Hey guys, I've been wanting to grow outdoors recently just because it seems alot easier but i can't get around to doing that so i am going to try to set up a indoor system. Heres the equipment im going to get and some information any suggestions or critiques are greatly appreciated the box: I can't really offord to get a tent along with all this other stuff so i am going to try to build my own box probably with some wood from lowes and im going to put mylar on the inside to get maximum lumens utilization. It should be about 5x3=15 cubic feet, Its going to consist of 5, 5 gallon buckets(not sure how im going to drain them quite yet any help here is appreciated greatly May use a inch or 2 of gravels for better drainage at the bottoms if you guys think it will help) i'm going to try to grow 5 plants to start with here so 1 plant in each bucket. The light Virtual Sun HPS 1000 Watt Cool Tube Grow Light System starting with Virtual Sun 1000 Watt MH Metal Halide Grow Light Bulb on 20/4 on/off cycle. Has 110,000 Lumens output which is slightly over 7000 lumens per cubic foot Then once im ready to flower I will put on the high pressure sodium bulb which has 125,000 Lumens output. changing to 12/12 on/off cycle this is slightly over 8000 lumens per cubic foot The water Im going to hand water them with local natural spring water, i will be checking them every day, sticking my finger about 3 inches down in the soil or so to see if its dry or if the leaves are wilting. The fan. I'm having a hard time with the fan im not really sure what to do here but this is what I have picked out GRO1 16'' Stand Mountable Mount Oscillating Hydroponics Grow Fan EDIT: I forgot the soil..I'll be using fox farms ocean mix or whatever its called to fill the buckets -Its basically a standing fan that keeps the air circulated around the room because I know how important this is. If i need anything else please leave a suggestion. any help is appreciated thanks,
Dr acula, Welcome to the city! Really cool name btw. Your going to need some kind of exhaust. Primarily for heat exhaust, and fresh air. Eventually for odor control, which you will certainly need in time.. The majority of growers use an inline fan for this, a bit different from what you have.. I have a 4 inch vortex hooked up to a carbon scrubber for a 250 watt grow. You would want a 6 or 8 inch for 1000 watts. Just to give you point of reference, I spent round 300 dollars total on my box. Including building supplies, ducting, mylar, inline fan, and diy carbon scrubber. Not including light/ballast which I already had. My box is 22 x 30 x 48. Yours will be much bigger. Personally I like the idea of spring water, but it could lead to some issues depending on where you live. Good luck.
5*3 is 15 square feet, give us all three sides (L*W*H), that would be the cubic feet. We will need that to know if you can fit that many plants, that light, and your ventilation needs. You won't need to check them every day, trust me on this. You might want to start them in Solo cups, this will allow them to fill their grow spaces better. You'll need an exhaust fan, and an intake hole with a light trap. This will help with ventilation, temperature, and smell (you can attach a carbon filter). Ventilation is important, plants need CO2, you want your CFM's to be no less than a 5th of the cubic feet of the grow area, preferably at least equal to it. Like above poster said, spring water could be a problem. I'd recommend using filtered (possibly distilled) water, and then using your own AACT's or store bought nutrients. Personally, I like the AACT's idea more, there is plenty of info in the organic section. My grow room cost about $400, including the wood to build it and the light. Maybe closer to $500 if you count the seeds I already had, and the soil/nutrients/pots.
As for the height im not sure i will probably want it to be like 6 feet id say. Yeah sure I will start them off in cups too, thank you guys for the help, Right now i think i will have 470 in it including seeds... Ok i will get a filter and use that instead...I wasn't sure on that. Gotta go i'll be back later to read up on the exaust and stuff thanks guys so much
small grows can be fairly cheap but you will definitely need a carbon scrubber for flowering some ladys are loaded on perfume. You could hook up a 400cfm vortex fan to a scrubber > light hood > fan > exhaust then just have a passive air intake, you can hook up your fan to a dimmer (to make it run slower/quieter/longer which is better) and then hook that up to a thermostat that will kick your fan on to maintain a perfect temperature for your garden. Get a standalone humidistat/thermostat to keep an eye on the temp/RH. There is a rule of thumb for growing to manage the height of your plants. When switched from Veg to Flower a plant will stretch: India 12" India/Sativa 24" Sativa 36" just so you know, for example i will be flowering my Super lemon haze and Arjans Ultra haze #1 at about 14" high (ima fim/LST the ever living shit out of it though) should result in a 4ft plant. Ceiling Height 86" (7.2ft) Minus 18" for 5g Bucket Minus 7" for the light means i got 61" or 5.06ft of plant space and i need to maintain a 10-12 inch distance from my lamps. Hope this helps you out. (there is a video in my sig, give it a watch)
Thanks for the response and the advice, also how high should i keep the light from them for 1000 watts?, will a foot be fine? be back later thanks for help
Carbon scrubber removes the smell from the air, co2 helps the plants grow two completely different systems. don't even bother with co2 yet till you have 3-4 grows done and can use co2 properly. you can keep them within 12-18 inches is good for a 1000w, if its air cooled you might beable to creep in closer
How about the drainage, should i put holes in the bottom of the buckets with about a inch or 2 of gravel in the bottom of bucket on a pan or something so the water drains into the pan and I can get rid of it?, Also I understand the exaust system basically what i've figured is that i'll get the carbon filter with the 6 inch fan and some ducting stuff and hook it up so it pulls the air out of the room, but how can i get it out of the room by pulling it?, i'd have to leave the fan and filter outside right?....also how do i do the intake system everywhere i look i cant find anything, will i just need to cut another hole in the box and run some ducting stuff out into the middle of the room? or run it outside or what, how do i keep it air tight with that open letting air in, or can i just put fans inside the box?