My wife and I are turning an extra bedroom (12x12) into a grow area. The plan is for 6 plants in veg and 6 plants in flower at any time (6 different strains with a clone of each). Does it make sense to have 3 different grow tents; 1 for seedlings/clones/veg, 1 for flower, 1 for drying? We also want to have a chair or two and a table in the room for trimming/etc. I know drying buds need odor management (carbon filter), little to no light, and air circulation (clip-on fans). One idea is to put a carbon filter (4") in each tent, and pipe them all to a single inline fan, either 240cfm or 440cfm, which would then join up with the dryer exhaust. The RH is usually usually on the low side (30-40%) so I will may need small misters/humidifiers in each tent. All seeds are feminised and photoperiod, so I plan on topping/LST on all to maximize yields. Assuming we are using LED lighting, what would be the necessary light coverage area for 6 plants? Do veg and flower require the same coverage? This should help me decide on tent sizes too. Thanks everyone!
I use my veg box for drying, works out because I'm usually emptying it at the same time I'm harvesting. If you need to do perpetual grows then you might want to invest in a dedicated drying area. IDK about LED coverage, but I would use 2 lights, 1kw equivalent each and grow 3 huge plants under each light, scrog style in a 4x8 tent. IMO, 6 large plants is just a bit more than a single light can cover, especially if you're trying to get the most off each plant. Better off giving them plenty of room to beast out than trying to cram 6 adult females into a 4x4.
That's what I was thinking. I have a 2x3x6 tent from times past, which seems like it should be sufficient for drying. From the perspective of a perpetual grow, having 6 plants in veg and 6 in flower, should I be looking at two similarly configured tents? The plants won't really get wider during flowering will they?
No plants can double or triple in size during flower , and how you planning on harvesting ? Every 2 weeks , 4weeks or what? You'll need to get your cloning and verging times right (trial and error ) buy I'd run a clone cab and 4'x4' veg with 600w mh or equivalent led if u prefer , with an 4'x8' flower with 2x 1kw on a monthly harvest, or 5'x5' veg and 8'x8' with 4x 1kw flower for fortnightly harvest .Using your old tent for dying . You'll probably want a lung room so heat ain't billowing out your house . All depends on how much you wanna harvest and how much experience you have , if it's next to none I suggest you get a grow or two under your belt first If life gives you lemons You make lemonade
I thought you expect plants to double in size when switching to flowering? I don't plan on harvesting on a pre-defined schedule, it will depend on the girls. For the first run I plan to clone before flower, then keep 1 clone alive (re-cloning if necessary) until the mother is harvested. Then rinse & repeat. I want to use LEDs and am thinking of 2x Advanced Platinum Series P300 in each tent, giving a core coverage area of 3'x4'. I also want to end up in 5gal smartpots, topping and LST along the way. Is that enough coverage? This is a legal grow, why would I care about heat billowing out of the house?
It is its about timing your flip to 12/12 so your plants fill the available space. With you wanting to utilise the space available I thought you wanted to have constant harvest times . the size of your tents /plants depend solely on the amount you would like to be harvesting . But I'd stick to the recommended coverage area for said light . Since you have a specific light setup and With you wanting to run multiple strains I'd run a 3'x4' veg tent with one light and a 4'x8' flower with the other 3 lights (if you can find a 4'x9' get one the extra light always helps in flower though) , you'll have to stagger ( you'll have to suss out how each clone grows and work off that ) your cloning veg and flower to fully utilise the coverage area of your lights . And even though your lucky enough to be able to grow legally , that doesn't mean people don't make a living off robbing grow houses . IR scanners only cost a few hundred pounds and are worth every penny when a laxidazical grower can't be bothered about security . The golden rule of growing is (legal or not) * never let anyone know. That means don't tell "friends" ,and don't add multiple vent ports to let the neighbourhood know FYI mother plants are best kept from seed , a clone of a clone is supposed to be lower quality than one from seed. Also what other equipment do you own or plan to use ? It would be much easier to help with the setup If life gives you lemons You make lemonade
Good points, let me back up. I'm going to use super soil and LEDs, but haven't bought the lights yet. I want to set up a self-wicking setup like Noobwannb. I have a carbon filter, fans, misc. plant tools, smartpots, seeds, and the one grow tent. I'd like to veg for 3-4 weeks then flower until ready for harvest. Given those variables, I want to maximize yields in a 12'x12' room.
I work with hids so led not really a strong point for me . But from my experience a 4 clone 4 week veg fills a 4' x4' area perfectly in flower . So working from them numbers and indica plants A 3'x4 area 3 rooted clones veg for three weeks then move to the 4'x8' tent for flower , same day 3 rooted clones start veg then 3weeks later 3clones go into flower , again same day you start 3 clones then 3weeks go into flower filling the 4'x8' tent , again starting three into veg , three weeks later your first three should be ready for hanging giving you room for the ones ready to move in and and start three more veging . If iv explained that badly then three in three out every three weeks . The 3x4 veg will give you room to keep your mother's. You may find you can grow more or less in the given areas dependant on your setup , strain , medium ect . Or maybe you want to increase / decrease the frequency you harvest . Just adjust plant numbers and or veg . Also you'll have to adjust for sativa strains due to the long flower period . I'm assuming you've sorted your medium ? Sub cools formula? And before you buy less I'd ask around the city as for their opinion lots of blades use them and will happily give there opinion and proof of harvest . If life gives you lemons You make lemonade
Yea, they can get considerably wider but it depends on the strain and your growing techniques. I trained one og kush to fill out half of my 4x8 tent. Your yield will multiply if you train them to spread out, exposing more of the plant to direct light. Usually branches will compete for light, which results in crowding at the top. This can also prevent bud rot by exposing more of the plant to circulation and fresh air. A 4x4 will handle 6 plants in veg no problem, about half the size of your flower tent. That 2x3 sounds perfect for drying, and mothers can be kept pretty much anywhere as they don't require a whole lot of lighting, couple of cfls is sufficient to keep a mom and start a few clones. That can be done on a shelf, table, workbench, pretty much anywhere, doesn't require anything special. I use a 4x8, the main reason I didn't go with 2x 4x4's is because it's more expensive to properly ventilate, have to use 2 carbon filters + extra fans. With the 4x8 you only have to ventilate one area and can still run it perpetually, you don't have to separate plants that are in different stages of flowering.
The above ideas are seems to be quite good. I am looking for some latest home improvement NJ ideas for my home. Can anyone suggest something good and unique ideas.
Would 10 gallon pots be too large for this setup? If I am going with a 4'x4' and 4'x8' tent, I want to make sure I'm using the best size pot.
You don't need 10 gallon pots for growing 6 plants. For a while, I was using 5 gallon buckets to flower in and realized that I wasn't getting as much foliage growth as I needed or wanted fast enough because it took the plant so long to get rooted into that much soil. We did the same thing with a bedroom...ours a bit larger than yours is, but didn't use tents. We built a false wall dividing the room into 2/3 and 1/3....2/3 for flower, 1/3 for veg. We had an old armoir sitting around that wasn't being used, and turned that into a drying cabinet. Depending on what strains you plan on growing, these things double or triple in size during flower....if you have sufficient lighting. Lighting is the key to a good harvest....from veg through flower. The more good lighting you've got over your plants, the more they'll grow and the bigger better buds they will produce. Don't skimp on your lights either. Without good lighting, you're pretty much wasting your time. We have the capability to run 25-30 plants at a time in flower. However, last year I started cycling them through flower so I didn't end up with a whole room full to harvest, trim and cure at the same time. I've got our yield per plant up to between 2.5 and 3 oz cured off each now and that was just too much to mess with at one time. So now, all the plants run on a continual cycle and I harvest 4 or 5 plants every 2 or 3 weeks. I wouldn't mix my strains up too much. Some grow tall, some stay short and some can be a medium height and it's difficult to manage your lights optimally when you've got plants that grow to be different sizes. It's not that it can't be done, but it's aggravating to deal with. If your grow experience is limited as far a this indoor thing goes, please take as much time as you did thinking about the setup you plan to create and grow with, to learn about HOW to grow these inside. Most people put months of time and effort into getting a setup ready and put very little thought into learning how these plants grow, what they like, and how to deal with them. I also wouldn't attempt a scrog in a tent that size with that many plants unless you want to spend all your time tying down. If you want to do a scrog, get the right type plant and scrog one to start with. I would most definitely keep it as simple as possible until I ran a couple of plants through and became more familiar with the process of growing the plant. If you've grown indoor before and understand the whole thing, then jump in with all 4 feet. But too many people try to go too big too fast and have no idea what they're doing. Most important thing....have fun!! Once I finally figured out all that goes along with this, it turned into a ton of fun. Good luck! If you do go with LED's, don't waste your money and time on the cheap Asian made models of lights. Buy good quality American made lights or you'll end up being disappointed in your outcome. Lighting is probably THE biggest factor related to your harvest, so you want the best you can get in there. The good ones cost a good bit more, but you won't be disappointed in their performance. TWW
That's an awesome idea with the false walls, though I'm not sure we want to go that route. To remain in legal compliance, we will only have six in flower at any time. And since that is our only 'limitation', I'm trying to maximize yield with the rest of the variables I can control (soil/lights/training). My wife and I have different preferences, so we'll be growing a wide variety of strains, from near-pure Indica to near-pure Sativa. I am prepared for the big range in height/width/time among the plants, but I'm confident we can maintain six plants (12 including veg). If they all shared the same genetics I would instead have to raise/lower light. For keeping consistent distance from the lights between the plants, we'll probably put each plant all on some kind of adjustable stand. I have a little experience with indoor grows, but we've never had as much control over the environment as we do now. The lights and tents haven't been purchased yet, but I am leaning towards the Advanced Platinum LEDs (5-year warranty) and Apollo Horticulture tents.
Maybe I missed it but what's the medium, ten gallon for soil is ok but coco you only need a three gallon pot Sent from my iPad using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Ten gallon smart pot is what I'd use in a tent with soil the bigger the pot the bigger the plant Sent from my iPad using Grasscity Forum mobile app
That was my logic too. I'm wondering if I need to transplant several times or just once though. I plan on starting out in 3"x4" pots, moving to larger pot during week 2 or so. Should I move it to an intermediate 5gal for veg, then move to 10gal before flower?
I don't, I have a little three inch pot to start them in then I go to a 1 gallon pot, from their it goes straight to the pot I'll flower in. I used to go 1-3-5-10 gal pot but I started go straight from 1-10 and it works better, less transplant shock. I wouldn't go from the 3 inch pot to ten gal because it is hard to water that small of a plant in that big a pot but 1-10 gallon is fine, you just want a good root ball for the 10 gal pot Sent from my iPad using Grasscity Forum mobile app
I wonder if 10gal might be too large with a height limitation of 6'8"... Let's assume the plants end up getting no closer than 18" to the light, this would mean a max. height of about 60" from the floor. A 10gal smartpot has a height of 11.5", so if counting height from top of soil the max. plant height would be about 4ft (48.5"). This should be more than enough for the indica dominant strains, but I don't know about the sativas. Think that's enough room?