Planning round 2

Hey all- long time lurker and 2nd time poster here.

So my first grow is wrapping up relatively well considering I did just about EVERYTHING wrong- I stretched them, burned them, starved them, under lit them, moved them, and in spite of it, they're turning out beautifully. Hopefully I've learned enough to not screw up round two. Quite as badly, anyway.

My current six lovelies are in a 7x2 space lit by a 400w hps, in 1g bags with a soil less mix of mostly peat moss and perlite, being fed with general hydro nutes. Yup. On about day 40 of flowering, things are looking good (for what they've been through) and will be beginning molasses water and then flushing for about 2-3 weeks, and hopefully they'll be ready to come down by day 70. My avatar is one of them.

Here's what I'd like to do next time: I'd like to expand to a 7x7 space, or at the very least a 6x6, and double my light to two 400w hps. Herein lies the first problem. I was looking at a chart that says a 400w will cover roughly a 4x4' space, so it would follow that two 400w lamps should have no problem in a 7x7 or for sure a 6x6 space. But then I was looking a couple other charts and did some math, and found out that 800 total watts is nowhere near where it needs to be in terms of kilowatts per square foot or lumens either.

Can someone tell me if my 2 400w hps idea will work, and if it won't, what would you suggest?

I'd like to have 20-25 girls total, and I've picked out four or five strains that will create a staggered finish- there should constantly be 5 girls finishing between about 50 days after 12/12 to about 75 days, ensuring a constant supply and creating extra space for the larger, longer flowering varieties as I go along. And ensuring I don't have to trim all this shit all at once. Here's the second problem. I have no idea if you can put that many plants in a space that size.

The six I have now in the 7x2 space are about 3-31/2' tall, a bit spindly (yay for stretching), were allowed to veg long enough to show definite preflowers (no forcing) and have never been pruned at all. They seem packed in tight, but they don't seem to mind, I don't think.

This time, I'd like to grow them in much the same way, except in 3g bags, or maybe square pots. I'd like to grow in organic soil with organic liquid nutes developed for soil- I'm drooling over the stuff from Roots Organics. I like the idea of letting them veg til they show gender on their own (even though these will be feminized seeds), and I'd like to try topping them once, maybe twice.

So there's the second question- will 20-25 plants grown in this manner, fit into my space- keeping in mind about 5 will be leaving the room every week from about day 50?

Ok. Holy buckets batman, first post is a monster. Ima shut up now, and save some questions for later. Way to hang in, if anyone is still here lolz and thanks in advance for your wisdom.
 
2 600w lamps light a real nice 3 1/2 by 7 area and I think your 20 to 25 plant goal is a little optimistic. Especially if you don't want to force early flowering. Nine 3 gal pots will work under each 600 lamp, if you keep them short. Good luck!
 
Just clarifying- you're saying three and a half by seven feet with two 600 watt hps and 18 total girls? Hmmm.... I wonder if I could get by well enough on a 400 and a 600watt and a butt ton of florescent shop lights- then I'd only have to buy one new thing (the 600 watt) instead of two? If that would work, it's a bit more within budgetary constraints lol
 

Krondizzel

New Member
Hey all- long time lurker and 2nd time poster here.

So my first grow is wrapping up relatively well considering I did just about EVERYTHING wrong- I stretched them, burned them, starved them, under lit them, moved them, and in spite of it, they're turning out beautifully. Hopefully I've learned enough to not screw up round two. Quite as badly, anyway.

My current six lovelies are in a 7x2 space lit by a 400w hps, in 1g bags with a soil less mix of mostly peat moss and perlite, being fed with general hydro nutes. Yup. On about day 40 of flowering, things are looking good (for what they've been through) and will be beginning molasses water and then flushing for about 2-3 weeks, and hopefully they'll be ready to come down by day 70. My avatar is one of them.

Here's what I'd like to do next time: I'd like to expand to a 7x7 space, or at the very least a 6x6, and double my light to two 400w hps. Herein lies the first problem. I was looking at a chart that says a 400w will cover roughly a 4x4' space, so it would follow that two 400w lamps should have no problem in a 7x7 or for sure a 6x6 space. But then I was looking a couple other charts and did some math, and found out that 800 total watts is nowhere near where it needs to be in terms of kilowatts per square foot or lumens either.

Can someone tell me if my 2 400w hps idea will work, and if it won't, what would you suggest?

I'd like to have 20-25 girls total, and I've picked out four or five strains that will create a staggered finish- there should constantly be 5 girls finishing between about 50 days after 12/12 to about 75 days, ensuring a constant supply and creating extra space for the larger, longer flowering varieties as I go along. And ensuring I don't have to trim all this shit all at once. Here's the second problem. I have no idea if you can put that many plants in a space that size.

The six I have now in the 7x2 space are about 3-31/2' tall, a bit spindly (yay for stretching), were allowed to veg long enough to show definite preflowers (no forcing) and have never been pruned at all. They seem packed in tight, but they don't seem to mind, I don't think.

This time, I'd like to grow them in much the same way, except in 3g bags, or maybe square pots. I'd like to grow in organic soil with organic liquid nutes developed for soil- I'm drooling over the stuff from Roots Organics. I like the idea of letting them veg til they show gender on their own (even though these will be feminized seeds), and I'd like to try topping them once, maybe twice.

So there's the second question- will 20-25 plants grown in this manner, fit into my space- keeping in mind about 5 will be leaving the room every week from about day 50?

Ok. Holy buckets batman, first post is a monster. Ima shut up now, and save some questions for later. Way to hang in, if anyone is still here lolz and thanks in advance for your wisdom.
Go big or go home. Bigger is better.
 
Just clarifying- you're saying three and a half by seven feet with two 600 watt hps and 18 total girls? Hmmm.... I wonder if I could get by well enough on a 400 and a 600watt and a butt ton of florescent shop lights- then I'd only have to buy one new thing (the 600 watt) instead of two? If that would work, it's a bit more within budgetary constraints lol
Not sure how many florescent shop lights equal a butt ton but that set up would be a pain to try to control. If two new lights aren't in the budget cut the number back under the 400 to about 6. Part of your challenge is going to be 5 different strains and their different growing characteristics. Undoubtably nutrient requirements will differ along with growth rates so keeping your canopy in the sweet spot of light intensity will be a challenge. Keep plenty of various size items on hand (coffee cans, upside down empty pots etc) to place under your stragglers to keep the canopy fairly consistent. If you don't you will have some plants that get burned while others just want to stretch.

Keeping a good journal of which plants received what nutrients is imperative or you could just end up with a science experiment that gets out of hand quickly. The idea of 20 to 25 plants of 5 different strains with their different maturation and growth rates (even individual plants in the same strain) may sound like a good idea, is wrought with pitfalls and maybe just a little optimistic for a persons second grow and first in soil. Having a light for each strain is a good rule of thumb to follow. Good luck!
 
Ok- when ya put it like that, it makes more sense and definitely feels more overwhelming lol.

Maybe this-- a 400+a 600watt, a 7x3.5' space, and 15 total plants- maybe 2-3 strains. A little more workable?
 
Thanks Bud!

So here's a couple more questions-

1) Nothing in my Cervantes book in the chapter about electricity makes one damn bit of sense to me. I just don't get the electricity thing. In tiny words- if I try to plug a 400 and a 600 watt HID into one outlet, will something catch on fire or explode?

2) Any opinions on Aurora/Roots Organics?
 
1 No it won't explode with a few caveats. Look on your 400 ballast for the amps. It should say something like 4.5A.

A standard household circuit is usually 15 amps. A 600 should be around 5.5 amps. You add the amps together and you probably will come in between 10 and 11. This will give you a safe buffer of 25 plus percent or so on a 15 amp circuit.

Where you can run into problems is when you start adding fans, hydro gear etc on that same circuit which CAN start causing your circuits to overload. Keeping your lights on a dedicated circuit is a great idea and running a heavy extension cord from another circuit is a great safe practice for your other needs. Now this can all go out the window if you have old/substandard wiring and having a fire in your grow room could lead to all sorts of bad. If the wiring is suspect, getting an electrician in is a great investment and much cheaper than bail money!

2 never used them
 
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