Help with space design

[JohnG]

Hi everybody,

I haven't grown in many years and due to a lot of reasons I am an unable to grow so I rely on a good friend to provide herb for my wife and her MS.

I need some help from the experienced growers in designing his grow space.

He has a 4x6 space with a 12 foot ceiling. This is a space in his garage. He has very little money so I am providing most of what he needs. We really want to utilize his space the best we can.

Currently I have given him a 1000w HID, 400w HID and 90w LED. He has used a flat aeroponic type system with poor results. (Numerous reasons for the poor results) Has used the LED for clones, 400w for veg and 1000w for flower.

Have thought about a vertical system with a clone and veg area above the flower area since he has 12 foot ceiling. I am trying to help him come up with the most efficient system.

He also has a lot of room in his attic which would be a better long term solution, but also a lot more expensive since he lives in a very hot climate.

I have looked at lots of designs on this site but I would like to get some ideas on what has worked best for some of you.

I live about 800 miles away from him, but I will be there in a couple of weeks to help him set-up his space. I am trying to do this on a reasonable budget.

Thanks for any responses!

 

[Hydro-Soil]

What are the cooling options?

That's going to be what determines the maximum wattage you can use successfully.

Should you do the clone/veg in the same space... you're going to want it on the bottom of the room. Less heat to deal with from below while being easier to get to. Dunno about anyone else but I usually spend most of my time in the veg area vs. the flower room. Flower is pretty much set and forget, unless you're going scrog.

Vertical would produce more but is much more finicky for pulling off really good quality. The ability to raise the lamps the last week is great for keeping turpenes and thc from losing potency. (Not saying it can't be done... just that it requires more fine tuning, which translates to more runs.)

Stay Safe!

 

[JohnG]

Environmental control has always been an issue. This space only works in the winter when the outside temps range from 35 degrees to 70 degrees. Runs the lights at night so he can usually keep the temps with the 1000w under 85 degrees at the worst. He only has a couple of box fans and an oscillating fan for air movement. He has only used heavy duty black plastic to section off the space with whiteboard on the interior.

Interesting idea about putting veg/clone underneath the flower.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

85 sucks

Definitely doable, but the end product won't be as tasty and potent as it would at 72F.

Look into cooltubing it and keep running the lights at night. You'll see significantly lower heat levels and be able to run more months of the year.

Make sure that black plastic isn't off-gassing.

Stay Safe!

 

[JohnG]

Hydro-Soil: 85 is probably the hottest it gets. Can only run Oct to Mar. Avg temp over 100 degrees once summer arrives. I never thought about the plastic off-gassing. He has used it for several years so its probably ok.

For the best yield in this size space (4x6) which type of grow should provide the best yield: sog, scrog, vert, trees, ...

 

[johnnybravo]

12' ceiling? grow trees!

 

[JohnG]

johnnybravo: Height is the one advantage he has. How many plants do you think you could fit in a 4 x6 ft space if you were growing trees?