrum. Blue is better for veg, Red is for flowering. You CAN buy both MH and HPS bulbs, or get a single more expensive HPS that can be used in both veg and flower. Hortilux HPS bulbs are top of the line. A 600w air cooled hood kit such as this, http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002TNDCVK/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1357248603&sr=8-3&pi=SL75, comes with everything you'll need for lighting except for ducting. Glad I can be helping
Thanks for all the help! Will this hood be all I need? I see it comes with both hps and mh am I going to have to switch bulbs when there ready to flower? Is this stressful to the plants? I'm guessing a single bulb for both veg and flower would be expensive? I'm almost done with my questions. Finally it's the circulation. This is happening in a closet.are two fans in corresponding corners efficient? Alst a vortex around the plants? How should they be positioned? Thanks again for all the information and input. I feel my plants will thrive once I start.
It won't stress her change from MH to HPS at the beginning of flowering. The single Hortilux is more expensive but pays off, I picked out a kit with bulbs so you didn't need to spend the extra money. Closets are hard to ventilate mainly because no one wants to drill a 4" hole for an Inline duct fan in the door. Try to have the air blowing one way, so it's blowing towards the door. Get a thermometer/hygrometer to test the heat and humidity