Kinda Beginner Grow Setup

Discussion in 'Beginner Lounge' started by Gopher Love, Nov 3, 2008.

  1. Gopher Love

    Gopher Love Under Construction

    Ok, well i'm not a complete beginner, I have succesfully grown 3 harvests with very good crop. I had a 400w HPS for veg and flower and started from seeds all 3 times.

    I'm looking to do a more advanced setup this time. I'm thinking seperate veg and bloom rooms so I can have a mother of a good strain to clone off and then veg the clones till about 1-2 ft and then flower for quick harvests, sacrificing overall harvest size but i'de rather have quick times than alot of it with long grow times.

    So heres my thoughts. First I want to say, I basically need some advice on light setups because I really dont know what I would need for what i'm doing and after I get a good light setup i'll set everything else up around that (ie. cooling and climate control mostly).

    For the bloom cabinet I will be taking a closet and building a plywood/2x4 growbox (completely sealed meaning caulk at every edge) with demensions of 3 X 4 X 6-8 (WxLxH). The height I am not sure of yet, the ceiling in the closet is 10 feet I think actually but might only be 8.. havn't measured height yet. But if I veg the plants to between 1-2 ft i'm not sure how high the cabinet would need to be so the light won't burn the plants when they get to full bloom height. I know this space will not be very big and don't plan on a huge grow so it's ok. I would like to fit 4-6 plants in there... I really need to know what size HPS would be best for this space. I was thinking at least a 250 but probably a 400 since it wouldn't be over-kill and wouldn't be to little light. Like I stated before I had a 400 watt and it worked great for 4 plants but probably could have had like 5 or 6 in there except I veged untill they were about 3 ft so they were BIG.

    For the Veg cabinet i'm taking a space I have in a nice hidden place making a cabinet of about 3 X 3 X 5-6. Again I'm not sure on height so looking for advice on that. Also not sure on lighting in here. I will use it to keep 1 or maybe 2 mothers to clone from. I will probably only clone 8-10 (just incase of dead loss or males or anything like that...) at a time. I'm not sure if I should just go with like a nice little 100-250 watt MH or just a nice bunch of well placed CFs... Really not sure.

    I will be growing organic the whole way through for price reduction, save electricity costs, and lower maintenance.

    Now I know this is very little on information but lets just start the post with this. So any recomendations as to how I should set this up is VERY appreciated. Like I said I have succesfully grown 3 harvests before but it was a VERY budgeted setup with a cheap little 400 w HPS the whole way through and started from seeds... So it took a LONG time to get a good harvest and I had to be carefull with dead loss and males.

    Anyway, rapping it up, I need alot of advice on the lighting I will need for these spaces, if the spaces are of OK size (the veg chamber can be changed significantely but the bloom room is pretty much set in stone).

    After I get my lighting figured out I will need advice on my exhaust setup and potting mixes and fertilizer mixes and all that jazz.

    Thank you very much for any help guys. Been a while since i've visted since I stopped growing but i'm very very glad to see it's still up and going strong. Hope the people here are still just as helpfull as they used to be.

    PS: Money is not a factor as i'm going to slowely setup the WHOLE WHOLE WHOLE setup before I even order the seeds...

    EDIT: One more quick thing.. I've heard that alot of seedbanks don't send to the US anymore but i've read here that seedboutique still does and does a great job of getting them here. Is this where i'm gonna have to end up buying them from? I really don't care if it's the strongest strain or the most yeilding strain. I just want some higher quality than bag seeds and maybe even get some fem seeds just to possibly reduce males. So I just want a safe and effective way to get my seeds here to the US.
     
  2. SoloFlyer1

    SoloFlyer1 Keep Smyelin

    400w

    That's the same as my current rig....the 400W HPS works great for that size.


    :)


    Check out some of the user-built cabs in the DIY section! There are a lot of great ideas there...


    :qbluewacko:
     
  3. Gopher Love

    Gopher Love Under Construction

    Ok will do man, thanks for the advice...


    One thing though.. What should I choose for my veg room. Like stated I will have 1-2 mothers and about 8-10 clones growing to 1-2 feet. I'm thinking of just putting a few high wattage CFLs in there just to save costs on equiptment and electric but I know a MH light will help the clones grow faster and stronger. But it will also make my mothers grow quicker meaning space will get taken up. I think CFLs would be a better choice but, what do you guys think?


    I'll check out the DIY section real quick for some ideas...


    Thanks.
     
  4. ResinRubber

    ResinRubber Civilly disobedient/Mod

    Good ideas!


    You seem to be on the right track gopher.


    The 400 watt should be more than adequate for your flowering. My thoughts are to pick up a set of 24 inch T5 flouros. If your handy you can get a couple of basic fixtures at the home store fairly reasonably then cobble together a bracket for your veg room. The T5's give a more lumens than typical flouros or the cfl's and operate just as efficiently. In a pinch they can do double duty as a servicable flowering light.


    For seedbanks I have used seedbay and cannabean with excellent results. Another member here posted a great idea I used in my last purchase. Buy a visa gift card and use it to make your purchase. I protects your identity and account info from possible unscrupulous sellers and LEO.


    Good luck!
     
  5. Jake

    Jake A Fat Sticky Bud

    I second the T-5's. I'd try and go with a 4 footer. If you haven't built your cab yet you can order a nice 4 foot T-5 (for your needs I'd go at least 4 bulb if not 6) and build the box to fit. I did the CFL's for a long time until I recently got a T-5. Wish I just got it to begin with. Nothing wrong with CFL's but the T-5 is so much easier and cast quite a bit bigger footprint of usable light.
     
  6. HeadCase

    HeadCase Old Prick

    Hey Gopher your flower cabinet & 400w hps light sound great for what you want. I hear the T5's are great I don't have any but use cfl's. your veg cab is a good size probably won't need to be that tall . But no matter what size your cabinet are you need ventilation & odor control. Not sure if you live in a apartment,townhouse,or single home but odor control is hi on the list with ventilation. Here is a site that is cheap & fast I get alot from themwww.htgsupply.com Good luck with your grow & I hope you stick around for awhile.-Bud
     
  7. SMARMY

    SMARMY Cuban Bee

    don't forget to invest in good ventilation
     
  8. fubar

    fubar south bound soon

    everything sounds good i use a 400w hps in my flower and 2 3ft grow flouro and 4 cfl's in my veg and your dimensions could almost be my grow area i spent about 90 bucks on the 3ft tubes and fixtures that i wired myself. i usually keep about 4 in flower but have done 6, too much hassle for me:icon_confused: good luck happy growing
     
  9. Gopher Love

    Gopher Love Under Construction

    Thank you so much for all the replys guys, I really didn't expect this much help.


    No I havn't built the cabinets yet, i'm just planning everything (i'm taking it EXTRA safe this time.. I didn't get caught last time or anything but I did make the mistake of letting a few people see my beautys and word spreads QUICK in my town...) out first and then I will purchase EVERYTHING before I start my grow...


    Ok, well i'll look into some T5 light fixtures instead of CFLs.. I did kinda think of them but wondered if CFLs are like 10X cheaper and work just as good why not... But if a T5 setup would work better i'll go for that.


    So how tall should my veg cabinet be? I don't want to burn my plants (I know it's kinda hard to do with floros but it can still happen.. I'm used to having the big HPS when I did the first grow and my babys from seeds BURNT up for a while there... almost lost like half of em)... Should I make it like 4-5 ft tall? Up to 3 feet for mothers and that gives 2 feet for the lights and exhaust stuff.


    Yes I do plan on lots of odor control. I live in a house, tri-level, and i'm growing in the basement/lowest floor. It stays cool in these areas so the heat isn't the biggest of my problems (last grow with just regular desk fans kept about 80 or so with the 400 HPS), but never the less is one of them. I will be getting inline exhaust fans for both cabinets (or like some cheaper fan setup for the veg since it obviously doesn't have as much odor...) and probably run a scrubber on each just to keep costs down but if the odors are still a problem I will break and do a better setup ASAP because I know firsthand now that when you grow you become used to the smell and can't notice it very easily.. but when someone new walks into your house and goes "HOLY CRAP, you gotta get some air fresheners man! your house smells like the holy grail of ganja...." you know you gotta get that under control... So it'll be a nice scrubber with exhaust fans for both boxes and just holes for intake with dark room vents or something like that to keep the light in...


    EDIT: Ok Well were going green. I'm gonna start buying supplies this weekend. I will start with the boxes and the lights for the veg room.


    Three things for this first stage. Is a certain type of wood better for my box setup? Like is particle board better at keeping the smell contained than plywood? I will have the boxes totally sealed except for intake and exhaust ports but I want this to be as SAFE as possible. The other is far away from right now but how should I get my dang seeds. I'll use a good seedbank and probably use a visa gift card to order it, but where should I get it shipped to? I don't have anywhere to ship other than the grow house which is a NO-NO because I want SAFE this time around. I was thinking a P.O. box in my girlfriends name or something like that but not sure...


    And finally... With the floros... I will probably end up with a bunch of 4' floros but does it really matter if its a t5 or t8 or t12? Is t5 only better because of space limitations? Because I can get VERY cheap 2 bulb 4' t8 compatible floro shop lights. Or I can use even higher wattage t12 bulbs... Does it really matter if its t5?


    Sorry I type alot but like I said I want this to be a very productive and safe grow so i'll be sticking around here and asking for lots of advice since it seems you guys really like to help. Thank you very much guys.
     
  10. Nilzar

    Nilzar A Fat Sticky Bud

    Yeah :GK: is fucking awsome for that, as long as you dont ask stupid questions that can be found in the FAQ. And I dont think you did that beacuse i didnt see any sarcastic remarks from anyone.. and no i did not read your post only beacuse it was too long for me and had no pics.


    I only been here 4-5 months and GK helped me all the way... the only thing that sucks is you cant burn with GK after you harvest your plant...
     
  11. blah blah boy

    blah blah boy Harvested Fat Sticky Bud

    +1


    I'll burn with ya.....wait let me ligh..........t it. :smokin: Oh yaaaaaaaaaaaa!


    everyone repeat :smokin:
     
  12. Gopher Love

    Gopher Love Under Construction

    haha yea my posts were pretty long.. but it's ok.. they'll be filled with pics from now on, i'm building the boxes this weekend and probably buying some lights if I still have the money. Plus i'll have pictures of how I plan to organize the rooms so that I can make sure it'll work good.


    Well thats again guys.
     
  13. HeadCase

    HeadCase Old Prick

    Sure you can you just need some growkinders in you area.-Bud
     
  14. Nilzar

    Nilzar A Fat Sticky Bud

    yeah i know but im talking bout smokin with all the fuckers that took their time to help me.. you, neon, solo, smarmy, the master, skunky, mr astro, happy jay and many more who i cant name off the top of my head...


    it would be cool to get everyone together one day and smoke the fuck out execpt the fact that if we did that im sure DEA would crash the party.


    :group: :car8:
     
  15. EvilSkuzzi

    EvilSkuzzi Sweet Guy

    Where the fucks my name in that list??????????????


    ps t5's will not burn your plants if there 4 or 5 inches away.
     
  16. SoloFlyer1

    SoloFlyer1 Keep Smyelin

    Yeah, and...


    What in hell is MY name doin on there!?!


    :evil4:


    :laughing5:


    :qbluewacko:
     
  17. Gopher Love

    Gopher Love Under Construction

    Ok so are you saying a t5 is just the recomendation because it can be put closer to the plants? If so I'll probably have to go with a t8 unless menards or lowes has some cheaper t5 fixtures because I can get a two bulb 32w t8 fixture for 20 bucks 30 including bulbs... Also today I stopped and got 4 26 watt CFLs and fixtures for like some side lighting for the mother/ers so they can have some light on their insides too... lots of good strong branches was the thought there.. and if that was pointless then whatever, it cost me 25 bucks for everything and I got 104w worth of floro...


    Also, is it a major security risk if I order my HPS off the internet? I want a 400w HPS but for the life of me no stores sell over like 150w.. I think I saw a 250 watt for like 175 bucks.. which is more than it costs for a 400w with a good refelctor... I did buy my light online last time and nothing ever came of it but.. idk i want this time to be VERY safe...
     
  18. ResinRubber

    ResinRubber Civilly disobedient/Mod

    Check Craigslist. I get all my lights there. Just pick your city and type HPS into the search engine. On a quick search of my area I can get a Sunagro 430watt HPS with reflector AND a bonus extra 250 watt MH AND a heat mat for $200. There is also a 1000 watt HPS AND a 250 watt HPS AND a 600 watt HPS the whole works for $325.


    Alot of folks start growing with great intentions but quickly get bored with it or don't have the work ethic to grow and go back to buying crap. Sometimes you hit a brother gardener who is simply upgrading and trying to offset the costs. Mind you...you get what you pay for. Be picky. You might have to drive and check a few different setups to find one worth the risk of buying used but the savings can be substantial.


    Best to ya,
     
  19. Nilzar

    Nilzar A Fat Sticky Bud

    Right here!

    Im surprised i remembered that many names, and i know someone was gonna say some shit like that, and yes you did help me alot too!

    maby beacuse you helped me with my grows... :)

    Yeah man its safe, thousands of people buy off the net everyday. If all the on line hydro shops reported you to the cops or some shit they would have no business... you can get a 400W hps from HTG supply including shipping, and I flowered a 100+ grams off one plant with one of those lights.
     
  20. EvilSkuzzi

    EvilSkuzzi Sweet Guy

    Dont come grovelling to me now nilzar! I'm already out my pram!!!!!!! :icon_confused:


    As for buying legal lighting equipment off the net, its fine. Plenty of ppl grow tomatoes in the house ;)
     

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