Questions for my first grow

I'm not familiar with the metric system, sorry. A regular size closet is big enough to grow four 2 foot plants. You will need ventilation.. I have a friend who uses a 400 W HPS in a closet with great results.

Before investing money in a Hydro, I suggest growing HEMPY style a few times. I've been growing HEMPY for three years with great results. it's cheap and easy and very effective. if you need directions let me know.

You said you plan to veg for one month. from seed or clones? seedlings need a minimum of six weeks and eight is better. remember, a plant will double in height in the first two weeks of 12-12. so, A plant that is 1 foot tall will finish out at 2 feet . four plants 2 feet tall shoud give you 6-8 ounces of Bud.

If you need HEMPY answers, let me know.

TL

 

Hi

2x2 will do for a tight grow with 4 small plants. I'd recommend a 3x3 area to grow 4 plants comfortably. You've got 2.6x2 which is okay.

I dunno what hydro system to recommend if you're asking to buy one. I built mine from scratch. I built an ebb and flow and it's great.

The reservoir should hold enough nutrient solution so that it never runs out. So if you're using an ebb and flow you will need enough to fill up your basin. You will also want to go a little larger so that you don't have to keep adding to it every time some evaporates or is used up.

I change the water every week or so. If I leave it longer I just add a small amount of nutes to make up for it.

I'd recommend a 400w HPS for a grow of your size. I have a 400w and it's perfect for my 3x3 space. You can get a 600w if you're not worried about the electric bill, but the 400w does me fine. This might help you decide: Lighting.

The pots really depend on what kind of hydro system you go with. Here's some info on different hydro set ups: Hydroponics.

If you veg 4 plants in hydro for 4 weeks I think you will seriously out-grow your space. Try vegging them for a shorter period or else get a bigger space.

Also TigerLilly said that 8 weeks vegging from seed is best. If you veg for 8 weeks you will have 4 or 5 foot plants by the time you switch to flower! I usually veg 4 weeks from seed, which is usually enough time for them to mature, but sometimes they need an extra week. This gives me 2-3ft plants by the time I switch to 12/12.

 

No problem. The flood tray only need to be as large as your pots, (if you're growing in pots) so maybe a foot. If you're suspending the roots into the tray then i'm sure anything from 6 inches to a foot is fine. I'm really not sure how much my reservoir holds, i'd guess about 30 litres. It just has to hold slightly more than your flood tray. Remember that if your flood tray is filled with coco pebbles or whatever it will take a lot less water to fill it too.

 

I only did one soil grow---then I discovered HEMPY and never went back to soil.
HEMPY is the simplest form of HYDRO. Instead of havin an outside RESevoir, you use any container that does NOT have holes on the bottom. For instance, Ive used one gallon plastic food containers, oneliter soda bottles, up to 3 and 5 gallon plastic garbage containers (like you'd use at your desk_. For HEMPY, you DRILL one or two drain holes on the SIDE of the container about 3 inches UP from the bottom. This creates a "RES" at the bottom, where your nute solution is.

You fill the container with PERLITE, which is a sort of white lightweight material, kind of like small chunks, or small rocks. Gardeners use PERLITE to lighten hard soil. Anyway, PERLITE is cheap AND it IS reusable. Between grows, I empty my perlite into a big tub and fill it with water with a cup or so of BLEACH. Let it stand a day, then drain and RINSE. Them use it again.

OK, so you fill your container with PERLITE, stick in your young plant and that's it!

When you mix up your NUTES, just pour into the top, by the plant's stalk. The nute solution trickles down thru the perlite and collects at the bottom in the 3 inch deep TES. Ever other day, add more nute solution to keep the RES full. The plant's roots will reach down into the RES.

I dont know about those nute pellets....I suggest your order a good quality of nute on-line. I have used BOTANICARE VEG and Bloom, then I switched to CANNA AQUA vega and flore. Both are excellent. Most nutes come in TWO bottles---one for VEG and the other for FLOWER. Some are very complicated, with 3, 4 or even 5 different bottles---. I like the BOTANICARE and the CANNA because they're good AND simple.

A lot of HEMPY growers prefer to use a five gallon plastic bucket, but I have found that a 3 gal. takes up less space, requires less nutes and is quite big enough to hold a plant up to 21/2 feet tall. Sounds like your space is pretty small...I think two 3 gal. "garbage cans" (plastic) would fit nicely.

How will you ventilate heat out? Does the door need to be kept closed? That might be a problem in so0 small a space. Even a 400w HPS puts off some heat.

If there's no way to vent heat out, you may have to consider using FLOURESCENT light. it's much cooler, but doesnt produce the big hard buds an HPS will. Just as potent, tho .

 

[quote name='TigerLilly']I'm not familiar with the metric system, sorry. A regular size closet is big enough to grow four 2 foot plants. You will need ventilation.. I have a friend who uses a 400 W HPS in a closet with great results.

i just purchased a 400 W hps light for my closet for my hydroponic system how far away should i keep the lights ?

 

It depends on your ventilation and temps. To be on the safe side you should start at about 18" and lower it slowly, that way if you start to see a problem you can pull it back an inch or two. I badly damaged some plants when I first got my 400w. Now with a cool-tube I have it 3-4 inches above the canopy. Without the cool tube i leave about a foot. During the winter I can leave it about 6-8" and during the summer usually 12-18".