Okay so basically I want to know what else i need besides the things i'm listing. My tent is 6 feet tall, 4 feet wide and 2 feet deep, i plan on only growing only 1 plant at a time using a DWC system in 5 gal. buckets until i grasp this whole process. Also I will be growing an auto flower strain so i don't think i will need to top or LST, correct me if i'm wrong. So far i have acquired. 1, Oracle Grow tent 1, 150 watt 16,000 lumen HPS Sun system light fixture. 2, 55 watt 3,800 lumen CFL bulbs with reflectors. 5, 5 gal. buckets for DWC. 1, 2 gal. bucket for drip system. (not planning on using unless advised otherwise) 1, box fan at the bottom for ventilation in. (going to be adding more based on temp) 1, small 6 inch fan at the top for ventilation out. 2, air pumps with airstones. 1, thermostat/hydrometer. 1, TDS/PPM meter. Fox Farm hydroponics nutes. (still getting all of them) I will also be adding Microbe Hydroponics to the blend Anything else i need to get i would love to know, i want little room for error on this one as i will be following fox farms hydro feeding schedule to the dot. Will also upload pictures if you need any.
Most everything looks good. Nice to have someone ask a question like this and have most of their ducks already in a row. Couple questions... That HPS fixture...is it air cooled? I've only used 400+ watts so I'm not sure how hot that 150 gets. Something to think about. I wouldn't worry about the drip system. But that's only because I've never done a drip system so I don't see the need nor do I know enough about them (probably because I've never needed it). I'd suggest having two thermos. One for the tent temps, and one to keep in the reservoir. You can get water thermos for aquariums cheap. I got a digital one off amazon. Point is, you definitely want to watch the res temps. High res temps can lead to root rot and other bullshit you do not want. Also, what water are you using? Of course almost everybody says to use RO water. But if your tap water isn't too hard it's fine. Check the PPMs. My tap water is about 60-70 ppm and I grow with it no problem. I've seen plenty of others here growing with 150-170 ppm tap water. You may need a CalMag supplement. But it all depends on the strain, water, nutes, etc. I would add an enzyme to the res. Like Hygrozyme or Sensizyme. It takes any old dead matter in the res and turns it into usable stuff for the plant. That way you don't have that shit sitting in there causing other issues. I've got a couple other tips but that should get you going! Also you can definitely top and LST an auto. I used to LST the SHIT out of autos. You can get them real low and spread them out.
>>>No it is not air cooled, im assuming that means i should get another fan to blow in between the fan and the plant tops? Well, it all depends on what kind of heat that 150 puts out. For example, I'm running a 400 but I have it in a cool tube. Meaning the bulb is in a glass tube that's connected to an inline fan. So the fan pulls air in through the passive intakes on my tent and across the bulb to cool it and it exhausts the hot, stale air out the top of the tent. I'd do a few test runs with the lights on and everything like it will be when you have a plant in there and monitor temps and see what it does. Then you can go from there. >>Would you mind shooting me a link to a good water thermometer, also what temperature is too high and and any tips on how to cool it? This is the one I have right now: http://www.amazon.com/SODIAL-Digital-Aquarium-Vivarium-Thermometer/dp/B008SJ1H7A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1396016223&sr=8-2&keywords=aquarium+thermometer As far as temps go, it depends on a lot of variables, most notably how much DO (dissolved oxygen, i.e., air bubbles) you have pumping into the soup. Meaning, the more air you're pumping in, the warmer the soup can be. For the most part, anything in the mid-60s is fine. Don't let it stay in the 70s for too long. The warmer water is, the less DO it holds. So, if it's warmer than you want you just pump more air. It depends on the size of the air pump. As far as cooling it goes, the best scenario is to build or buy a chiller. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Run the system for a while and see what kind of temps you have. >> I've been using tap water, should i buy different water, also should i check and adjust ph every day? Yes, you should check and adjust if needed every day. Sometimes I don't check every single day. But I try not to go more than every other day. You can use tap water. It just depends on the TDS (total dissolved solids) of your water. Check it with your TDS/EC pen and see what the ppms are. My tap water is fairly soft and comes out around 60 ppm. And that is totally fine for growing. I've seen plenty of people grow with tap water that's 150 ppm. Anything over that and I would consider using RO water.
Thank you! i think my tent gets around 86F or something close to that. so im thinking an extra fan and 2 air pumps for the bucket. Im going to stop by pet smart and walmart to see if i can find that thermometer! My well water is at 108 and my tap water is at 156 so i think i will filter my well water and use that!
This might be a little late, but given the situation (and the fact you've obviously prepared to do this), I would strongly suggest running a 2-day test with NO seeds, seedlings or plants until you can assure you can effectively control all your environmental parameters (temp, RH, airflow, ) without fail. For me, that also includes water and all its aspects so, I have a low-volume RO filter. Yes, it adds more cash on the front side, but now I'll have consistently good water for ALL my needs, not just growing. cheers