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Starting a grow room (tent)

Discussion in 'First Time Marijuana Growers' started by MadCapMan, Mar 29, 2016.

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  1. #1 MadCapMan, Mar 29, 2016
    Hi

    I'm new to growing, and I've done lots of research already, but there are some things I'm still not sure about, so I hope you'll bear with me, even if this has been asked before.

    I decided to make it easy for myself, so I'm planning to buy a kit with the following items:
    • Tent: Secret Jardin Dark Room DR60 (60 square cm)
    • Phillips Son-T Pia 250W Lamp
    • VSA 250W HPS (I admit, I'm confused here - I'm pretty sure it's the bulb, but for some reason it's called "Ballast" (in Danish, just to complicate it further))
    • Alu reflector + socket (40x47 cm)
    • EasyRolls
    • LTI Fan 100 mm - 180 m3/h
    • ACF 100 mm 180 m3/h carbon filter
    • 10m alu ducting
    • Timer
    • Misc wires
    I'll be buying this from a weed grower website so I'm fairly certain it should be up to code, but a second opinion would still be nice - I'll be growing no more than 5 plants at a time, all indica dominant (due to their small size and personal preference) and I'll be starting with Lowryders, or other auto-flowering strains, since it seems like a good place to start.

    Now for my primary concern: I live in a rented place, so I can't drill holes in the walls. Nor can the window be open all the time. It's of absolute importance that ALL odors are contained INSIDE the tent at ALL times (except of course for when opening the tent to tend to the plants) - will this be possible at all, using the carbon filter? Or do I need extra precautions, like Ona Gel? Or is it totally impossible? (remember, venting to/from the outside is not an option, and I'd prefer all ducting and tubing to be more or less contained inside the actual tent?

    Also, I live in Scandinavia, and our summer days are VERY RARELY warmer than 25 degrees (77 degrees F), so I'm convinced that heat won't be an issue.

    Any help or input will be greatly appreciated :)
     
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  2. #2 Slick21, Mar 29, 2016
    Get a Rhino filter. You can tend to them with it on. You can also exhaust back into the apartment with no smell issues.
    You will never manage more than 2 plants in that tent. (I use one)
    Have you decided on soil/hydro/nutrients?
    Autos can be very unforgiving if you are new to this. Mistakes can be fatal.
    When chop-time comes, the whole apartment will stink. Like really stink.
    You have to have a plan for that alone.
     
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  3. #3 TonyStarks423, Mar 29, 2016
    Slick has it on point pretty much. Carbon filters work as advertised as long as they're quality.

    The drying part is a concern most people don't think about. You won't understand the impact until it's wafting down the hall in your apt building.

    Some people will grow, as long as it's not perpetual, and dry in the same tent. Just cut the lights off and keep the circulation going with your plants hanging.

    Ona can be used as a secondary measure, it's cheap and extra protection.


    Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
     
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  4. #4 Fataqui, Mar 29, 2016
    The tent will most likely not be tall enough. Think of it this way... pot height + reflector height + minimum distance from light to plant canopy. So if a pot is 11 inches and your reflector + carbon filter including their hangers are 10 inches, and then because you are not going to be using cool hood / cool tube reflector, your minimum height from your light to your canopy will be 14 inches, so that would be 11 + 10 + 14 = 35 inches, This will leave you with a maximum of 29 inches to grow your plants without burning them up once they beginning flowering. Also trying to grow 5 plants in a 24 x 24 space will be difficult, because even if you don't top, any type of Lowryder indica will need 18 - 22 inches or double their pot size horizontally. As for temperature control. A 250w hps will definitely need to be cooled. Honestly, there won't be any way for you to keep your grow room temperature in the 70's without supplying an intake air source that is below 60f.
     
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  5. #5 MadCapMan, Mar 29, 2016
    Thanks for your replies! I can see that odor while growing is the least of my concerns, and that I still have lots to think through. But that's good, cause I don't wanna make any rash decisions anyway.

    As for the yeild, I'm pretty much gonna settle for what I can get in that tent, so I'll just grow two indicas at a time and dry in the tent. It's for personal use anyway, so I'm not gonna need a lot.

    @Slick21 I was mostly thinking I'd use regular soil for potted plants, then use Jungle Juice adv nutrients - it's a 3-piece kit with startup and growth nutrients (both rich on N) and a flowering nutrient (no N, rich on P). I've come across recipies for soil mixes, but figured they might not be that important - am I wrong?

    @Fatagui The tent is 67 inches tall, so wouldn't it be just enough?
     
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  6. #6 Slick21, Mar 29, 2016

    Have you got access to Bio-Bizz Allmix? (can be purchased online) If not, the soil you choose could be very peaty and very muddy which can drown roots after a good water. You will then need perlite, for drainage. (around 1 part perlite to 2 parts soil well mixed in.) It`s like kitty-litter.
    Ask someone at the garden centre. Nothing sinister in asking. Even hint that you want good fertilised soil for tomatoes, with good drainage. By then, the person you ask may have an idea, so ALWAYS pay in cash.
    As far as nutrients go, for a beginner, I`d suggest Old Timers Grow and Bloom. During veg. feed Grow, when you flip to flower, change to Bloom. That simple.
    You will also need Epsom Salts, as at some point in the grow, your lady will tell you she needs Mg. It almost always happens. Pharmacy for that, everyday item.

    I don`t have any experience in the nutrients you mention, so you could be ok. I can offer no opinion on that.

    Chop-time? As above, you will stink out an entire Apartment block like you would never believe. Have a plan ready for that day. It is the most dangerous day in any stealth grow. Trust me.

    Good luck though.
     
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  7. #7 Slick21, Mar 29, 2016
    Anyway, I`m subbed in. Let`s see how you go......
     
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  8. #8 binner, Mar 29, 2016
    Hello mate the tents fine I use one, have done a couple of grows with it. I've changed from a 4inch fan to a 5inch with speed control and find the temps are much more manageable. currently have 3 (11L I think) air pots inside its FULL but all is ok.
     
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  9. #9 MadCapMan, Mar 30, 2016
    @Slick21 I have access to that soil, but not easy access. So just to be sure, regular soil will be fine if I add perlite? I figured that nutrients in the soil wouldn't be necessary, if I add them through watering. And speaking of those, I can't find any Old Timers in my country, so I'll stick with Jungle Juice - it's from a grow shop, and made for the purpose so my hopes are high.

    As for cutting day, I only share the appartment with my girlfriend, who's in on the grow (and the subsequent consumption) so it's mostly for when we get visitors who mustn't know about it (happens a couple of times a month), that everything has to be completely odor free, so it won't be much of a problem. But while writing this, it occurred to me that getting rid of the trimmings might be an issue; aren't they gonna produce a strong odor, even if placed in garbage bags?

    @binner Have you at any time noticed the slightest amount of odor in the room or around the tent? And do you vent out into the room, or outside?

    Another thing is that I've decided to use LED lights instead of HPS; it's safer, cheaper (in the long run) and wouldn't draw suspicion from the electric company. Would they also eliminate the need for cooling, other than the fan? And would a single 26w bulb (delivering 2050 lumens in both grow and bloom mode) be enough for 2 or 3 indicas?
     
  10. #10 Slick21, Mar 30, 2016
    On the soil front, sure you are gonna need perlite. (very cheap)
    The nutes sound fine friend, just make sure you use half of recommended dosage at most.
    Cutting day smell will leak from the apt. (need to think on that one)
    Cuttings: Triple bag and bin somewhere at night.
    I think also that you don`t have enough lumens for 2. Barely 1 in fact.
    Ask around. Will be back soon.
     
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  11. #11 Slick21, Mar 30, 2016
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2016
    I use one of these babies. Fits your tent like a glove, and despite what others say, I`ll show you some results.
    Cheap as hell to run, no temp issues. Dual bulb is perfect for both stages. Ideal for a stealth grow.

    300w CFL "Dual Spectrum" Grow Lamp CFL Dual Spectrum with reflector Lamps have both Blue Spectrum (Vegging Stage) and Red Spectrum (Flowering Stage). Ideal for: Propagation, Cuttings, Vegetative & Flowering Stages A great new edition to this increasingly popular range, we're sure the self-ballasted lamps (CFL) will become just as popular. They're ideal for: •Propagation •Vegging Stage •Flowering Stage •Over wintering plants •Side lighting •Mother Plants 300w CFL - Most Powerful, Low Energy Lamps Available! Costs LESS than 2p per hour to run! (Based on a standard electricity tariff of 10p per 1kw) Lamp Features: •Low energy, high output lamps - No wasted light or electricity! Your plants will use 100% of lamps light spectrum. •100% Power factor - Cheap unbranded CFL's have a power factor of 40-50% which means they use "twice" as much voltage & amps which can and will easily burn out lamps components, causing potential fire hazard. •100% Correct PAR- (Photosynthetically Active Radiation) •Self-Ballasting Lamp - Just plug & grow, no need for expensive heavy ballast. •8,000hrs active life - 4 x longer than HPS Lamps. •Very low running costs - Less than 2p per hour. •Will not burn your plants - Can be positioned 2-3cm above. •Much less odours from your plants - Due to very little heat output of lamp. •Highest Lumen Output. •E40 Screw Type Fitting. •Total Length: 36cm •Tube Length: 22cm •Diameter: 14cm. •Weight: 1.2kg. Why Choose CFL Lamps ?? Plants only need two light spectrum's during their whole life cycle. Only the Blue Spectrum 6400k during their growth stage, then only the Red Spectrum 2700k during their Flowering Stage, any other light spectrum is wasted! Our lamps have 100% correct spectrum which gives your plant exactly what it needs.

    Just google half of the top line...(somehow can`t post a link.)


    Just a suggestion.
     
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  12. #12 binner, Mar 30, 2016
    The smell is fine I vent into the same room. I run ducting from the window into bottom of the tent for fresh cool air and vent through CF and ducting into the room. It smells if its left open or thier is no negative pressure (extraction fans off). Its also strain dependent.

    As with you buying an led light, if you get the hps in the package why spend more it wont be a problem with electric. Unless you know for a fact you will have a better yeild with the led, then hps is fine until you have had a couple of runs.

    You'll realise once your set up and running that its so easy to obsess over your plants that you end up doing more harm than good, get dialled in then focus on better equipment. Thiers so much to learn its never ending but each time your yeild SHOULD get bigger and better.
     
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  13. #13 Slick21, Mar 30, 2016
    Under CFL, as posted with the light/reflector above......

    16-01-09-10-41-58-445_photo.jpg
     
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  14. #14 MadCapMan, Apr 4, 2016
    @binner The main reason why I'd want LED is because of the heat; with HPS, it just seems counterproductive to have a light system that uses 95% of the power it gets to generate heat, which I'd have to spend even more power to cool down. Plus it even needs extra watts for the ballast (finally read about ballasts). I have read about it, and I understand that HPS penetrates the plants better, thus making bud production increase, but I'd still like to keep the whole thing as low-watt as I can. Btw, I won't be buying the package deal I posted in the first post (because of the HPS), but rather buy all the parts individually.

    I'm not interested in the maximum yield possible, cause it's solely for personal use. My girlfriend and I smoke daily, but not that much; about a 100 grams of what you'd call schwag (don't worry, we get it dirt cheap from a trusted old friend) takes us about 3 months to burn through, and if what we'd grow inside the tent is at least 3 times as potent (and without stems and seeds), a 100 grams of dried bud per harvest should easily last until the next harvest.

    @Slick21, you've definitely convinced me to use CFL - at least to begin with (getting the required LED bulbs costs the same as all the other equipment, combined!). I found a
    "125 W CFL DUAL - PURE LIGHT 2700-6400K" - the specs swears that it's suitable for 2-4 plants. Can that be true, or do I really have to go for 300w? (the bulb you suggested looks great, but it's not available in my country, and can't be shipped either)

    Also, I'm a bit confused about these dual spectrum bulbs; as far as I understand, it illuminates in the 2700k and 6400k spectres simultaneously (the one I'm looking at doesn't have a switch). And apparently, that should be fine. But I remember reading a while ago that for non-autoflowering plants you have to manually enable the 2700k spectrum after the vegging stage, or they won't start blooming. So is what I read wrong, or will dual spectrum bulbs only be good for autoflowering plants?
     
  15. #15 Slick21, Apr 5, 2016
    According to the above data, this company states the same Kelvin output as a 300w, but with a 125w bulb?
    I find that difficult to believe, sorry. Not you, them.

    There are many sources of the 300w dual, surely one of them will ship to you? It`s not like it is an illegal bulb. I`d keep looking.

    As for the dual function, simply turn it on, and use it through the veg. stage.(she will use all light available to her) When she is ready to flower, flip your timer to 12-12 and the plant will automatcally use the flowering spectrum of the light, best for her needs, with no need for you to do anything else.
    This method works for Auto and Regular plants in the same way.

    Try and source a 300w if you can, but do not forget the reflector.

    I would also suggest that you would have 2 pretty small plants, or one big big one with better yeild and higher quality.

    Just in my experience of course. Regardless of what you choose, some good buds coming to you. And very easily.
     
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  16. #16 killset, Apr 5, 2016
    Kelvin rating has nothing to do with the watts. You could have 2 bulbs with the same watts and completly different Kelvin ratings. Kelvin has to do with the color temperature of a bulb not the wattage.
     
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  17. #17 Slick21, Apr 5, 2016
    Last edited: Apr 5, 2016
    Fair point well made. Still 300w v 125w? I know which I would go for. Getting my Kelvins and Lumins mixed......

    Sent from my SM-G925F using Grasscity Forum mobile app
     
  18. #18 Robbie714, Apr 5, 2016
    This is in a 36x20x62 with a Marshydro 600 278 draw. 125x 5 watt diodes. I have two auto flowers in my tent one sprouted 1/31 the other 2/5. I'm using an Apollo inline cf 190 CFM's. And a 4 inch booster fan for intake 100 CFMs. I have 3/3 gallon smart pots for after I harvest, but I don't think I'm going to be able to fit all three of them in there when they're in flower? The pots I have in there now are just big and bulky the smart pots I should be able to fit three in there hopefully. This is how cramped it is in my tent! [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]y


    Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum mobile app
     
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  19. #19 Slick21, Apr 5, 2016
    Oh, and the main kola, just behind a secondary bud (pictured) at chop, was around 15 inches in length, and about 5 inches fat.
    All done with CFL. Not dissing LED at all, they can be expensive though, but my results, and the superb strength of hit, all done under CFL.

    Just sayin` (you can just see them in the background) Cheap as hell to buy and run.
     
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  20. #20 MadCapMan, Apr 18, 2016
    @Slick21 Ok, I'm definitely going with CFL - also because my girlfriend requests that I get a 150cm tall tent instead of 170cm, because that's too tall. And CFL's can be placed much closer to the plants than HPS (though the same could be said for LED, of course, but they're damn expensive).

    And I'm definitely gonna start this project, cause it seems possible to do. We have some renovations to do in our bedroom (where the tent will be) before I can start; new bed, wardrobe (where the tent will be) etc. But I should be ready to start within a month, and I'll start a grow journal here when I do, for anyone who might be interested - also because I'm probably gonna have a million noob questions along the way (don't worry, I'm gonna pay back the good karma and help out aspiring noobs as soon as I can no longer call myself a noob).

    (Hopefully) final array of noob questions in this thread:
    • If I were to use soil that's already fertilized, with suitable NPK values, should I avoid watering the plants with nutrients completely and wait until the soil "runs out" of its nutrients?
    • If I keep the grow tent in a wardrobe, would it work fine if I take in air from inside the wardrobe and also vent the carbon filtered air into the wardrobe (as in no tubes on the outside of the tent)? The wardrobe isn't gonna be airtight, so I'm assuming (hoping) that it will sufficiently draw air through the small gaps between the sliding doors.
    • Will I have to buy an expensive fan to make sure that it's completely silent? As mentioned, the tent is gonna be in our bedroom so it's important that it makes no noise at all; it should be as if the tent wasn't even there, except for when it's opened.
    • @Slick21 So it's the timing schedule that determines when the plant starts flowering, and not the spectrum? Also, I read that 18-6 is a good schedule for vegging, but you seem to recommend 24-0 - which is better (if the difference is marginal, I'll stick with 18-6 to save a bit of power)?
    • For my first grow, I'd like to get some bud fast - would the Sea of Green method be faster than having 1 or 2 regular plants, using LST? And if yes, how many plants would it take, using Sea of Green, to get the same approximate yield as from a normally grown plant?
     
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