First Grow Room + Pics

So, here goes my first grow. A buddy gave me the plant on the table (4 weeks old and about 4" when I got her). Since then, I transplanted her and FIMmed twice one week (missed the first time ). This is her 6th week and I started LST. Thought I would be doing a closet grow at first. Then got to reading and decided I may as well go all out. I got great deals for everything and by now am in the hole about $400 including the 10 seeds that have all sprouted.


I've been doing a lot of reading and such, and I think I'm about where I want to be. I'd also like to hear from you all as well.

Lights a 1000 watt MH on a 1000 watt Hydrofarm switchable ballast. The tent is 5x7x8, but when the fans all get going, it expands lol, you can see in the picture. I used a 10 mil tarp and folded it over. Found the studs and it's nailed in all around the top. Duck taped everywhere else for seal. I've got a long weight in the bottom to hold it down. I made the ducting out of cardboard and ran it all the way to the exhaust on my 2 way fan for fresh air. Also designed blades INSIDE of the boxes to keep the light out but still allow plenty of air-flow. There's another fan at the other end of the exhaust as well. I've got a swamp cooler and a humidifier that I run at all times to hold the humidity with this dry Colorado weather. The humidity just won't stay without them both. The 4th, 5th, and 6th to last pictures are taken by my exhaust to give an idea of the layout of the room.

I know I forgot some things, but please feel free to comment or question.

Nice bit of DIY there. I like it.

Could do with brightening up those walls, could get yourself some mylar or emergency blankets. Anything besides dark tarp! The reflective material helps cut down light leaks too.

Creative work ! Anyone else scared by WeedChip's Avatar ? It looks to be a corpse or one sick girl !

Thanks for the response guys. Yea silly me, one side of the tarp is already silver and that's the side I folded in lol. Probably would've been pretty reflective itself. I'll be going for Mylar soon anyhow. Probably end up doing the whole area with it as well. Does anyone have experience under a 1000 watter in this given area? Should I add more plants? Lose some? I've read mixed responses, maybe someone can say for my situation. I'll be losing the table as soon as they're big enough for it. Thanks again


EDIT: Wanted to ask also.. This is the second of 3 floors in an apartment building and I'm venting straight into the area where everyone walks lol, when should I expect to kick out the cash for the inline fan and carbon filter? And does that itself help to not attract bugs into my grow room? All answers are much appreciated.

Honestly, I'd say ASAP. You never know when they'll start smelling and if someone walks by at the right time before you catch it, it could complicate things ya know? Why take chances? Lots of good DIY filters on here. I'm in the midst of building my 4x4 room and gonna refer to a DIY filter. Good luck!

Awesome DIY.

Plants can smell while they're in veg to someone with a sensitive nose, but once you get the fan and filter you will have to worry about the noise.

My grow is above my bedroom and at night I can hear the fans even though I have 6 inches of insulation in the floor of my grow and the fan its self has 12 inches of insulation all around it.

However I presume you smoke weed in this building, so people will be able to smell that and so far you haven't had complaints? I stink out the building more from smoking than any of my grows have ever done.

Can I place the fan outside of the grow? My neighbors upstairs know whats going on and noone sleeps in the room above me. If I mount it to the ceiling will the neighbors downstairs hear it? There's also a bedroom on the other side of the wall of my grow, would they hear it from 10+ feet away? I'm not concerned with police, my smoke and my grow is all legal in Colorado. Just would like to keep it respectful and hide the smell for the ones with kids and from the ones that want a closer look lol.

Also, can you comment on whether or not that would help prevent any possible bug problems? I'd assume they're after what smells good and if you control that, you're less likely to have the problem. But then again I know nothing about this really. Either way, I'll definitely try making my own first and see how that works out. Thanks guys.

More pics to come.

Just came to say nice grow space man. What strain are you growing?

Hey thank you. The big one is supposed to be Blue Dream, but I couldn't say for sure. My buddy just gave me that one. The rest are bagseed that I ended up giving all generic names.





Update: I upgraded the space a bit, so I can dedicate this space to a flower room and build my veg area in here too. Got the carbon filter, inline fan and ducting set up, and temps are extremely controllable.

A couple of the babies started looking weak and were falling over so I pulled them. Now I'm seeing some with the bear claw leaves. Other look like they're starting to do it. Lights a 1000 watt, only about 2 ft away now. They're all about 17 or 18 days I believe. Had an issue the other night with the humidity going all the way to 99 one night and 80 another night. Got that sorted out now and I think that's the issue with the bear claw. But I see some yellow spots on the worst 2 with the bear claw. Also, note the color of the new growth on these plants. On the big one, all the new tops are pretty light when they come in. Most of it comes in a light green color on the small ones. Normal? One of my friends says it should be consistent all the way through.


Just went in the room (pics were from late last night) and most of them are showing the browning near the soil now (I noticed others before and they have spread a bit), but have shown noticeable growth over the past 8 hours even.

Where do I go now? Can I beat the root rot? Should I just scrap the grow and start over? If they pull through, how is that going to have affected my plants? Thanks guys.

I did end up getting a ph pen in a trade, but it needs an electrode. Gonna go buy a cheap ph pen and a tds pen today.

Very good job cobbling it together I did this type of setup in my early days. This is the set up I put together for about $425.00 about 2 weeks ago when I moved to oregon. The paired 1000 watt yeilds masters I already owned. I set this up in my garage utilizing only a space 20 by 10 foot I built the table bought the t5 light and hurricane the wall on the right is a ploating wall I constructed of 2x2s. I simply framed it up stood it wedged it with wood wedges to hold it in place, (very stable se opposite side with shelf holding two ballasts.) I even constructed the door and jam by doubling the 2x2s. I then sheeted it with very cheap 1/4 in pannels, (like you see in the bottom of cheap particle bourd drawers in furniture). I sheeted the floor, and painted eaverything Flat white. This provides the best reflective qualities. Even better than mylar reflective material. NOTHING is better. It doesn't blow into your lights and cause fires as well! Including the gal of paint and paint equipment, the wall cost $65.00 sheet wood the most expensive 5 at $11.50 each furring strips (2x2s) very cheap $1.00 each. The table cost $80.00 The rest was a heater in-case the temp drops, haven't had to use it yet.
Blowers, black lined venting clamps squirrill cage and t-5 unit. P.S cardboard can be substituted for panneling in a pinch, and painted flat white as well just secure it with those little plastic backed tacks, like they use to hold tar paper to a roof before shingling.

Well heres the photos of what I was describing above. Note that these floating walls are very sturdy, Not one screw or nail holds them up, they are wedged in with wood wedges. Also lights are bieng hung utilizing pre- existing florencent hardware, I simply backed out the screws and replaced them with eye hooks. In photo showing the sturdiness of this sort of construction I have actually mounted a bakers rack shelf, to place my magnetic ballasts on. They weigh about 80 pds together. Another 9 pounds for the inline. This wall I've bumped, hit, fell into, and it goes nowhere. The door jam holds the other half of the wall up because its been doubled to 2x4, this with 2 wedges holds the small peice in next to the door. This was built this way for two reasons. One this is a rental, and I wanted to drive no nails or screws into the garage walls. Also these wedges can be tapped out and walls moved into a uhaul trailer with the grow for a 20 min evacuation, I simply back the uhaul into the garage stick the walls in, tie them up load the plants in and move it to a secure location.
I do have a ommp card but like most landlords they don't want their property used as a grow house. So what I can engineer to hide I will. Also because of my proximity of my washer and dryer I am able to expell hot air out the duct. I have fit this vent with a Y and a good carbon filter so all air be expelled is scrubbed, under the dryer vent I have planted basil, hot air makes this area smell very Italian.
I have also placed a board in an open window, cut a 6 in hole and added venting. on the outside of the board i tacked a curtain to cover the board. this way the widow from the outside appears to just be just a curtained window. on the little garage windows i did the same using an old black out curtain tacked th=o the small window boards, this makes a reflective appearence of a dark garage. You can cup your hands and look through these windows and think you are just looking int a dark garage. A squirril cage blows outside air through a anti fungus/bug screening filter. into the grow area. This pressurises the room pushing old stale air out a passive vent into the unused area in the garage. The hurricane inline picks this up and cools the lights with it, and eventually evacuates it out the dryer vent.
well I sure hope these tips help you in improving your room. Once again this cost minus the 2 1000 watt yeild masters cost $425.00
for all blowers wall fans squirril cage venting building materials for walls as well as table I even had $230 left over to add the t5 unit , yes this is included in the cost. so have fun good luck and peace

Are you feeding these plants? If so you might just give them water. I never start a nute program until root systems are established, give them about 2 weeks. I opt to put my seedlings and clones into 1 quart rooting pots first, then when the roots can be seen growing against the walls of the pot, ( flex the pot when it is compleately dryed out) Then I transplant ito 3 gal pots. I let them go another 5 days before I start a 4 week veg. The clawing is caused by hot nutrients in the med. Either you put it there or the manufacturer of the soil did . I use gardener and bloome this soil is probably better than fox farms or any of the other Very inexpensive soils. This organic soil is composted with bark fines,forest humis,peat moss,perilite,chicken manure,worm castings,bat gauno,kelp meal,alfalfa meal,oyster shell,&dolimite limes,as ph adjusters. A 2 cubic foot bag cost $6.00 at most garden and yard centers... I don't find most of these killer ingredients like the kelp, poultry manure, ect, in any of the leading expensive brands. I've done comparisons with alot of soils, this soil has never burnt a clone or seedling, In fact just the opposite. They thrive in it for the first 19 to 20 days without any outside nutrient influence.... just a tip peace... P.S. If you need any additional info help ect. Feel free to message me and I will get right back with you! I've been around for a long, long time, with well over thirty years experience with this stuff. I grew up in the culture my father was a grower for over 25 years himself and ran around with my second cousin dj short back in the day.

Haha wow that is a really nice looking set up there. And an awesome price. Very nice. Do you seed, veg, and flower in there?

About my plants, I did feed 3 of the babies with half light-feed General Organics Bio Thrive, Bio Root and CaMg+ maybe a week ago (those are the ones that have the worst curling and then the deformed one that doesn't have any curling or issues besides it was born with 1 and a half leaves lol.) The other 3 babies got soul synthetics 3 days ago at half-recommended feeding for week 1 veg. I let the water sit out for a few days to up the ph a bit (was told not to feed with it right away because of low ph issues). I'm using Roots Organics soil - not amended. And they were all at least 14 days old when they were fed nutes. Should I flush them all then?

You did see what I said about the high humidity for a couple nights correct? 100% and 80% another. It actually got up to high 70% a few times last week. That and the fact I see browning at the bottom of stem lead me to think of root rot. Plus that they were fed so lightly.

I really appreciate your response.

Looks great !!!

Your soil mix was probably enough nutes to start. Feeding plants in soil not yet close to being depleated is how the overdose occured. Remember when you start adding nutes, you do so in an effort to replace what the plant has robbed the soil of. When a plant is only 2 or even three weeks old from seed it hasn't eaven started depleating containers that large. The roots will streach out and expand in search for more fertile soil contained in the pot. This makes large soil grown root systems. After about 2 weeks of this I will transplant nice healthy clones or seedlings into 3 gal pots. I wait a 5 days to a week. This in fact gives the roots a chance to get a foot hold in their new pots, and recover from the stress of transplant, which seldom occures when employing these methods. After 5 to 7 days I start a nute program I mix the first week at half stregth, then I dillute to 1/4 th. I give every plant 2 cups in 3 gal pots, after they dry out, I give them straight water, 2 cups, a day later when that drys out, I feed them again.
Week 2 I do the same regiment but the formula changes, I mix at full recomended strength then dillute to 1/4 that is my solution for the next 2 weeks, and thus ends my veg. I do pretty much everything in this one room but in another month the opposite side of this room will transform into another space for the table and floor veg. the room in the pictures will then become the bloom room . The table is designed to hold 55 1 quart planters. The floor space is set up for 11 rows of 5 with a 12 in between planters for watering and moving around amongst them. Also remember when you flush you are feeding them what is in the pot. If you can get away with it try leting them dry out compleatly, tip the planter while supporting the little seedlings stock gently disemcorperate the soil and root ball fromm planter and try to ever so gently dislodge the soil from the root area without injuring the roots, (this must be done quickly to prevent shock). replant in new soil, soil should be as close to straight across npk like 10-10-10 or something black gold organic has one that is 0.05-0.0-0.0 or try that gardener and bloom for $6.00 a cubic 2 feet bag. try that and water just a little at first and throughout that first wee after transplant they may come back and do quite well.

New pictures after it just rained. Things are looking a lot better over here. It's been about 3 weeks since the last pictures. I killed off the two that were wilting the worst. Gave them all a flush and a week later, those were the only ones not thriving. Picked up some clones, changed some things. Thinking they will do really well and fill my room out with another month or so in veg. My goal is to pull a pound out of here.




The 4 even-sized ladies are about 34 days since they broke ground from bagseed. They're getting ready to be moved to 3 gal pots from their 1 gal pots.
They are all about 5 inches tall.



The big girl in back (Blue Dream) is probably 2 months old now or so. Just moved her to a 5 gal from the 3 gal yesterday. She was pretty rootbound and I think that's why she got the bear claw and started to lighten up on me a lot. She's gotten a noticeable bit darker from how light she was yesterday. And a lot of her claws have straightened out a bit. She was badly wilted as well and now she's standing proud. I believe the def in the 4th pic is magnesium. Should I feed to correct this with my next watering or will the new soil take care of it?



I also threw down some more seeds and the 3 in back are quite possibly Chem 4.




Made some adjustments to lighting control and the ducting.

Also, accidentally chopped the tip of one of my girls and read a reliable way to clone is to put it in water and let it root. We'll see what happens



The 6 in the middle are hopefully, Sour Kush, Tang Haze, and Chem Dawg. Time will tell.




You can't see it but I finished covering the floor the AC sits on with tarp.

looking good!!! might want to go 1 plant per pot !! but lookss great.

Nice setup you have there.