1st Grow. No plants yet. Have a few last minute questions. LONG POST!

Hello Rollitup,

Im somewhat new here I've been reading the forums and grow journals for about half a year now to get ideas about growing indoors. I finally got off my lazy ass to register for an account. Made a few posts here and there about growing setups. Now that I am 75% there I just have a few more questions. May I add that I've grown outdoors the last 2 summers (backyard greenhouse). Last week my backyard was robbed. All 24 of my plants were stolen.

I've done tons of reading multiple forums and still cant find a more customized answer to my questions. Before I start asking questions let me introduce myself and my setup:

I am a former US Navy Corpsman (field medic) with the 1st Marine Division. I've done 2 tours to Iraq and 3 tours to Afghanistan. I was medically discharged due to shrapnel lodged in my back and some PTSD. I'm growing marijuana for medical and personal reasons (Prozac made me a zombie) not a cool feeling. Also dispensaries are way too expensive around here.

My setup (so far):

- Sun Hut 4' x 8' x 7' grow tent
-1200 watt HPS ( 2 x 600) sealed A/C with 6" ports
-6" inline exhaust fan
-Fox Farm soil and nutes.
*** Still needing to go shopping for Timers, Thermometers, Pots and such
**Am I missing something?

Questions:

1) Will I run into major heating issues with this setup?

2) Do I need another inline fan for an intake for fresh air? Or could I open one of the ports on the tent?

3) I've read a lot about LST, SOG, SCROG, and Super cropping. Do any of you know which would be best for the grow area and setup? Have any of you actually done any of this style grow in a tent this size?

4) I've read that I should grow a plant per 100 watts of lights. If that's the case I will be growing 12 plants. And probably start vegging 12 more in my 4 x4 tent. Gotta love San Diego, CA's 24 plant limit. How long should I veg. I'm guessing that I have about 5 feet between the top of the pot and bottom of the lights.

4) It doesn't take me much smoke to get me to where I need to be. I want to grow enough bud to last me for "a while" without having to go back to back grows. I know this may be a dumb question because I've seen it answered so many times in many different ways, but not answered to my exact setup. But would be the potential yield if I do this right?

5) Is supplemental CO2 a must?

I am open to constructive criticism and any concerns. I really want to learn and feed off others. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

I will take pics of my setup tomorrow. Once I get the baby girls, this form entry will be my grow journal.

PS: I apologize for the long post.


Very Respectfully,

Corpzmanup

/bump =) .....

Bump for a Feloow HM! I was also stationed out there in Camp Pendleton! Im doing something very similar to your setup! Im going to run 2 600W in Cooltubes hooked up to a fan sucking hot air off the lights out of the tent . The room is usually 70 or below and I have a few fans at the base of the Tent. I hope this is enough cause im also worried about heat issues too!! this will be in a 4ft L 2Ft W 5 ft T closet space. ll be settting up the strucure shortly and ill let u know what kind of tempertures reading im getting!

Sorry to hear about you losing your crop.
Going to try and answer in the same order they were asked.

Missing anything-list looks good, but if you are like me there is always something you forget. May want to invest in a hand held microscope for viewing the trichs when close to harvest, most people get them at radio shack I believe.

1-No real definitive yes or no. Best advice is to get your thermometer and place it in the grow area and turn everything on. Play around with different variables until you have it dialed in and then you can put your plants in there. From just glancing over what you have listed I think you will be fine, but only one way to find out.

2-Fresh air is a must. Depending on the port size. Another intake fan couldn't hurt if you have the cash to do so.

3-As for growing techniques it is up to you, since you are legal and can have up to 24 plants I would just grow the first time, you can refine your technique as you advance.

4-(Two fours in your post so I will answer both here as best I can) Plant numbers are up to you. The more you put in there the more work you have. If this is your first grow then may not want to go full bore, but that is up to you. 12-ish plants sounds about right for your area. Or you could go with bigger pots and fewer plants. Maybe 8-10 until you get used to your set up and genetics. Estimating yield....no clue. Potentially you could yield a lot, but exact numbers will depend on growth conditions and plant care, as well as genetics. I will say you will get out of it exactly what you put in.

5-CO2 isn't a must. It will help plants in the event of higher temps and it does give them a boost, but it is not required.

Hope I helped more than confused. Good luck with your grow.