First time grower!

(moved this thread from newbie forum as i wasnt getting the help i need)

Hi all,

First off ill start by saying i have next to no experience with growing, i had been involved a little with a friends grow 7-8 years ago but cant remember much, other than that i have a nice little plant in the back yard growing fully organic.

The reason i have decided to start growing is because i realized i have the perfect place for it and i already have some of the equipment. What i have is:

4 x 1000 MH lights (planning on using only 2)View attachment 2405911
90mm PVC pipe (more than i need)
120L container
Almost air tight room 5.7m long, 2.4m wide, 3m high.

Ive been doing a lot of reading on this site and others and ive decided i would like to try my hand at SOG method. I have attached a little diagram of how i am planning on designing it.

Basically im planning on raising the first part of my PVC pipe near the reservoir by 3cm then gradually lowering it until it gets to the drain pipe to allow gravity to help the water flowing. Im looking at putting in around 30plants, SOG style, with my lights on pullies so i can keep them at the right distance. Im in a remote area so im not too worried about smell although if it becomes a problem i will build a carbon filter (ive done that part before) and put it under a wirly bird (wind powered exhaust) that i will attach to the roof. Do you guys think 30 plants is too much (with SOG method) for this size space?

What i think i need to buy or build:

Chinaman hat for 2 lights
Air pump + stones
Water pump (what flow rate?)
whirlybird
timer
Ph kit
nuts
pots
medium? - not sure what im going to use

I plan on putting a tube in my draining pipe so i can keep the water level high until the roots start dropping down.

I guess ill have to get a cloning/germ station set up, shouldnt be too hard, i got some fluros laying around.

So any help for be greatly appreciated, i am new so sorry for any stupid questions! thanks for your help

edit: i forgot to put distance between pipes is 35-40cm, too close together?

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My reply to skunk:

MyPetSkunk said:

Props to you for going big on your first grow, but I would suggest you go a little smaller scale to get the bugs out, especially jumping right in to hydro like that. Would hate to see 30 plants kill over on a rookie mistake. Maybe section your pipes off and add another reservoir and run two different strategies as kind of a safeguard. But it sounds like you have informed yourself and done a good bit of research. Either way, good luck.

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Hey Skunk, thanks for your concern!

As i said i do have a small amount of experience with hydro, even though it was a long time ago the one thing i took away from it was it was extremely important to do your research and be vigilant with caring for your crop, that is why i feel comfortable going this big for my first crop, and even if i fail its only a matter of cutting some more clones right?

Basically what im after with this thread is some feedback on my design, if anyone can see any faults and maybe some suggestions, tips/tricks using the SOG method (which i have no exp with). In particular will a 40cm gap between each plant be enough for SOG method? taking into account ill be pumping 2000w into them? In terms of pH i know its important and cause some major sickness/loss so ill be reading up on that a lot more and keeping right on top of it.

Other than that i would like to know im ive overlooking something in terms of equipment that i will need? I will be going to the hydro store in a couple of days and would very much like to get everything i need in one go.

Another thing, on my friends grow he used some special product that blocked heat escaping (because we have a problem in the city's here with police helicopters with heat cameras), im not worried about that happening where i am as i stated before i am in a remote area, i would still how ever like to find out what that product was as i remember he gained a lot more yield on his frist crop after using it vs pvc sheeting. Alternatively what is your views on simply painting the walls white? If paint is a no go what is the absolute cheapest yet best value for money product i could use to line the walls?

Thanks for your help

Start here: http://boards.cannabis.com/indoor-growing/132514-noobs-guide-growroom-set-up-work-progress.html http://forum.grasscity.com/absolute-beginners/446508-ideal-conditions-grow-marijuana-list.html
As far as reflective coating goes, check out roof-gard 700. It is an elastomeric roof coating. It's very durable, reflective, and cheap.
Google al b fuct perpetual sog for good info.
You need to invest in a ppm/ph meter. For hydro, you have no choice. http://www.plantlightinghydroponics.com/test-meters-solutions-c-373.html
if you are dead set on hydro, google dwc (deep water culture) or ebb and flow

Also, metal halide isn't the best for flowering. You need high pressure sodium (hps) Look into conversion bulbs. I don't know much about them. To do this right, you will really need to open your wallet. First decide what method you want. Then you can set up accordingly and pick genetics. You will need a lightproof flowering area, veg area (you can do both in the same place but it takes much longer to harves), and clone/ mother area. Ventilation will be a problem if you don't want to spend much money. Since your area is so large and you have no desire for an air scrubber (bad idea). I would believe several fans will keep temps in check. Winter and summer will destroy you without ac/heaters. I assume you are in a barn? Electrical will be limited if you are. You really have a list of problems to work out before you consider putting a seed in dirt.

Michelangelo00 said:

Also, metal halide isn't the best for flowering. You need high pressure sodium (hps) Look into conversion bulbs. I don't know much about them. To do this right, you will really need to open your wallet. First decide what method you want. Then you can set up accordingly and pick genetics. You will need a lightproof flowering area, veg area (you can do both in the same place but it takes much longer to harves), and clone/ mother area. Ventilation will be a problem if you don't want to spend much money. Since your area is so large and you have no desire for an air scrubber (bad idea). I would believe several fans will keep temps in check. Winter and summer will destroy you without ac/heaters. I assume you are in a barn? Electrical will be limited if you are. You really have a list of problems to work out before you consider putting a seed in dirt.

Click to expand...

Thanks for your post michelangelo!

I know MH isnt good for flowering but i did read a few threads on this site saying that they can still produce decent enough results? My method is decided, it will be SOG. Genetics im not worried about for my first grow.

My area is lightproof. I have a huge shed and inside this shed i have a split level apartment and on the top level of that apartment there is a huge storage room which is the dimensions i posted in this thread. I went inside this morning with all my lights on outside and couldnt see a single drop of light even under the door. So after i line it i assume its going to be very tight. Im going to put 1 maybe 2 whirlybirds on the roof (which is 6m high) then i will put some fans under them just incase the wind dies at any point. Then ill make 2 intakes either side of the room on the floor. I live inbetween 2 rivers, one is 50m away and the other is 30m away so the air around here is consistantly cool and sometimes damp, although in the shed iti is generally never damp. I plan on dividing the part behind the door/reservoir with a blanket and setting up my clone area there.

As i am going to use SOG i am not planning on doing much if any veg. I think i will have room for 3-4 decent sized mothers, using Al's method of taking big cuttings i think i should be right to go straight to flower? WHAT if i wanted to top the plants? say 3/4/5 node? Would i have to veg for a few weeks to do that? Electricity isnt a problem either as this is an industrial area, i have 3phase power here.

If temperature becomes a problem in summer obviously i will purchase an AC, also if smell becomes a problem i already know how to build a cheap and easy carbon filter (which i can place below my whirlybirds.

Another thing im starting to wonder is, ill be trying to cover nearly 6m with two 1000w lights... more like 2.8m per light wide. Too much area? i guess i can always move the plants around before they get too big so they get different angles of light?

5ft squared is the general rule for 1000 watts. You can top the plant at any point. The stress will shock the plant causing it to stop growing until it recovers. Most top very early

You will need a lightproof area inside of your room to seperate mothers/clones (18-6; 20-4; 24) from your flowering area (12-12) Any light inside the 12-12 light cycles dark period for flowering will harm production and possibly cause the plant to turn hermi.

I found an amazing article for keeping mothers. It's a great read for any experience level. http://forum.grasscity.com/advanced-growing-techniques/291687-bonsai-mums-guide.html

By the way, sog is a style of growing. It isn't a method. If I remember correctly, he uses ebb and flow.