In the planning stages...please offer feedback. I want to do this right

mas3372

mas3372

Active Member
I posted this under indoor growing...didn't realize there was forum for just room design so I copied it over here as well.

Hello,

I will be starting a legal medicinal grow. I have a smaller area to work with. 4ft wide x 3 ft deep x 5 feet high. Basement with constant room temp of 60 degrees. This is what I plan on doing.

Construction-Split the box so I have a 2.5'W x 3'D bloom room the whole height of the box. On the other side, make 2 levels, one for the moms down bottom and one for the clones up top. Mylar

Mothers-idealy I would like to fit 4 mothers in the 1 ft x 3ft area. 4 different strains. CFL Lighting. Soil under 18/6

Clones- Top shelf. Large enought to hold 8 cuttings under CFLs before going to bloom. Rockwool in humidity dome under 18/6 hours.

Bloom Room-7.5 square ft. 37 cubic feet. 4 plants in 5 gallon buckets with DWC. Hydroton rock around rockwool. 400 watt HPS with ballast mounted outside grow room. Airpumps with stones. No top drip unless you think otherwise.

Method-Short stocky strains that grow fairly straight. Add a plant every 2 weeks and harvest in or around every 8 weeks so I have a constant harvest every 2 weeks of one plant. Put the cuttings in veg for 2 -3 weeks to achieve 1 foot hieght before bloom.

Strains- I want a variety but have hieght restrictions. I need plants that mature out nicely at 24-26 inches tall. White Widow, a Kush strain, a blueberry maybe. Any suggestions keeping with 8 week cycle and 26inch height.

Ventilation-150cfm cage fan (51.5 cubic foot room) exhausing the a draw off the hood with intake holes on the bottom and 2 inch pvc vent holes between 3 chambers (bloom, mom, clone).

General Hydroponic nutes.

Misc. Supplies
PH Meter
Magnafine glass

Please offer any help or suggestions...I want to do this right the first time.

Thanks, Mike
​
 
Sencha

Sencha

Active Member
First, I would consider reducing mothers to 1 or two for space reasons. When you want to change strains, get some feminized seeds. Second, what are your restrictions for being legal?
 
mas3372

mas3372

Active Member
I like the white widow because I have never tried it and heard great stuff. I am not familiar with auto flowering seeds; can I create a mother with those and do the clones or that a seed drop everytime. If I went with WW, i wouldn't mind giving them the 10 weeks. I thought I read they can be kept short and stout under 2.5feet; is this wrong.

Thanks for the feedback...keep it coming.
 
mas3372

mas3372

Active Member
Sencha, forgot to answer your question. I can have upto 12 mature plants with visible buds and 12 plants in the vegistative state. I cannot have anymore than 2.5 ounces of dryed and usable bud at any time. Hence why I would like to harvest about 2 ounces every 2 weeks and keep a constant rotation.
 
mas3372

mas3372

Active Member
Does anyone think the 400w hps is good or should I go with a 600w hps. 7 square feet enclosed with mylar. Is 600 overkill?
 
mas3372

mas3372

Active Member
Thanks reef...thats a hell of a grow. Don't think it would work for me right now because each color grow would be plant and I am only allowed 12 at a time in flower by law. I also want to have 3-4 strains going at a time.
 
R

reefcouple

Well-Known Member
mas3372 said:
Thanks reef...thats a hell of a grow. Don't think it would work for me right now because each color grow would be plant and I am only allowed 12 at a time in flower by law. I also want to have 3-4 strains going at a time.
Click to expand...
Keep in mind 1 thing when you grow multiple strains, you want the absolute best light penetration possible.. Dont grow a small, a medium and a tall.. stick with multiple short plants.. and bloom early, give em 2 weeks of veg then right into bloom (you can use your cloner for the veg station if you are using a 16 site cloner), just drop an airstone in the cloner for when the roots get too long and end up in the standing water..

Another important thing to keep in mind when growing multiple strains, harvest time, if you're using 1 bloom station it gets tricky with multiple harvests

If you let them grow to over a foot tall in veg they can get to 3-4 feet tall, so bloom early, just make sure they have good root mass..

I'm around and if you need to PM me and I will be happy to help out with any questions (if needed)..

Best of luck.
 
mas3372

mas3372

Active Member
Thanks again reefcouple. I was figuring to keep my mothers down low and put a shelf above them. I would use the net pot lids and put them in shallow resevoir with an airstone under some T5s and leave them there 2-3 weeks to root and veg. Then simply take the lid and put in the 3 gallon pot in the bloom chamber. (5 gallons if needed).

I was planning 4 strains that bloom at about 8-9 weeks and start them 2 weeks apart to flower. I simply start 3 clones 2-3 weeks before the harvest and take the healthiest and throw into veg and keep the cycle going. Harvest every 2 weeks or so of a different variety.

I would just leave the light fixed at one height and raise the plants on crates and blocks so all 4 tops are the same height.
 
R

reefcouple

Well-Known Member
mas3372 said:
Thanks again reefcouple. I was figuring to keep my mothers down low and put a shelf above them. I would use the net pot lids and put them in shallow resevoir with an airstone under some T5s and leave them there 2-3 weeks to root and veg. Then simply take the lid and put in the 3 gallon pot in the bloom chamber. (5 gallons if needed).

I was planning 4 strains that bloom at about 8-9 weeks and start them 2 weeks apart to flower. I simply start 3 clones 2-3 weeks before the harvest and take the healthiest and throw into veg and keep the cycle going. Harvest every 2 weeks or so of a different variety.

I would just leave the light fixed at one height and raise the plants on crates and blocks so all 4 tops are the same height.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you have the plan in place, and you will forever be "tweeking" it, we all do... The experience of it, tweeking and mastering (some heartbreaks) things is part of the art in growing.. I hope you get alot of joy out of it...
 
mas3372

mas3372

Active Member
I am putting together my list of supplies and shopping around online to find the best equipment for the money. I have some local places but they are all pricey so I am hoping to save some money if I shop around. I see these 600w hps lights on ebay for $160 but question their quality. There are also come $125 6" inline fans.

Does anyone have any reviews about these products. should I buy name brand or is okay to try and save a little money? I leave tomorrow for a week and plan on puchasing everything when I get home and start my grow by November 20th. I plan on keeping this thread going with pics of my progress and hope to impress. I grew some of the best northern blue 6 years ago and am hoping my skills have memory.
 
R

reefcouple

Well-Known Member
mas3372 said:
I am putting together my list of supplies and shopping around online to find the best equipment for the money. I have some local places but they are all pricey so I am hoping to save some money if I shop around. I see these 600w hps lights on ebay for $160 but question their quality. There are also come $125 6" inline fans.

Does anyone have any reviews about these products. should I buy name brand or is okay to try and save a little money? I leave tomorrow for a week and plan on puchasing everything when I get home and start my grow by November 20th. I plan on keeping this thread going with pics of my progress and hope to impress. I grew some of the best northern blue 6 years ago and am hoping my skills have memory.
Click to expand...
Post some links on of your wish list items for people to take a look at..

And what kind of a system are you planning on running again? ebb and flow? If so build a plastic cover and cut holes in it for your netpots, light + water = a handful of issues, (ph, algae etc). you can buy a cheap piece of pvc to make legs for the plastic cover you make that should rest in the lip of your tray..

Still not sure why more hydro trays dont come with covers, or even as an added piece a grower could buy off the shelf.. silly if ya ask me...
 
mas3372

mas3372

Active Member
I am planning on doing DWC since it worked great last time. I plan on using 3 gallon buckets with netpot lids and airstones in each bucket. My veg chamber will use the same lids sitting in a very shallow resevoir so it will be very easy to move them veg over to bloom with no root disturbance. I plan on cfl or T5s for the veg/clone chamber and T5s or CFLs for teh mother room.
My bloom chamber is only 7.5 ft2 so I was thinking a 400w HPS but am curious if anyone thinks I can get away with a 600w hps. I have height concerns so the 600w hps will require more space from light to plant but may give better harvest.

Here are some of the items I am looking at:

600w hps http://cgi.ebay.com/600W-HPS-MH-DIGITAL-GROW-LIGHT-VERTIZONTAL-REFLECTOR-US-/180580777566?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a0b73fe5e
600w hps http://cgi.ebay.com/600-WATT-600W-HPS-GROW-LIGHT-AIR-COOLED-COOL-TUBE-HOOD-/370451174838?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item56409c55b6
400w hps http://cgi.ebay.com/600-WATT-600W-HPS-GROW-LIGHT-AIR-COOLED-COOL-TUBE-HOOD-/370451174838?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item56409c55b6
400w hps http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-400-watt-HPS-GROW-LIGHT-High-Pressure-Sodium-400w-w-/400093025481?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d276714c9
ph meter http://cgi.ebay.com/pH-600-Water-Tester-Meter-Milwaukee-pH600-Hydroponics-/350404094646?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5195b62ab6
fan http://cgi.ebay.com/Sub-Zero-6-inch-Inline-Fan-400-CFM-duct-exhaust-6-/130443048367?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e5f02f5af
fan http://cgi.ebay.com/6-INCH-IN-LINE-FAN-400-CFM-HYDROFARM-ACTIVEAIR-6-/170555462079?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27b5e5d1bf

Thanks for the help
 
R

reefcouple

Well-Known Member
Go with a 600 Digital and just put in the extra ventilation or air circulation if necessary.. I say that because EVERYONE ends up upgrading and 600's are great lights.. I have multiple 1000's and i will eventually downgrade to 600's, they run efficiently and in my setup the "overlap" is just fine, my 1000's in my setup are a bit overkill..
 
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