4m x 1m x 1.7m grow space setup

[TurboTHC]

I have extra space on my house that is 4m x 1m x 1.7m So the sealing is slanted but in widht wise the middle point is 1.7m. So i am planning on doing dwc. But the main questions i have is how many plants i should grow? and what kinda light setup would be good? I have to buy allmost everything for this so just want To get other sugestions and opinions.

 

[MrMackey]

I’d be looking to do 36 in a sog style personally mate like 9 plants per m2 roughly but on the flip side you could just do 10 and train them out depends if your able to get in there and train them.

I have a similar space I’m going to setup which is 2.3l x 1.8w x 1.6h I’ll be using 2 600w Lumatek Zeus leds side by side with alien silver series 8 pot 36l system under them but my head height is flat not pitched and I’ll have about 400mm space for some equipment (dehumidifier, humidifier, oil rad) so I’ll be able to get inside and train a little in early stages however I’m planning on doing minimal training and justtopping them early bad possible and flipping young

hope this helps

 

[TurboTHC]

Thanks! I have space around there so i can get to the plants easily to train them. I am planning on doing the dwc setup myself because i dont have 3k to put into some buckets i was thinking if i should do recirculating system or just regular dwc. And what buckets size should i use? My budjet for this is like few hundred +lights. Only thing i am worried about the recirculating system is that i dont really know how to run setup like that.

 

[Smoking Gun]

Stick to pots with soil, don't do DWC, particularly if you are not experienced. It will be easier for you to manage and will help keep you gardening simple, a lot less checking of pH, PPM and any other parameters that can cause a DWC system to go out of whack. Also you should be sizing the space to the low point, not the high point of your ceiling. Because if your low point is only 1 meter the lights there can only move up that high and you will have limited space below them to grow out plants. If you were allowing for the extra 70 cm then your plants will likely grow right into your lights. I would suggest, since you are on a budget, base your garden around a single light rather than having multiple lights required for the length of your space. If you make the area more like 2m x 1m you will need less pots, less soil, less light and this will keep your cost down. You can expand in the future, but for now limiting yourself would be the most practical option.

The other major factor to consider here, and often the one I find costs the most, how are you planning on doing air exchange? This is an absolutely critical piece to a successful grow.

 

[TurboTHC]

Lowest point of the roof is 1.5m but width wise middle point is 1.7m.

 

[TurboTHC]

And the budjet is not that specific. I just dont want To use several k on it, Like for the grow space. I know the lights will be propably 1.5k or something for that space. Air exchange i can do pritty easily because i can take air in from inside or outside and route the exhaust to outside. I am thinking of building like kind of a tent there with construction plastic. Its like addic space so theres support beams that i have to build it on

 

[Smoking Gun]

And the budjet is not that specific. I just dont want To use several k on it, Like for the grow space. I know the lights will be propably 1.5k or something for that space. Air exchange i can do pritty easily because i can take air in from inside or outside and route the exhaust to outside. I am thinking of building like kind of a tent there with construction plastic. Its like addic space so theres support beams that i have to build it on

Pulling fresh air from outside is a good option, so long as you can keep the space cool in the summer months when the outside air may be warmer than the ideal temperature in the grow space. Also if you do pull air from outside than make sure you have a filter of some kind (HEPA or carbon) to keep all the nasties out. Ultimately you need to pull air from some place that can provide the plants with CO2 and generally fresh air so they can breath properly. Building a tent around the plants is fine if needed, if your garden space is able to stay dark without building a tent then no need to spend money on that.

I personally would set my max height to 1.5m and try to keep everything within those vertical parameters, this will allow for better canopy maintenance and will prevent any plants from being blocked from getting the light they need. As for lighting I may suggest going LED, its going to cost a bit more up front but you will be able to grow your plants larger and with less heat than if you use an HID option.

 

[TurboTHC]

I want To build the tent because there might Come bugs and stuff from outside. Allso its easier to adjust the temperature on more closed space. And i dont want my neighbors to smell anything. Lights i will go with Led. And i will have carbon filter for both inlet air and exhaust air.

 

[MrMackey]

Not to disagree or anything with what smoking gun has said but if you are set on dwc it’s a great system and for me personally I had more success with that than I have in coco which are the only ways I’ve grown in several years So can’t speak for soil. The problem I have with coco and you may have with soil is getting it in and out without people seeing, it’s messy, I seem to get bugs with it and there’s under/overwatering to consider if your new to this style. Again not to say it’s a bad idea but something to think about. Dwc initial cost will be much more especially if you do it properly ie. using decent pumps and fittings large enough to not block and of course a water chiller which is not cheap. If your building your own I would look for containers around 30-40l that are not transparent there’s a few decent diy builds on YouTube or google search for this.
If possible I’d suggest taking air intake from your bedroom and running lights at night for the co2 boost (you’ll be supervised how much we make in our sleep) also the temperature should be better for year round use I know it is where I’m from anyway.
whatever you choose I’d definitely agree that led is the way to go if you can afford the initial outlay

 

[MrMackey]

I want To build the tent because there might Come bugs and stuff from outside. Allso its easier to adjust the temperature on more closed space. And i dont want my neighbors to smell anything. Lights i will go with Led. And i will have carbon filter for both inlet air and exhaust air.

With the tent thing I’d be doing it like this, insulate walls floor and ceiling with solid insulation 1st then staple the panda film to the wooden joists etc for the door personally I’d use an actual door that’s cut down to size or try make a removable insulation door so it’s not just panda film if that makes sense

 

[Smoking Gun]

Not to disagree or anything with what smoking gun has said but if you are set on dwc it’s a great system and for me personally I had more success with that than I have in coco which are the only ways I’ve grown in several years So can’t speak for soil. The problem I have with coco and you may have with soil is getting it in and out without people seeing, it’s messy, I seem to get bugs with it and there’s under/overwatering to consider if your new to this style. Again not to say it’s a bad idea but something to think about. Dwc initial cost will be much more especially if you do it properly ie. using decent pumps and fittings large enough to not block and of course a water chiller which is not cheap. If your building your own I would look for containers around 30-40l that are not transparent there’s a few decent diy builds on YouTube or google search for this.
If possible I’d suggest taking air intake from your bedroom and running lights at night for the co2 boost (you’ll be supervised how much we make in our sleep) also the temperature should be better for year round use I know it is where I’m from anyway.
whatever you choose I’d definitely agree that led is the way to go if you can afford the initial outlay

My biggest issue with DWC in this set-up is the height restrictions. DWC will require at least 12"-18" of space just for the containers in a space that is not even 6' tall. With lights and equipment this means plants would be no larger than 24" when finished. If stretched along a screen this is ok, if each plant is going to be allowed to grow up on its own then yields will be effected by the lack of vertical growth space. I think there are other factors that would have me leaning toward soil, but that is just me. Each of us has our own preferred ways of working and none are wrong if we get to harvest.

 

[TurboTHC]

One of the walls is nexto my bedroom and the door for that space is from my bedroom so i can make it so the intake is from inside. Summers here are pritty warm and winters are super cold so i am not sure if i can run that room in the winter. Atleast not without insulating that space. I know that its easy to change the intake location if i need to. I have had one grow with soil and none with dwc. I was planning on doing dwc because its more efficent, but i have to still think about it.