Help with 2x2x4 setup.

Elidion777 said:

Would Scrog or Main-lining be preferred? I figure that they are almost the same but maybe I'm wrong?

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This is a 4'x2' tent with a 165cfm hurricane and a 4"x16" mountain air for exhaust on a variac and the same 165cfm on a variac as intake. This last round I had 3 afgooey 3 white widow 1 cali-o 1 blue balls and 1 kish
for a total of 9 plants. I don't have a scale but the mainlining on a personal grow can yield quite a bit if you are patient and diligent in the beginning. It is actually less work after the 12/12 flip. The plants are in 12"x 12"square plastic pots. I also use 3 gallon smart pots in the same tent. The mainline thread here is good but not always active. If you read through the thread from the beginning you will learn a lot.

https://www.rollitup.org/t/the-main-lining-thread.542308/page-297#post-13661648

Okay, so I got a lot of stuff figured out since then and have ran into some problems along the way. I'm growing one autoflower northern lights in a 4.5 gallon plastic pot and organic soil with some amendments. I am still figuring out nutrients a bit but got how ph works now. A friend gave me a 400W HPS light but I'm thinking it's too much for such a small grow space and lack of ventilation. That's what I need help with now. I was planning on using a 600W LED for seedling and veg and adding the HPS when it starts to flower. Problems are that I don't have intake and exhaust figured out.

I live in a studio apartment sized shed and am using a small space to grow, basically, a small closet space. I will have no way to get the used air outside of the shed and no way to get completely fresh outside air in. Also, it's winter so I'm a little worried that it is going to be too cold soon. Another reason to use the HPS but I have no way of venting heat and used air. I'd be fine without using the HPS but I don't know how to vent this area in my situation. Does anyone have a similar experience with this type of setup?

A 400 watt hps is going to turn a 2x2x4 into an oven without good ventilation and as stated before, you'll have almost no vertical space for the plant once you factor in the height of the container the plant is in and the distance you must maintain between the top of the plants and the light. If you can't come up with better ventilation and a taller space you will probably have to use a different light.

Do you have any funds available for a different light?

I will be getting a 600W LED in today from Amazon at some point. Yeah, I was thinking the HPS was overkill in such a small space too. What should I do about just ventilating it with the LEDs? I was thinking just a cheap fan in the top of the grow tent for exhaust and the same fan in the bottom for intake and two clip on fans in the grow tent. Is that all I need to do now?

I'd need to know more about the LED you bought before i can say much about heat management. Can you post the make and model or a link to it? I can almost guarantee you it's not 600 actual watts from the wall.

https://www.amazon.com/VIPARSPECTRA-Reflector-Spectrum-Indoor-Plants/dp/B019ETLC7M

It's a 600W LED with veg and bloom switches. I think someone said it would be around 300 actual wattage?

Elidion777 said:

https://www.amazon.com/VIPARSPECTRA-Reflector-Spectrum-Indoor-Plants/dp/B019ETLC7M

It's a 600W LED with veg and bloom switches. I think someone said it would be around 300 actual wattage?

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They claim 269 watts from the wall. Plenty for a 2x2x4. Heat will still be an issue, but quite a bit less of an issue than an hps.

So would my idea of just having regular fans for intake and exhaust work? Or would I absolutely have to get an inline fan and some ducting?

Also, it's cold where I'm at right now. I live in a metal shed too, so, it's hard to keep warm at the moment.

A cold room can be a good asset for a hot grow tent, but you need to have as much air exchange between the room and the tent as possible to take advantage of it. I run my indoor tents during the cold months for this very reason. I pull cool/cold air in from outside and vent the warm, filtered air into the house to provide a bit if free heating.

Elidion777 said:

https://www.amazon.com/VIPARSPECTRA-Reflector-Spectrum-Indoor-Plants/dp/B019ETLC7M

It's a 600W LED with veg and bloom switches. I think someone said it would be around 300 actual wattage?

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I have the same exact light in a 2x3x4. Heat is a pain. I pretty much leave the door wide open during lights on. Stays right at 77 that way. All closed up it gets up to 90! I have a huge 8” bent right in the center of the top and and 16x2” rectangle cut in the bottom with a a/c vent cover stuck in there. Oh and a cool air humidifier to help too.

Ugh, I guess I'll have to run the LEDs for a few hours to see how hot it gets before I start growing. Hoping I don't have to get humidifiers, dehumidifiers, heating pad, expensive inline fan, lol, been waiting so long to save the money and get this stuff. It will be worth the wait. Assuming I do it right.

Elidion777 said:

Ugh, I guess I'll have to run the LEDs for a few hours to see how hot it gets before I start growing. Hoping I don't have to get humidifiers, dehumidifiers, heating pad, expensive inline fan, lol, been waiting so long to save the money and get this stuff. It will be worth the wait. Assuming I do it right.

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There is no cheap or easy way to do it. If there was everyone would do it. temps and humidity are important. Most can get by through veg but around week 4 of flower your going to have issues.

Air exchange is the reason for a inline fan. A couple of clip ons alone isn't going to get it done. What are you going to do about smell ?

The smell I don't really care about. It's just me and my girl here and we agreed smell isn't an issue. I'll get an inline fan. It will work without the carbon filter, am I correct on that?

Elidion777 said:

The smell I don't really care about. It's just me and my girl here and we agreed smell isn't an issue. I'll get an inline fan. It will work without the carbon filter, am I correct on that?

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It will actually be more effective at moving air without a carbon filter. Also, you may be underestimating the smell. You have neighbors who might care?

Would it dank up the whole neighborhood? Lol, I mean, I expect it to be a lot louder than what I buy but it can't be that dank can it? I thought people only got those because of people coming into their house. We don't expect anyone but us and maybe a friend every once in awhile to be here.

I was just informed that two guys grew back here without carbon filters and the smell wasn't something they needed to control. I think I should be good without a carbon filter.

So, I've been running it and it's stayed around 75 degrees with the lights on. It would drop to about 65 with the lights off. I know I still need ventilation but to what degree?