First Indoor Grow... Have a few questions.

I am looking to start my first indoor grow and know how I am going to do it...

I will be building a dresser or a hutch and that will be where this grow will take place. I will build the measurements to be whatever I get from this post. I will post the questions in an easy fashion that way whoever answers can answer with the same ease

I started a post earlier but I realized it was very strict on how I wanted to do this grow...and I didn't leave much room for customization based on feedback I received... Don't let my short post count dictate how much I have read on this forum check my registration date

I love this forum and usually lurk but I am ready to get some advice from the pro's, so let the questions begin:

1. I want to grow 4-5 Plants at a time... how big will the light need to be? It will be regular photo period plants MAYBE sometimes Auto's

2. Does anyone have advice or a tutorial on how to set the ventilation up? Also, what size fan should I get if I want it to do its job and ALSO stay somewhat quite... links to products are welcome I can buy that or something like it.

3. Is SCROG something that would help me get the most out of my plants in the space I have? As far as width and length I am open to whatever space I need dependent on the parts I need to fit in there comfortably... Height will be about 5-6 Feet

4. Where should I mount the thermostat and does anyone recommend a certain brand?

5. PH Levels... I am lost there... Any advice? My outdoor grows were pretty much easy as pie.

6. HPS or T5? I heard that Lumens is all that matters... which should I go with? Also, if you have a question you can ask me to determine what you would recommend shoot

7. I think that is it for now.... so how is your bud doing? Last question

1. I want to grow 4-5 Plants at a time... how big will the light need to be? It will be regular photo period plants MAYBE sometimes Auto's

Get at least a 600w light. Dimmable ballasts are nice because you can turn them down to take on seeds/clones. also grow regular plants instead of autos if you can help it.

2. Does anyone have advice or a tutorial on how to set the ventilation up? Also, what size fan should I get if I want it to do its job and ALSO stay somewhat quite... links to products are welcome I can buy that or something like it.

I'd get at least a 6" fan. Just know that 4's, 6's, and 8'' fans all draw the same amperage and use about the same amount of electricity. So your best bet is to buy a bigger fan than you need (incase you ever want to upgrade) and run it on a speed controller (lower RPMs = lower noise)
speed controllers here: http://www.afgrowsupply.com/active-air-fan-speed-adjuster/

3. Is SCROG something that would help me get the most out of my plants in the space I have? As far as width and length I am open to whatever space I need dependent on the parts I need to fit in there comfortably... Height will be about 5-6 Feet

If you are growing plants 5 or 6 feet tall, maybe you should get 1000w lights. if you scrog or grow them shorter, you can get away with a 600watters.

4. Where should I mount the thermostat and does anyone recommend a certain brand?

Mount the thermostat away from the intake and exhaust. preferably around canopy height

5. PH Levels... I am lost there... Any advice? My outdoor grows were pretty much easy as pie.

for hydro, 5.5 to 6.5 is good. soil might be higher? not sure, im not a soil guy.

6. HPS or T5? I heard that Lumens is all that matters... which should I go with? Also, if you have a question you can ask me to determine what you would recommend shoot

HPS all the way. you can use t5 for veg or clones/seedlings, but you will get much better results with HPS.

7. I think that is it for now.... so how is your bud doing? Last question
Vertigrow! used this system for my last grow. its really efficient, but i want to move away from high plant counts.
going to grow some trees ala Heath robinson now. got some seeds vegging out right now. cross them fingers for good genetics!

Get at least a 600w light. Dimmable ballasts are nice because you can turn them down to take on seeds/clones. also grow regular plants instead of autos if you can help it.
I was thinking of getting a dimmer... but the autos were more for when I needed to get things running quicker, throw one or two in there. I do not plan on having two chambers so I kind of have to figure things out once I get started there.


I'd get at least a 6" fan. Just know that 4's, 6's, and 8'' fans all draw the same amperage and use about the same amount of electricity. So your best bet is to buy a bigger fan than you need (incase you ever want to upgrade) and run it on a speed controller (lower RPMs = lower noise)
speed controllers here: http://www.afgrowsupply.com/active-air-fan-speed-adjuster/

That is a good idea, I have a speed controller on one of my old PC cases somewhere but it might be a better idea to just buy a new one from them, or the local hydro store. What would you recommend? Should I go with a 10? 12? I mean as long as they are not CRAZY loud I am fine with whatever size I just need the sound to not be noticeable as hell y'know?



If you are growing plants 5 or 6 feet tall, maybe you should get 1000w lights. if you scrog or grow them shorter, you can get away with a 600watters.
No I meant that the cabinet or dresser I build is going to be 5-6 feet total... so a foot for the lights/reflector... a foot for between the plants and the lights... 3-4 Feet would be the size I could get the plants to be... No... I guess with the 2 gallon bucket 2-3 Feet would be the max I could grow... I may up the cabinet or dresser to 6-7 feet lmfao... Like I said I am building the thing from scratch, so I can build dependent on the info I get here



Mount the thermostat away from the intake and exhaust. preferably around canopy height
So let me ask you this... should I run a small thermo... get my grow started see where the canopy height averages then mount the one I plan on using for awhile?



for hydro, 5.5 to 6.5 is good. soil might be higher? not sure, im not a soil guy.
I will be growing in Coco or Hydroton with a 2 Gallon bucket built with a reservoir bringing the water/nutes up a tube and running over the top of the medium (Custom built by the guy who owns a Hydro shop locally, I have seen some pretty damn nice plants grown in them *Not weed, but still*)


HPS all the way. you can use t5 for veg or clones/seedlings, but you will get much better results with HPS.
I was just asking because some people have told me that t5 run cooler and the plants can get closer to the lights... also that dependent on the size of the box the lumen output is just as good. On the flip side from research it says that HPS test the plants more and force them to produce more resin to protect the flowers.



I guess that is it again, any suggestions and advice is more than welcome

My plan is to gather information for about 2 weeks then I am going to pick up all the parts I need and build this bad boy... plenty of pics will come as well...

While I am at it I will throw together a noob guide to help people like myself when they decide to build their own box

I am sure with experience I will decide to upgrade and I will know more, so then I will throw together a better guide... giving back to the community FTW!!

Phresh filters.... what size filter would I need for this space? While I am at it I know filters depend on the fan... what size fan would I need to grab?

a 6" inline does like 400 CFM.
8" do like 750 CFM.

Ideally, you want to exchange all of the air in your room every 1 to 3 minutes.
So if your room is 4x4x6, the volume is 96 feet.

In that case you could get the 6" inline fan and run it on ~50% and have plenty of air exchange.
Also take into account the fact that carbon filters will hinder air flow a bit, too.

Forget a 1000 watt or even a 600 watt in that space.

Heat issues will be hard to control. (yeah you could use air cooling...and venting and this that or the other thing...but it'll be WORK)
Without a air cooled hood...600 watts are generally 2 feet away from the tops of plants.

The real question is: "How much pot do you want?"

Using a 250 watt hps and 5 or 6 - 26 watt cfls for side lighting...it's possible to get close to 5 ounces from two 3' plants.
(That are put into flower at around 12") A 250 watt uncooled can be put around 10 - 12" from the tops np.

Furthermore a 600 watt light will be more expensive to run for 3 months than will a 250.

Autos fyi generally yield poorly in comparison to non-autos.

Without a air cooled hood...600 watts are generally 2 feet away from the tops of plants.
I plan on using a cooled tube, I have been looking at one that has a fan in the tube and two ports on each side for ventilation tubing... those would go to the top of the box and be connected to open flanges. The Fan would suck air from outside of the box and go through the tube and blow the newly warmed air out of a flange on the other side. I also have been thinking about building more of a wardrobe looking thing so it can be around 8 feet tall. So the box would be around 4x4x8 meaning 128 Cubic Feet.

The real question is: "How much pot do you want?"
Honestly, my girlfriend is having issues intestinally and pot works wonders on her nausea. So right now she is smoking about an Oz a week... But, I wouldn't mind having more. Share the wealth I say I have friends who work their asses off all week and blow their money on pot and struggle with bills... free pot for everybody! I cannot smoke any longer due to my career but I love taking care of plants.

Using a 250 watt hps and 5 or 6 - 26 watt cfls for side lighting...it's possible to get close to 5 ounces from two 3' plants.
(That are put into flower at around 12") A 250 watt uncooled can be put around 10 - 12" from the tops np.
So would a cooled 400w or 600w be better or would you say just go with a 250w uncooled? I plan on saving for this grow so I do not mind waiting to upgrade the bulb before I finish the box.

Furthermore a 600 watt light will be more expensive to run for 3 months than will a 250.
How much more expensive? Would the yield counter-balance?

Autos fyi generally yield poorly in comparison to non-autos.
I know but I originally bought some auto seeds to try outdoors but missed this season due to family issues. I might as well test em out first grow


I was looking at a few fans at home depot today.... I found a 250 CFM (almost DOUBLE my space) fan that only puts out 1.5 Sones... which means it is damn near impossible to hear I could barely hear it at least. It was a bit spendy but eh... might as well go big or go home... that is going to run me $144... it was a 6" fan. Again any and all comments are very much appreciated and thank you in advance to whomever can reply.

you should get at least a 400 watt HPS. I wasn't happy with the 400 watt my ex room mate bought for me to use in the terms of density, I upgraded to 1000 but have yet to get it up. Waiting on some pieces for my DIY tent.

I veged a big bud plant for close to 2 months and got 4.5 ounces out of it on a 400 watt alone. My nutrients were reduced because I was using DWC and I had an auto in the DWC with the normal plant. I had to make sure both worked out and make sure neither nute locked out (the auto was in flower when the big bud was in veg, then I think I did 1/4th the nutes the whole grow). So with a 400 watt I'm sure you could get 5 ounces at least with 1 plants.

Our 400 watt system was only about 30 a month, but our power company is government run and only makes enough money to pay everyone decently.

You can't just change the bulbs. You'd have to buy a whole new ballast and bulb to upgrade. Trust me get at least a 400 or 600 watt HPS setup and you'll be happy with the results. Kits don't really go too much up on price the more wattage you use. My 1000 watt kit only cost me $331 and I had to pay GST PST and shipping on it.

Fans are REALLY quite. I got a 250 CFM fan from a hydro store, it only cost $125. You can barely hear it at all, the wind coming out makes more noise than the actual fan

If you are going through over a quarter pound a month...it'll be hard to keep up using only a large dresser for grow area. You will need TWO areas. 1 for vegging and clones. 1 for flowering.

The guy's example above? That plant would take up your whole dresser. It had to be atleast 5' tall and atleast 3' wide. Furthermore it took 4 months to finish. (2 months veg, 2 months flower)
I'd still recommend two or three plants vegged for 1 month and then flowered for 2. Same output...but using 1 less month of electricity...and you have the option of having two or three flavors going
at once.

If you are going for a cooling system...sure get more watts. I'd still not get above a 400 though. Heat is an issue always. In a room with good airflow one can of course get 1000s. But you are rawking a dresser.
Your electrical bill will soar depending upon where you live. I'm not asking...nor are you telling...but keep it in mind. How much does an semi-efficient AC cost if you left it running 18 hours a day for 6 weeks...then cut it down to 12 hours a day for
two more months? That'll give you a rough idea of your electric bill uptick. Yes an AC has about 1,000 watts...but they are not used constantly. (the AC turns itself off when temp is hit) Your 400 watter will never go off until that day is over.

The yield will absolutely offset the wattage cost...if you were selling.

You will be fortunate to get 1 ounce from an auto. Just general fyi.

If the grow is illegal...I'd be very reluctant to "hook my friends up" with free herb.
It's not free for you to grow...and the penalties for getting caught would not be shared by the group either.

My two cents.

Sell your friends weed at "friends" discounts. Sell to only a few of them...do not expand. That'll both offset your costs 120%...
and keep it so you are not getting more an more frequent "hook me up" requests.

You will need TWO areas. 1 for vegging and clones. 1 for flowering.
What if I didn't need a perpetual grow? Like technically if what everyone is saying is correct. I should expect 2-5 OZ's per plant the 2 being on the low end until I get the hang of doing this indoors. I can grow 2-3 Plants in a 4' L x 3' W x 8' T space with a 400w HPS? Then say 3 plants that is 6-15 OZs every 3 months... My girlfriend smoke only for medicinal reasons and only uses about an OZ a month. That is 3-12 OZs left over. Idk what it is in your area but $350/OZ is a hookup here... so $300/OZ would be a steal... or even $250/OZ because I am not trying to make money here. All at once instead of perpetual would be ideal because I don't want to put myself in that situation every month y'know?


I'd still recommend two or three plants vegged for 1 month and then flowered for 2. Same output...but using 1 less month of electricity...and you have the option of having two or three flavors going
at once.
Indeed.

If you are going for a cooling system...sure get more watts. I'd still not get above a 400 though. Heat is an issue always. In a room with good airflow one can of course get 1000s. But you are rawking a dresser.
I have been doing a lot of research and while we are on the subject of Cooling... I have been looking at vent fans (bathrooms) and was pretty set on one but then talked myself into a corner... Bathroom fans point down with all of that ventilation in the roof... meaning in my room it would have to be setup the same way... do bathroom fans have a switch to change directions? I would want the ventilation on the inside... blowing the hot air out.. while I could mount the vent fan flush on the top of my box I build out of sight but working.


Your electrical bill will soar depending upon where you live. I'm not asking...nor are you telling...but keep it in mind. How much does an semi-efficient AC cost if you left it running 18 hours a day for 6 weeks...then cut it down to 12 hours a day for
two more months? That'll give you a rough idea of your electric bill uptick. Yes an AC has about 1,000 watts...but they are not used constantly. (the AC turns itself off when temp is hit) Your 400 watter will never go off until that day is over.
Indeed. I did the math on a website calculator and it would go up quite a bit here... using everything I have decided on getting... I will list things and can you tell me if it is even worth it for my grow?

Day/Night Thermometer x2
250CFM Vent Fan
Phresh Filter
Hygrometer
Oscilating Fan (Small one mounted to side)
400 or 600 Watt HPS/Ballast
Matte Finish Reflector
20-50 Power Handheld Microscope
Cooling Tube for light w/ fans
Screen for SCROG

If I am missing ANYTHING I might need for this grow please let me know, I am saving for this build and I am willing to wait until I have everything I need to get started. I want to be prepared. If anything on that list is questionable let me know as well, or if you would recommend a certain brand/type. Phresh filters I have heard are the best around, if I am wrong please let me know because price wise they are iffy to me I hear canned filters work just as well.



The yield will absolutely offset the wattage cost...if you were selling.
I would prefer not to... but I do have friends. Only about 2 I would trust to not offer me to other people though.

You will be fortunate to get 1 ounce from an auto. Just general fyi.
Well, I ordered a few seeds awhile back and missed the harvest for outdoors this year... so I am going to use them kind of to acclimate myself to indoor growing. Also, by my math... 1 OZ per plant... that means I could just about keep up with Larger plants with not as much hassle... but 2 large plants are better than 4-5 Small autos if the cops came a knockin' it is the amount of plants not the size they would care about.

If the grow is illegal...I'd be very reluctant to "hook my friends up" with free herb.
It's not free for you to grow...and the penalties for getting caught would not be shared by the group either.
Indeed.


My two cents.
Appreciated.

Sell your friends weed at "friends" discounts. Sell to only a few of them...do not expand. That'll both offset your costs 120%...
and keep it so you are not getting more an more frequent "hook me up" requests.
Nobody except my girlfriend (Serious) would know about this.... ever.... I do have a friend who is pretty serious into selling that would probably buy everything at once if I suddenly "Ran into a friend with a good bit to get rid of." Like I said though, I really don't want to get into that type of stuff because there are too many factors that go into that, factors that would be beyond my control.

Earlier you said she smoked a ounce per week...maybe that was a typo as an ounce per month is a lot different than one per week. An ounce per month can be done with one room.
I'd guesstimate your yields to the lower end. 2-3 ounces per plant is realistic...4 is on the optimal side.

As to prices...you know your area...not me. They are similar though. I have A friend that has purchased a ounce from someone for $320 pretty much whenever someone wants to get rid of one.
Think of it "normally." You n ur friends never get months notice about such a deal. After cut...you still have a good three weeks barest minimum before it can move...a 2 week notice is MORE
than enough for a friend. Until that moment...NOTHING is going on. The best thing possible is for nobody to know anything. Every 1 person that knows doubles the possibility of negatives.

Any fan pointed in the opposite direction...now has airflow going in the opposite direction. Some models are "repairable" and if you flipped the actual fanblade and re-attached it "backwards"...same effect.

Yes in some states a certain number of plants lets say...5...dramatically increases the penalty. So 2-3 that produce as much or more than 4-5 smaller ones...is safer. But weight is a factor too. You really
need to find the balance between risk and reward and do not exceed it for greed. Greed and boasting? That is what snags most I'd imagine.

Your products listed are fine. You really only need a fan duct system with a carbon scrubber. You can actually make these yourself and plans are all over the site here...or the internet at large.

Earlier you said she smoked a ounce per week...maybe that was a typo as an ounce per month is a lot different than one per week. An ounce per month can be done with one room.
I'd guesstimate your yields to the lower end. 2-3 ounces per plant is realistic...4 is on the optimal side.
Yea, typo it is usually 1-2 OZs a month. 2-3 OZ per plant so two plants 4-6 OZ not bad... The reason I wanted to do Auto's originally is because I would rather not have to deal with the hassle of lighting switches lol... but I guess work pays off!


Any fan pointed in the opposite direction...now has airflow going in the opposite direction. Some models are "repairable" and if you flipped the actual fanblade and re-attached it "backwards"...same effect.
I will talk to the guy at the hydro shop and see if he can do that for me if I bring in a fan, he custom builds a lot of things.



Your products listed are fine. You really only need a fan duct system with a carbon scrubber. You can actually make these yourself and plans are all over the site here...or the internet at large.
I will check it out

Ahhhh it got silent!

I have planned out most of my grow from the info I got here.... My first grow will be two auto flowering plants just to get the hang of indoor growing, if I can handle an 8 foot monster outdoors I think I can manage a 2 foot auto lol

So this is the plan, much appreciated to everyone who gave advice, as of now and again for ease I will list it.

1. 400W HPS and Ballast
2. 250 CFM Whisper Vent Fan (The space will only be 112-150 Cubic Feet)
3. Cooling Tube for Light
4. Growing Pots will be 2 Gallon Buckets hydroponic setup draws water/nutes from bottom and drips over medium then runs back down to the reservoir.
5. SCROG Setup 2 feet above the growing medium
6. Sweet... Sticky... Buds...

Of course the usual Thermostats and what not... but that is it for now... I will have two of the 2 Gallon buckets.