# Switching an existing grow to vertical



## DIYer (Oct 5, 2012)

I'm starting to see the drawback to hoods now. I feel like I'm cramming my plants under the little area my lights brighten up. It use to be ok, but now i want all the production vertical seems to offer. 

I run a perpetual grow 24/7/365, so this would be a mid grow mod. I flower 6 legal plants. I have an 8x8' area to work with, and 3 light sources. Two 400W, and one 600W HPS, all in reflector hoods atop my ladies at the moment. I'm thinking of selling the hoods, buying some hurricane lamp glass at HobbyLobby, and going vertical.

Here is a pic of my current setup.

HPA DTW in six 20Gal trash cans.
The cans are 2' tall, the plants grow 4' tall from top of can to top of plant, 6' total, the ceiling is 9'. 

I have a bunch of 1"x1" green rubber coated metal fencing. Since the strain i grow (WoodyKush) seems to be more vine like than tree like (i have troubles with them being top heavy sometimes) i'm thinking of wrapping half (180º) of all the cans with a 6' tall mesh fence, then rolling all six ladies into a circle around a floor to ceiling high cooltube of 3 light sources. Let them all just fall into and through the fence rather than fighting to keep branches upright at optimal height all the time. I'm just not sure how well this would work using 2x400's and a 600 though in one tube,.. thoughts?


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## powerslide (Oct 6, 2012)

i just started running vert so take it with a grain of salt. Most of the guys who dont turn the plants are in big systems w/ alot of smaller plants. i would try it w/o the screen first and see how it goes. I have about 20 plants in 1gal's in coco around a 1k. i'm gonna go out on a limb and say if you go vert you can get close to the same amount of bud off just the one 600. I really see how these systems could really pull closer to a gram per watt. I started my grow 12/12fs and this strain stretched so much i decide to try vert because i couldnt cover them all anymore and i probably wont be going back. If you want to stack them i would try just a 600 and a 400 to start


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## PIP313 (Oct 7, 2012)

I switched a existing grow to vertical due to my outer plants over growing and killing the middle ones. I put a screen in the center with a bulb. Plants stopped growing for a week. It was still worth it. Bulb was 1k plants 4 feet at week 5


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## DIYer (Oct 7, 2012)

Hey hey, thanks for chiming in guys. Happy Sunday!
I was also thinking maybe go with one 600 and one 400. It'd be nice to lower the electric bill that $20 a month, and i still think i'd grow more than with 1200 overtop the canopy.

Thank you for the info about those who turn and those who don't, that might prove very good to know. I wonder though,.. on one hand i think that makes sense, on the other i think i'll just end up with the same size buds everywhere, where as not turning them i'd end up with bigger buds on one side. Can someone explain to me why its better for those who run low plants number and vert to turn vs fence? Going with 2 bulbs not 3 and no fencing would make the job a lot easier though


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## OGilostmypassword (Oct 9, 2012)

Probably would grow more.

IMO - not perfectly efficient, but I think this would maximize your resources so to speak.

O = light
X = plant

X
X O X
O X O 
X X

Something to that effect. Maybe a slightly different arrangement to try to maximize. I think your lighting situation and your plant count you will have to turn your plants or train the hell out of them and cut off back branches to maximize your production.

I'd opt more for training and pruning personally, but that's mostly because I've never tried turning them.


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## DIYer (Oct 9, 2012)

You've never turned a plant? Come on we've all turned a plant. 

I like to air cool, a little more work when installing so i dont have to pay to cool 100% of my lights. That being said, that arrangement would require 3 vertical cool tubes, way too much to keep air tight imo. The more ducting the more co2 loss i've found. I'm going almost solid glass from ceiling to the light base,.. 

(14" tall $5 a pop at hobby lobby. ill need 4)

...that im going to make out of a big heavy wooden wire spool.


I was thinking strap the one 400 and one 600 light sockets, to a pole mounted into the base,.. only thing i have laying around is a 10' 1/2 pipe, it'd work, but wish i had something that would not run right next to a bulb and block the light a bit. maybe i'll devise something better before i get to redoing all this in the next week....


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## DIYer (Oct 10, 2012)

Progress, i think...

I'm up to 72".
23" more to go to the celling. Pretty sturdy so far.

I can flip these spacers and change the light height a bit. Can move the center single glass piece to the top and get different light positions that way too.


100fcm tornado 12v pc fan with a straight shot to the roof. Not sure it'll be enough, if not, easy swap to a blower.

Only thing i've bought so far is $26 worth of glass, rest was scavenged from around the house.
Thoughts? Ideas to better the final product?


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## polyarcturus (Oct 10, 2012)

thicker glass.... but definityl a stronger fan though.

its a goo idead should work and all. just try to make i stable and tape up the cracks in not really sure if that wont leak more or less co2 than ducting. insulated ducting does pretty good about not sucking out co2 if you seal it up well.


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## DIYer (Oct 11, 2012)

Thicker glass is a $luxury$ im not going to afford myself for this. I think thinner glass and a bigger fan will be fine. First gonna see how hot the room gets with my new vert setup 

 

Not quite done yet,.. but its high time to take a brake and roll one up thats for sure. Lot of reworking around some mid flowering ladies ain't easy, a branch or 2 was lost. I'm actually hoping this is more air tight than my old setup. Going over all the joints 3 times, and taping the whole outside of the hose with white duct tape to be sure not even a pinhole leak!!


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