Forum name says it all!

[lawnboy123]

Hello fellow growers/smokers! I am an amateur grower and only have experience in micro grows using fluorescent bulbs. With the new year I have decided to upgrade to a new room, a bedroom! ! This forum is EXACTLY what I am looking for. I am mainly looking for help in the equipment area. Although I have been reading about ballasts and light fixtures as well as mediums, i'm still clueless when it comes to these things. I already have my design, the room is 10' X 8' and is already painted white. I'm trying to fit up to, if not more than, 30 plants. I'm looking for any help I can get...ideas, lists of equipment I would need, infortmation on anything related to this, sites to find products, ANYTHING to help my 2008 grow be as successful as possible. Thank you all very much!

 

[PurplePotion]

10' x 8' = 80 sqft. For a room this size, 50 watts/sqft would suffice. So, let's do the math. If you wanted to fill up the entire room with plants:

80sqft x 50 watts/sqft = 4,000Watts

4,000Watts / 120V = 33.34 Amps

.. Obviously, you would want to run an individual 240V circuit to this room.. Here's why:

4,000Watts / 240V = 16.67 Amps

You could install a 30A double pole breaker and be safe if you run your ballasts on 240V.

These calculations are only assuming 50W/sqft. You can go higher, but you're also battling heat. How do you plan to remove heat from the room, and intake fresh air?

Will you be growing in soil or hydro?

 

[lawnboy123]

I will be using soil for this grow. As far as venting goes, I have no idea. I need help with the whole thing. I have money set aside for this so that is not a problem. There are two windows in the room both on the same wall. I planned on covering them up but also possibly using them for ventilation. Again, all aspects of this grow are not covered. Basically, what would you do with a 10' X 8' area? Be creative cause I am not haha. The only things I have for this grow is the room for it and the money for it. My kowledge is on a micro grow basis, never have I ever done a grow this big.

 

[PurplePotion]

Hmm.. you need to be careful about the windows. Which way are they facing? (the street, backyard, ?) Reason I'm saying this is for security purposes. If they are windows that people see regularly, I would almost build a fake wall right behind them, and hang some curtains up or something to keep suspicion to a minimum.

Are you competent with wiring and electrical?

Do you run AC in the house in the summer? (assuming you're in a climate changing area). Reason I ask this, is to get an idea of ambient temps.

If there is an attic above the room, you could use this for your ventilation, which would also help in keeping it stealth.

 

[lawnboy123]

PurplePotion: First off id like to thank you for going through this with me, as you can see your the only one.

The room is on the second floor of the house and the windows are facing the backyard. You cannot see in, plus, I do already have shades up and if need be I may build a wall as you said. I'm not a pro at electrical/wiring however I do have some knwledge when it comes down to it. I do not run an AC during the summer as I do not live in an area where it gets insanley hot. However if needed I can certainly purchase one. I do have an attic but unfortunetly it is not above the room I am planning to grow in.

 

[PurplePotion]

Hmm. What are you doing about propagation-- mom's for clones? seeds?

Sounds like you wanna grow some good sized plants, which would require a bit of veg time. Do you want this grow to be perpetual or an all at once type deal?

 

[lawnboy123]

Well my plan was to start a perpetual grow from feminized seeds. I am going for high yield at the lowest possible flowering time. I planned on 30 or more plants, groups of 5 plants with different strains (i.e. 5: Power Plant, 5: Super Skunk, 5: Skunk #1 etc..), the ones with the best traits will become mothers and then I will clone from then on. There is a closet in this room which I was going to turn into the mother/cloning area once underway.

 

[yamaha_1fan]

PurplePotion: First off id like to thank you for going through this with me, as you can see your the only one.

Thats cause PP is just being too nice

Seriously give us some help here. Tell us how long you want to veg for, do you have a seperate veg area, how many lights do you want to run, will they be air cooled, etc.

I would avoid using windows for ventilation unless you can put in one of those window fans they sell with two fans in it. Then you would have to build a box around it, seal it and push your carbon filtered air into the box. From the outside it will look like poor mans A/C.

I would just cut a hole in the wall and vent into another room or something

You will be dealing with alot of heat so you better plan on dealing with it

 

[PurplePotion]

Okay, I would section of a part of the room for vegging-- the size of this would depend on how long you want to veg, and how far apart you want the plants spaced time wise.

For instance, if you want to veg 2 weeks, and have each group 2 weeks apart, you need enough room for 10 plants to veg out. You get the idea. Your veg area can be much smaller than your flower area. Just enough space to fit your final sized pots.

I'm really just trying to get all the details, so we can get you hooked up proper.

 

[lawnboy123]

Thats cause PP is just being too nice

Seriously give us some help here. Tell us how long you want to veg for, do you have a seperate veg area, how many lights do you want to run, will they be air cooled, etc.

Is that why no one is helping me out? haha, sorry guys. Again im a novice when it comes to big grows, im used to the micro grows. This is all new to me so im not sure what really needs to be said but here it goes: I was going to divide the room in two parts. One being the veg area which is the side with the closet for the mothers/babies (clones), the other being the flowering side. The flowering side will be a little bigger then the veg side. When I split the room each side will have its own wiondow. I will be using soil for this grow and it will be a perpetual grow. Veg time will be 2-3 weeks and im still clueless on what to do about the heat from the lights. Again each side will have a window so I was thinking I could use this for both ventilation and bringing fresh air in. Anything else I missed let me know and I would be happy to let you know. Sorry for asking newbie Q's but we all gotta start somewhere right? Thank you both for your comments and helping me out, I do appreciate it!

 

[PurplePotion]

2 600W MH's for veg side-- 2 or 3 1000W HPS for flower side. Like I said before, I dunno if I'd do the window thing, unless you can make it completely inconspicuous. Otherwise, like yamaha said, blow the hot air into another room or something-- you're paying for the heat, so why not use it? Haha.

 

[Mr Celsius]

Watch* all three parts of these: it will explain everything very well.

Part 1: http://youtube.com/watch?v=HLbrqjkK4CY&feature=related

Part 2: http://youtube.com/watch?v=YcbxPfjg1Rk&feature=related

Part 3: http://youtube.com/watch?v=dqX57M0dXVM&feature=related

 

[samba]

If I were you I'd use one of the windows for intake and the other for exhaust.Do watch the videos provided by Mr.C. I'd use aircooled hoods (if possible,super sun 2) sucking air from intake window and venting out from exhaust window. Have a carbon scrubber in the room,exhausting via the window and you will create negative pressure in the room and minimise odors in your home. Use AC if needed. You will get rid or a lot of heat from your lights by venting them with fresh cool air from outside. I'd love to see a drawing of your room,just to get an idea of door,window location and so on, MsPaint is great for things like that.

 

[lawnboy123]

PurplePotion: Thank you for the advice on the lights, I think I am going to use the windows for my ventilation. I will build a wall over each window and put up drapes so no one can see in. Because I am dividing the room in two I will have each window act as both an intake and exhaust. As far as the mother/clone closet I will vent that through a different room. Question though....what light should I use for clones?

Mr Celsius Thank you for the movie clips, its funny because I actually have K2 seeds. Its almost perfect!

samba Thanks for your input! I was actually planning on using the DIY air cooled tube that is actually on this site. Its very inexpensive and from what ive heard and seen works like the real thing. The only thing about using one window for exhaust and one for intake is im dividing the room in two making that a real pain. I figure each window will have exhaust (at the top of the window) and intake (at the bottom of the window). If needed I was going to go out and purchase an AC, however where I live I think im going to need the heat from the lights to keep the area around 76 degrees F. As far as that drawing goes, I dont think I have MS Paint but ill give it a shot.

Thank you all for helping me out here. I'm trying to feed you as much information as possible so I can get under way. Any other concerns or questions feel free to let me know. Go ahead and rant if you need to as well, im here to learn so let me know of ANYTHING that I may have forgotten or looked over.

Questions for you all.

What light should I use for my clones?
What fans/blowers would you recommend?
What growing mediums (soil) work the best?
What additives/boosters would you recommend?
Is CO2 completely necessary?

 

[Microwido]

You should buy 4 x 400w CMH setup. CMH has a full light spectrum, and this way you dont need to bother with MH and HPS. (Ceramic Metal Halide)

Each light needs a Ballast, the bulb, and a reflector. These 3 components will be $175 shipped to your door.

Also you WILL need a carbon scrubber, I have the www.htgsupply.com Goblin/Growbright fan combo and it works great, and would be ideal for your amount of space. ($215 shipped)

Also, either get Mylar blankets or mylar sheets and cover the whole lower half of the room. Reflection is key is light penetration.

I have this in my setup if you want to take a look.

Cheers.

 

[Mr Celsius]

What light should I use for my clones?

To root, fluorescents. To veg, 40w-50w per sq ft of HID.

What fans/blowers would you recommend?

Inline, can fan is a good brand

What growing mediums (soil) work the best?

I like coco, it doesn't dry out fast and can't be overwatered. If going synthetic, go with Canna Coco + PK 13/14, if going organics, look at the organics for beginners in my signature.

What additives/boosters would you recommend?

Budswell bat guano if organic, Canna PK 13/14 if synthetic

Is CO2 completely necessary?

Co2 is necessary if using 75w per sq or more of HID lighting. Constant air exchanges with ventilation will provide enough Co2. Our air has about 300ppm at a constant. If venting constantly, don't use Co2, it will simple be a battle between the two; ultimately wasting your money.

You cant vent and intake air from the same window. You need to evaluate how many plants you are going to grow and how big you want them. This will then determine how much veg and flower space you will need. You can easily create a cabinet that can sit in your flowering room that will be able to house some mothers and take clones. I highly suggest look at the bonsai moms in my signature.

If you have any further questions don't hesitate to PM me.

 

[lawnboy123]

Microwido: Thanks for your input and also thanks for the link to htgsupply. Never heard or seen of that site before. I like their prices! I like your setup, I did take a look and I like what I saw. I googled CMH and what I found made me come up with some questions. Does CMH give off heat? I read that CMH is more efficient than halogen, it has better color quality than MH, it has better lumen maintenance, better color consistancy than MH, and has a lower operating cost. Is there anything bad about CMH? Thanks again!

Mr Celsius: So would the T5 be a good fluorescent system to use for clones? Thanks to Microwido I found my inline fan and carbon filter for pretty cheap as well. I will take a look at Canna Coco + PK 13/14 for my soil as well as Canna PK 13/14 for the additives. As far as venting through one window per side, i've seen videos where this has been done. Even though you don't like the idea I think i'm still going to give it a shot only because it would take a lot of extra work drilling wholes for ventilation in almost all my walls. If it does'nt work, then i'll take that extra step. I'm going big here, so little cabinets are not going to work.

Thanks to everyone who helped me out! Feel free to keep contributing, anything helps! THANKS AGAIN!!!

 

[Mr Celsius]

Ok, let me know if the window thing works.

You can root and even veg under a T5, depending on how big you want them and how many you need to veg.

 

[lawnboy123]

Microwido, Mr Celsius: Do you have a site where I can get CMH? I've been searching since I last posted and cannot find one for a goor price. I figured the T5 would be a good investment, at the shop I go to for supplies they have T5's setup all over and they just look like they work really well. Thanks!

 

[PurplePotion]

You can get the CMH bulbs from http://advancedtechlighting.com/cdmed18.htm . They run on a standard 400W Magnetic HPS ballast.