My plan for my grow (suggestions welcome!)

[AJ Toker]

Hello. I’m about to start a grow. My main purpose is to supply my wife and I with a supply of decent grass. I am going to go over my plan below, and I would like some input. I want to know if I am making any mistakes, overlooking anything, etc. I have grown in the past, always with the double bulb four foot fluorescent lights. It worked, but I made some rookie mistakes (mainly in the lighting area) and had very small yields. I also have a few questions…Here we go!

I have a decent size closet I am going to be using, which is about 4x4x9. I am going to put a platform in the bottom, about 36 inches off the floor. This is going to be my vegging area on the lower section. I am going to get some cheap vanity fixtures and some higher wattage CFL bulbs in the 6500k color spectrum. I’ll probably get 14 CFL total. I will fabricate some light reflectors, which will be painted white and mounted to reflect the light down. I am going to be using soil for this grow. Here are my questions on this part:

1.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]The closet gets chilly in the winter. Will all those higher wattage CFL bulbs make enough heat, running 24/7, to keep it warm? (When its cold out, the closet gets down in the 50’s, or so I would guess.
2.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Is 14 CFL bulbs (probably half 45 watt and half 23 watt) enough for a space 4x4x3?
3.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]How many plants would one recommend in this spot? (My plan is to have some vegging while some are budding, so I can get a crop every 8 – 10 weeks.)
4.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Since a plant could be vegging for upwards of 10 weeks while its friends on the top shelf are budding, is 36” enough space? Is it common for one to cut the top of the plant to make it bush out instead of growing tall? I understand light position has a lot to do with this, too.
5.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]For ventilation, I was thinking about a small vent in the door (with a filter to prevent dust, cat hair, etc. from getting in.) Would this be enough, or should I get a fan on the door vent blowing in, and a vent between the sections to vent it up there to be sucked out with my blower/filter system?

On the top part of the closet will be my budding area. I will make sure they are sealed off so no light leaks from area to area. This section will have a 400w HPS. I will have a 4” carbon/charcoal can filter attached to a 170 CFM blower that will be pulling from the room, up into my attic, and vented out a vent in my roof. On the door I will have a small vent cover (with a filter to prevent dust, cat hair, etc. from getting in), drawing air into the room. I will mount a small fan on this vent to pull air in to use when my temps get to high because I have a thermostat timer thinger that plugs into an outlet (with cooling and heating plugs), that will be hooked to a small space heater and the fan attached to the vent in the door to keep the temps between 68 and 78 degrees. In the summer, the heater will not be needed, and in the winter the heater will only be used for times when the light is not on. Here are my questions on this part:

6.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Should the blower run 24/7, or be on a timer?
7.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Is the 170 CFM overkill?
8.[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Assuming I have average size plants, how many adults could one fit into an area that is 4x4x6?

If this setup works well for me, I have a second closet I would like to repeat it in.

Again, I am just looking for pointers and some suggestions. I am going to be growing some seeds that I got in a good bag of stuff not to long ago. Perhaps on the next grow I will order some quality seeds.

Thanks for the help. I have already learned a ton here, and I hope to stick around for a long time.

 

[AJ Toker]

Another thing I am interested in...

What is a reliable online source doe lighting? There is a company near where I work called HTG Supply. They sell pretty much everything to do indoor grows. I just wanted to see if they have the best prices.

 

[flamdrags420]

They don't always have the best prices. I have ordered from them 3 times so far. Excellent service!!!
Remember for exhaust fans.
Volume of space / 5 is what you should want.
Al B Fuct has a great post on high exhaust fans.
He has them on a fan controller set to low which is always running. Then if heat gets to high, it bypasses the speed control and runs full out.

 

[Picasso345]

Why all the cfls and not a HID?

 

[Boneman]

I would go to htg and order a HPS/MH conversion light system for the flower portion and stick with the flouros for the veg portion. No need to have 95 cfl's and wires all over the place.

 

[AJ Toker]

I would go to htg and order a HPS/MH conversion light system for the flower portion and stick with the flouros for the veg portion. No need to have 95 cfl's and wires all over the place.

If I am using the CFL for the vegging, why would I need the MH light? I was going to go with the ArgoMax HPS bulb with the blue spectum in it. I know you don't need that blue light for budding, but I figured it wouldn't hurt.

Why all the cfls and not a HID?

Mainly because of the small space, energy consumption, and heat issues. I have also read that the CFL are good for cloning, which I plan to do. Do you think its a big flaw in my setup to not use a MH for vegging?

They don't always have the best prices. I have ordered from them 3 times so far. Excellent service!!!
Remember for exhaust fans.
Volume of space / 5 is what you should want.
Al B Fuct has a great post on high exhaust fans.
He has them on a fan controller set to low which is always running. Then if heat gets to high, it bypasses the speed control and runs full out.

Home Depot sells a 4" duct booster fan. It runs on only 30 watts of power and says it will do 80 CFM. This might be a better bet for me. Its more energy efficient, less noise, and it won't suck my plants up.

 

[nunof]

I'd like to help you man, but my experience has always been with one or two plants...always in the same stage of growth. Let us see what I can answer though....I will just omit answers to questions that I don't have too much experience with.

2. 14 CFLs will work in that size veg spot...but lets see what type of power consumption you will get:
7 x 23w = 161W
7 x 42w = 294W
161w + 294W = 355W
My suggestion is to lower your power consumption by purchasing a 200-250W Metal Halide light setup. It will cost more initially, but you will save money in power costs and get MUCH better lighting.

3. I would say instead of rotating plants....use the veg space for two or three mother plants (then you can take clippings from them and just clone them and put the clones straight into flowering).

4. Height of your plant can be maintained at any level...especially with mother plants as you can bonsai the hell out of them to keep them short and use the clippings for clones. Also....topping a plant works wonders to keep its size smaller. I would reccomend growing Indica dominant plants as they are wider and shorter than their Sativa bretheren.

5. You will need a passive intake at the bottom of your door to bring in cool air. Passive intake vents need to be at least twice the size of your exhaust vent. Your exhaust vent will probably need a carbon filter because your plants will start to stink. You can exaust into your attic if you want, as long as you don't have anything larger than a 1000W HPS, your IR signature won't be affected and you won't stick out like a soar thumb from police fly overs.

6. Your fan should be on at all times.

7. 170CFM is not overkill....the more air you can move the better.

It may be better for you to look at some of the perpetual harvest threads like the ones I linked below to get a better idea....you and your wife will not need to use two closets if its for personal use though, as these setups can produce a lot of smoke in a small area.

https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/6592-get-harvest-every-2-weeks.html

https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/116859-harvest-pound-every-three-weeks.html

Hope this helps....

 

[dusty26]

wow... first of all for your flowering chamber, i'd go with a 600 watt hps, 4x4 that's 16 square foot... also why so many cfls for your veg room ? that's gonna be a dissaster honestly , i'd go with a 250 mh .... as far as your exaust... 170 cfms ? overkill ? naw not at all, you'll notice very quickly with an hid (hps) that your gonna want something bigger than a 170 cfm fan ... go with a good 6" blower ... what are you trying to do setup a perpetual harvest ?

 

[AJ Toker]

2. 14 CFLs will work in that size veg spot...but lets see what type of power consumption you will get:
7 x 23w = 161W
7 x 42w = 294W
161w + 294W = 355W
My suggestion is to lower your power consumption by purchasing a 200-250W Metal Halide light setup. It will cost more initially, but you will save money in power costs and get MUCH better lighting.

3. I would say instead of rotating plants....use the veg space for two or three mother plants (then you can take clippings from them and just clone them and put the clones straight into flowering).

4. Height of your plant can be maintained at any level...especially with mother plants as you can bonsai the hell out of them to keep them short and use the clippings for clones. Also....topping a plant works wonders to keep its size smaller. I would reccomend growing Indica dominant plants as they are wider and shorter than their Sativa bretheren.

5. You will need a passive intake at the bottom of your door to bring in cool air. Passive intake vents need to be at least twice the size of your exhaust vent. Your exhaust vent will probably need a carbon filter because your plants will start to stink. You can exaust into your attic if you want, as long as you don't have anything larger than a 1000W HPS, your IR signature won't be affected and you won't stick out like a soar thumb from police fly overs.

6. Your fan should be on at all times.

7. 170CFM is not overkill....the more air you can move the better.

It may be better for you to look at some of the perpetual harvest threads like the ones I linked below to get a better idea....you and your wife will not need to use two closets if its for personal use though, as these setups can produce a lot of smoke in a small area.

https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/6592-get-harvest-every-2-weeks.html

https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/116859-harvest-pound-every-three-weeks.html

Hope this helps....

That is some good information, thanks.

Pretty much what I plan on doing is having the mothers down in the vegging area with the rooting clones. I guess not all plants have to be in the same stage of budding. I can build some things to get them closer to the light like the taller, older, plants. I probably shouldn't get stoned when I design my new grow room. Haha.

I guess I wasn't thinking about the combined wattage of the CFL bulbs. Tomorrow I will go to Lowes/Home Depot and price the bulbs and fixtures. If its going to be around $100 or more, i'll run down to HTG Supply and get a MH instead. The only downside to that is more work with venting it.

Would it be possible to get a duct splitter thing and use my one blower fan to exhaust both the top and the bottom parts of the room? Maybe some 6" duct work and a higher CFM blower and I could do that...

wow... first of all for your flowering chamber, i'd go with a 600 watt hps, 4x4 that's 16 square foot... also why so many cfls for your veg room ? that's gonna be a dissaster honestly , i'd go with a 250 mh .... as far as your exaust... 170 cfms ? overkill ? naw not at all, you'll notice very quickly with an hid (hps) that your gonna want something bigger than a 170 cfm fan ... go with a good 6" blower ... what are you trying to do setup a perpetual harvest ?

Yeah, I am thinking a MH might be better. Yes, I do want a perpetual harvest. I plan on having plants in there at all times.


Thanks again for the info. Its nice to have people to bounce ideas off of.

 

[dusty26]

well bud i'm actually setting up a perpetual harvest as we speak,, ( my cab is going to be a perpetual harvest) I find it alot easier to control your climate (temps, exaust, yada yada with a cab...

 

[Picasso345]

I guess I wasn't thinking about the combined wattage of the CFL bulbs. Tomorrow I will go to Lowes/Home Depot and price the bulbs and fixtures. If its going to be around $100 or more, i'll run down to HTG Supply and get a MH instead. The only downside to that is more work with venting it.

A MH will generate less heat then its equivalent wattage of cfls. The ability to vent is just an added bonus above and beyond cfls.

 

[AJ Toker]

I was pricing my stuff, and it does seem I could have a equivalent wattage of MH for the same price of CFL.

What wattage MH would be recomended for a 4x4x3 vegging area?

And, if I did get a larger fan, could I attach a splitter to the ducts and have one fan draw air from both the top and the bottom? Would that work properly?

 

[dusty26]

I was pricing my stuff, and it does seem I could have a equivalent wattage of MH for the same price of CFL.

What wattage MH would be recomended for a 4x4x3 vegging area?

And, if I did get a larger fan, could I attach a splitter to the ducts and have one fan draw air from both the top and the bottom? Would that work properly?

well honestly lol 400 watt mh ... for a 4x4 ... but you could get buy with 250... skimping a little... but if your going to skimp... make it during veg lol

 

[SpikeDude]

Nice setup man, good luck!

 

[AJ Toker]

Nice setup man, good luck!

Thanks.

I changed my design a bit. The closet is 4x4x8. I am cutting it in half. A top half, and a bottom half. I am doing this because down the road I am going to use both parts for budding, and i'm going to buy or build a big cabinet. One side will be my MH light and my mothers and clones, and the other side will be used for hanging buds to dry. For now the bottom part will be for vegging and top for budding. I'm going to have to practice my topping to keep my plants at an acceptable height. The MH and HPS reflector hoods are like 6 inches high, and i'll need like 8 to 10 inches of space between them and the plants. The pots for the plants will probably be 12 inches high...so that means my plants from soil to tops can only be around 24 inches tall.

Anyone think I am making a mistake with that? Should I make the bottom smaller, and just keep some really trimmed and topped plants down there, and give my upper plants an extra 12 inches of room to grow?

 

[AJ Toker]

I'm going with 4x4x3 on the bottom, and 4x4x5 on the top. That should give me enough room for budding with a 600W HPS. I can always move my shelf up if I run a different setup later on. Or, I can turn another closet into another grow room. There is another closet in another bedroom up against the one I am using now.

Thanks again.