DIY Grow Tent

Shackleford.R said:

here is a bulleted list of my thought process!

• The tent is going to be finished by December 31 (if not sooner) point being, it gives me time to plan, space out purchases, and overthink the hell out of every aspect!
• Perpetual harvest, I'm bouncing the idea around. Leaving the lower area more or less as is and flower there. Then, by some presently unknown means, seal off an upper shelf area for mother and clones
• What sort of yields do I think I could get in this space, with two plants each topped and flowered SOG style? keep in mind, this is personal use, so smaller harvests ain't bad

With these thoughts in mind... what thoughts do you all have??


Shack

PS afterthought.. temps would be a bitch in a tent this size with both veg and flower lights running, eh?

Click to expand...

Sounds like your exercising your noodle, that will make for a successful grow. I would consider making a large speaker into a mother box and a rubbermaid tub into a clone/veg area and then you can stealthly place them where you need and avoid over heating the closet. Two plants that were topped and started 12/12 two weeks after cloning could produce anywhere from .5 oz to 2oz depending on strain and environment conditions. Obviously to get closer to the 2oz mark it is going to take a near perfect environment. So I would wager on the 1oz to 1.5oz for two mature plants with little veg time. GypsyBush has some mini plants that when to 12/12 with no veg after rooting the clone and got a decent looking nugget on them and they stayed under a foot tall mostly. Have you looked at his DIY tent? He did an awesome job, Dub told me to read over his work and he worked out some common problems you may experience. Perpetual is great, you will have smaller harvests but they will happen more frequently, I love SoG, you just have to plan ahead because once you get going your going to need space.

~GG420

"pic update" coming soon.. after some uploads


Shack

For those of you who were wondering, here is my gameplan in whiteboard thought process form.



Here is a general overview of everything, top left corner is the power source/brain of the operation. A beast of a power strip with dual timers the outlet configuration is a little tricky. Zilla Power Center Instructions .pdf it's the strip used in my AG grow (link in sig). The quick run down, one timer is an alternating controller, which is in charge of 4 outlets. 2 are known as the "Day Shift" and 2 as the "Night Shift", which is to say while one set is in the "ON" position the other two are in the "OFF" position. The other timer is in charge of 3 other outlets that run during the "Day Shift". The final outlet is constant power, running 24/7. This gives me a lot of control options, such as alternating fans (more on that later)

Here she is up close and personal..



As you can see (if you CAN see it) I've made some decisions. Let's start with the shell. The skeleton is the wire shelving seen earlier (check the 1st page) The shell as mentioned already is going to be B/W Poly Film. Originally I had in mind to use two zippers to make a flap that rolled up to the top. I'm now considering to mimic the HomeBox grow tent doors and opt for a zipper right down the center, with a cut across the top and bottom so the doors roll up to the side. For light control a flap top and bottom to cover the open strip and secured with velcro tape.



The vertical slashed line ( - - - ) is the zipper going down the middle. The other two horizontal slash/dot lines ( - * - * - ) are the "flaps" and will have velcro at the seam to seal out light leaks.

(although as I'm writing two vertical zippers will be MUCH easier to create flaps for.. hm...)

I'm also planning for two intake and two exhaust fans, so I was thinking higher speed (12v) for the "Day Shift" and lower speed (6V) for the "Night Shift" your thoughts on that RIU? I may for simplicity's sake scrap two of the fans and run single exhaust/intake and ditch the Day/Night fan schedule.

I also have an old seed starting tray that fits perfectly on the bottom shelf which will act as a large catch tray to keep the floor and closet nice and clean.



those are my proposed light and fan schedules. not too much to say here, pretty standard. aside from the fan schedule. I'm thinking start the fans shortly after lights on so built up CO2 has a chance to work its way into the plant at lights on as the plant "wakes up". Obviously once the fan starts, cooling/ventilation begins. Also have an interesting idea for ventilation for 24 hour dark before going into flower. Thoughts on that??



My missing parts list subject to change, minimally, by the tents completion.

So.. what do you think RIU? Anyone still following this sluggish thread? The tent will hopefully be done in a month as I start making decisions and running bench tests for heat and ventilation. Hopefully have a seedling in there by the end of the year or shortly after!!


Shack

alright shack looks great now lets get this show on the road! i need some one to grow along side with! keep the posts coming good sir!

Designing and building this unit will get me to work a little faster. The main thing holding me back are holidays quickly approaching. I'd hate to leave my little baby unattended for days on end. With the construction of this watering unit, i could free myself from the "garden" for a few days and get started a little sooner. Anyone have experience with one of these dripper units? I know my idea isn't original.



essentially the unit runs on the principal of displacement, air pressure goes in and has no place to escape. this causes pressure to push water through the other line and with a control knob you can control the rate at which the "drip line" drips. the idea is you have a large reservoir, my ideal is a 5 gal bucket with tight fitting lid, drill two small holes in the lid one for the air pressure line to go in, and another for the drip line that hangs all the way down at the bottom and coils a bit to ensure it stays at the lowest level possible. i built a mock up last night using a 1 L bottle. my lowest drip rate was about 0.3 oz/min and wide open got about 12 oz/min. my guess is that with a larger tank (the 5 gal bucket) air pressure changes and you would have to do some dialing in to find your desired rate. one of my reference books (Buds For Less by RIU's very own GardenKnowm) states that he waters about a gallon a day in two installments to ensure overflow in the catch tray is absorbed. if you run the rig on a timer (at the rates listed above) 15 min of drip time on the hour during the 18 hour light cycle, with lowest setting, gives you roughly a gallon a day. with a tank size of 5 gallons, in theory you could leave the plant for 5 days fully automated. this doesn't mean you would be feeding nutrients, you would probably give it a feeding the first day of the system and then the day after its last day of auto-watering.




Shack

PS can't take credit for the little guy at the bottom of the whiteboard, my girl drew that. cool lil' plant i thought.

Oh shit shack, glad to see you are thinking about getting back into the game sooner and letting the plant grow itself a bit haha. I was thinking about that the other day....if we have bottles that can auto feed cats and dogs, why the hell can't I make something auto feed my plant haha.

good looking setup too man, I never got around to drawing out my plans...I guess I didn't really have any.....hahah

+rep brother

Dub! If you're still checking this thread, i could really use an up close and personal look at the wiring for that little fan you showed me. I'm having no luck with this AC Adapter over here.


Shack

alright, well i scrapped the AC adapters, so no real fan control currently. I used lamp cord and plugged them in, and they are whirring like crazy! I think they will get the job done for such a small space. Photos coming after a quick upload.


Shack

Enjoy the show! haha not the most exciting of pictures but nonetheless, progress.

Exhaust
Placement is actually for the sake of efficiency, the fan was placed towards the front of the tent, because i don't really have ventilation to push the hot air OUT of the closet, just pull it out of the tent. So placing it there with the closet door cracked gives the hot air an easy way out of the closet (i hope)

Intake
Since the exhaust was top-front-left, the intake is bottom-back-right. I've read a million times, maximize the distance between your intake and exhaust to encourage air movement. This way cooler air from the floor of the closet is pulled up under the hood, sneaking around the sides of the hood and bringing with it the hot air.

Due to the size of the tent, there is a lot of open space above the hood. This space is a good thing, the hot air is naturally encouraged up far and away from the plants. With the fan mounted up top should be easy work getting all that collected hot air up and out of the tent.

Planning to wrap the tent next week (maybe this weekend). Hopefully have the tent done by the end of next week and begin some testing with a grow to start hopefully late November, with seeds on their way to cracking after Turkey Day.


Shack

PS
the orange glow in the intake fan picture is the flowering bulb.
I still need to pick one up for veg

mr shack did you wire 12v fans straight to a 120v lamp cord? did they not catch fire? i like the placement for the fans as for wiring in speed control im useless, sorry. with my fan and adapters i simply spliced and striped. twisted to fans together then twisted them to adapters then electicals tape wrapped them i dont know if that helps at all i highly doubt it but yah that how things go over here unless im missing something let me know

the fans are 120VAC fans.. and uh.. they didn't catch fire.. yet.. haha. i have them running right now, just to get an idea of temps in the closet. cruising around 79, which seems pretty ideal. once the tent is wrapped, i anticipate it fluctuating a good bit. hopefully cooling better since it cycling air in a smaller space, rather than just blowing air all over the closet. oh and they are damn near silent. you have to step in the closet to hear the hum. made a shitload of noise while they were sitting there, but once i zip-tied them to the frame they went quiet. pretty happy with present conditions, don't think i'll be adding in speed control. they're rated to push like 65 CFM, for that size tent i think i'm money!!


Shack

good to hear it sir! now get that tent finished and get growing!

Shackleford.R said:

For those of you who were wondering, here is my gameplan in whiteboard thought process form.

Here is a general overview of everything, top left corner is the power source/brain of the operation. A beast of a power strip with dual timers the outlet configuration is a little tricky. Zilla Power Center Instructions .pdf it's the strip used in my AG grow (link in sig). The quick run down, one timer is an alternating controller, which is in charge of 4 outlets. 2 are known as the "Day Shift" and 2 as the "Night Shift", which is to say while one set is in the "ON" position the other two are in the "OFF" position. The other timer is in charge of 3 other outlets that run during the "Day Shift". The final outlet is constant power, running 24/7. This gives me a lot of control options, such as alternating fans (more on that later)

Click to expand...

With a setup like this simple is always better, I suggest a number of things here.

1. Use a passive intake and active exhaust, basically some vent holes on the bottom of the tent will suffice.
2. I don't see 12v DC fans in your parts list only 120v AC fans and they will not run on 5v or 12v DC.
3. I would scrap the idea of creating your own CO2 and modulating the fan speed for CO2 absorption, it will not be beneficial unless you are fermenting 5 gallons of wine every month per every 2 plants, the math is just not there to get up to 1500 PPM of CO2 from the simple CO2 methods and so your left with buying a CO2 controller and tank, and that is big $$.
4. I would use a simple power strip and buy timers for specific purposes and temp controlers for the fans.
5. I use a digital timer with a batery for my lights, a mechanical timer for aero systems (ART-DNe variable, accurate to the minute, very expensive), and air pumps run 24/7 for DWC or other hydro reserviors, and for the fan control I have a DuctStat that adjusts fan speed based on temp.
6. Place all 4 fans at the top of the tent and use a DuctStat to control them creating a nice air flow circle.

Shackleford.R said:

Here she is up close and personal..

As you can see (if you CAN see it) I've made some decisions. Let's start with the shell. The skeleton is the wire shelving seen earlier (check the 1st page) The shell as mentioned already is going to be B/W Poly Film. Originally I had in mind to use two zippers to make a flap that rolled up to the top. I'm now considering to mimic the HomeBox grow tent doors and opt for a zipper right down the center, with a cut across the top and bottom so the doors roll up to the side. For light control a flap top and bottom to cover the open strip and secured with velcro tape.

The vertical slashed line ( - - - ) is the zipper going down the middle. The other two horizontal slash/dot lines ( - * - * - ) are the "flaps" and will have velcro at the seam to seal out light leaks.

(although as I'm writing two vertical zippers will be MUCH easier to create flaps for.. hm...)

Click to expand...

KISS, keep it simple stupid, your poly will like the side zips better than the middle zip.

Shackleford.R said:

I'm also planning for two intake and two exhaust fans, so I was thinking higher speed (12v) for the "Day Shift" and lower speed (6V) for the "Night Shift" your thoughts on that RIU? I may for simplicity's sake scrap two of the fans and run single exhaust/intake and ditch the Day/Night fan schedule.

Click to expand...

I think I covered this one already.

Shackleford.R said:

I also have an old seed starting tray that fits perfectly on the bottom shelf which will act as a large catch tray to keep the floor and closet nice and clean.

those are my proposed light and fan schedules. not too much to say here, pretty standard. aside from the fan schedule. I'm thinking start the fans shortly after lights on so built up CO2 has a chance to work its way into the plant at lights on as the plant "wakes up". Obviously once the fan starts, cooling/ventilation begins. Also have an interesting idea for ventilation for 24 hour dark before going into flower. Thoughts on that??

My missing parts list subject to change, minimally, by the tents completion.

So.. what do you think RIU? Anyone still following this sluggish thread? The tent will hopefully be done in a month as I start making decisions and running bench tests for heat and ventilation. Hopefully have a seedling in there by the end of the year or shortly after!!


Shack

Click to expand...

Sorry for the hiatus life has been throwing some wrenches in the works up here, winter is in full swing now and I was not prepared.

~GG420

Shackleford.R said:

Designing and building this unit will get me to work a little faster. The main thing holding me back are holidays quickly approaching. I'd hate to leave my little baby unattended for days on end. With the construction of this watering unit, i could free myself from the "garden" for a few days and get started a little sooner. Anyone have experience with one of these dripper units? I know my idea isn't original.

essentially the unit runs on the principal of displacement, air pressure goes in and has no place to escape. this causes pressure to push water through the other line and with a control knob you can control the rate at which the "drip line" drips. the idea is you have a large reservoir, my ideal is a 5 gal bucket with tight fitting lid, drill two small holes in the lid one for the air pressure line to go in, and another for the drip line that hangs all the way down at the bottom and coils a bit to ensure it stays at the lowest level possible. i built a mock up last night using a 1 L bottle. my lowest drip rate was about 0.3 oz/min and wide open got about 12 oz/min. my guess is that with a larger tank (the 5 gal bucket) air pressure changes and you would have to do some dialing in to find your desired rate. one of my reference books (Buds For Less by RIU's very own GardenKnowm) states that he waters about a gallon a day in two installments to ensure overflow in the catch tray is absorbed. if you run the rig on a timer (at the rates listed above) 15 min of drip time on the hour during the 18 hour light cycle, with lowest setting, gives you roughly a gallon a day. with a tank size of 5 gallons, in theory you could leave the plant for 5 days fully automated. this doesn't mean you would be feeding nutrients, you would probably give it a feeding the first day of the system and then the day after its last day of auto-watering.

Shack

PS can't take credit for the little guy at the bottom of the whiteboard, my girl drew that. cool lil' plant i thought.

Click to expand...

The dripper is not a bad idea or design, but the only thing that is going to get you more displacement is a larger pump. Also your system will fail if the seal breaks, there are other drippers out there that use an air line inside a water tube and the air line stops just above the bottom of the water tube creating bubbles and the air carries the water up the tube, if you had one of these (similar to a GH WaterFarm setup) you could use your existing pump and run it 24/7 and your plant would love you. Take a gander at some WaterFarm setups, just think your reservoir would be seperate and not below the plant.

~GG420

Shackleford.R said:

Enjoy the show! haha not the most exciting of pictures but nonetheless, progress.

Exhaust
Placement is actually for the sake of efficiency, the fan was placed towards the front of the tent, because i don't really have ventilation to push the hot air OUT of the closet, just pull it out of the tent. So placing it there with the closet door cracked gives the hot air an easy way out of the closet (i hope)

Intake
Since the exhaust was top-front-left, the intake is bottom-back-right. I've read a million times, maximize the distance between your intake and exhaust to encourage air movement. This way cooler air from the floor of the closet is pulled up under the hood, sneaking around the sides of the hood and bringing with it the hot air.

Due to the size of the tent, there is a lot of open space above the hood. This space is a good thing, the hot air is naturally encouraged up far and away from the plants. With the fan mounted up top should be easy work getting all that collected hot air up and out of the tent.

Planning to wrap the tent next week (maybe this weekend). Hopefully have the tent done by the end of next week and begin some testing with a grow to start hopefully late November, with seeds on their way to cracking after Turkey Day.


Shack

PS
the orange glow in the intake fan picture is the flowering bulb.
I still need to pick one up for veg

Click to expand...

You might consider rigging some tiny ducting to force the air out as well as light proof your exhaust, two birds one stone right.

Looking good though, I see your working out the kinks first and taking your time, something most take for granted.

~GG420

It's wrapping day!! I'm off to the grow shop this afternoon to pick up the poly-film! To cover all 4 sides I only need about 6-7 feet (by 10' tall, thats how its sold) I plan to get a good bit extra, probably just go for an even 10' roll, to make sure i have enough to cover the top and bottom shelves and have some for flaps to cover the zippers. Also i need to consider how the "brain" AKA power strip is going to make its way into the tent. Should i just run the cord through the side and cover the whole with a little flap?


Shack

Got the panda film today and wrapped her up.. Still have a few places to seal, around the intake fan, and I need to wrap the bottom still, but once i got the zippers on I couldn't stand it, i had to put her in the closet and she how she fit!
Let me know what you all think!


Shack

Almost forgot.. when i was at the grow shop they had the 125W CFL 6500k veg bulb i had been wanting, for 15 bucks!!! it's used, but claimed only used for 2 months, its the light in use in the photos. all that is left, is soil and pots!

Looking good, I think that the 125W light is going to do well for your veg, adding more 100W equivalent CFLs will do you nothing more than help. They are smaller and fairly efficient and low heat producers. place them all around your plant at 2-3" away and add a fan for circulation and to exercise the plants.

~GG420

DubB83 said:

Looking good, I think that the 125W light is going to do well for your veg, adding more 100W equivalent CFLs will do you nothing more than help. They are smaller and fairly efficient and low heat producers. place them all around your plant at 2-3" away and add a fan for circulation and to exercise the plants.

~GG420

Click to expand...

step ahead of you, i have some clamp on shop lights with CFL's from my last grow, plan to start the seedling with just two 42W in shop lights. once it gets some leaves then flip on the hood in addition to the two shop lights. about circulation, i saw at target or some retailer, a little 3-4" cage fan, looks like the big ones you see in workshops, but.. well.. 3-4"

glad to know you're still around. excited to get growing. won't be till after thanksgiving (about 3-4 weeks from now). thats when i plan to germinate. don't forget about me till then!! i'll still be around checking out everyone's threads!


Shack

DubB83 said:

The dripper is not a bad idea or design, but the only thing that is going to get you more displacement is a larger pump. Also your system will fail if the seal breaks, there are other drippers out there that use an air line inside a water tube and the air line stops just above the bottom of the water tube creating bubbles and the air carries the water up the tube, if you had one of these (similar to a GH WaterFarm setup) you could use your existing pump and run it 24/7 and your plant would love you. Take a gander at some WaterFarm setups, just think your reservoir would be seperate and not below the plant.

~GG420

Click to expand...

i missed this post somehow. two things..

1 - i ran it for a bit and had a total "duh!!" moment. pushing the water this way, creates a siphon, even after the pump was unplugged suction/siphoning action had started and she kept dripping!

2 - i HAVE a waterfarm lol, its what i used my last grow. i was considering using just air line to make a mock WaterFarm drip ring. keep in mind i'm going soil this grow, stepping away from hydro. i'm not sure how a 24-hour dripper would do in soil..


Shack