Hi all, I'm starting on my fourth grow in a new location with a new setup. I'm in the planning stage at the moment so am looking for some advice and opinions if anyone is happy to give them! I'll be growing in my bedroom so the main priorities for the grow are size (it has to fit in my fairly small bedroom), noise (I'll be running it at night when electricity is cheap during flowering so I have to be able to sleep in there!) and efficiency (I want to make the most of the space I have). All my previous grows were while I was at university so I had to do everything on the cheap, but now I'm working I'm willing to spend a fair amount of money on the setup, however I'd rather not spend more than £1000. This is what I had in mind: Growing G13xHaze from Barney's Farm since it's the dog's bollocks, I grew this last time and had to harvest two weeks early as I had to move out of my flat, and it was still the best weed I've ever smoked outside of Amsterdam/Nimbin. I might try a pure Sativa like Haze or similar as well. Budbox Grow Tent (240cm x 120cm x 200cm) for about £250, just about fits with a bit of room to spare for a bed! - in the past I built my own out of plywood but I had a hell of a time getting it lightproof because I couldn't afford to buy plywood to cover the sides. Eventually I used a double layer of reflective sheeting and covered the whole thing in blankets, it wasn't exactly stealthy but it sorta worked. So this time I am going ready-made to make sure it's up to the job. 2*400w HPS with adjust-a-wing reflectors - I already have a 400w lamp so it would mean I would only have to buy one more, although I could stretch to 2*600w if anyone thinks the space could take it? Ventilation I'm unsure about, as last time I just used an array of computer fans. I remember reading somewhere about a ratio of grow-room volume to air-flow rate but I can't remember it. The fans also have to be as quiet as possible so I would probably need a silencer or something. I'll probably be growing in soil as this is what I have used in the past. Although if anyone can suggest a fairly low maintenance hydroponic method I might consider it. I've always wanted to try flood-and-drain as it seems fairly easy to set up, but I'm not sure about how much space I would need for tanks etc. Anyway, that is as far as I've got, any suggestions are much appreciated! Thanks R
Come on, surely someone has an opinion?? Any suggestions on what would be a good way of getting the most yield out of the space?
Does your post come with a conversion chart? JK. But anyway, it sounds like you are on the right track. Maybe the best of both and use one 600 and one 400. Then you could do mixed spectrum. Any pics?
What would be the benefit of mixed spectrum? I've never heard of that before. No pics since I haven't bought anything yet!
No that alone wouldn't give you a mixed spectrum, but if I were you I might consider the option of buying switchable MH/HPS ballasts for the lights (or at least one of them), so you can put in some MH lights for vegging and/or added spectrum (though I am not so sure using MH in conjunction with HPS during flowering will noticibly change your yields), but it is always nice to have the MH lights during veg.
I might consider it, although I wouldn't be able to use my existing 400w hps. I've been having a look around the site, and might have a go at building some bubble-buckets, does anyone know how these compare in terms of yield to other forms of hydroponics? I would probably do half and half with soil. And Don Piano - conversion chart into what? cubits? parsecs?
OK dot, no that does not give him mixed spectrum. I said it allows him to do it. Being that you can not get a 600MH (without the conversion bulb being used on an HPS ballast) I was simply pointing it out that using a 400 and a 600 would allow for a nice fat 600 watts of HPS, and 400 of MH. As for you Da GAnj, Mixed spectrum will keep plants shorter and growth more compact. Many growers use one or the other (hps or MH) but optimal flowering light would be full spectrum, with emphasis on the red. I believe it is beneficial to have as wide range of spectrum as possible at all times, just emphasis on blue when vegging and emphasis on red when flowering.
ah I see what you are saying... Anyways, yeah the both MH and HPS is the way to go I hear, but you will get great results if they are both HPS as well.
Yeah, i will probably just go with another 400w HPS, as far as ventilation goes, what sort of flow rate would I need for the extractor? - the cab has a volume of about 5.76 m^3, that converts to 158.4 bushels or 204 cubic feet for those of you still living in the 17th century.
with a space that large you are going to want to move at least 650 cfm, and just to be on the safe side I would move around 800-900 cfm. I would go with a can fan.
I have done some research and am probably gonna go with one of these: http://www.growell.co.uk/p/3860/Airforce-Systems-Acoustic-Extractor-Fans.html Along with a suitable carbon filter. Expensive but I need my sleep! I have also been looking into possibly going with all bubble-buckets for the grow. From what I have seen they have quite a high yield for a small space. Does anyone know how many I could reasonably fit into that space, since from what I can see one bucket can support a lot of growth. Thanks for all the advice so far, R
Ok, have planned out what the setup might look like. It would involve 8 bubble buckets, connected to a central tank on the same level. Each bucket would then be connected to a seperate tank on a lower level that would allow me to drain them individually. I would mix up a solution in the central tank, then open a valve to fill the buckets. To drain them every 2 weeks or so I would open a valve under each bucket that would connect them to the tank beneath. It's fairly ambitious but I think I can just about pull it off. Might have to start with just a couple, although I'm not sure at this point. I have included a diagram to show what it would look like, x's are valves and the black things are the buckets. The first image shows a top-down view, and the second is from the side. At the moment I'm not sure if I should have a valve for each bucket between it and the central tank, to allow individual level control, or just have one valve for each side and allow them all to reach the same level.