First time grower

Hey guys, I'm a first time grower, looking to do a fairly simple but decent 2x4 tent setup. Looking for any helpful tips or links to good info. I havent bought anything yet, my plans are for a vivosun tent with a maxbloom 600w cob led grow light, charcoal filter setup, intake fan, air flow fan, etc. Looking to grow 4 or 5 mango kush plants, and I wanna try to top and scrog them for the best results I can get. But like I said, it's my first time and I would really appreciate any helpful tips or suggestions for lighting, trimming, care, good resources like the best videos or how to guides. For example I say I want to do a scrog screen for good results because I've seen it in all these forums and some videos, but I have no clue what it does or how to set it up correctly, or the best ways to train my plants. I really wanna start out on the right foot and cut the learning curve to a minimum. I guess my biggest question is, do I have the right light/tent combo for a 4-5 plant setup?

Experience taught me this stuff.

I think you have the right stuff regarding equipment and a plan to grow - however, as one who also grows in that same Vivosun 2' x 4', you are kind of over crowding it with 4 or 5 plants. And overcrowding a small tent can negatively affect both the air flow and light to the buds.

And bad stuff happens when you negatively impact the air flow in a small tent. I lost an entire grow because of improper air flow that lead to the plants not being able to transpire. No transpiration lead to the dreaded mold and mildew. The crop went right into the compost heap!

On average, the Mango Kush can get to about 3' once in full flower and if you are going to top and SCROG, they'll bush up a bit more. Start with two and SCROG each of them to about 2' x 2' each to fill up the grow area. Quantity of plants is not always the deciding factor with cannabis - final bud quality is. Managing a canopy of two nicely SCROG'd plants would yield something better than trying to squish 5 plants in there. However, the decision is still yours.

One item that I didn't see the specs on - what CFM rating is your exhaust fan? With the smaller tents, air exchange is also rather important.

Thanks alot starecase, that's exactly the kind of thing I was unsure of as far as how many plants in the space, I got the number from an article that said 1 plant per square foot of floor space, which seemed like a lot to me. Also about the scrog, I'm pretty sure you mean 2'x2' squares with the string, how high should they be set over the pots?

Oh and the exhaust fan I'm looking at is 190 cfm

The exhaust fan rating is good. That is the exact same size I have and it's doing what it's supposed to. And I am running mine 7/24. Start at 3/4 speed and see if that does the trick. You can increase it if needs be. Let the girls tell you.

Individual SCROG netting squares should be in the 2" to 4" neighbourhood - but you will want the netting to cover the entire 2' x 4' space.

What I meant was when you start spreading the branches through the SCROG netting, each plant should cover a 2' x 2' area, or as close as possible, before you flip. So each plant gets 1/2 of the scrog netting. You will want to try to make as many tops as you can before you flower then give 'er 12/12 - you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Do you know what your wall wattage is for the COB's?

I started looking at a different light, a bit more expensive, but it's a cree cob natural white light 200w, and it takes the full 200w draw from the wall. I'll try to attach pictures, not sure if it's big enough though. Might have to run 2 of them and bite the big money bullet. As far as the scrog net, that makes more sense, thanks for clearing that up. Still not sure how high above the to put the scrog, does it vary based on how tall the plants veg? Still looking for a good video to explain the whole process of how and when to tie them off to the scrog. I really cant wait to get started, hopefully I'll be able to get everything together before the end of winter, thanks again for the help!

Some growers will use a double layer of the netting. All depends on the finished size of the buds. YouTube has plenty of videos explaining and demonstrating how to use the SCROG nets. It's easier for you to see it rather than using simple words trying to describe it. Check those out.

You might want to add one more light - but try one grow and see how it all shakes out. Haven't really read up on the estimated grams / watt (gpw) for using COB LED's. But a good rule of thumb for very good yield is around 80 wall watts per square foot of growing space. In my 2' x 4', I have a total of 720 wall watts using a combination of full spectrum LED and 4' floros.

I did find a couple good videos that helped me understand the actual using of the scrog. A couple different ways of doing it, and not just string but one used a coated wire mesh with big holes. I liked the look of that and I thought of using big hair clips to attach to make them easier to move as they grow across the scrog. The more I plan the more the shopping list grows haha, unfortunately I agree that I'd probably be better off with two of those lights, which unfortunately puts the total cost just over $1000 and that's assuming I didnt forget something. I'm trying to avoid cheaping out on the important things. I like things that last and work the way they're supposed to, if that means paying a little more up front I can handle that. Just might have to push the start date back a bit. From all the videos, articles, and advice so far, I think I've got a good setup nailed down, I'll include the shopping list on this post

Looks like you have everything you need. What's the one component of growing that doesn't cost a dime but can be the most difficult to obtain?

Patience. Good luck with your grow. Pics showing progress are always welcome.

That's a nice bud shot too ... the last of my white hairs are starting to curl and turn that colour now. Won't be long for me.

I definitely approve of your decision not to use the first light you posted about. Did a little research and it is inefficient and runs hot compared to the high end COBs, QBs, samsung strips etc... the second light you posted looks a lot better but i haven't looked into that ine closely yet. Besides that it looks like you will have all yhe equipment you need to get started. Best of luck in your first grow and remember, the best thing you can do for your plants is learn as much as you possibly can before you start.

Thanks alot guys, yeah super excited to start and watch my very first grow take shape step by step! I'm pretty confident in my light choice right now. I've covered the most ground in my search looking at different light options, pros and cons and whatnot. And I'm gonna keep looking into the whole setup and plan until I can finally afford to pull the trigger, but I like the looks of what I've got so far, not totally sold on the strain I've picked but the setup I think will work perfectly for what I'm trying to do. Its been a long time coming and I'm glad I finally decided to just do it. I will definitely be keeping a grow journal and will update this post with pics once I've started! Hopefully early spring