Good Space for a Grow? Sketchup/Writeup with Questions

I would like to present an idea for a grow closet that I sketched up using photoshop. The inner dimensions of the closet are 82" wide by 92" from the floor to the very top of the ceiling.

What I would like to do is divide this space into a clone and veg area and then a flowering area. I would wrap the entire area with black and white poly for its light proofing and reflectiveness and run 2 strips of velcro down the dividing beam. This would allow me to open each section individually and then just velcro it back into place when done.


I realize this post got extremely long, if you guys aren't in the mood to read my plan the 2 sketchup photos I made demonstrate it all..

Sketchup's:

This is what it would look like behind the closet doors:




This is what it would look like on the inside:




Using wood I would like to build a platform above the carpet for everything to sit on and then underneath I would have a res for each side. This would allow me to easily remove a res and either adjust the water or have a spare res with the water and nutes already added and
checked to be correct and then just slide the res back into place and then reconnect the pump or drop it back down inside if I am able to lift it out first. I also have a 8 port airstone, I could put 4 stones in each res to aerate the water. I would like to use pumps to pump
the water up on the veg side, drip into the cups and then drain down using gravity I could drain into the clone area. In the left over space I could store my nutes. I would also like to have a surge protector for either side so I can instantly turn one side off or the whole
thing if need be.

The right side will be the veg side, on the bottom I would like to have a clone area. I currently have a 2 bulb T5 fixture with 2 24w 6500k bulbs, if this is enough light I will use that for the clones. Above that would be the veg area. Since the length across is less than 48" I think more T5 fixtures would be best? I got my 2 bulb T5 fixture for 25$ at home depot but it came with 14w 3000k bulbs. I got my 24w 6500k bulbs at a local shop for 9$ each. Since this would create 2 separate chambers I would like a gap between the diving beam and then I could put a 4" duct fan to move air from the bottom to the top and keep the air moving.

Above both the veg and flower sides I think exhaust fans ducted together would be best to keep the heat down. I would like to have fans with speed controllers in case they are audible in other parts of the home I would need to be able to slow them down to whisper quiet when
guests are over. I would also need to have carbon filters attached to eliminate any odors. Not far away is the bathroom and bathroom fan ducting, I would run the exhaust fans over to the bathroom fan ducting so that it exhausts out of the house through there.

On the left side, the flower side, I would put 600w HPS light vertically in the center in a tube and then cool it with a fan pulling air in the bottom of the space blowing the heat up to the top. My girls would be arranged the light for maximum coverage. I've been reading a lot
of Grow Journal's of member Jigafresh and he seems to have very good success growing this way.

On the outer black and white poly that serves as the panels held by velcro, I would cut some holes for air intake. I would then put the closet doors back on (they slide side to side) and then figure out some way of locking them or at least holding them tightly shut when we are expecting visitors. I think if we also piled a bunch of crap up in front of the doors that might even be good enough because no one is going to ask us to move the crap to see in our closet. I'm sure no one would ask anyway but this needs to remain 100% stealth, no expense
spared. I'd like to have this done completely right from the beginning so I'm not having to make major upgrades later. I'd rather save up now and just maximize my space right away.

Any comments or suggestions would be extremely appreciated. Here is a materials list of stuff which I believe I need and then I have some

questions about my setup on whether things are adequate.



Material list:

wood - unknown amount

b&w poly - local shop sells a big roll for $100

multi port airstone - already own

surge protector x 3 -

tub with lid for res x 3 -

water pump x2 -

water tubing -

drip lines to cups -

clone 2x24" T5 - already own

veg 2x24" T5 x4 - $100

Spectralux T5 24 watt 6500k bulb x8 - $80

4" duct fan - $30 http://www.homedepot.com/buy/building-materials/heating-venting-cooling/inductor/4-in-inline-duct-fan-62960.html

clone enclosure -

600w hps and ballast -

6" fan to cool hps (would like to have speed controller as well) -

reduce 6" fan for light to 4" + ducting -

tube for hps light -

ceiling exhaust fan with speed controller x2 -

carbon filter and ducting x2 -

ducting to connect to bathroom exhaust -

lots of velcro -

pipes for water drainage back to res

nutes -







Some questions I have:

How much light should I have on the upper veg side?

Do I need to drip water clones or will they soak up water from a tray and be ok just like that?

Is 600w enough for the flowering? Should I go with a 1000w or maybe 2 400w with one above the other and cool with the single bottom fan?

Any recommendations for fans with speed controllers or can any fan be controlled with a speed controller?

What size of fan and cfm do I need to exhaust these spaces?

Will I need an inline fan in the ducting between the exhaust fans and the bathroom fan ducting? it will probably be about 6-7' away in the attic.

What size of res should I look into for each side?

Would a regular horizontal SCROG be better for flower?




If you made it this far, thanks, hope to get some wisdom from you guys!

Thought I come back and post a big update, spent a lot of time on my project and still am to this day..

First, some progress photos:

Here is the start
View attachment 1647146


Next, I hung a dual T5 and put up some b/w poly:
View attachment 1647147



Eventually I used some 1x2 to make a wall down the middle and then used some zippers to to make flap entrances to each space. After that I hooked up my 600w with a cooltube and then ran the ducting down from the can filter to the cooltube and then it goes to the fan which is in the attic.. I also purchased a fan speed controller to adjust fan speed if needed. It can be heard in the hallway below but if the TV is going and people are talking nearby its not noticeable but I figured for 25$ better safe than sorry if someone comes over and I get super paranoid.

I also added a fan directly behind and above the cooltube blowing down between the plastic, it felt pretty warm and the fans are only 10$ and clip anywhere. Temps are low 80s with light on, low 70s I think with the hps off..





Here is what the veg side pretty much looks like, I have since added a second dual bulb T5 fixture: (i wanted to kind of see what LST would do but gave up the next day when I kind of messed one of them up a little bit, broke a little branch)




I also purchased some tomato trellis/screen things from homedepot, they allow me to pull a plant out of the way and not block light to a nearby or behind plant so they all get equal light. I got this idea from jigafresh (scrogking) but I dont think I will ever get the wall of leaves that he has...




I ran out of time before I received the girls that are currently in there flowering so I just threw a pump into each tote but over the weekend I took my spare totes and created a more permanent watering system. On the veg side, I will use a single tote with 6 little netcups and then on the flower side I will connect the totes so that they only require a single pump. I also used a bit of tubing and elbow pieces to create sight tubes so I can see and measure the water level and loss. The only thing that didnt occur to me is that because the bulk head fittings are so big I couldn't mount them all the way at the bottom so you cant drain out all the water. Because of this, when I drain the water I will first siphon back in a bunch of regular water to dillute out what was left in there and then drain again.

Here are some pretty recent pics of the 2 I started from seed, I hope they arent getting root bound, they are getting so big: I have a few clones coming and dont want to switch them out from soil to hydro until I get my clones. They were under a 2 T5 6500k 24" bulbs for quite a while but I added another fixture so now there is a total of 4 24" bulbs. They must be just loving them because they look pretty bush imo. I am watering them with tap water mixed with "vigoro" which on the label gives the following ratio: 24-8-16. I am measuring about 1.6g of the stuff with 800ml/27.1 fl of tap water.




Almost all of the leaves are nice and green, a few of the lower ones got all yellow though.

Lastly, here are photos of the 4 I have flowering, tomorrow will mark 1 week into 12/12 flowering, these photos were taken 2 days ago.




What are the spots on the leaves from?