Hello Everyone. So I officially get under way on my first grow this weekend...The first step is building the actual room where the growing will be taking place. It will be in my garage (temp in my state is 15-40 in the winter, and 65-90 in summer) so temperature control could be an issue? any thoughts there are a big help, should it be ok if it's very well insulated when the lights are going??? The space will be roughly 8 x 10, it will be framed, then well insulated and sheetrocked. The law where I am (I have my MMJ card) states I can have 15 total plants, (a plant is anything in the growing process) this will be the room for my entire operation, so I'm going to have to make a room inside of here for different processes. I'm just wondering if there is any special tricks I can do to help a grow room utilize the space it has. (shelves, flooring, etc.) I am a little worried about the floor, since it's concrete I'm worried about temp, and bugs, etc, I was thinking about bulding a box 12" off the floor, then the plants wouldn't be touching the floor...thoughts? I'm also wondering about smell, even though this is a legal grow I really don't want my neighbors smelling anything or expecting anything, (i live in an ok neighborhood, but my wife constantly tells me I'm paranoid, so I guess I just am. I have a kid and don't want to ever have to be worried about getting "jacked", so yes I guess I'm paranoid/protective. I'll have about 300-500 to spend on a air filtration unit, and I'd like to install it as we build the room to get the best use out of it as well...thoughts on that will be greatly!!! appreciated. Thanks for any and all constructive and helpful comments GC! Much Appreciated! I'm a total rookie.
Owens Corning insulation is a good idea if you plan on growing in the winter and spring months. You can also buy small heaters and thermostats to keep your plants green. Take out that caulking gun and seal up all of those cracks and light leaks also.
I was planning on doing this. The guy who is helping buildthe room said that I don't need to do that and that the room "should be fine", I however didn't want to risk anything so I am planning on doing the caulking gun...Thanks for the tip on the insulation! Any others?
If the grow area is 8' x 10' you could put 600w or 1000w lighting in depending on how much room you want to have to move around. Google "Panda film", or "mylar". Both are reflective wall materials you can staple right up. You could also go to the pool supply place in your town and get a small 11' x 11' pool liner section to put on the concrete. I would recomend one of those gym matt type foam floor sections that fit togethor like puzzles. I think Sam's Club, BJ's or Costco has them. It might help keep the pots from getting to cold sitting on the bare concrete. Put that down, then put down the pool liner over top. Just some suggestions though.
Temp will be an issue. You can expect it to be at least 5 degrees F warmer under the lights than in the room. So you're going to need to cool it somehow, eventually.
Well you are doing the right thing, thinking it through asking for help. Like doc says temps will be an issue. Do you have any ideas of method? If you use soil, aero, dwc, ebb flow, scrog etc all will come into factors in your planning. Not sure what yield you want 1 lb a year? more? Do you want to perpetual and have smaller harvests more often, or bigger harvests. With 15 plant limit I probably wouldn't do perpetual. Unless you flowered say 5-6 Plants had 1 mother and then did a clone to veg cycle of 1-2 extra plants so say 6 flower + 8 clone / veg + 1 mother. Thats one realistic way you could do it. Or do 7 flower 8 Clone veg and just cut clones from them (this is what I would do). I would say dedicate 20-30% of the space for vegging / clones. You can use the same area for vegging and cloning. Personally I would do Aero cloner (on rubbermaid) so you can veg in it also and then move them to Hydro or Aero or whatever you feel most comfortably with. Insulate the room the best you can, and deciide if you want to seal it and run CO2 (reduced smell increased, increased yield, another thing to refill or fail) OR you can vent out (roof would be best to hide smell) and filter the air. I would take 4 1ft 2x4 and make a square frame (might need an extra inch on 2 of them) then put a piece of plywood 1x1 on it for the bucket to sit on during winter. During summer you may want concrete to help cool res.
I was planning on building a little wood table/box about 12" high to put in the flower room for this very reason. I figured I didn't want the pots sitting on the ground...should I do both? The whole room itself will be 8 x 10 (might expant to 10 x 10 but still am unsure...I am making 2 seperate rooms in the structure...a vegging room and a flowering room. The flowering room will be in the back with a seperate door leading to that room.
I am growing for medicinal use lhave my mmj card). So I'd like as much as possible as often as possible (ldo)...I was thinking 1 mother 7vegging/ 7 flowering, but if there's a better way/idea I'm all for it... I was planning on running co2 , but honestly have no idea which one or where to begin even...I'll have roughly $1000, for lights/materials so something in that budget I guess... I'm also planning on painting it a reflective white paint after all is put together... Thank you very much for all responses! Keep them coming!
You are building almost the exact same room as me. I have a tandem garage bay (3 car 1 is 2 deep) So I put a wall up about 7' from back wall and about 10-12' across. I have a door with a hallway where i can mix nutes and I have veg cab shelves build on the wall (converted old shelves) and then a 90 degree turn door in hallway wall to flower room. Look through my grow and my DIY and you will get a pretty good feel for the room. Might give you some ideas. Edit::: I would probably not run CO2 just because its another factor on your first grow. Keep it simple. No matter what you do you are going to want to chance things afterwards. Build yourself a nice template to expand into as you refine your growing.
Just got done looking at your grow journal! damn, very impressive, I was just wondering do you have a pic or plan of how you designed yours? I'm getting started tomorrow morning..couple questions: 1.) How big should each room be? I'm going 8 x 10, should I split it down the middle and go 8 x 5 for each room? or something different? 2.) should I try and cover the concrete floor with something? plastic? mats as suggested earlier? 3.) should I just anticipate early (of cold winter months) and build a heater of some sort into the wall I'm forming? I think that's it for now...I'm sure I have ton more questions, but I just medicated and totally forgot my train of thought...Thank You! edit: I'm also planning on using soil and haven't decided for lighting yet...I was thinking a HPS in the veg room, and 2 600w in the flowering (i've heard the more light the better???), what ya think?
You gotta do what makes sense to you. There are no pictures, and lots of reading and typing here... it can be a lot of work building a room and planning it too. Go minimal thats the best advice I can give you. Give yourself the bare min and wait until you know the space a little better before you master plan it. I know I would have changed some little things about mine, like a door 2" smaller, and little things like that. I would say make sure you have ample electrical and the rest can be added (drain is nice if you can build it in room). I wouldn't worry about covering floors with plastic unless you think it needs it. You are better off putting the hydro buckets / res on a platform or something.
So everything is all framed up. I'm at a standstill now though...I am going to get my equipment then frame and insulate and build everything custom...so the question is should i get 2 600w HPS, or should I get 3 400w HPS? that is my price range/choices right now and I really don't know what will be of the most benefit...the book I'm reading says that I should get 3 400w, says that 3 400w would be much more efficient use rather than 1 1000w. What does everyone think? And is mylar on the walls/floors in the flowering room worth it? or is just painting it a flat white ok? This is my first grow and I'd like to make it as easy as possible, but that being said it also will be my grow room for a while so if it is that much better with reflection/ results, then I'd much rather take the time now rather then wish I had...just have no idea about this portion of the room, thoughts? THANK YOU GC!!!
3 X 400 AND 2 X 600 are both good choices over 1 x 1000W I like 2x 600 personally just easier to arrange imo.
I personally just don't like to paint. It's messy, smells, and I always have to go back and buy more because I underestimate how much I need. But, I love to staple up mylar. It's really easy, not messy at all. I can put up all kinds of mylar fast, and not have to wash paint brushes, smell that nasty paint smell. If you like painting, then a bright white painted room would be completely fine for reflecting light. You wouldn't have to spend that much cash either.
Ya, I wouldn't mind painting...but I've heard lately how easy mylar is, so I'm pretty sure I'm going with that. Anybody know how long it will last on the walls/ceiling???
I don't know how long it lasts, but it seems like really tough stuff. I put some up using 5/16 staples and gave the mylar a little tug. That stuff is pretty hardcore.
My flowering room is 5'9" x 8'11", I will be flowering between 7-15 plants in this room. Would a light track be overkill? I've read a little about them the last 2 days and am wondering if this is something that would be nice. I know I'm supposed to keep it simple, but I want to really make this room is the best it can be. For a room this size is 2 600w my best bet or mayhbe have 3 400w for an extra light/ brighter room?
I would do 2x 600W or 1x 1000W with a light mover. My reasoning is this. With 2 hoods you get better coverage and better light angles, even more so with the 400W but to me dealing with 3 hoods for 7-15 plants is a pita. and having 2 hoods on a light mover sounds like pain. But a single 1000W on a light mover sounds like a good idea. Or just do the 2x 600W without the movers. That help? I am trying to think about functionality not "on paper" better.
If you decide on paint, you want to use the 'white roof coating' type. Has the best reflective # and is very durable.