Starting a new grow room in my basement, need advice

Discussion in 'Grow Room Design/Setup' started by Biek, Jun 28, 2015.

  1. So I have a little over $900 and I'm looking to turn my basement into a grow room. I plan to expand and add more as I go along but right now I have to make due with $900. The basement isn't finished so the walls and ground are concrete. The furnace and hot water heater are in the middle of the basement too and there is also a water drain on the floor with the ground slanted toward the drain which I thought was convenient. The basement is 16' x 19' with 6' 6" ceiling to floor. The furnace and hot water heater take up approx 4' x 5' of space in the middle of the basement.


    I was planning to buy a roll of 10' x 100' 5.5mm thick black and white poly to line the walls and the ceiling. Good idea? I WAS planning on just painting them white to save money but with the condition of the walls (cracks, etc.) I thought the poly would be a better light reflector and would also allow me to divide the room in half to have separate light cycles for veg and flowering.


    Lights I was looking at:


    T5 Grow Light (4ft 4lamps) DL844s Ho Fluorescent
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HEYCRI8/ref=ox...


    Apollo Horticulture 4' 6400k T5 bulbs pack of 5
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K327EPO/ref=ox...

    Apollo Horticulture 4' 2700k T5 bulbs pack of 5
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K327EPO/ref=ox...



    Apollo Horticulture GLK600GW19 600 Watt Grow Light Digital Dimmable HPS MH System for Plants Gull Wing Hood Set
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004L3AQ1U/ref=ox...


    Do you think this is sufficient lighting for me or do I need another 600 watt unit? Or should I ditch the 600w and get 1000w? I've never grown before so this will all be new to me. I was worried about the height of the basement ceilings as its 6 1/2' at the tallest and shorter in some areas. Is this tall enough for plants to grow sufficiently? I guess I'd like to know if you had a basement area like mine which seems to be 300 total sq ft but actually less because the hot water heater and furnace are taking up part of the middle of the room roughly 4' x 5' area. And with roughly a $800-900 budget to start which has to cover soil mix, nutrients, ph water kit, seeds, etc. Any suggestions would be appreciated I've been reading up on these forums and looking at youtube videos and other growing guides but figured I'd post here to see if any of you professionals could give me some advice personally. Anyways, thanks! and love this website





     
  2. I will try to help where I can as this grow sounds so damn similar to what I have right now.


    No issues with any of the equipment you listed but you might want a cooltube for that 600 as it puts out some hella heat.
    Depending on where you live you may experience heat issues in the summer, I know I have, and need a big fan to exhaust all that hot air out of the room.


    It is definitely tall enough to grow, just dont veg your plants to a height that exceeds about 4ft and youll be cool imo.


    Heres my opinion on sectioning off your room:
    Its a good idea so you dont waste all that light but it will make heat a bigger issue as it has less space to go. Always good to utilize as much of your light as possible but get the heat out! I am dealing with this consequence as I type. I have a midwest basement that is unfinished and walled off a section about 24ft long by about 6ft wide. I then section off a 3.5ft section in the back for my flower area. I run the same 600w light as you mentioned above with a cooltube and filter...all cooled by a 190cfm fam and.....not enough air flow still :( I should have bought a 6in fam with cfms around 350-400.


    Whether you use poly or white paint you will be fine imo. White paint is good, poly is better and the expensive diamond textured shit is prolly really good but I cant afford it. I use poly and it works well I think.


    Check around for the best deal on nutes you can get but I always recommend FoxFarm as they have genlte products that, imo, get good results. Dont but Miracle grow or soil from Homedepot or a regular nursery, buy premium soil from a hydro store is always a good bet....pricey but worth it.


    Im not a pro by any sandards but I have been growing for about 6 years and have had great harvests. Im not wealthy, I have a family and bills and all sorts of shit that causes me to do things for my grow room as cheap as I can do it. Where I can skimp on something and not hurt my plants, I usually do it. When I need to spend the money to do it right...like nutes, soil, lights and fans...I do it also. $900 is a good chunk of change man, I think you can get started for that but it will go quick so prioritze what you need most and get the luxury items when you can.


    I grow just for myself and a few family members, I dont sell, so Im not concerned with making sure EVERYTHING is perfect. If I get a harvest that has some beans from a hermie, its ok to me. If I get a harvest that is not as dense as I know they could be...Im cool with it.


    Good luck man and hopefully others chime in to help also. I think you will do fine. Just keep reading as much as you can to always learn more!

     
  3. Lol, I just seen the T5's you were looking at...I just bought the same kind also on ebay for about $90 and I love it man, It is perfect for clones and veggers as long as they dont get too tall...then I have to put em under a 400w before they go into the flower area.


    Peace!

     
  4. Thank you for your input! I have been concerned about the heat issue, wasn't sure if I could get by with just putting some regular fans in the room but it sounds like an exhaust fan that runs out of the house would be best. I'll try to find one that is 300-400cfm. Luckily the ceiling isn't finished so the duct work from the furnace and hot water heater are exposed. I was thinking it would be possible to run some tubing directly out the same exhaust vents or make a new vent next to the ones for the furnace etc. I also live in the midwest so we are probably dealing with the same temperatures.


    When you said you walled off an area about 24' by 6' do you mean with poly or did you use something else? Did you double layer it so whites on each side? Do you happen to know if the cooltube has a filtration system that eliminates odor? I just don't want the hot air coming out of my house to smell like massive chronic. I only plan on growing for myself and some of my family and since this is my first time growing ever I have been reading as much as possible so I don't screw anything up. Growing is an art I've come to learn. Makes me wish I was more into plants as a kid or taken botany in college.


    Again thank you for taking the time to respond to my post.





     

Share This Page