What would you do??

[sdsGrower]

Hello RIU,
I've been following the boards here for the past 6 months with great enthusiasm as I have been patiently awaiting the arrival of the time of my first indoor grow. Well, I'm happy to say that time has come and I'm now actively seeking recommendations, advise and info on what I should do with this space. I have a budget of $15,000CDN however, power consumption is an issue - I'm trying to keep it as low as possible. (I was thinking a mix of LED and T5 or CFL's)

Also, I'm taking suggestions on what you think I should grow.
My first (combo) choices are:
1) Super Lemon Haze // White Widow // Strawberry Cough // Kandy or OG Kush
2) Vanilla Kush // Blueberry // LSD // Orange Bud or Twista 108
3) Pineapple Chunk // Afghan Kush // Northern Lights

Any and all input is welcome, I look forward to hearing from you all.

 

[abudsmoker]

im glad you have hung out, but part of getting a good op is hands on experence. i suggest you scale down to start and get your system and all its kinks out. dont get me wrong i have seen total rookies fire up 8k watts and hit a home run with a local mentor but over the years i have seen too many get overwhelemed with a large grow and end up tanking.

once you find some good genetics have all the temp layout and kinks down them push all your chips in.

best of luck either way
i like group 1 personally

 

[bill clinton]

i agree with abudsmoker . thats a huge space . i use less then half that area for three stages of 30 and a mother room. dont get "big eyes" right out of the gate. this is a hobby that demands alot of dedication and attention. do your homework! and remember K.I.S.S keep it simple stoner.

 

[sdsGrower]

I understand what you're saying, the larger the op, the more that can go wrong. I don't plan on "flooding" the room but this is the space I have to work with. I have several ideas for layout but what I'm trying to get a handle on is the most effective lighting method for this space. I would ideally like to have 60+/- plants going at once.
I don't need to worry about staged operations because this space is being used for one, possible two rotations. (I'll be moving)

 

[JimmyT]

That's a great layout! If it's temporary, you really don't have much to think about other than cost savings. Get the simple stuff if you'll only be doing a couple of harvests. If I had that square footage, I'd be thinking long-term in terms of purchased materials. Will you be growing elsewhere after you give that place up?

 

[d r0cK]

60+- plants is a lot plants to try and do right out of the gun. but fortunately you have all of us here at RIU to help you along the way. keep many pics flowing through here and ask many questions.

i agree with jimmyt, if youre gonna keep growing at your next location then purchase what you can use now and at your next spot.

with that many plants i would definately go with an hps system if you're not worried about keeping cycle. maybe 2 1000w or 3 600w hps on a automated light moving track for your flowering and some t5 to veg them all out. if youre worried about power consumption then spend a little more and go with an electronic hps ballast and not a magnetic hps ballast. the electronic ballast runs on a little more than half of the amperage that a magnetic ballast requires.

hope that helps a little. good luck!

 

[LetricBud]

So your budget is $15,000....you're using a whole entire room...and your concerned about power consumption?

Let me tell ya man...Using T5's and Led's with that space, and that money wouldnt be worth it.

You gotta get some HPS in that sucker...

 

[CrazyBudz]

this is what i would do......

get 4 1000w lights, 4 4x4 trays, do a scrog, ebb n flow with 16 plants per tray and 1 light over each tray.

 

[CrazyBudz]

honestly tho.....i would start with 2 trays and get the feel for it, after your first grow you can step it up...its alot more work that you think, dont get in over your head.!!

 

[sdsGrower]

If I had that square footage, I'd be thinking long-term in terms of purchased materials. Will you be growing elsewhere after you give that place up?

Good point Jimmy and I'm glad you brought it up. What it's looking more like is I will move from here into a space which provides me with 2 rooms slightly smaller than this one. Essentially anything I use in this room can be transplanted directly to the next.

 

[sdsGrower]

..but fortunately you have all of us here at RIU to help you along the way

Much appreciated as I'm sure I will need it.

if youre worried about power consumption then spend a little more and go with an electronic hps ballast and not a magnetic hps ballast. the electronic ballast runs on a little more than half of the amperage that a magnetic ballast requires

Very helpful suggestion and worth looking into, thanks for the info. I thought that an HPS system for such a large space would skyrocket my hydro bill. If I can keep it under wraps and still produce without sacrificing quality, thats obviously the way to go. Again, my thanks.

 

[sdsGrower]

this is what i would do......get 4 1000w lights, 4 4x4 trays, do a scrog, ebb n flow with 16 plants per tray and 1 light over each tray.

Although that is a great idea, I will be sticking with soil for this room. No hydroponics will be going into this set-up (Other than lights - if you wanna be technical about it..haha)

Thanks to everyone for their comments, please keep those suggestions rollin

 

[rene112388]

Well I agree you should start off slow I didn't and well let's just say I've had the same crop a year no shit lots of set backs as far as lighting hps isn't that costly my room is divided in 2 simalar to yours I use 600w hps and for veg 150w mh, 4' floro, and 2't5 in addition I have an air conditioner running in there about 18hrs a day and my exhaust my power bill is no more than 70 bucks a month however I do not use heat or lights in my house most the time but hps isn't really that expensive I exhaust under the house instead of into the attic helps keep the house warm good luck to ya

 

[sdsGrower]

..I exhaust under the house instead of into the attic helps keep the house warm good luck to ya

Thanks for the input, much appreciated.
When you exhaust, do you use a carbon filter? Do you use negative ion generators? I was planning on exhausting straight out that window if I was going to use LED`s because I wouldn`t have to worry about the heat sig. However, if I`m going to use HPS then I would exhaust into another room. I would need to consider odor though the same as if I were exhausting outside.

 

[JimmyT]

Good point Jimmy and I'm glad you brought it up. What it's looking more like is I will move from here into a space which provides me with 2 rooms slightly smaller than this one. Essentially anything I use in this room can be transplanted directly to the next.

It's unfortunate you can't use that room for a long period of time. I'd have to agree with most that flood and drain would be the most simplistic way to go. Hell, you could even transplant them to a new area during veg or flowering with ebb and flow. The fact is that anything's possible with a grow show even if you had aeroponics going on. You also have to think about cooling, ventilation, c02 (if that's an option), size of lights/reflectors and so on. Knowing where you're going to grow and what materials you'll need to adapt to that area are equally important. There were 3 rules I followed before I built or bought things for my small grow area...1)plan 2)plan 3) plan. Keep us posted

 

[rene112388]

I do not use carbon filters or anything for oder it isn't an issue for me sorry wish I could help with that have you chosen what your going to grow yet?

 

[sdsGrower]

It`s looking more and more like this room might stay permanent. If this is the case, it will be split into 2 or 3 sections. Ill find out a lot more this coming week.

..have you chosen what your going to grow yet?

I`m leaning toward the first group of Super Lemon Haze, White Widow, Kandy or OG Kush and possibly Strawberry Cough (although I`ve heard mixed reviews about this strain)

 

[sdsGrower]

On an entirely different note, I woke up at 6am today and cut down the 1st of 70 girls. She took me 4 hours to trim (I`m slow and meticulous) which gives me an indicator of how long the rest is going to take...considering this is one of the smaller ladies I have.
Heres some pics..

This ones next, and the one behind her is much bigger.

 

[JimmyT]

Strawberry Cough (although I`ve heard mixed reviews about this strain)

Interesting, I've heard nothing but great things about this strain and it seems that it's being passed around everywhere. I've never tried it myself. What are the bad things you've heard about this strain? I wouldn't mind hearing something different about it for once

By the way, how are you growing outdoors and nobody around you is suspecting or seeing those lovely buds. You've got a set of root-balls to say the least!

 

[sdsGrower]

By the way, how are you growing outdoors and nobody around you is suspecting or seeing those lovely buds. You've got a set of root-balls to say the least!

that made me actually laugh out loud..haha.
What can I say...unsuspecting neighbours are to be appreciated

About the SC, all I`ve heard has been by word of mouth as I have yet to sample it myself - but from what I understand (from Californian consumers) the quality can vary greatly from mediocre to exceptional. Id like to sample some Medi quality to get a feel for what I`m aiming for...I`m sure if I went looking, it wouldn`t be hard to find.