Questions About Tent/Light Combo for First Time Grower

[FredDaYet]

Hey all!

I am planning my first ever home grow and was hoping to run my two basic ideas for my tent and light set up by you fine people. I would be deeply appreciative and grateful to all for any insight on whether these two lighting and grow space combinations would work.

Please pardon my donkey brains, but here are the two ideas. For either plan I would use soil as my medium and I will be germinating Double Krush or Guerilla Fume from SkunkVa.

First idea is to veg and flower in a 3X3X6 (roughly on the height) tent. I’d probably germinate two seeds with the hope of getting one female and growing that single plant under a 250/400W HPS with the ability to switch between MH and HPS for veg and flower. I’m also looking at 315W CMH or an LED but tbh I’m still trying to wrap my head around all the different options and their pluses and minuses.

Second idea would be to veg and flower in a a 4X4X7(with option to extend the height). I’d probably germinate 4 seeds with the hopes of getting two females and then grow those two females under a 600W HPS. Again, also considering 315W CMH or LED for this space.

I understand there is probably some missing information that would be helpful in answering and I’m happy to provide more info if it’s helpful. However, I would really appreciate any thoughts on whether those two space and lighting combinations would work well. Would also appreciate any feedback on whether I’m thinking about it the wrong way.

Have a great day and thank you so much for being so helpful!

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

Go small to begin, I'd even recommend smaller than a 3x3. A 2x4, with a Mars Hydro TSL-2000 is what I'd pick. A 4" econoline fan or equivelent should be plenty of air movement. I have their TSW-2000 and a 27"x 27" tent and though it'd light up a 3x3 well, I've found 2x4 footprints to have a lot of access advantages.

When you upgrade (and growing is addictive, so you'll most likely be upgrading), a 2x4 tent makes an awesome mum/clone/veg tent and you won't have to change the lighting.

Welcome to ICMag!!

 

[FredDaYet]

Go small to begin, I'd even recommend smaller than a 3x3. A 2x4, with a Mars Hydro TSL-2000 is what I'd pick. A 4" econoline fan or equivelent should be plenty of air movement. I have their TSW-2000 and a 27"x 27" tent and though it'd light up a 3x3 well, I've found 2x4 footprints to have a lot of access advantages.

When you upgrade (and growing is addictive, so you'll most likely be upgrading), a 2x4 tent makes an awesome mum/clone/veg tent and you won't have to change the lighting.

Welcome to ICMag!!

Thank you so much!

I was originally thinking of doing 2X4 and wasn’t sure whether 3X3 or 2X4 would give me a better space. I know 3X3 is more area, but wasn’t sure if it was necessarily the better area to work with for a really small grow.

I’ll absolutely take a look at the Mars Hydro LEDs.

Thanks again!

 

[MedFaced]

I’ll go complete opposite. Get the largest tent that you can. Bigger tents are easier to manage and give you more options from the start.

If you get a 4x4 you’ll want more than the 315.

Happy hunting!

 

[Leaflet]

I'm with MedFaced. I would recommend you start with a 4x4, then later add a 2x4 veg tent if you feel like expanding.
growershouse has a really good price on a 1000 watt HID 4x4 tent setup with just about everything you would need to get started:

https://growershouse.com/4-x-4-grow-room-1000w-hid-soil-complete-grow-tent-package

 

[superpedro]

Hey all!

I am planning my first ever home grow and was hoping to run my two basic ideas for my tent and light set up by you fine people. I would be deeply appreciative and grateful to all for any insight on whether these two lighting and grow space combinations would work.

Please pardon my donkey brains, but here are the two ideas. For either plan I would use soil as my medium and I will be germinating Double Krush or Guerilla Fume from SkunkVa.

First idea is to veg and flower in a 3X3X6 (roughly on the height) tent. I’d probably germinate two seeds with the hope of getting one female and growing that single plant under a 250/400W HPS with the ability to switch between MH and HPS for veg and flower. I’m also looking at 315W CMH or an LED but tbh I’m still trying to wrap my head around all the different options and their pluses and minuses.

Second idea would be to veg and flower in a a 4X4X7(with option to extend the height). I’d probably germinate 4 seeds with the hopes of getting two females and then grow those two females under a 600W HPS. Again, also considering 315W CMH or LED for this space.

I understand there is probably some missing information that would be helpful in answering and I’m happy to provide more info if it’s helpful. However, I would really appreciate any thoughts on whether those two space and lighting combinations would work well. Would also appreciate any feedback on whether I’m thinking about it the wrong way.

Have a great day and thank you so much for being so helpful!

If I have to give my best advice about size for starters, I would have to know what you plan to do with air exchange, and about the values of your intake air. Do you plan to pull fresh air from the outside, or inside your house?
Temperature and moisture, and the ability to control those things, is one of the keys to success. What light you choose to have a major effect on those values.
Big HID lights in many cases demand solutions besides venting the air.

 

[Koondense]

2x4 tents are best for beginners, easy access to monitor your plants.
4x4 is better of course but not necessarily. I have both and somehow prefer the smaller one mostly because of access.
4x4 will take anything from 1-25 plants, depending on how you want to grow them, i think 4-6 fit best and can take longer veg. The ultimate goal is to grow a single plant in a 4x4.

Lightning is more complicated, i would definitely advice led panels like qbs with deep reds or cmh lights.

Easiest would be 2x4 tent with one qb led 250w. Probably best would be 4x4 with 630cmh. The mid option is a 3x3 with two dimmable 250w qb leds.



Cheers

 

[FredDaYet]

First of all, thank you all again for being willing to help me out and share your information and advice. I don’t take it for granted and genuinely appreciate each one of you.

Thanks MedFaced and Leaflet! I like that a 2X4 might be easier for beginners. But I also would like the breathing room of a 4X4. I’ll have to think about it. And thanks for the link to the 4X4 and HID setup!

Koondense, the way you laid that information out was super helpful. Starting to sound like tent size is a choice between what’s easiest for a first time grower and what’s best overall. Thank you! I’ll also check out the lights you mentioned.

Thanks for that feedback, superpedro. I apologize in advance if my airflow knowledge is a little lacking, so please bear with me. I was planning on using a single 6 inch inline fan from Phat Fan with 390 CFM capacity for exhaust inside the tent with a carbon filter attached. I hoped to use passive intake of air into the tent. I’m aiming for 5 minutes per air change.

I also planned on using a regular fan to distribute air evenly throughout the tent and provide some low stress training for the plants.

I did not plan on pulling fresh air from outside the building.

I live in an area with very hot temperatures during the summer and very cold temperatures in the winter. The relative humidity in this area is also very high. I’m lucky enough to have a good heating/ac system within my place so I think we can keep the ambient temperature in the room the tent will be in close to the ideal temperature for the plants.

I will have a dehumidifier inside the tent and environmental controllers to control temp and relative humidity.

I hope that provides the info you need, but please let me know if you need more.

Thanks!!!

 

[Insomniac420]

Would a 315 Cmh work in a 2x4 tent
And what size of extraction would I need.
@Douglas.Curtis

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

I'd rather have 2 315cmh lamps in a 2x4, or 330w of LED in the right spectrum.

The main reason I recommend a 2x4 for new growers, is due to the (rather large) percentage of folks who find they will not continue growing. Life is infinitely variable, and humans come up with infinite reasons why growing does not work for them.

No budget limitations? Get whatever you want. On a budget? A small grow setup is rather inexpensive, and can be tossed or re-sold quite easily. Are you a grower? (In a legal state? Be sure to check craigslist monthly, for the amazing price cuts offered on nearly brand new equipement)

 

[Insomniac420]

Thanks for the reply. I have 1 x 600watt light
And I have 1 x 315cmh here bit imo it runs hot
I don't think 2 x 315cmh would work for me
Because I am having trouble with temps
Think I need new extraction.

 

[G.O. Joe]

Back in the day it was all about watts per square foot, you know - 30-40 is a good place for HPS/MH - but unless startup cost and footprint is a concern there's nothing wrong with a tent that's too big at the moment. Do people use sun circles anymore and is there yield advantage in moving the light to cover a larger area?

 

[superpedro]

Yup, that helped.
If you got the gear to control temp and RH, HID is the way to go IMO.
4x4 would be my recommendation to.

 

[Frosty Nuggets]

I think HID is dead technology, gone the way of the dinosaurs, LED is the way of the future, very little heat to deal with, a better spectrum, no need for reflectors so they save space, a 40% saving in electricity costs, no bulbs to replace as they last 50,000 hours, the extra cost is more than made up for in electricity savings and bulb replacement, all round better.


Go with a Quantum Board.

 

[Insomniac420]

Frosty Nuggets I agree some Led's are good for growing. SANlight. Gn telos I picked these brands because I seen results from them.
But there is lots of crap led companies cashing in on the led market.

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

Didn't finish my earlier post, and just now realized it.

Extraction fans? 2x4 I go 4", 4x4 I use a 6", shooting for 3 exchanges of air per minute.

 

[Mars Hydro Led]

Thank you so much!

I was originally thinking of doing 2X4 and wasn’t sure whether 3X3 or 2X4 would give me a better space. I know 3X3 is more area, but wasn’t sure if it was necessarily the better area to work with for a really small grow.

I’ll absolutely take a look at the Mars Hydro LEDs.

Thanks again!

Welcome, buddy. If you have any questions about our products, feel free to PM me.

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

Frosty Nuggets I agree some Led's are good for growing.

HID is still great, if you live where it's so cold you'd also be running a heater with your grow. Other than that, HIDs truly are a waste of money each month. You need about half the wattage with decent quality LEDs in the right spectrum. 25-30wpsqft.

I have a Mars Hydro TSW-2000, and after 15+ years with HID I'm done with them. Soooo wasteful, soooo much heat generated which you then have to pay to remove. Why bother, when the low end LED equipment is solid now.

You're correct though, there are a lot of inexpensive LEDs on the market which are simply garbage for cannabis. Tough to find a reliable 'knock-off' source.

 

[Mars Hydro Led]

Thank you so much!

I was originally thinking of doing 2X4 and wasn’t sure whether 3X3 or 2X4 would give me a better space. I know 3X3 is more area, but wasn’t sure if it was necessarily the better area to work with for a really small grow.

I’ll absolutely take a look at the Mars Hydro LEDs.

Thanks again!

Check out our lights here http://bit.ly/30DesD0

 

[GMT]

If you are planning on the whole grow being in this one tent area, and you want a desk fan and dehumidifier in there as well, its going to get a little crowded. But since your aim seems to be to pull one female per run, you don't need that much space. We should probably talk about how much you expect to harvest and how often

If all you want is an ounce or so every 3 months, then the 2x4 will be more than enough.
If you want your plants to be at the same stage all the way through, that's fine. Go led, dont complicate anything.
If you can lengthen that turn around time to 4 months, you will more than double the yield by giving your plants more time in veg growth and so growing bigger plants.
If you dont want to wait so long in between harvests, and you won't, you can start more seeds in the same grow tent when you start flowering your girl/girls. That's a perpetual system.
If you forget the ground desk fan and dehumidifier inside this area, you can still do that in a 2x4. But your veg time that way is limited to a month. That's due to the lighting times being permanently 12/12ish.
This way, as you harvest one plant, you will start more seeds, select from your veg plants which girl you are going to keep to flower, and move your girl mid flower, into the space left by the girl you are harvesting. Now you are getting that yield every month from the same space.
Oh and LST refers to tieing the top down in order to get the side shoots to become new tops, something that's easier to do by topping your plants than messing around with bits of string. Nothing to do with air blowing on them.
If you want to keep clones of your favourites, you will need a separate nursery area. The extra space a 4x4 would take up, may be put to better use having a smaller tent for clones or vegging smaller plants that you can move into the flowering tent when you are ready. That cuts down on the veg time in the flowering area, and will let you increase the yield from the 2x4 even further.
As would bottles of nutes etc,, but keep it simple for your first run as problems put people off quickly.
There is however a noticeable difference between the buds that come out from under a 600w HP's and a 400w HP's. But a 2x4 isn't ideal for a 600w HP's, cooling would be tricky and noisey. Is noise a factor? Is space for tents a factor? How much are you looking to harvest? Still a few things to decide.