Rate my indoor setup

[Fibbage3]

Hello all,

First post, long time lurker. I have been wanting to grow for years... now that I can grow up to 4 plants legally I decided to pull trigger on an 'investment'. I provided the cost of the major items, the remaining items ranged from $10-$40 each.

Tent: 4x4x6.7 Secret Jardin DR120 (cost $316 CAD)
Light: HLG 550 v2 (cost $1,239.90 CAD)
Fan & filter: Vortex S-600 & Vortex Profilter S70 Carbon Filter & speed controller (cost $430 CAD)
Miscellaneous: 1x circulating fan that attaches to the tent, 2x mini fans that will sit on the floor to circle air below the canopy, thermo/hygrometer, timer for lights.
DIY RDWC: 3x 64L Home Depot totes (1 for reservoir, 2 for holding plants), 2" PVC piping for recycling of nutrients/water, 400 GPH water pump, 6 valve air pump 3000 LPH/18W (2x large Pawfly air stones per tote).

I still need to purchase nutrients, and I am torn on what to purchase... I heard you can't go wrong with General Hydroponics Micro/Bloom/Gro series, but what are your thoughts? Do I need any other supplemental nutrients? I would love if someone could reference a link that has a step by step nutrient schedule as I have had trouble finding specific details online.

Do I need ducting to attach to the inline fan/filter? Or can I run the inline fan/filter directly out of the tent? I am growing in a spare bedroom that is never used. Door will be shut and there will be no light in the room itself (other than the light running in the tent).

I understand that I need ph up/down meter, along with other water measuring tools. Is there one tool that I can leave in the water that collects and logs data on the ph/ppm/temp at all times? I would prefer to just check a device instead of taking samples of the water each day. You may call this lazy, but I call it trying to be more efficient.

Am I missing anything else before I start germinating my seeds?? I appreciate any thoughts, suggestions, and opinions.

ALSO - I purchased seeds from GreenPoint Seeds. The 4 strains that I purchased are Tomahawk, Cookies N Chem, Crackleberry, and Lucky 7's. Total cost of the seeds ran me $280 CAD. I will only be running 2 strains at a time in the 4x4, but will SCROG both to utilize the space as much as possible. I am really hoping I get lucky and land 2 fems right off the bat.

Thank you for your help. Keep calm and grow on.

 

[projectinfo]

I prever mars hydro tents over secret jardin. And their cheaper.

Buy straight from their website, they ship from canada.

 

[Fibbage3]

I prever mars hydro tents over secret jardin. And their cheaper.

Any specific reason why you prefer Mars>SJ? I heard Secret Jardin is comparable to Gorilla Grow tents, but are cheaper. Durable frame, does not leak light, and has good quality zippers.

 

[projectinfo]

How are you going to controll temp/humidity/co2?

Lights make heat

You need fresh air exchange to replenish co2 and to reduce mold and bugs.

Humidity usually spikes at night So depending where you live youll need a dehumidifier or humidifier or both, also an exhaust fan to outside and a temp controller to controll you exhaust fan to kick on when it gets too warm


Blue labs makes a ppm/ph probe to test like you said instead of hand testing daily

 

[projectinfo]

Any specific reason why you prefer Mars>SJ? I heard Secret Jardin is comparable to Gorilla Grow tents, but are cheaper. Durable frame, does not leak light, and has good quality zippers.

Mars tents are cheaper and same quality

 

[Thegermling]

I still need to purchase nutrients, and I am torn on what to purchase

Look up MegaCrop on this forum. Thank me later.

Do I need any other supplemental nutrients?

PK supplement to go along with MegaCrop.

Do I need ducting to attach to the inline fan/filter? Or can I run the inline fan/filter directly out of the tent?

Attach filter to the intake of the fan, put ducting on the exhaust part of the fan. If you do it any other way you will be defeating the purpose of the white part that comes with the filter (its called the pre-filter) which traps dust and making your filter more efficient.

Is there one tool that I can leave in the water that collects and logs data on the ph/ppm/temp at all times?

I think the bluelab guardian is what youre looking for.

ALSO - I purchased seeds from GreenPoint Seeds. The 4 strains that I purchased are Tomahawk, Cookies N Chem, Crackleberry, and Lucky 7's. Total cost of the seeds ran me $280 CAD. I will only be running 2 strains at a time in the 4x4, but will SCROG both to utilize the space as much as possible. I am really hoping I get lucky and land 2 fems right off the bat.

Good luck with greenpoint. Too many reports of males in regular seed packs. If you havent been up to date on greenpoint seeds then you need to go to that thread and go to about the posts in august and you will see why greenpoint is bad now. Good luck!

 

[Fibbage3]

Thanks for your response projectinfo.

How are you going to controll temp/humidity/co2?

The light I purchased is LED, one of the best LEDs on the market. From what I've read heating should not be a problem if I have proper air circulation. I got the fan speed controller hoping it would help with heat if the issue does arise. Otherwise I will just open the bedroom window ever slightly in the winter, and in the summer I run AC almost all the time. This cool air will enter the tent through intake.

Humidity... hmm that's a good point. This will be my first grow so honestly I was hoping I wouldn't have to worry about humidity, but if the humidity levels get out of control I will get either a dehumidifier or humidifier.

I wasn't planning on using co2. Should I consider it? Is it vital?

You need fresh air exchange to replenish co2 and to reduce mold and bugs.

Humidity usually spikes at night So depending where you live youll need a dehumidifier or humidifier or both, also an exhaust fan to outside and a temp controller to controll you exhaust fan to kick on when it gets too warm

I live in Eastern Ontario, Canada. Temps vary significantly by season. Should I consider getting an intake fan as well to help with recirculating air?

Blue labs makes a ppm/ph probe to test like you said instead of hand testing daily

I'll look into this one, thanks.

 

[projectinfo]

Yes get an exhaust fan for your room for your window . You may haveto build something with a vent hole for the winter.

Or drill a hole and put a dryer vent over it to not draw attention.


What led did you get ?

 

[Fibbage3]

Thanks Thegermling.

Look up MegaCrop on this forum. Thank me later.

PK supplement to go along with MegaCrop.

Attach filter to the intake of the fan, put ducting on the exhaust part of the fan. If you do it any other way you will be defeating the purpose of the white part that comes with the filter (its called the pre-filter) which traps dust and making your filter more efficient.

I think the bluelab guardian is what youre looking for.

Good luck with greenpoint. Too many reports of males in regular seed packs. If you havent been up to date on greenpoint seeds then you need to go to that thread and go to about the posts in august and you will see why greenpoint is bad now. Good luck!

Thank you for all the feedback. I will look into MegaCrop & PK supplement as you suggested.

I did come across Bluelab Guardian at one point but wasn't sure if you could leave it submersed at all times, and if it logged data for you while you're not home. I will look into it more.

As for Greenpoint, we'll see what happens. I am really hoping I get lucky with some fems. I've heard some great things from those who has grown their seeds in the past.

 

[projectinfo]

Co2is replenished as you change your rooms air completly every hour.. You dont need a huge fan But do the math for your room and buy accordingly

 

[Fibbage3]

What led did you get ?

HLG 550 v2

 

[projectinfo]

HLG 550 v2

How much height do you have ?

 

[Fibbage3]

How much height do you have ?

Tent is 6.7'. I plan to SCROG the plants and will try to keep them low as possible. The totes are about 1.25' tall as well.

 

[Beachwalker]

Thanks Thegermling.

Thank you for all the feedback. I will look into MegaCrop & PK supplement as you suggested.

I did come across Bluelab Guardian at one point but wasn't sure if you could leave it submersed at all times, and if it logged data for you while you're not home. I will look into it more.

As for Greenpoint, we'll see what happens. I am really hoping I get lucky with some fems. I've heard some great things from those who has grown their seeds in the past.

Although everybody has their favorites, from my experience I'd stay away from Megacrop and Greenpoint, try GH 3 part Flora series for best results and any other seed vendor unless you want your credit card used all over China, good luck

 

[projectinfo]

Those lights are strong. Are you sure youll have enough height?

Do they have a dimmer ?

 

[Fibbage3]

Although everybody has their favorites, from my experience I'd stay away from Megacrop and Greenpoint, try GH 3 part Flora series for best results and any other seed vendor unless you want your credit card used all over China, good luck

I will keep this in mind regarding Megacrop. Doesn't hurt to look into them. I have heard great feedback on GH Flora series and originally planned to use this, but figured I'd get input from this forum before picking it up at my local hydro store.

The comment about Greenpoint is somewhat concerning. I noticed they ran the charges through an FX merchant in Asia. Luckily I placed the order on a small limit credit card which I will likely cancel in the coming months anyways. If I see suspicious activity I will cancel sooner.

 

[Fibbage3]

Those lights are strong. Are you sure youll have enough height?

Do they have a dimmer ?

They do have a dimmer. They also have veg/flower switch, which I thought would be useful. From what I have read, the light should be ideal for a 4x4 tent. However, I'd love to hear your insight if you have experience with a similar setup?

 

[projectinfo]

I will keep this in mind regarding Megacrop. Doesn't hurt to look into them. I have heard great feedback on GH Flora series and originally planned to use this, but figured I'd get input from this forum before picking it up at my local hydro store.

The comment about Greenpoint is somewhat concerning. I noticed they ran the charges through an FX merchant in Asia. Luckily I placed the order on a small limit credit card which I will likely cancel in the coming months anyways. If I see suspicious activity I will cancel sooner.

I find gh 3part easy . Me and my buddy use it

 

[projectinfo]

They do have a dimmer. They also have veg/flower switch, which I thought would be useful. From what I have read, the light should be ideal for a 4x4 tent. However, I'd love to hear your insight if you have experience with a similar setup?

Yeah , youll findout soon how easy it is for plants to get tall, in flower they are far less bendy.

Pick your strain wisely and train from early on. And trim out the bullshit that doesnt get light or leaves that are laying on eachother. Mold isnt fun

 

[Northwood]

Yes get an exhaust fan for your room for your window . You may haveto build something with a vent hole for the winter.

I'm using a spare upstairs bedroom too, and that's exactly what I'm doing. Sadly the windows are casements, so I had to cover the whole large window and seal it up. The blinds are still on the inside, so you can't tell from outside that anything is different. I don't bother with a carbon filter because the neighbour downwind of me would never complain, he's too busy sitting on his front step smoking joints all day.