L
LTG
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I would like to thank anybody in advance who reads this and can offer any suggestions to help me on my 1st set-up. Hopefully, I include everything so it will make it easier to give advice. Here we go:
Grow Area 10' x 3.5' x 7'
- I am planning on separating this space into 2-3 areas. I know for sure that I will have a Veg area that will be 3' x 3.5' x 7'. The remaining space will be for Flowering. Let's say that is 7' x 3.5' x 7'. Not sure if I am going to divide this up into 2 spaces, but let me list what else I have planned for this area.
-Walls and floor will be made from panda film. While I may like the mylar, I hear some bad things about it's losing it's reflectiveness after time and that it's causes a lot of hot spots which can damage leaves, so it's all panda film for me.
-I will be using a 8" inline fan for cooling the reflectors. There will be a home made carbon scrubber in use.
-I will be using a air-dryr in combination with a humidity controller to keep the humidity around 40%. I have never used this item, but I like the idea behind it vs. using a dehumidifier. I do feel this his necessary as I have seen bud rot and smaller yields from those who did not control humidity, so this will be my attempt to try and control humidity.
-Temperature Control will hopefully be good enough using the inline fan and drawing in cooler air from the basement. Summertime the air-dryr will be key as the temps in the basement are cool, but the humidity is higher. Air Conditioning will be a option, but I think I will make something to blow cool air in ....like the cooler with ice pack and making a fan to suck in air and blow the cooled air into the room. This may not be sufficent, but I will give this idea a go when the time is needed.
-C02
I will be using some 2 liter bottles for c02 to see how that works. Eventually down the line, if I am successful, I will look into a tank. But for now I figured that some C02 should be better than none and the 2 liter bottles should not put out over 1500 ppm's.
-Grow System ......well, I wanted to do a form of aeroponics, but I want to learn a bit first, especially about my strain, before I spend the extra money on this. For now, I am going to use the hempy buckets. It's simple and effective and not really hard to maintain compared to the aeroponics system I was going to build. Hempy buckets should also be easy to keep and maintain my mothers.
-Cloning System - Going to build a home made aeroponics system.
-Nutrients - Going to give Advanced Nutrients a go here. My only question here is using the Organic Stuff, does it yield less than say using their Connoisseur Line?
I will use the Organic way for my mother and veg plants, but when in flowering, I was really looking into the Connoisseur Line. If there is no considerable difference, then I will stick with the Organic way.
-Strains
Elite - Lemon Larry
OGR - xxx x Bubblegum (few different ones)
Barney's Farm - G13 x Haze & Red Diesel
Lighting- Here is where my problem lays ......what is best for my area. I have the following ballasts:
1 - Lumatek 400w
2 - Lumatek 600w
1 - Lumatek 1000w
Basically I was going to use the 400w with a Hydrofarm 6" air-cooled hood w/ lens in the veg room for my mothers. Is this 400w overkill to maintain 6 mothers? Could I get away with a 250w or would stretching become a issue? Or am I looking at this all wrong and should I be using 6500 Kelvin T5's?
Since we are on the Veg Space, do I need the full 7' or can I use like 4'-5' for the mother chamber and then use the space above for my clones? I was thinking of using T5's or what would even be better for me, CFL's. If the CFL's are good for clones, how many would I need for that space I have? It's easier and cheaper for me to built a light box with CFL's and opposed to buying a T5 fixture with the bulbs.
The Flowering Area - These are some of the ways I was thinking of doing it and I just can't decide on what is best due to me being so green (means new)....
Option #1 - (2) 600w Lumateks in either the Magum, Great White, or Mondo hoods (the biggest ones available).
Option #2 - (1) 600w Lumatek in either the Magum, Great White, or Mondo hoods. I would then split the Flowering Area into 2 equal spaces and just move the light (on a home made rail out of some unistrut and a roller assembly I have held onto for about 4 years that I may finally put to good use) into each room every 12 hours. The rooms will obviously be light proof.
Option #3 - (1) 1000w Lumatek on a Light Mover in either the Magum, Great White, or Mondo hoods. By what I read the 1000w should be ok for the space I have alone, but because of the space being rectangular vs. square, I feel the light mover will distribute the light better.
Option #4 - (1) 1000w Lumatek in either the Magum, Great White, or Mondo hoods. I would then split the Flowering Area into 2 equal spaces and just move the light (on a home made rail out of some unistrut and a roller assembly I have held onto for about 4 years that I may finally put to good use) into each room every 12 hours. The rooms will obviously be light proof.
Here are some of the things I was trying to weigh out when trying to figure out which lighting is best for me:
1 - Cost to Run
A- Using the (1) 1000w would be the most cost effective way for flowering, but with the shape of the space and using a mover, I'm not sure if that will yield better results than using 2 600w. I do know you get the most bang for your buck with the 600w.... Also, with using just (1) 1000w on a light mover, I'm sure I will need to fuss a little bit with air-cooling (flex pipe) to keep it from hitting the canopy. I can't see this being a huge factor, but I'm sure I will need to tweak it to get it working. Flex pipe being twisted different ways should effect the power of the air-cooling. Also, I have not really read anything as to what is a good timing to stop at the ends to give equal amount of time under the light.
B - Using the (1) 1000w in 2 separate areas would give the most direct lumens, but the cost of this is higher than I really would like to run, unless I can figure out a alternative for the Mother Chamber.
C - Using the (2) 600w seems to be the best way to me, but will my yields be that much smaller and bud quality not as good as opposed to using the 1000w?
Quality is more of a concern to me. I really do think that the penetration on a 600w would be enough, but like I stated earlier, I'm green. Also, is there a advantage of having 2 separate rooms besides for the perpetual harvest idea? I mean even if I had 2 strains going at once, I should be able to keep the canopy of each at a even height if the room was just one and not 2 separate spaces without it really effecting each other.
If the 2 rooms are better, then I will do some form of perpetual harvest. Since I will be vegging and flowering in the same room, the 600w seems perfect. The 1000w seems like overkill to me for a space that is 3.5' x 3.5'.
Techniques to be used:
As stated earlier, I am going to go with the hempy buckets at first. I figure that each 3.5' x 3.5' space can hold 4-5 plants. I do plan on vegging for 2-4 weeks as I will be trying FIM, topping, LST, Super-cropping techniques. While the SOG method is appealing, I can keep less plants and have a better yield for the gear I have. The stuff from Barney's may be better for SOG, but I will find out in time after I have selected a mother (if I get a female) and do a hempy first so I can learn how my girls react to different amounts of nutrients, time in flowering, etc. I only say that about Barney's gear because they list the yields higher than the other gear I have selected, but the genetics and quality are most like better than Barney's gear. I still have to contact the breeders with a few questions like how tall do they get in flowering, how wide they get, nutrient schedule, weeks in flowering. I have a range of 36" that I am looking to get. That should give me about 12" of leeway in case something takes off more than expected.
-Hempy Bucket
Only thing here that I need to decide on is the grow medium. I know I am going to use the stones on the bottom (forgot the name of the stuff) and then the rest is a combo mixture. I was wondering if you can use coco and how it is used in this system? Do I just use pure coco over the stones on the bottom or is this a mix? Which coco is best for this and how do I prep it? I am attracted to the coco because of the balanced pH and how it works well in hydroponic systems.
Also, .is using a 5 gallon bucket too much or should I used something like a 3.5 - 4 gallon bucket?
I know many growers have had a failed first crop and some don't like to help out, at least that is the way I feel as I ask questions around and don't really get help, but I still would like to thank them for the information they do post. I have learned a lot and feel that I can finally move forward in the near future. A year ago I thought I would be ready to just jump in, but as I kept reading, I kept learning about something else and then would change my mind. I have successfully germinated some ditch-weed seeds before I took the step of wasting quality seeds in my experiment, so hopefully that will help out when I am ready. I really should have taken a break here and there so I would not be so damn confused, but I guess as GI Joe used to say ....Knowing is half the battle.
If there is anything else I forgot to mention, just ask and I will get you the answer. I don't know if it matters, but I do have the following:
-Bluelab Truncheon
-Hanna PH meter
-Temp/Hygrometer w/ Hi/Low readings for the day
-Fans for air circulation in the room to help strengthen the plants as well as to provide more air circulation
Grow Area 10' x 3.5' x 7'
- I am planning on separating this space into 2-3 areas. I know for sure that I will have a Veg area that will be 3' x 3.5' x 7'. The remaining space will be for Flowering. Let's say that is 7' x 3.5' x 7'. Not sure if I am going to divide this up into 2 spaces, but let me list what else I have planned for this area.
-Walls and floor will be made from panda film. While I may like the mylar, I hear some bad things about it's losing it's reflectiveness after time and that it's causes a lot of hot spots which can damage leaves, so it's all panda film for me.
-I will be using a 8" inline fan for cooling the reflectors. There will be a home made carbon scrubber in use.
-I will be using a air-dryr in combination with a humidity controller to keep the humidity around 40%. I have never used this item, but I like the idea behind it vs. using a dehumidifier. I do feel this his necessary as I have seen bud rot and smaller yields from those who did not control humidity, so this will be my attempt to try and control humidity.
-Temperature Control will hopefully be good enough using the inline fan and drawing in cooler air from the basement. Summertime the air-dryr will be key as the temps in the basement are cool, but the humidity is higher. Air Conditioning will be a option, but I think I will make something to blow cool air in ....like the cooler with ice pack and making a fan to suck in air and blow the cooled air into the room. This may not be sufficent, but I will give this idea a go when the time is needed.
-C02
I will be using some 2 liter bottles for c02 to see how that works. Eventually down the line, if I am successful, I will look into a tank. But for now I figured that some C02 should be better than none and the 2 liter bottles should not put out over 1500 ppm's.
-Grow System ......well, I wanted to do a form of aeroponics, but I want to learn a bit first, especially about my strain, before I spend the extra money on this. For now, I am going to use the hempy buckets. It's simple and effective and not really hard to maintain compared to the aeroponics system I was going to build. Hempy buckets should also be easy to keep and maintain my mothers.
-Cloning System - Going to build a home made aeroponics system.
-Nutrients - Going to give Advanced Nutrients a go here. My only question here is using the Organic Stuff, does it yield less than say using their Connoisseur Line?
I will use the Organic way for my mother and veg plants, but when in flowering, I was really looking into the Connoisseur Line. If there is no considerable difference, then I will stick with the Organic way.
-Strains
Elite - Lemon Larry
OGR - xxx x Bubblegum (few different ones)
Barney's Farm - G13 x Haze & Red Diesel
Lighting- Here is where my problem lays ......what is best for my area. I have the following ballasts:
1 - Lumatek 400w
2 - Lumatek 600w
1 - Lumatek 1000w
Basically I was going to use the 400w with a Hydrofarm 6" air-cooled hood w/ lens in the veg room for my mothers. Is this 400w overkill to maintain 6 mothers? Could I get away with a 250w or would stretching become a issue? Or am I looking at this all wrong and should I be using 6500 Kelvin T5's?
Since we are on the Veg Space, do I need the full 7' or can I use like 4'-5' for the mother chamber and then use the space above for my clones? I was thinking of using T5's or what would even be better for me, CFL's. If the CFL's are good for clones, how many would I need for that space I have? It's easier and cheaper for me to built a light box with CFL's and opposed to buying a T5 fixture with the bulbs.
The Flowering Area - These are some of the ways I was thinking of doing it and I just can't decide on what is best due to me being so green (means new)....
Option #1 - (2) 600w Lumateks in either the Magum, Great White, or Mondo hoods (the biggest ones available).
Option #2 - (1) 600w Lumatek in either the Magum, Great White, or Mondo hoods. I would then split the Flowering Area into 2 equal spaces and just move the light (on a home made rail out of some unistrut and a roller assembly I have held onto for about 4 years that I may finally put to good use) into each room every 12 hours. The rooms will obviously be light proof.
Option #3 - (1) 1000w Lumatek on a Light Mover in either the Magum, Great White, or Mondo hoods. By what I read the 1000w should be ok for the space I have alone, but because of the space being rectangular vs. square, I feel the light mover will distribute the light better.
Option #4 - (1) 1000w Lumatek in either the Magum, Great White, or Mondo hoods. I would then split the Flowering Area into 2 equal spaces and just move the light (on a home made rail out of some unistrut and a roller assembly I have held onto for about 4 years that I may finally put to good use) into each room every 12 hours. The rooms will obviously be light proof.
Here are some of the things I was trying to weigh out when trying to figure out which lighting is best for me:
1 - Cost to Run
A- Using the (1) 1000w would be the most cost effective way for flowering, but with the shape of the space and using a mover, I'm not sure if that will yield better results than using 2 600w. I do know you get the most bang for your buck with the 600w.... Also, with using just (1) 1000w on a light mover, I'm sure I will need to fuss a little bit with air-cooling (flex pipe) to keep it from hitting the canopy. I can't see this being a huge factor, but I'm sure I will need to tweak it to get it working. Flex pipe being twisted different ways should effect the power of the air-cooling. Also, I have not really read anything as to what is a good timing to stop at the ends to give equal amount of time under the light.
B - Using the (1) 1000w in 2 separate areas would give the most direct lumens, but the cost of this is higher than I really would like to run, unless I can figure out a alternative for the Mother Chamber.
C - Using the (2) 600w seems to be the best way to me, but will my yields be that much smaller and bud quality not as good as opposed to using the 1000w?
Quality is more of a concern to me. I really do think that the penetration on a 600w would be enough, but like I stated earlier, I'm green. Also, is there a advantage of having 2 separate rooms besides for the perpetual harvest idea? I mean even if I had 2 strains going at once, I should be able to keep the canopy of each at a even height if the room was just one and not 2 separate spaces without it really effecting each other.
If the 2 rooms are better, then I will do some form of perpetual harvest. Since I will be vegging and flowering in the same room, the 600w seems perfect. The 1000w seems like overkill to me for a space that is 3.5' x 3.5'.
Techniques to be used:
As stated earlier, I am going to go with the hempy buckets at first. I figure that each 3.5' x 3.5' space can hold 4-5 plants. I do plan on vegging for 2-4 weeks as I will be trying FIM, topping, LST, Super-cropping techniques. While the SOG method is appealing, I can keep less plants and have a better yield for the gear I have. The stuff from Barney's may be better for SOG, but I will find out in time after I have selected a mother (if I get a female) and do a hempy first so I can learn how my girls react to different amounts of nutrients, time in flowering, etc. I only say that about Barney's gear because they list the yields higher than the other gear I have selected, but the genetics and quality are most like better than Barney's gear. I still have to contact the breeders with a few questions like how tall do they get in flowering, how wide they get, nutrient schedule, weeks in flowering. I have a range of 36" that I am looking to get. That should give me about 12" of leeway in case something takes off more than expected.
-Hempy Bucket
Only thing here that I need to decide on is the grow medium. I know I am going to use the stones on the bottom (forgot the name of the stuff) and then the rest is a combo mixture. I was wondering if you can use coco and how it is used in this system? Do I just use pure coco over the stones on the bottom or is this a mix? Which coco is best for this and how do I prep it? I am attracted to the coco because of the balanced pH and how it works well in hydroponic systems.
Also, .is using a 5 gallon bucket too much or should I used something like a 3.5 - 4 gallon bucket?
I know many growers have had a failed first crop and some don't like to help out, at least that is the way I feel as I ask questions around and don't really get help, but I still would like to thank them for the information they do post. I have learned a lot and feel that I can finally move forward in the near future. A year ago I thought I would be ready to just jump in, but as I kept reading, I kept learning about something else and then would change my mind. I have successfully germinated some ditch-weed seeds before I took the step of wasting quality seeds in my experiment, so hopefully that will help out when I am ready. I really should have taken a break here and there so I would not be so damn confused, but I guess as GI Joe used to say ....Knowing is half the battle.
If there is anything else I forgot to mention, just ask and I will get you the answer. I don't know if it matters, but I do have the following:
-Bluelab Truncheon
-Hanna PH meter
-Temp/Hygrometer w/ Hi/Low readings for the day
-Fans for air circulation in the room to help strengthen the plants as well as to provide more air circulation