Hey fellas, I've been thinking of starting a 2-3 plant grow, but I have many issues and I need help from the experts. I've been doing some research, but I still need a little help, so a point in the right direction or any help would be much appreciated. Place: Ok, so the only place I have to grow is in a shed. The grow space is pretty damn limited height-wise (about 3-3 1/2 ft). So I'm going to need to grow some shorties. Is it worth a shot? I've got nowhere else I could do this at. Temp: Got a thermometer in there and the heat is around 90F during the day when the sun's out. Obviously that varies by the day, but with it being summer temps, I need to make sure I keep it cool. The shed is locked at all times and the grow is in a hidden space under a work table. I'm really stuck on how to keep it cool. I was thinking about putting a couple frozen gallon jugs of water in a cooler and cracking it the lid of the cooler, then putting a fan in front to draw the cool air out and around the grow space. Think this will work? Exhaust: I have the exhaust setup, but haven't gotten any carbon for the filter yet. I do have kitty litter though, would that work? It covers the smell of cat shit so I figured it may work. If not I'll pick up some carbon here soon. Or if anyone has other suggestions, go ahead. Lighting: Ok, so a buddy has a 13, maybe 14, watt led light, red/blue spectrum. What good will this be for? Doesn't seem like enough, but maybe good enough for the early stages. I was thinking of moving up to some cfl lights afterwards. I don't know how many watts I'll need, but I can research that part. So yeah, really my concerns are the grow space and temp control. I wanna grow so bad but I'm worried about it. Help from my fellow blades would be awesome and rep will be given to those who deserve it, like always.
I wouldn't use the led at all, and as far as how many you need , it's 100 watts of cfl for the first plant then 50 additional watts for every additional plant and something like 300 watts per plant in flowering, although I would get a Hps light for flowering(Denser buds)
As far as cooling goes I would invest in a 4" inline fan for cooling and connect a can carbon filter to it as an exhaust [can filter}=={inline fan}=={exit
1. Is the shed 100% light tight? 2. Grow space would work for some hardcore indicas or dwarfs fine but you'll need small lights to maximize height space. 3. As far as cooling, that won't work out very well. You will either have to cool it using an inline fan or pump CO2 in there with a proper CO2 set up.(the more CO2, the hotter temp the plants can take) CO2 set up would cost maybe $400. (full tank, regulator, ppm meter, etc) 4. Kitty litter won't work. Either use a carbon filter, or hide an ozone generator nearby.. 5. Don't use the panel. If you go with LEDs, prepare to spend at the very very least $200 on a good panel, if not over $300. LEDs would be your best bet if you can keep temps down without using fans/CO2.
Sheds get pretty hot. I would get your exhaust all situated and take some internal temps to make sure you can control it. They vary wildly to as most sheds have no insulation in them. You might consider putting something on top of the shed to stop the direct light from hitting it. For a small grow space you might try getting Autoflower plants. They grow smaller usually. My 2nd grow is Autoflowers and the biggest is 15 inches tall I think it will top out at 20 inchs. Grow space is will be your biggest issue. I have some White Widows that I started flowering at 8 inches tall and in one month they shot up to 30 inchs. Thankfully they stopped growing. Your exhaust does not seem it will fit the bill. Plants are dramatically different then kitty litter. Good exhaust promoted air exchange to lower heat, get rid of moisture and promote air flow over your plants like they were outside getting a breeze or something. I would not keep the liter in there btw if you start growing. Fecal matter can have all sorts of germs and fungus in it. Watch Mythbusters when you flush a toliet it lets out a fine stream of water that is fecal matter filled. When they did swabs they found fecal matter on the kitchen plates in the kitchen! I would def not have a litter box next to my plants. Also cats love to eat MJ..seriously love it. Mine grows ape shit when I get my stash out to smoke. I always give her some lol. I would attach a inline fan to the wall or something to suck out air. On lights there cheap go to Walmart or your hard ware store. You can buy 3 packs of 100w equalivant or more if your able to find them. They cost 10 bucks. Most of all read the stickies and grow guides here.
Light's sealed off. And I can't afford 400 bucks for that setup, so I'll probably try cutting a hole in the side of the shed and putting a fan there to suck in fresh air. I'd rather not have to put a hole in but if it's what I gotta do.. lol I wasn't planning on putting used kitty litter in there. But yeah I'm gunna pick up some carbon soon. Also, I have a fan already to blow air out the exhaust. The smell was really the only issue with that. And I'll also be picking up some cfl lights. Thanks for helping out guys. I'll drop in if any other issues occur.
I agree with others about LEDs, not very effective, IMHo. I mean, they look great, but I just don't know whehter they're the best for growing - at least not for me. I really like the details you have here - cool to help out beginners on the boards. But really, any grow is possible....you will mess things up, and that's cool. you live, you learn.... good luck with it!
Only trouble now is temperature control. It was over 100F in that space.. going to need some serious cooling. That's going to be tough, since I'm not looking to drop a whole lot on a device or utilities.