Feedback wanted on room design

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L

Lawnstar

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Sooo I'm jumping back into a room and wanted to get some feedback before I proceeded.

Room is a 10x14 with a little over 10' in height

Fully sealed room with split unit a/c

50lb c02 tank with monitor

Will be running three 3'x6' trays

Drain to waste and stacking two 6x6 grodan cubes

I have access to gavitas. The dimmable 1000 w units. I want to run 9 with 3 being over each tray.

I realize this is alot of of light but I want zero dark over each tray.

On to questions for discussion...

Stacking rockwool? I've always done hydroclay 5 gallon DTW setups and I've always had amazingly strong and dense root zones I dont want to sacrifice root zone and I can run the tables about 1.25 feet off the ground maybe even able to get it down to 1 foot exact to aid in the higher plant base height with stacked cubes. It just makes sense to me. Any reasons to not stack and perhaps just jump to the 8x8x8 grodan cubes?

Plant count- I'm thinking 16 plants per 3x6 tray two rows of 8, I will be using trellis netting so I can train them to efficiently use the entire tray space. Not enough plants? I could do two rows of ten keeping the width tighter but the space between each row would be still be adequate and I could train each row to focus more branches to fill the center up properly. Still not enough? Any ideas for arrangement? New to using just rockwool and the whole close quarters spacing but I'm also not scared to veg the lower plant counts out longer to achieve a full sog canopy.

My specialty is organic soil and I like bigger plants/lower plant count in my soil rooms when I flip to keep the hand water time down. - sorry back to business -

light count/power levels

I like the idea of 3 lights per tray that will ensure that there is not one single inch of dark space over each tray but I realize 3 1000w over a 3x6 tray is slightly intense... Do it and just maybe dim them down to 750 or 600 if it is a little too intense or should I just run two 1000w per tray and have the little bit of dark spots at the edge of each tray?

Any info/input is helpful. Just trying to make sure I cover every aspect before proceeding
 
L

Lawnstar

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I'm surprised... figured someone would have chimed in by now.

I'm going to run just 2 gavitas over each tray 3 is definitely overkill.

I really like the idea stacking of the rockwool idea. I will have a separate veg room so veg time isnt a factor for harvest efficiency more rockwool=more root zone= potential for greater results.

Im on the plan on getting the tray as low to the ground as possible and still have room for drain tray + waste pump. With regaining usable light space I will be able to stack a 6x6 onto a 8x8, I can achieve this by cutting about two inches deep into the 8x8 cubes and trimming the foil on the 6x6 to match the depth. I really like this plan, anyone have experience to prove this wrong? Doing this I will start veg on clones 1 month into each flower and I'll have a full four weeks to top, train and mature out before each flower period. Again anyone have any experience to prove this not efficient?
Any thing to add to aid ?

I cant decide on whether to drip feed or just hand water. Its only 48 plants and that would force individual attention to each every single day.... I don't mind doing more work for better results at all
 
Dirtbag

Dirtbag

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1000w DE bulbs are crazy intense, 6 of them mounted way up high is MORE than enough light for the entire room imho.

And as for hydro blocks, I wouldn't stack them. They are designed with height in mind as the water table in the block is always going to be at the same level. If making the block bigger it's always best to go wider/longer rather than taller.

FWIW, I am buddies with guys who run a large LP in Canada and they do 16 plants per 4x4 and use a single 6x6" cube for each plant. You dont need more root space than that unless your plants are going to be larger.
 
L

Lawnstar

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1000w DE bulbs are crazy intense, 6 of them mounted way up high is MORE than enough light for the entire room imho.

And as for hydro blocks, I wouldn't stack them. They are designed with height in mind as the water table in the block is always going to be at the same level. If making the block bigger it's always best to go wider/longer rather than taller.

FWIW, I am buddies with guys who run a large LP in Canada and they do 16 plants per 4x4 and use a single 6x6" cube for each plant. You dont need more root space than that unless your plants are going to be larger.


Thanks for your quick reply. I'll definitely take that into consideration about the stacking ill prob just run the single 6x6. I definitely agree with you on the lighting I'll just run 6 as well
 
Dirtbag

Dirtbag

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Thanks for your quick reply. I'll definitely take that into consideration about the stacking ill prob just run the single 6x6. I definitely agree with you on the lighting I'll just run 6 as well

Looking at it again they actually use 4x4x4" rockwool. Not the 6" hugo blocks.
This was a short documentary done on my buddies grow. I recommend checking it out, they grow in a very similar way as you are planning to. If you jump ahead to 18 min you will see one of the flower rooms set up. They are very efficient producers.

 
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L

Lawnstar

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Got started on the poly paper and sealing everything up for flower room yesterday... will be hanging gavitas and setting trays up today!

Before I hang lights I'm going to smooth out any creases in the paper. Working alone so that got me good yesterday

As I cut out the outlet holes I'll be able to pool the slack into the outlet holes that will be properly covered and at the same time will clear alot of slack in the rooms paper. Will post an update when I'm done today.



Maybe a moderator should move this to a different section, maybe a journal sub forum or something along those lines?
 
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L

Lawnstar

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A little more progress today... got 4 of the gavitas measured out and hung... will hang the last two tomorrow. I split each tray in half when measuring and hung the lights on center with each half of the tray to ensure even coverage of canopy

Fairly pleased with tray mounting I will be able to have the tray just 7.5" off the ground. I found 7 inch tall drain trays for under the 3x6's and I'll use an inline pump with all the three drain trays plumbed to it to scavenge all drain water.

Looks like I'll be able to stuff up to 4 foot tall bangers in there and feed them through the trellis to bring the height down and evenly disperse across the tray and I will still have 3 feet of space between light and canopy

Very happy with progress so far especially with having to work with a broken leg and a broken hand. 🤦‍♂️

I'm hoping to finish the "construction" of the room tomorrow and Wednesday I will spend all afternoon building the trellis net frames that I will suspend in the air and building the water feeding system.... I'm thinking 1/2 PVC for feed and I'll run a tee at the middle of each tray, bring pvc up to the top of tray and down the middle and just run 1/4 drip line of the "arm" going down each tray. Thoughts?
 
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cemchris

cemchris

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8 - hugos in a row on a 3 x 6 is gonna be stacking them in there deep. I run 5-6 in a row on a 4 x 8. Are you shooting more for sog style without topping it? If you arent vegging that long you can stick to a single 6in cube. I'm not sure stacking them will improve the yield:cost of the rockwool (depending on veg time). I would just use something like a cotton mat from the cloth store on the table if I was going to be doing something like that unless you plan on vegging them for 2 months plus.
 
cemchris

cemchris

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That's 15 plants in hugos on a 4 x 8 flipped small no cube stacking topped once in veg at the 4th node.

IMG 1634


edit: Usually when you stack rockwool its for long veg times or to reduce the number of plants on your tables to grow them bigger. 12-15 in 3 rows is usually the setup for 3 x 6's
 
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L

Lawnstar

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I'm planning on doing a screen of green layout going to top them alot and really feed the tops through trellis. I will have veg times up to a full flower period with having a separate veg room so I will be able to dial in the best veg time/growth rate for each individual run. I'm reading alot more and seeing alot of people growing heavy yielders with just single 4x4 cubes it just makes me weary i feel like sacrificing table space with larger cubes but properly feeding tops through trellis will be efficient.
 
L

Lawnstar

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That's 15 plants in hugos on a 4 x 8 flipped small no cube stacking topped once in veg at the 4th node.

View attachment 878771

edit: Usually when you stack rockwool its for long veg times or to reduce the number of plants on your tables to grow them bigger. 12-15 in 3 rows is usually the setup for 3 x 6's
Wow those blocks are huge actually seeing them on a table. Fortunately I got my tables down to just 7.5" off the ground so I have remarkable canopy space. Running a 6 inch cube I will be able to put 4 foot tall veg plants in the flower room, feed them through trellis to bring height down and will be able to safely have up to 5.8 foot tall plants with still maintaining 3 feet canopy space between lights

Edit-- yea your right 100% 6x6s wont fit with two rows and I really dont want to do three rows.... sooo 4x4x4s it is!
 
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L

Lawnstar

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So I have to do three rows, once again thank you for the insight that saved me some time...

So I'll be doing three rows of 5, with 15 total per tray I like that number. Each plant will have ample spacing and tons of trellis slots to grow into
 
WankirA

WankirA

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Perhaps a little late to your party @Lawnstar but wouldnt a light mover on a rail have been an ideal solution to maximize light here and saved a few sheckles into the bargain?! It would certainly have ensured edge to edge without the need for so much power draw due to the amount of lights you have.
Still, a fantastic set up for sure..
 
L

Lawnstar

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Perhaps a little late to your party @Lawnstar but wouldnt a light mover on a rail have been an ideal solution to maximize light here and saved a few sheckles into the bargain?! It would certainly have ensured edge to edge without the need for so much power draw due to the amount of lights you have.
Still, a fantastic set up for sure..
I like light movers but I want maximum light spread at all times. Fortunately we already have all 6 gavitas and if it is slightly too much light for the room I have the option to turn down the output on the ballasts.
I would agree in the past when I didnt have access to so much equipment light movers would be absolutely essential... I want this room to have all the light exposure it needs to maximize yield.

Thank you for the feedback, no late comers to this party at all... the "camp ground" will only continue to expand as I spend more time here
 
cemchris

cemchris

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The only caution about using single 4x4 blocks for flower I will give you is there is zero room for error. If you miss 1 watering with big plants in small cubes it will fry the room. Even hugos can get like that when the plants get bigger. The other reason I use 6in cubes is in veg when growing bigger plants in 4x4 you have the problem of plants falling over sometimes and if you are dripping that can cause havoc. I ran 4x4 for about a year before I went to 6in's since I keep my moms in the same blocks that I flower in and rotate them. Just a tip to also keep your moms in rockwool cause cloning and the first week stall after transplant will be the most smooth if they are already trained to that medium since it feeds a lot different then other mediums on wet/dry cycles. Getting the transplant from clone dialed is prob the most important thing in rockwool. It's a little easier in 4in then 6in.

I will say tho running 4x4's is nice since you get a bunch of blocks in a case vs the 64 per case in hugo's. With your original idea about stacking cubes. 4in to slabs also works good. Honestly though that end's up being more money then just running 6in cubes with about the same yield and growth.
 
L

Lawnstar

13
3
The only caution about using single 4x4 blocks for flower I will give you is there is zero room for error. If you miss 1 watering with big plants in small cubes it will fry the room. Even hugos can get like that when the plants get bigger. The other reason I use 6in cubes is in veg when growing bigger plants in 4x4 you have the problem of plants falling over sometimes and if you are dripping that can cause havoc. I ran 4x4 for about a year before I went to 6in's since I keep my moms in the same blocks that I flower in and rotate them. Just a tip to also keep your moms in rockwool cause cloning and the first week stall after transplant will be the most smooth if they are already trained to that medium since it feeds a lot different then other mediums on wet/dry cycles. Getting the transplant from clone dialed is prob the most important thing in rockwool. It's a little easier in 4in then 6in.

I will say tho running 4x4's is nice since you get a bunch of blocks in a case vs the 64 per case in hugo's. With your original idea about stacking cubes. 4in to slabs also works good. Honestly though that end's up being more money then just running 6in cubes with about the same yield and growth.

That is very good insight. Thank you. I will def keep my moms in rockwool after reading that. I've never been a fan of slabs. It just looks like a hassle to deal with and I have a very strong hatred for roots from other plants ever touching anothers root zone. It will definitely force me to stay very disciplined and on top of things but hey no risk- no reward right? I will most definitely be there for every watering though I would lose my mind if I went to sleep knowing I didnt run a watering cycle. Thank you very much for sharing your experiences

Sooooo... 4x4 cubes 15 per tray, 3 rows of 5 running those 8 port manifold drippers and running one 1/2 pvc line down each side of the tray with the manifolds placed appropriately, shut off valves at each T going up to the tray so I can do a tank dump and flush every sunday. I'm pretty efficient at trellis training and I think running the smaller 3 inch squares trellis and having the frame mounted a little lower to force extensive branch feeding through the trellis should aid in providing adequate stability for the plants. I'm very excited to get things rolling. Clones should be here at the end of the week. #teamnosleep
 
L

Lawnstar

13
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😎 got the last two gavitas cleaned and hung... figured out a good arrangement for the plants you can see first row on the second tray for an idea
6"off the tray walls and 10" spacing between each plant. A/c gets wired today hopefully and then I can close the "lid" on the room and build the double door for the sealed room setup.

It is quite amazing seeing this getting closer and closer to coming to fruition. Clones should still be here by end of the week!

I'm really digging the roof, it's like a rib cage lol. Find me in the belly of the beast!😁😄
 
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L

Lawnstar

13
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Totally forgot about the 4th of July🤦‍♂️🙈

Got back to it yesterday and built the irrigation system for the drain to waste setup

3/4" pvc main line with it dropping to 1/2" pvc for vertical pipes and tray pipes with 8 port manifolds at each middle point of each tray half.

Hoping to set up c02 controller today and mount a/c exchanger fan.

If the front plants get water too fast I will install ball valves at each vertical to control flow if necessary.

Built the trellis netting frames aswell

Hope everyone's holidays went smooth!
 
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Dirtbag

Dirtbag

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Wicked setup man. I really really like it. If I had more space and money I would love to set up like this... Its gonna be bright as hell in there.
 
L

Lawnstar

13
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Wicked setup man. I really really like it. If I had more space and money I would love to set up like this... Its gonna be bright as hell in there.

Thanks man I appreciate it! I cant wait to get babies in there and start pumpping!!! I start mother room and veg room setup next week!
 

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