Growing in a shed

Discussion in 'Grow Room Design/Setup' started by shedantler, Oct 17, 2015.

  1. #1 shedantler, Oct 17, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 17, 2015
    Hi guys. I have never grown, but it's actually something I want to do for another hobby. I've been kicking the idea around for a couple of months now. I've done a lot of research online, but I know online research will never substitute for actual experience.. I don't wan't to go into this and blow my money. I know I could follow step by step guides on how to grow inside my heated house, but my dad is opposed to this idea. We do, however, have a 9x9 metal shed... aluminum.. tin.. idk. It has no insulation. I can obviously insulate it, but do I want to? I'm tossing this idea at you guys for conversation and I want all opinions, debates, what you think is good with the idea, whats wrong with it.. etc. Like I said.. I'm a newb.. telling me I forgot something obvious isn't going to hurt my feelings even if it throws out my whole idea.






    Items I know (think) I will need
    -------------------------------
    -Minimum of one 1000w HPS MH light without cool tube (will get two likely)
    -1500w thermostat controlled heater fan for air intake and added heat (more can be used if needed.. but from there insulation would probably be better, right?)
    -Regular fan for air exhaust
    -secondary thermostat kept away from heat sources to show actual temp of the whole room
    *eventually foylon walls
    *insulation for in summer when temps need to be cooled not increased






    Shed dimensions
    ------------------
    9 feet long
    9 feet wide
    5 feet tall on edges with an angled roof making the peak height roughly 6.25ft
    This seems very ideal to me as the angled roof will provide a good area to place the light(s) and heater fan(s)
    The cold season is obviously my conern right now and I know temps will vary day by day, but I have a few things to kick around as well as I would like suggestions and corrections to my plan. How much light can I use? I know too much light is a possibility in normal grows for heat, but it is also possible to provide plants too much light period. How much light would be overkill and no longer beneficial.. basically what will get me highest yields since heat is not a concern? Will my plants grow faster during veg if I have two 1000 watt lights? Would three lights be a possibility? 4?? During veg lights are ran 24 hours, but since temps are lower at night to add heat during flowering I would run my lights at night to increase heat.




    I plan on growing AK47 XTRM or White Widow XTRM. How many plants would be optimal in this grow room scenario.. maybe plant amount would matter in knowing how much light is too much?
    Has anyone done a similar grow? Any theoretical ideas for thlse interested, but have not?




    Sorry this thread is all over the place. I put it in grow room since that was the biggest part of it.




    *Also I have the ability to dig since there is no floor which will allow my containers to not interfere with plant height.. or should I do a SOG? Like I said.. just throwing ideas around.
    **Bugs are also a concern since I'll be providing them a nice warm habitat with plants to eat. I guess first of all I should throroughly cleanse and seal everything and from there I'll be okay?
     
  2. you would have to seal the whole shed so no water got and then youd have to find a way to vent the heat off of the lights when you did. then there would be a bunch of noise coming from inline fans you would have to quiet. sounds like a lot of work to not start a fire.
     
  3. Ooooohhhhh....you ARE all over the place. LOL Calm down and think about this logically. If you have Dad's permission, the shed sounds like it would be great. You'll need to insulate it heavily so it will maintain a steady temp. Divide it into two rooms. We divided our room 1/3 veg, 2/3 flower, but however you want to do it is fine. You just need separate spaces for veg and flower. Line your walls with either Mylar or Panda film for optimum reflectivity and if it's illegal in your state, line the whole thing with IR blocker. We're still illegal here, so we're lined in it. LOL The 1000 watt hps lights are what you want to flower under. I use them and have for years. They're fairly cheap and the plants absolutely love them. They put off heat, but that will help you during the colder months. Once spring and summer show back up, you'll have to put in an air conditioner to bring down your temps. Not sure why you're aren't thinking about buying cool tube reflectors. You might need the heat from the lights in the cold months, but when it gets hot again, you definitely don't want to have to deal with anymore heat than you have to and a 1,000 watt hps light puts off some heat. So get the lights with reflectors. Just get the plain old hps ballasts for flower though and get a CFL (T5's work great) for veg. Some people veg with mh, but CFL's really work the best. They're pretty cheap too and are the best option.
    I know right now you've got this grow setup on your mind and you're thinking about that. That is good because you need the absolute best design possible for your grow space. But don't neglect the fact that you are new and inexperienced and need to learn the very basics of growing these plants. For that, I suggest spending a lot of time in the new grower threads here. You need a good clear understanding of: pH measurement...correct ranges for water/nutes and soil. They're different numbers, so get clear on that. Grow media: I seriously hope you're not thinking of starting with hydro...with no experience, but learn about the different grow media and what works best. Watering: This is a biggie and is the biggest killer of plants by new growers. There is a right way and a wrong way. Lighting: Spend some time researching lighting. There are several different options and the plants like different lights for different phases of life. Nutes: Learn what they are, what the numbers on the bottles mean and what the plants want in different stages of life. They're needs change nutritionally from seed to harvest.
    I suggest investing in a good quality pH tester and TDS/EC tester. The very health of your plants hinges on correct pH range, so don't take a chance on one of those super cheapo pH testers or the drops. There is a defined range you have to get to and if it's off for an extended period of time, the roots of your plants will lock up and they can't take in nutrition. Just be smart and read up on growing these things before you actually put seed into dirt. Information is your friend....believe me. LOL Good luck!! TWW
     
  4. Thanks for the responses. Right now it's all just ideas on how I'm going to go about it. I really don't know what I'm doing (thats why I'm here and I know you guys don't care to answer or you wouldn't)I think you're definitely right on needing to go with two rooms. 9x9 for a single grow might be just a little on the crazy side for a newb.. I am lucky to have an abundance of lumber and plywood so what I'm going to likely do is start out with an 8x3x5 grow box running down the center of the shed. I have a carpet that will work for insulation right now (cant afford to make the room perfect yet) As of now I think it will be cheapest to get two 1000w hps/mh and do the whole first grow in the single 8x3x5 box. It'll have reflective walls of some sort, a floor, and a large door on one of the long sides for access. By the time the first grow is done I will have money saved towards seperate veg room reflection, lighting, etc. I also think I should still get the thermostat heater still for added temp control and breeze?.. just will have to play with it as temps change to see what makes inside the box comfy for the plants.I said no cool tubes for heat purposes, but I really am unaware of how hot these bulbs are??.. I'm totally unsure on ventilation.. still researching that. Maybe an exhaust fan and intake hole are all I need right now? I can wait on smell control til they start flowering right?Right now the warm season isnt a concern btw. I will research up on that while I'm hopefully smoking home grown herb :)
     
  5. Subbed in bro as undoing the same thing but I'm in a wood shed so sealing my area isn't a issue if I were u look into a tent cut it off somehow and jus depends on if ur goin for personal or tryin to make the extra buck which is y some of us grow but sounds like u could def go for a 5x5x6 tent and that way u only have to worry about temps in the tent and not the whole area ImageUploadedByGrasscity Forum1445214808.214444.jpg

    I jus added a 13$ heater fan to mine for lights out and when temps drops damn thing had the tent over 90 the other night I'm in the Midwest so I think it got down to the 30s but good luck bro I'm subbed up
     
  6. Subbed for this hope you get it all straightened away :) good luck!!
     
  7. Thanks for the responses. Will get back with you guys more later today. Neef, (or anyone else heating rather than cooling) do you have a thread about your setup/grow? If you do, I'd like to subscribe to it
     
  8. http://forum.grasscity.com/index.php?/topic/1383320-NOOBIE-GROWER-W-DWC-AND-SOIL-IN-3-CHAMBER-TENT%21

    I'm running 2 Mars hydro a right now for veg and will b using a platinum p600 that I'm ordering this week for last weeks of veg and then flower my original setup was a 600w HPS but the heat in the tent was 109 wit winter coming up that would b ok but th leds fit my tent better and gives me more head room ImageUploadedByGrasscity Forum1445290131.796854.jpg ImageUploadedByGrasscity Forum1445290165.598207.jpg

    I might still use the HPS when I get more run but limited right now on space but good luck bro and hope to see u on my thread soon not much goin on now but getting set up and first weeks of veg the good stuff is still to come
     
  9. ImageUploadedByGrasscity Forum1445290332.304039.jpg

    My tent come wit a veg area also that the Mars will go bac in once the bigger light gets here
     

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