First time grow room, and the headache I encountered.

[420dankestnugs]

I made a thread not too long ago asking for help about best light setups for a 50sq/ft room. I thought the 50sqft room was a good starting base but man was I wrong. After I started moving all the storage out of the room I realized how badly the sheetrock was molding... I took pictures of most of the process so I figured I'd post my experience on here with rebuilding the room and more importantly, my first indoor grow (Starting with White Widow).

This is during cleaning out the room. It was originally used for storage and I found a small amount of mold...

Of course it turns out worse then I imagined. A solid 4x4 piece of sheetrock was completely toast. Touching it with my finger would cause it to crumble away... ( this was only the top portion, bottom was 3x the size of this...)

It took me extremely long to clean the room but it was well worth the time, effort, and experience. There were originally four shelves, two on each side of the room. I figured it would be smart to keep one and maybe cover it with some sort of curtain to seperate it from my flowering plants and allow plants to veg on the shelf. (let me know what you guys think of this, the shelf is the one still connected to the wall). Everything was taken apart, thats when I made the walls spotless with hydrogen peroxide. Just to be safe I also rented an O-Zone generator and really showed the mold whose boss.

To me the easy part was finished. As for the sheetrock I took it all down and removed all insulation etc. Replaced it all with 2x2 sheetrock replancement panels, new insulation, and tons of caulking... After that I bought a 2 gallons of mold & mildew resistant primer. Room started coming along extremely well

This was the first layer I put onto it. Kept going and going and going. Luckily didn't run into any problems. Here's all the shit I originally had to replace.

I plan on upgraded the room once I get more experience. Hoping to enter the recreational industry where I live. I bought 2x Cooling Hoods, 2x 1000Watt Ballasts. 2x 1000Watt HPS, 2x 1000watt MH, 6inch 435cfm fan, timers, ocean forest soil, bunch of other good stuff. I also refurbished an old entertainment cabinet into an area to sprout seedlings/clones (no pictures right now but I'll try and update them in).

I was hoping for more head clearance. I decided for now it's best to stick with shorter plants.

Was testing a few ways on where to put my fan. After some testing I found right underneath the shelf is perfect fit. Let me know if you think otherwise, I'm always open to learn!

The room is ready to go. I'm sure I'll encounter some more problems but I hope not. If I do it wont be close to what I've had to go through already .

My white widow seed is just now starting to show some leaves, roughly 2 inches tall. Have to leave for a little but once I'm back I'll try to take some more pictures.

 

[420dankestnugs]

Here's a picture of the grow cabinet. Instead of getting a generic heating mat I decided to use one I already had(shoulder heating mat ). It turns off every 45 minutes so I usually have it on a 45/30 on/off timer. The seedling is really enjoying it in there. These pics are from yesterday, already much taller and leaves starting to come out more. I'm going to be doing the rest of the seeds once this is transferred to a pot. This was a test to make sure it was under good growing conditions before I go all out.

On another note, do you think adding a fluorescent light strip on the top would be overkill? I wouldn't need to be growing from seeds anymore with a good mother plant. Do you think there's enough room for a mother plant? Also, is there anyway to make sure a mother plant stays somewhat small?

 

[chemphlegm]

mold on your walls= rh is too high, you need to control your humidity with a dehumidifier.
If you're splashing or spraying be sure to hang some plastic sheeting to protect the walls too.
a mother plant can be kept at four inches tall or four feet tall, whatever you like, cut it, chop it, bend it, tie it, top it som emore, then chop off the top and some random stems too, keep topping, she keeps growing, forever if you're good.
I clone from a clone from a clone and have avoided mothers while cycling 30 different strains full time.\
dont worry about side lighting or flouro's, you got the king hanging there, its all you'll need

 

[420dankestnugs]

mold on your walls= rh is too high, you need to control your humidity with a dehumidifier.
If you're splashing or spraying be sure to hang some plastic sheeting to protect the walls too.
a mother plant can be kept at four inches tall or four feet tall, whatever you like, cut it, chop it, bend it, tie it, top it som emore, then chop off the top and some random stems too, keep topping, she keeps growing, forever if you're good.
I clone from a clone from a clone and have avoided mothers while cycling 30 different strains full time.\
dont worry about side lighting or flouro's, you got the king hanging there, its all you'll need

Thanks for the input! I have thought about not running a mother and just clone my plants some time before sending them into flower. I'll stick with this one light for now. As for the room it's built in a barnstyle garage. Whoever originally set it up didn't build it to hold out moisture etc. This room was the last part for me to fix. Right now it's 78 degrees and RH is at 37%. I've been running it since yesterday starting at 5PM to see what my readings would be. Everything seems to be going just great in there. I'll keep you all posted. Also when would be the right time to transplant this seedling into a soil pot?

 

[Jon E. Doe]

Great work! Now grow some beasts!

 

[Xcoregamerskillz]

A construction tip: if that's a basement or below ground level, consider using Durock for the walls. I'd actually recommend it for any grow space as it's designed for use in bathrooms or any other space that sees very high humidity. You should be fine, but if you get bubbling or peeling in your walls, you may want to replace them. Also, be careful as mold spores can come back (did a few mold jobs at my old company.) I know it's too late now, but if it come back, spray everything behind the sheetrock with mold killer and then paint with resistant primer before putting up the rock. Looks like you did pretty good though.

 

[420dankestnugs]

Great work! Now grow some beasts!

Thank you!! That's the plan and I'll keep this thread alive with updates on how everything turns out.

A construction tip: if that's a basement or below ground level, consider using Durock for the walls. I'd actually recommend it for any grow space as it's designed for use in bathrooms or any other space that sees very high humidity. You should be fine, but if you get bubbling or peeling in your walls, you may want to replace them. Also, be careful as mold spores can come back (did a few mold jobs at my old company.) I know it's too late now, but if it come back, spray everything behind the sheetrock with mold killer and then paint with resistant primer before putting up the rock. Looks like you did pretty good though.

Luckily the room is at ground level. I didn't take pictures of me cleansing the room because I was covered in a bunch of nasty shit... I ended up hitting everything with hydrogen peroxide before scrubbing it down. After that I whipped out an ozone generator and let it run. Lucky me and just to be safe I found some Concrobium that I used from my old house. I tried to take as many precautions as possible to make sure the mold doesnt come back. As for the sheetrock material I used Greenboard, hopefully that will do the job. This is all a learning experience for me, as I will be constructing a bigger, legal grow. I just want to get my feet wet and not overwhelm myself at the start. If the room does get mold coming back I'll have to change my plans and start putting up the new building. I'll look into putting Durock in it aswell.

 

[Xcoregamerskillz]

Thank you!! That's the plan and I'll keep this thread alive with updates on how everything turns out.



Luckily the room is at ground level. I didn't take pictures of me cleansing the room because I was covered in a bunch of nasty shit... I ended up hitting everything with hydrogen peroxide before scrubbing it down. After that I whipped out an ozone generator and let it run. Lucky me and just to be safe I found some Concrobium that I used from my old house. I tried to take as many precautions as possible to make sure the mold doesnt come back. As for the sheetrock material I used Greenboard, hopefully that will do the job. This is all a learning experience for me, as I will be constructing a bigger, legal grow. I just want to get my feet wet and not overwhelm myself at the start. If the room does get mold coming back I'll have to change my plans and start putting up the new building. I'll look into putting Durock in it aswell.

Green board is actually good. Wasn't sure what you did, and wanted to help for the future. Did everything just about perfect. Only step you skipped was not using the mold inhibiting primer on the framing, which isn't a well known trick, Kudos to you on being thorough.

EDIT: Durock is just another type of sheetrock, and it might even be a brand name of green boad. Not entirely sure, I'm was an electrical apprentice and only know the stuff by look and feel. Lol. I just know what the rockers used in bathrooms and other damp places. So don't bother with Durock unless you have to re-rock the wall.

 

[Cobnobuler]

I can sense your excitement for getting started. Thats a blast. Your room looks real good.
Best of luck with your grow. ( Have lots of patience )

 

[Samsonator]

It's fun getting creative isn't it? Looking nice, I would suggest if you live in area with winter that you insulate the floor and top it with a waterproof material. 1" foamboard will do, the purpose is so the concrete won't suck the warmth out of your growing medium, which leads nutrient lock out and deficiencies.

 

[Budley Doright]

Your humidity could be from no vapour barrier behind the board. As the room is probably in a negative then it will draw the air through the walls and into the board and the dew point is lower so it condenses in the board. Also green coloured board is moisture resistant and not mould resistant but the blue board is both...just an FYI lol. If you cover the room in plastic the moisture will build up behind it and cause damage as well if there is no vapour barrier behind the board. Room looks good .

 

[420dankestnugs]

Thanks everyone for the feedback and info! I'm germinating some more seeds right now (2x blueberry, 4x White Widows). I want to clone the best plants in the batch so I'm starting with a few seeds. First seed I started is now under my 1000watt MH. She seems to be doing just great so far. I'll try to grab some more pictures tomorrow!

 

[theslipperbandit]

Where's your filter n is 430cfm enough for the fan to suck through the filter cool the lights n exhaust I even have a intake fan all connected to my speed controller

 

[theslipperbandit]

And u could space the 1000w hoods since you'll get overall better coverage when it comes to fans bigger is better especially with a fan speed controller connected to a thermo she'll stay quiet where as the smaller struggle n make annoying sounds but when needed the intake and outtake is controlled by my sms twin speed just be sure ur intake is lower..we kinda need that new pressure my blue fans supposed to be over 700cfm but never needs it and my intake connected to my 4" has a ram fan connected to him n suspended via yoyo so my shits slick n fresh then when lights on I've a 16" on min prepped for when they go through puberty just to keep the airflow going oh and above all my cobs I've another 6' ram fan to feed the out any excess heat ad the cobs dissipate the heat through the fans but tbh my carbon filter takes most the heat...I've over 100w worth of cobs in both veg n flowering n max I've seen is 27c

 

[chemphlegm]

Also when would be the right time to transplant this seedling into a soil pot?

soon as roots hang out the bottom of the cup/rooter

 

[420dankestnugs]

soon as roots hang out the bottom of the cup/rooter

That's what I ended up doing. First plant I started in a rockwool cube/grodan. Started off well and sprouted to 4 inches in 2ish days. The other 5 I planted in soil 2x2 pots. They took a little bit longer to sprout but they are all now showing symptoms of growing!! I ended up buying a dehumidifier and oscillating fan for the room. RH is at 35% and temperature ranges from 75-84 degrees. Blew a fuse in yesterday because I didn't know how exactly the barn was wired for electricity, lights were off for an hour before I was able to fix and diagnose the problem. Plants are still doing well even after the 1 hour lights out. I've been saying it a lot, but now that I'm home I'll take some pictures and post them.

 

[Budley Doright]

That's what I ended up doing. First plant I started in a rockwool cube/grodan. Started off well and sprouted to 4 inches in 2ish days. The other 5 I planted in soil 2x2 pots. They took a little bit longer to sprout but they are all now showing symptoms of growing!! I ended up buying a dehumidifier and oscillating fan for the room. RH is at 35% and temperature ranges from 75-84 degrees. Blew a fuse in yesterday because I didn't know how exactly the barn was wired for electricity, lights were off for an hour before I was able to fix and diagnose the problem. Plants are still doing well even after the 1 hour lights out. I've been saying it a lot, but now that I'm home I'll take some pictures and post them.

You can let your humidity get a bit higher and don't sweat the light thing, they'll be fine .

 

[Los Reefersaurus]

mold on your walls= rh is too high, you need to control your humidity with a dehumidifier.
If you're splashing or spraying be sure to hang some plastic sheeting to protect the walls too.
a mother plant can be kept at four inches tall or four feet tall, whatever you like, cut it, chop it, bend it, tie it, top it som emore, then chop off the top and some random stems too, keep topping, she keeps growing, forever if you're good.
I clone from a clone from a clone and have avoided mothers while cycling 30 different strains full time.\
dont worry about side lighting or flouro's, you got the king hanging there, its all you'll need

This is not correct! mold on the wall means the wall is too cold for the amount of RH
You are going to have some serious mold problems unless you sort out your walls more.
I recommend insulating with at least 1/2 " of Styrofoam plus at lest a layer of door skin on top. PLus insulate the floor as well.
You should be able to run your room at 75 to 80 percent humidity and not have condensation or mold issues.
Solve your issues now before they manifest later.
If you leave it you might make it thought the summer but when the fall hits........

 

[420dankestnugs]

This is not correct! mold on the wall means the wall is too cold for the amount of RH
You are going to have some serious mold problems unless you sort out your walls more.
I recommend insulating with at least 1/2 " of Styrofoam plus at lest a layer of door skin on top. PLus insulate the floor as well.
You should be able to run your room at 75 to 80 percent humidity and not have condensation or mold issues.
Solve your issues now before they manifest later.
If you leave it you might make it thought the summer but when the fall hits........

Read my previous post about my mold situation. I took all the precautions I could to prevent mold from happening again.

Thank you!! That's the plan and I'll keep this thread alive with updates on how everything turns out.



Luckily the room is at ground level. I didn't take pictures of me cleansing the room because I was covered in a bunch of nasty shit... I ended up hitting everything with hydrogen peroxide before scrubbing it down. After that I whipped out an ozone generator and let it run. Lucky me and just to be safe I found some Concrobium that I used from my old house. I tried to take as many precautions as possible to make sure the mold doesnt come back. As for the sheetrock material I used Greenboard, hopefully that will do the job. This is all a learning experience for me, as I will be constructing a bigger, legal grow. I just want to get my feet wet and not overwhelm myself at the start. If the room does get mold coming back I'll have to change my plans and start putting up the new building. I'll look into putting Durock in it aswell.

The mold was only there because the upkeep on the barn/garage was non existent with the previous property owners. There was a leak on the roof that I did fix. There are no more leaks, no more black mold, and an RH of 35% consistent throughout the entire building (with dehumidifier, 40% without). It's also still raining like crazy out here so I'm not too worried that it will come back. Like I said I've got the funds to construct an actual rec grow but I want experience before I completely dive in. I have grown since I was 16 in makeshift boxes, outdoors, etc. Nothing crazy but It's something that's always interested me(22 now). With it being legal in my state I've decided to leave the business I was currently in to focus on this full time.

 

[Los Reefersaurus]

If you say so, good luck friend