Hey everybody, what's up? Well, let me start with this, I have a 6' x 6' x 8' area that'd I'd like to use. I'd like to maximize the use of my space so don't hestitate to let me hear any of your suggestions/ criticisms. Ok, so I figure I'll make a 6' x 3' x 8' box using 2" x 4"s, 2' x 3' for veg/mother; the other 4' x 3' for flowering. I haven't started construction yet, I'm in the middle of gathering supplies. I bought the most exspensive stuff already but still need to get small stuff, so far, I have a 6" cool tube 600w hps to light the flower room and a 6" 400cfm inline w/ carbon filter for the exhaust. I'll need a source of light for my Veg space, not sure whether to go with a 2' x 2' 4tube t-5 or rig up some CFLs. I'll update when I can; mainly looking for ideas, to use the space more effeciently than what I intend to do. Well thanks for reading.
Another crossroad; I don't know how I should make my space. I wan't to design the most efficient box for my veg and flower. It's between a 2'L x 3'W x 7' 1/2"H Veg portion with a 4'L x 3'W x 7' 1/2"H Flower section or a 6'L x 3'W x 5'H Flower section with a 6'L x 3'W x 3'H Veg box built on top. I know how exciting this is to read, sorry; But I see this to be crucial. So please let me hear what you think!!
For max efficiency, I would make it one area. Start them vegging on one side and use poly or mylar ro reflect back and block off unused area. As the plants grow, move the curtain back as you need space. This is how I do mine. I have a 10x5. I start on the left side with my dimmable 1000W at 500w. As they grow and expand I move the light right. Once the light reaches the middle I add light to the left end. By the time I finish, I add light to the right side filling up the whole tent. This kills your perpetual grow scheme. But I have found its pretty hard to time the veg/flower. There is always overlap or lag time. So a few grows ago I went to this expansion system. I do occasionally set up a small veg in my closet. I do that when I grow my own clones. But in Cali, you can buy full plants or at the least 20 inch teens that eliminates the need for a veg room. If you do go with split rooms, I would go 7' high. MJ likes to reach, so the higher the better. My height is 7 1/2 too.
I use 65W CF for aquariums. They have 4 pins and one ballast can run 2 bulbs. 6700K has yielded the faster, thickest veg times over all other spectrums. You can use the HPS through the whole grow. I know growers who only use HPS. Me I mix a lot of different spectrums throughout the grow for max effect. Here is the last Master Kush I grew
Well that MK looks great, really. I appreciate your input. . . Yeah, I'm no where near Cali. Buying clones at the store, sounds like a dream to me. I'd like to have a healthy supply of my own clones, but it may prove to be inconvenient as you said, with the lag time. But, I don't have access to clones or good seeds. So it may be a good investment. For my first run though, I guess, I'll just build the 6'L x 3'W x 7' 1/2"H box.
I've decided to go with the tent route, rather than building a box. I'll start with a 3' x 3' x 6' 1/2" tent, lit with the 600w mh/hps, vented with my 400cfm inline and the carbon filter. I'll have a C.A.P Day/Night thermostat to keep my temps even and I'll probably have a duct fan speed adjuster, to keep the noise down; plus my inline is going to be too powerful for my little tent. But, I hope to add a manicuring station, a storage cabinet, and an additional tent to the closet after my first run, for some mothers and clones. . . I'll update when I get some things put up, unless someone has another suggestion?
I can tell you it would be hard to build a room for $300 that does the job the tent does. While it isnt an end all solution, the zippered doors really make accessing the girls and soil much easier. On the downside, the tents leak heat and air even sealed up. The trick is control the room the tent is in to control the tent. In the summer, tent gets too hot and needs AC (which leaks out too fast and costs $$$) in the winter I have to vent the tent leaving multiple holes thus causing light to leak out. If you are trying to be stealthy, this doesnt help. Growing is not easy, but you are assured medicine that you know its origins and what has been used on them. I once knew a guy who claimed he sprayed malthion 3 days before harvest. His contetion was "By the time the bud cures, the pesticide will be gone."
Yeah... I was thinking of building the frame with 2 x 4s or PVCP and triple wrapping it with this anti-thermal mylar I bought; and a tarp stick-n-zip zipper for the door. But now I feel a tent is the better way. I have a greenhouse frame (1/4" pipe) I bought a while back from Lowes'. It's only 3' x 1.5' x 5.5' , but I'm thinking I'll wrap that up for a veg/clone tent or for drying. Noise and odor are my top worries, I have an inline and a carbon filter, that I intend to vent into the attic, or another room. A Light leak doesn't sound like a major concern to me, It's tucked away in a closet, but I would like to prevent them. As for the ventilation, I'm getting a thermostat to control when the fan comes on, atleast I planned to. I have an air cooled lamp, so I need to leave my fan on when ever my lamp's on, making the thermostat irrelevant? Damn, well that'll save me about 60 bucks. What do you think? Better yet, what do you think I should have, to be able run a successful grow in my tent? HA, that's a real intelligent guy you met, smart one.
Hey everybody, I have another question. I'm trying to debate what I should light my veg tent with, It's 3' x 2' x 5 1/2'. Right now it's between a 2' 4tube floro set [ame]http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-FLT24-2-Foot-Fluorescent-System/dp/B002JQBQZQ/ref=pd_sim_ol_55[/ame] or a 125w-200w cfl [ame]http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-FLC0125D-Fluorescent-Light-System/dp/B0006HRQTK/ref=pd_sim_sbs_ol_4[/ame] . . . What do you think GC? Short version; Floros, Cfl, or a small MH/HPS?
I am torn between your two choices. The tubes will give you more even light over the canopy, but the 125CF gives more lumens. And did you see the claim of the 125W light? "services a 3'' area" yah right. A 1000w MH is rated for 6X6, and it is not enough for good flowers. The side branches will not yield anything worth trimming. : ( I would go with a this 150 HPS or something similiar to this....only $80 if money is a huge concern.... [ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00269RWQI/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0054TCCT4&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=067Y6SK44ENQEAJEEF81]Amazon.com: Sun System 150 Watt HPS Reflector, Ballast and Bulb: Patio, Lawn & Garden[/ame] lol Ok I did a quick google search. The BEST purchase I ever made was my dimmable ballast. They take MH or HPS auto detect the bulb and you can run them a 50% 75% or 100%. Here is a 400 watt complete set for $150 delivered. [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Grow-Light-Hydroponic-Reflector-Comparable/dp/B005DO30MI]Amazon.com: 400 Watt Super HPS MH Grow Light System Digital Dimmable Hydroponic 400w hps mh grow light set kit. 400w ballast, Super High Pressure Sodium bulb, Metal Halide bulb, 19" Wing Reflector and pair of yoyo. Comparable to Hydrofarm and Sun Lig[/ame] The same company makes a 250W dimmable for $120 if 400 watts is too much for your room (remember you can run it at 50% for 200 watts max). You should be able to use your air cooled hood with these too. I hope this helps!
Yeah man, definitely did. Well, atleast opened my eyes. I'm going to go with the 150w HPS, the ballast and everything is included and compact; nice. I didn't know they were around the same price as the CFL I was looking at, didn't even bother to look. . . Yeah Amazon's specs. are always a little iffie, have to know what your looking for. Thanks for the help man. Hopefully I'll be settin' up soon.
I think its the best for the money in your situation. I have a knack for finding good deals. I was surprised to find it so cheap too. But there ya go. : )
Trying to decide between nutes now. . . I don't know which route to go, so I'm looking for a kit / bundle; so I can try the enitre line. Right now I'm thinking General Organics or Technaflora. What do you think (reader)?
hahahaha Now yer talkin MY area of true expertise! If you look in my cabinet you will find an arsenal of different nutes. Mostly organic, I mix my own. Why? Each strain....and each individual of strains has different needs. You have to read the leaves. There are charts on here just google marijuana deficiencies. For veg use a 2-1-1 ratio it doesnt really matter to the plant who makes it the ratio is most important. For flower use 1-2-4. Now some old timers may be shocked to see this new flower ratio. I used to follow the old school 1-2-1. Advanced nutrients broke the mold with Kushie Kush (1-3-8). I used it last grow and it changed my ratio. I also read several other forums that helped me decide. The reason is this N-P-K N=Nitrogen- greens the plant good in veg, will retard flower if given too much P=Phosphorous aids energy synthesis, but more important it makes the actual flower. Most people overdo this causing an excess. If not flushed, the plant will taste like crap and causes black ash in the bowl. K=Potash (Potassium) This build roots, stems and FLOWER BRACTS. Now here is what I most recently learned. Without enough K, the plant cannot build the flower bract; therefore it cannot build a flower. This is all very new stuff. Now I am licensed and can grow legally I have been experimenting like a mad scientist. Why I am spilling all of this now is beyond me, but soon I may write a book. They will load up on P and K during the first three weeks. So they WONT show a deficiency, but it will affect the yield. So follow the formula 2-1-1 veg and 1-2-4 flower. It matters little who makes it. Also very important, micronutrients. I use a combo of cal/mag earth juice microblast and nutes that have micros in them (like FF Tiger Bloom) Here is your example from my grow.... Breakfast (they are in veg) 2 tsp Connoisseur Part A 4-0-4 2 tsp Tiger Bloom 2-8-4 1/4 tsp Ammonium Nitrate 21-0-0 5 gallons of water PPM=700 I dont know the exact ratio, but once I mix the first two, it makes a 6-8-8. Then I spike up the N depending on what new growth looks like. If it is kind of yellow (3 girls this morning were) I add a lil more N. Why am I using Tiger Bloom in veg? Its not a "flower" nute, its NPK ratio is designed for flower. What I like about TB is it has a high amount of micronutes. So I leveage that and use other things to alter its ratio. My advice? For a newbie, go with Fox Farms Grow Big in veg, Kushie Kush in flower and EarthJuice MicroBlast thru the whole grow. For great results, start experimenting. I have amazed friends with yellow plants. After feeding them pure N you could literally see them green up before your eyes. About 20 minutes if you give them the right dose.
Feeding charts and packs are causing more problems than helping. Get a PPM meter, never go over 1000ppm in soil and read your leaves! I have seen many grows that followed the charts and the plants were always overnuted. example...ever notice every Advanced Nutrient Product is 2ml per litre of water? Either these guys are dead on genius enuf to make all nutes one dose or they have a really lazy technical writer.
Alright man awesome. Thanks, again Cool, good luck with the book. It won't be much longer before I start setting some things up. . . Well not too long, I'm hoping before Christmas.
Hey GC I've made some changes since the last post. . . I have some questions about setting things up, first let me explain what I've put together. 3' x 3' x 6.5' tent Air-Cooled 600w MH/HPS 6" 450 cfm inline fan I have my light hanging from the top. I'm about to set the ventillation up. I'm now worried about the weight on the tent. I still need to fit my carbon filter in there. . . Should I hang it? I'm not too sure, I can't set it on the floor due to space issues. I'll try to go into further detail when I can, I don't have a camera at the moment.
I am amazed at how much weight my tent can hold. I have 1 1000w 2 500w 3 100w 2 4' T-5's and a carbon filter. It should hold up fine. Look at my pic. I shake the tent a little to test its sturdiness; so far it is holding up great. I would also recommend a speed control for your fan. 450cfm is a lot for a small tent. I run that on my 10x10 and it is on a sensing switch that only turns on when the temp reaches 78.
Ok cool, thanks again. . . Your tent looks massive compared to mine, nice. . . The lights look a little slanted. Other than that, looks awesome! What are you usually pullin per harvest in what time? If that's not too much?