Hello, After much thought and research I think I've come up with a nice setup for my closet but I still need help deciding on some things. The closet I'm using is only 2ft. deep so I'm getting a grow tent to make it a little easier to manage. Either a 2x2x4 or 2x2x5 one I'm still deciding. I'm doing this as a hobby for myself and I don't plan on growing more than 2 plants at a time in there. I was going to get this 400w MH & HPS light kit from growace but I need find a smaller reflector since that one is 20"x20" and it wouldn't fit (I think 15" would work?). Is 400w too much for this small space? I read you should have 50w per square foot and the 2x2x4 tent is 8 sq ft. (8x50=400w). What do you think? I'll get a ballast too in case it gets too hot, I can dim the light. I'll get a small 4" carbon filter and a S & P TD-100X inline fan (135cfm on high/100cfm on low) since I heard they're very quiet. Also gonna add some bungie cords and noise reduction clamps for extra stealth. From the fan I'll just run the duct upwards and have it point out of the closet. The attached pic is one I found online and basically looks like what I want my tent to look like. I'd love some input/advice from anyone, thanks!
But will it get too hot since the tent is pretty small? The fan is blowing into the same room the intake air is coming from and if the heats too high won't the temps eventually equalize in my room and the tent causing the fan to serve no purpose? I just discovered I might be better off using CFL's instead of HID bulbs since the area is so small. Would it be better to stick with HID's and maybe go for a lower wattage?
400W would be the upper limit for a 2' x 2' grow tent i would say. A 250W ballast and bulb might be better suited as its plenty of light for 2' x 2' area and will put out less heat than a 400W system as one would expect. a 250w light system would give you 62.5 W/SqFt since a 2' x 2' tent is only 4 sqft. also with an HID go as tall as possible with the tent. the extra 12" with a 5' tall tent will give you much needed room in that space and will allow you to grow a considerably larger plant/s. best of luck! Peace & love PyspherE
I would stick with HID even though its a smaller space. in the past i used a 200W HID in an armoire that was 30" W x 16" D x 60"T. I found that with my 4" (180cfm) inline fan and filter plus a small desk fan for circulation the temps were quite manageable year round. Just my 2cents Best of Luck P&L Pysphere
I am now thinking of going with the 250w too and seeing as how 200w worked in your armoire, which is close to the tents size I think it might be the best choice. I'm just worried it might get too hot since the tent will be in a closet too How close should I keep the 250w bulb to the plant?
Hey bud!! I run a small setup too, like to modify it and play with different configurations. 250w open hood in a 2x2x4 with a 4" fan/filter, my temps average 8f above ambient. I average 5-6oz per harvest, better growers than me can yield more than that though. I like what I'm reading here, snoop and pyspher gave good advice. If I could do my cabinet over again (which I am) I'd go 5' tall for HID. It's just a tad too short, with the hood, filter, and pot I have to keep my plants under 20" I also think you'll be fine with a 400w dimmable ballast, in retrospect that's exactly what I should've done. The price difference between a 250 and a 400 isn't much, bigger jump between a 400 and 600. They sell cooltubes that are short enough to fit in a 2x2, don't remember if they're 17" or 19" but I'm sure you could either find something short enough or modify one that is too long. With tents you can get an extra couple inches on each side if the ducting is right up against it, or you could hang the light from corner to corner instead of wall to wall and get the same light coverage if not better. So I'd go with the 400w dimmable, cooltube, and 6" 440 cfm fan with speed controller. I don't know how a 4" inline will do on that setup, might be just enough but I'd go bigger on the fan anyway and turn it down if it's too much. I liked your post about temperature equalization, rare that a new grower considers that. If the 2x2 is in a sealed closet that's exactly what would happen, temps would spike to 90f. If you're venting from the 2x2 into an closed room it will raise temps a few degrees, and that would in turn raise temps in your grow by a few degrees. If temps are borderline to begin with then that could be a problem, but it doesn't take much to air out a room. Open door/window, box fan.
@[member="Not Sure"] Thank your answer really helped me, I'd be satisfied with a 1oz yield for my first time so hearing that you can manage 5-6oz in this setup gives me hope. lol I'm definitely going with the 400w dimmable ballast, makes the most sense especially if i expand my grow tent at some point. I think if I keep the bulbs in the 200w range, I can manage with the 4" s&p TD100x fan which is 135cfm. It seems low compared to the 440cfm you suggested but I don't want the air pressure to be too negative in the tent. Also, I read the TD series fans don't work well hooked up to a speed controller so idk if that's an option and I want to stick with those fans since they're supposedly the quietest (unless anyone knows of any stealthier fans). I read the Ventilation 101 thread on icmag.com and they said that high airflow can cause dehydration and stress to the plant. My room is usually around 70f and according to the cfm formula in Ventilation 101, I'd need around 130cfm for a 10F rise above room temp which I think would be ideal. And you're right about airing out the room, opening the window should do it Since my setup space is limited, I was thinking of using the scrog method, is this a good idea to maximize my yield?
shoegal420, thank you very much for the post. This is my first post. Your post started a very education thread. I have a few questions regarding your setup, costs mainly. I see the link to the "400w MH & HPS light kit from growace", thank you. I was wondering if you could post links to the other items you purchased? "small 4" carbon filter and a S & P TD-100X inline fan (135cfm on high/100cfm on low)" Where did you buy it/them? Tent? And a question for everyone. Judging by the responses I gather this equipment could work for a tent double that size. If the tent was 4' wide and 2' deep how many plants could be grown at one time? Could I squeeze three in there? More? Thank you, - JYD911
hey jyd welcome! in a 2' x 4' tent i personally would try and squeeze 4 plants in there in a zig-zag pattern. once you have you get in you growing groove i would guess you should see yeilds in the rage of 8-12Oz! Peace & Love PyspherE
nope. you will probably get somewhere between 2-4oz per plant in there. maybe more depending on height restrictions, strain selection, and grow method (scrog/sog//fim/lst/natural) P&L PyspherE
Hi JYD911, I am new to the forums too That fan and the rest of the series can be found here and here (the second link also has measurements of the fans). You should know, this line of fans doesn't come with a plug, you have wire one in yourself but it can be done easily with any extension/power cord. I haven't purchased or decided on a specific carbon filter but you can simply google it to find the best price. The tent I'll be using is the GrowLab GL60 which I found cheapest here Best of luck with your grow!
Wow your plants look amazing!! Your 5.63oz yield is also impressive, was that just from the Blue Dream under 250w??