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If you were to start over. what would you change in your room?
- Thread starter lotus710
- Start date
FireIn.TheSky
Active member
I'm going to buy a bigger house and have a bigger dedicated grow space.
I'd dry wall the whole area, put in electrical hook ups for dedicated ac, dehuie and a sink.
My I deal area would be one large square then I would subdivide for veg space.
If I really had the cash I'd buy or build a house with higher basement ceilings.
Really this isn't so much a question of a grow room, more the house I'd like to put it in.
I would probably need a larger electrical service too, if I had it my way I'd put in 400 amp service with a 100 amp sub panel to the grow room.
I would need lots of secluded property too so I could have a green house with electrial hook ups for heat and supplimental lighting so I could grow OD up until end of fall.
I'd dry wall the whole area, put in electrical hook ups for dedicated ac, dehuie and a sink.
My I deal area would be one large square then I would subdivide for veg space.
If I really had the cash I'd buy or build a house with higher basement ceilings.
Really this isn't so much a question of a grow room, more the house I'd like to put it in.
I would probably need a larger electrical service too, if I had it my way I'd put in 400 amp service with a 100 amp sub panel to the grow room.
I would need lots of secluded property too so I could have a green house with electrial hook ups for heat and supplimental lighting so I could grow OD up until end of fall.
always wanted the basement thing...had to settle for empty bedroom closets. 
Good topic. Mine is from the perspective of a guy who went from 3, to 8, to 16, to 24, 34, 44, and finally at 50 x1200w DE flowering lights
I'd say:
Don't try to utilize closet grow tech for commercial grows (blumats, vertical lighting, homemade nutes.)
Don't grow the strains you like, grow what the market wants. Then monocrop, no more than 2 or 3 strains in rotation.
Pay once cry once. Get the monster XL fans, huge RO and booster pumps,
Automate everything. Don't hand water big gardens, engineer a solution.
Use the commonly available and popular systems, nutes, and parts. If I can't find one in 1 hours drive, I don't want any of them.
Spare parts are awesome. I have at least 1 spare everything. Lights, Rez heaters, timers, relays, water pumps (and impeller kits) fans, you name it. If a light burns out (like fucking Nanolux DEs do) I want a new one up in 30 minutes, not Tuesday.
Light and plants are the priorities. Stuff the room with as much of both as you can imagine, then design the room around those things. Adding more lights and plants always makes yields go up. There should be just enough room to walk and do a little work, the rest of the floor should be covered with plants.
I guess that's it, let your imagination go wild and picture the extreme. If you can't afford it, work towards it
I'd say:
Don't try to utilize closet grow tech for commercial grows (blumats, vertical lighting, homemade nutes.)
Don't grow the strains you like, grow what the market wants. Then monocrop, no more than 2 or 3 strains in rotation.
Pay once cry once. Get the monster XL fans, huge RO and booster pumps,
Automate everything. Don't hand water big gardens, engineer a solution.
Use the commonly available and popular systems, nutes, and parts. If I can't find one in 1 hours drive, I don't want any of them.
Spare parts are awesome. I have at least 1 spare everything. Lights, Rez heaters, timers, relays, water pumps (and impeller kits) fans, you name it. If a light burns out (like fucking Nanolux DEs do) I want a new one up in 30 minutes, not Tuesday.
Light and plants are the priorities. Stuff the room with as much of both as you can imagine, then design the room around those things. Adding more lights and plants always makes yields go up. There should be just enough room to walk and do a little work, the rest of the floor should be covered with plants.
I guess that's it, let your imagination go wild and picture the extreme. If you can't afford it, work towards it
I'm currently redoing my whole setup and the changes I look forward to most are:
More space in the rooms. I currently have no space to walk around. I have to crawl under plants to get to the back of the rooms, clean sealed hood glass ect, it sucks.
Less DIY shit. Saving a couple bucks is cool and all, but spending a couple more for safer, cleaner looking equipment is worth it to me.
sinks in every room so I dont have to carry all my stuff out to clean it between runs.
More space in the rooms. I currently have no space to walk around. I have to crawl under plants to get to the back of the rooms, clean sealed hood glass ect, it sucks.
Less DIY shit. Saving a couple bucks is cool and all, but spending a couple more for safer, cleaner looking equipment is worth it to me.
sinks in every room so I dont have to carry all my stuff out to clean it between runs.
Every pump needs a backup ready to install. Same goes for air conditioning. Nothing ruins a run faster than a 1-week lead time for replacement equipment.
Also, you MUST have a high temp shutoff for any garden. Not only for safety but also to keep from frying your room if an AC or fan fails on you.
Also, you MUST have a high temp shutoff for any garden. Not only for safety but also to keep from frying your room if an AC or fan fails on you.
I spent months of reading before starting out a few months ago, and the more I learn the more I realize how much more there is to learn.
My personal lessons:
1. It's expensive. I started with a 2'*2' (60*60cm) grow tent because it was on sale, with a couple of dangling CFLs. Then I ordered some super-cheap Epileds. Used paper to test pH. All sorts of different tricks I tried to do to save money, that eventually turned out to be somewhere between junk and a problem. About €150-200 that pretty much went down the drain for my first grow. Taking the plunge is scarier ($$), but would have saved me about that much.
2. Having backup equipment, especially of the cheaper stuff that _will_ break, is also imperative.
3. Smell. My first build counted on ONA gel alone to eliminate the smell. That was a very, very stupid idea. Even a single badly-grown plant smelled enough for all of the neighbors to get a whiff. Carbon filter is an absolute must.
4. Automate. I'm hand watering twice daily (cocco), but even if I were to water every other day that would still mean I can't be absent for more than 48 hours. Now I'm scrambling to build an automated irrigation system because I have a surprise 5-day trip next week. Really kicking myself over this one. Don't do anything before thinking "is this operating plan going to be sustainable for the next 3 months?"
5. Have professionals help before you set up everything. In hindsight I would have had an electrician, plumber, and perhaps even a gardener help me with the basic set up of the place. For obvious reasons now is too late to call any professional help, and everything is a mess of wires and buckets and whatnot. I can't wait for the summer - when I plan on taking down everything for the season - to be able to call somebody to tidy up the makeshift DIY solutions I improvised.
My personal lessons:
1. It's expensive. I started with a 2'*2' (60*60cm) grow tent because it was on sale, with a couple of dangling CFLs. Then I ordered some super-cheap Epileds. Used paper to test pH. All sorts of different tricks I tried to do to save money, that eventually turned out to be somewhere between junk and a problem. About €150-200 that pretty much went down the drain for my first grow. Taking the plunge is scarier ($$), but would have saved me about that much.
2. Having backup equipment, especially of the cheaper stuff that _will_ break, is also imperative.
3. Smell. My first build counted on ONA gel alone to eliminate the smell. That was a very, very stupid idea. Even a single badly-grown plant smelled enough for all of the neighbors to get a whiff. Carbon filter is an absolute must.
4. Automate. I'm hand watering twice daily (cocco), but even if I were to water every other day that would still mean I can't be absent for more than 48 hours. Now I'm scrambling to build an automated irrigation system because I have a surprise 5-day trip next week. Really kicking myself over this one. Don't do anything before thinking "is this operating plan going to be sustainable for the next 3 months?"
5. Have professionals help before you set up everything. In hindsight I would have had an electrician, plumber, and perhaps even a gardener help me with the basic set up of the place. For obvious reasons now is too late to call any professional help, and everything is a mess of wires and buckets and whatnot. I can't wait for the summer - when I plan on taking down everything for the season - to be able to call somebody to tidy up the makeshift DIY solutions I improvised.
nukklehead
Active member
Major,
On a slightly bigger scale then you,
These big boys above us are friggin awesome!
But to me the biggie is this and only if it can become an issue for you.
SMELL!!!!!!
Lost many hour of sleep when it was underperforming.
Now after oversizing, I sleep well. May have spent a few extra bucks to pay for that sleep, but it is well worth it.
That is the one thing I would have done different/changed early on. Come on, its all good, ways of growing , strain preference, lighting preference, etc. Its all in the pot (no pun intended) , and if it stinks, and if YOU are worried about it fix it!!
My 2
Nuk
On a slightly bigger scale then you,
These big boys above us are friggin awesome!
But to me the biggie is this and only if it can become an issue for you.
SMELL!!!!!!
Lost many hour of sleep when it was underperforming.
Now after oversizing, I sleep well. May have spent a few extra bucks to pay for that sleep, but it is well worth it.
That is the one thing I would have done different/changed early on. Come on, its all good, ways of growing , strain preference, lighting preference, etc. Its all in the pot (no pun intended) , and if it stinks, and if YOU are worried about it fix it!!
My 2
Nuk
