My first grow operation, opinions?

Hello everyone!

I've been doing a lot of research over the past two months on starting my own indoor grow room using your forums. I've got the grow room built, its 4x2.75x6 ft resulting in a total of 66 cubic feet. For now I am just going to grow 1 plant in it so that I can learn the techniques to maintaining an adequate watering / feeding / lighting schedule.

The seeds I have are Strawberry Kush, feminized, 25% Sativa 75% Indica.

Keep in mind, this is my very first grow box, and my very first time growing pretty much anything!

So, I'm going to start with the box and the lighting. Listed above are the dimensions. Its going to be completely lined with Mylar, will have 3 120 watt full spectrum LED lamps and 10 1.5ft long 5 watt (per strip) full spectrum LED light strips that will be adhered to the sides of the box to completely surround the plant in full spectrum light. I've calked the edges of the box to prevent any light from seeping in for the flowering stage.

As far as the lighting cycle, I haven't yet decided if I want to do a 20/4 cycle or do a 24/0 cycle until flowering. At that point it would change to 12/12. Any advice or recommendations as far as lighting goes would be awesome!

Soil

I'm going to be growing in a hydroponic medium, in this case, Perlite. I will be using a 5 gallon bucket with a reservoir at the bottom to hold water. A 1" thick cotton rope will go from the reservoir to the top of the Perlite to guide the roots of the plant to the bottom.

As far as nutrients and fertilizer go I bought some standard MiracleGro but I've also gotten FloraGrow, FloraMicro, and FloraBloom along with Cal-Mag. I would like to use the latter nutrients and not the MiracleGro. However, I am finding vastly differing opinions on what ratios of the nutrients to use per gallon of water.

I've read that you should water with just plain water, daily, at a pH of 5.8 and an EC of 1.0 until the plant has its first nodes, but thats in soil. Since I am growing in pure Perlite, I'm uncertain as to how much of each nutrient I should add per gallon of water for the best overall development in each of the stages of growth.

-How much / what ratio of NPK for a hydroponic medium (Perlite) grown plant for the seedling stage? Vegetative? Bloom?
-Since the plant has 6 ft to grow in, at what point during the vegetative growth stage should I start the 12/12 cycle to begin blooming so that the plants don't outgrow the room in which they have?

Ventilation

Since I have 66 cubic feet that needs to be recirculated every 5 minutes, I would need a total of 13.2 CFM to keep the box properly ventilated. I have a 6" inline fan for exhaust with a 6" carbon filter to keep the smell out of my house. For intake, I've got 2 120mm computer fans. The inline fan has a CFM rating of 260 and the two combined 120mm fans have a total CFM of 138, so I'm pretty sure the ventilation will be adequate.

As far as temp and humidity are concerned, I know I need to keep it at approx 70 - 80 degrees Fahrenheit with a humidity of between 50-70%. My room right now is sitting at 43%, I know with the plant being in a sealed box, the humidity will increase but any techniques you guys have to help maintain proper temp and humidity would be great!

Also, I have carbon generator pellets that will be placed inside the box. Is there anything specific I need to know about that in terms of how much to use?

Are there any other factors that I am missing that should be taken into consideration? Have I done my homework well enough based on the information I have provided here? Any tips or tricks that you guys have to help a newbie who is probably aiming waaaaay higher than I should be? Over all, I've invested about $800 into this build so I would just like to be as prepared as possible when I actually start growing.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this and for any advice or recommendations you give. Every bit is going to help!

For nutrients it sounds like you want a real plug and play system so i recommend this starter kit ( 35-55 $ depending where you get it from and it will easily do a few full grow cycles for you esp with only 1 plant ) follow the feeding charts at 1/2 strength till you get the hang of it / feel out your strain. It's really easy with a ppm meter 0 guess work and decent room for error.


She is currently being grown with that kit 3rd week into flower and the fan leaves are sprouting glands so I don't have much bad to say about technaflora also the help line is filled with skilled cannabis farmers so they can actually give real advice.

https://www.joeshydro.com/technaflora-recipe-for-success-starter-kit.html?fee=10&fep=28054&utm_source=googleproducts&utm_medium=feed&utm_content=cse&utm_term=9TF-TSK417&gclid=CMKT55js18oCFQiKaQod8FoK3A

In terms of the CO2 additive feel free to use it if you like but honestly that's such an advanced cultivation addition that i would focus more on the plant how it grows, how to train it ( look into LST , topping ect ) for this grow

-With the box being sealed be careful for temp / humidity issues this is achieved through experimentation with exhaust fan speed that you already have available

-In terms of height i wouldn't let her stretch at all in veg / potentially top her after the 4th -5th node then tie down the various branches to divert hormones and create more upward shoots through a process know as LST then toss a scrog netting over and leave about 40-50% of the rooms height available for stretching in flower


-I don't know much about your particular full spectrum LED's but i love mine and it sounds like you researched this grow a lot, just be careful with how close you get them to seedlings they aren't hot but the light intensity could burn/ stunt the growth of your early plant

-Sounds like you are well on your way to some good smoke

I would say start with soil its easier and more forgiving to learn with than a hydro setup. Perlite is not the best medium to use solo for hydro also. A coco drain to waste with 50/50 coco and perlite is much better.The Flora micro and bloom are all you need for veg and flower, good stuff and simple. Use a little more micro in veg and less in flower, there is enough N for veg with the 2 combined.

Andrew4385 said:

Hello everyone!

I've been doing a lot of research over the past two months on starting my own indoor grow room using your forums. I've got the grow room built, its 4x2.75x6 ft resulting in a total of 66 cubic feet. For now I am just going to grow 1 plant in it so that I can learn the techniques to maintaining an adequate watering / feeding / lighting schedule.

The seeds I have are Strawberry Kush, feminized, 25% Sativa 75% Indica.

Keep in mind, this is my very first grow box, and my very first time growing pretty much anything!

So, I'm going to start with the box and the lighting. Listed above are the dimensions. Its going to be completely lined with Mylar, will have 3 120 watt full spectrum LED lamps and 10 1.5ft long 5 watt (per strip) full spectrum LED light strips that will be adhered to the sides of the box to completely surround the plant in full spectrum light. I've calked the edges of the box to prevent any light from seeping in for the flowering stage.

As far as the lighting cycle, I haven't yet decided if I want to do a 20/4 cycle or do a 24/0 cycle until flowering. At that point it would change to 12/12. Any advice or recommendations as far as lighting goes would be awesome!

Soil

I'm going to be growing in a hydroponic medium, in this case, Perlite. I will be using a 5 gallon bucket with a reservoir at the bottom to hold water. A 1" thick cotton rope will go from the reservoir to the top of the Perlite to guide the roots of the plant to the bottom.

As far as nutrients and fertilizer go I bought some standard MiracleGro but I've also gotten FloraGrow, FloraMicro, and FloraBloom along with Cal-Mag. I would like to use the latter nutrients and not the MiracleGro. However, I am finding vastly differing opinions on what ratios of the nutrients to use per gallon of water.

I've read that you should water with just plain water, daily, at a pH of 5.8 and an EC of 1.0 until the plant has its first nodes, but thats in soil. Since I am growing in pure Perlite, I'm uncertain as to how much of each nutrient I should add per gallon of water for the best overall development in each of the stages of growth.

-How much / what ratio of NPK for a hydroponic medium (Perlite) grown plant for the seedling stage? Vegetative? Bloom?
-Since the plant has 6 ft to grow in, at what point during the vegetative growth stage should I start the 12/12 cycle to begin blooming so that the plants don't outgrow the room in which they have?

Ventilation

Since I have 66 cubic feet that needs to be recirculated every 5 minutes, I would need a total of 13.2 CFM to keep the box properly ventilated. I have a 6" inline fan for exhaust with a 6" carbon filter to keep the smell out of my house. For intake, I've got 2 120mm computer fans. The inline fan has a CFM rating of 260 and the two combined 120mm fans have a total CFM of 138, so I'm pretty sure the ventilation will be adequate.

As far as temp and humidity are concerned, I know I need to keep it at approx 70 - 80 degrees Fahrenheit with a humidity of between 50-70%. My room right now is sitting at 43%, I know with the plant being in a sealed box, the humidity will increase but any techniques you guys have to help maintain proper temp and humidity would be great!

Also, I have carbon generator pellets that will be placed inside the box. Is there anything specific I need to know about that in terms of how much to use?

Are there any other factors that I am missing that should be taken into consideration? Have I done my homework well enough based on the information I have provided here? Any tips or tricks that you guys have to help a newbie who is probably aiming waaaaay higher than I should be? Over all, I've invested about $800 into this build so I would just like to be as prepared as possible when I actually start growing.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this and for any advice or recommendations you give. Every bit is going to help!

Click to expand...

I spent about $900 or so on my setup...not counting my extra toys here and there. Go big or go home. 7 plants in a 4x4 for my first time. Read up, take a step back, wait a week after filling up a cart and find deals on amazon, bookmark everything that helps and pull the trigger! Just my 2 cents. ROLL UP!

Andrew4385 said:

Hello everyone!

I've been doing a lot of research over the past two months on starting my own indoor grow room using your forums. I've got the grow room built, its 4x2.75x6 ft resulting in a total of 66 cubic feet. For now I am just going to grow 1 plant in it so that I can learn the techniques to maintaining an adequate watering / feeding / lighting schedule.

The seeds I have are Strawberry Kush, feminized, 25% Sativa 75% Indica.

Keep in mind, this is my very first grow box, and my very first time growing pretty much anything!

So, I'm going to start with the box and the lighting. Listed above are the dimensions. Its going to be completely lined with Mylar, will have 3 120 watt full spectrum LED lamps and 10 1.5ft long 5 watt (per strip) full spectrum LED light strips that will be adhered to the sides of the box to completely surround the plant in full spectrum light. I've calked the edges of the box to prevent any light from seeping in for the flowering stage.

As far as the lighting cycle, I haven't yet decided if I want to do a 20/4 cycle or do a 24/0 cycle until flowering. At that point it would change to 12/12. Any advice or recommendations as far as lighting goes would be awesome!

Soil

I'm going to be growing in a hydroponic medium, in this case, Perlite. I will be using a 5 gallon bucket with a reservoir at the bottom to hold water. A 1" thick cotton rope will go from the reservoir to the top of the Perlite to guide the roots of the plant to the bottom.

As far as nutrients and fertilizer go I bought some standard MiracleGro but I've also gotten FloraGrow, FloraMicro, and FloraBloom along with Cal-Mag. I would like to use the latter nutrients and not the MiracleGro. However, I am finding vastly differing opinions on what ratios of the nutrients to use per gallon of water.

I've read that you should water with just plain water, daily, at a pH of 5.8 and an EC of 1.0 until the plant has its first nodes, but thats in soil. Since I am growing in pure Perlite, I'm uncertain as to how much of each nutrient I should add per gallon of water for the best overall development in each of the stages of growth.

-How much / what ratio of NPK for a hydroponic medium (Perlite) grown plant for the seedling stage? Vegetative? Bloom?
-Since the plant has 6 ft to grow in, at what point during the vegetative growth stage should I start the 12/12 cycle to begin blooming so that the plants don't outgrow the room in which they have?

Ventilation

Since I have 66 cubic feet that needs to be recirculated every 5 minutes, I would need a total of 13.2 CFM to keep the box properly ventilated. I have a 6" inline fan for exhaust with a 6" carbon filter to keep the smell out of my house. For intake, I've got 2 120mm computer fans. The inline fan has a CFM rating of 260 and the two combined 120mm fans have a total CFM of 138, so I'm pretty sure the ventilation will be adequate.

As far as temp and humidity are concerned, I know I need to keep it at approx 70 - 80 degrees Fahrenheit with a humidity of between 50-70%. My room right now is sitting at 43%, I know with the plant being in a sealed box, the humidity will increase but any techniques you guys have to help maintain proper temp and humidity would be great!

Also, I have carbon generator pellets that will be placed inside the box. Is there anything specific I need to know about that in terms of how much to use?

Are there any other factors that I am missing that should be taken into consideration? Have I done my homework well enough based on the information I have provided here? Any tips or tricks that you guys have to help a newbie who is probably aiming waaaaay higher than I should be? Over all, I've invested about $800 into this build so I would just like to be as prepared as possible when I actually start growing.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this and for any advice or recommendations you give. Every bit is going to help!

Click to expand...

I just feel the need to chime in on exhausting your air (I'm retired HVAC) you did your job on calculating your exhaust needs however you should tweak it some, minimum standard for industrial is complete air exchange 15@hr, for bathrooms (smell test) is 8@hr, why would you go below the smell test standard, 5@hr is a tad undersized, plus you should add 15% for restrictions (elbows, length of duct, heat buildup).
L
B4L

Thank you everyone for responding. I did some research on LST and scrog. Definitely going to be implementing those techniques. I also may do a 50/50 mix perlite and coco.

Since at minimum im running with 96.6 CFM (Calculated with 30% reduction in air flow due to ducts, bends, and screens) shouldn't that be enough? Provided Im doing the calculations correctly 96.6 CFM would allow me to recirculate the air in there 1.61 times per minute? Could you do a math check for me to make sure im not making any mistakes?

Andrew4385 said:

Thank you everyone for responding. I did some research on LST and scrog. Definitely going to be implementing those techniques. I also may do a 50/50 mix perlite and coco.

Since at minimum im running with 96.6 CFM (Calculated with 30% reduction in air flow due to ducts, bends, and screens) shouldn't that be enough? Provided Im doing the calculations correctly 96.6 CFM would allow me to recirculate the air in there 1.61 times per minute? Could you do a math check for me to make sure im not making any mistakes?

Click to expand...

Why not just get one of the nice 400 plus CFM fans that come with a speed controller? I paid about $50 for mine if I remember. Plus its handy if you need to crack it up higher to pull some humidity or heat out the room.

Not sure on coco as I'm on my first grow as well but from what I've heard you are going to have to water coco more as it evaporates pretty easy. Plus the perlite will allow the water to stay put a bit longer and be absorbed but once again the coco will allow lots of air and could dry up? Just from what I've read around of course.

Zspy1985 said:

I spent about $900 or so on my setup...not counting my extra toys here and there. Go big or go home. 7 plants in a 4x4 for my first time. Read up, take a step back, wait a week after filling up a cart and find deals on amazon, bookmark everything that helps and pull the trigger! Just my 2 cents. ROLL UP!

Click to expand...

Lol I spent over 20 grand easly over the last ten years.. And I'm still a small fish

ODanksta said:

Lol I spent over 20 grand easly over the last ten years.. And I'm still a small fish

Click to expand...

Jesus .. I could easily see someone spending 20 grand on a much larger scale lol.

I'm just going at this with a grain of salt and hope that my first grow yields a pound. Its my goal that I doubt I may get but I'm hopeful and learning as I go. I love this stuff!

Zspy1985 said:

Jesus .. I could easily see someone spending 20 grand on a much larger scale lol.

I'm just going at this with a grain of salt and hope that my first grow yields a pound. Its my goal that I doubt I may get but I'm hopeful and learning as I go. I love this stuff!

Click to expand...

Hps? How many watts are you running? How many plants?

I was going to try 100% perlite once but it was a mess. Its like quick sand, fill a small cup with perlite and try to wet it and start a seed, you will see what I'm talking about.

I've done 100% vermeculite, it wasn't great but it worked better and is sort of the same thing if you don't want to get hydroton or use soil.

ODanksta said:

Hps? How many watts are you running? How many plants?

Click to expand...

Swapped to my 600 watt HPS from my 600 watt MH at day 35, they started to flower at about day 30ish. Currently running 7 plants in 5 gallon smart pots in a 4x4 tent.

Zspy1985 said:

Swapped to my 600 watt HPS from my 600 watt MH at day 35, they started to flower at about day 30ish. Currently running 7 plants in 5 gallon smart pots in a 4x4 tent.

Click to expand...

If you are on top of your game expect 1.5 lbs maybe more maybe less

ODanksta said:

If you are on top of your game expect 1.5 lbs maybe more maybe less

Click to expand...

I've been hoping to even just get a pound and be happy! Heck I figured if I could get about 8 oz that would hold me over till I start my next grow. If I do end up getting over a pound I think I might try a 4 plant 5 gallon set up in my 4x4 with a scrog and go Fast & Vast again or order some Dutch Passion Think Different and scrog that.

Andrew4385 said:

Hello everyone!

I've been doing a lot of research over the past two months on starting my own indoor grow room using your forums. I've got the grow room built, its 4x2.75x6 ft resulting in a total of 66 cubic feet. For now I am just going to grow 1 plant in it so that I can learn the techniques to maintaining an adequate watering / feeding / lighting schedule.

The seeds I have are Strawberry Kush, feminized, 25% Sativa 75% Indica.

Keep in mind, this is my very first grow box, and my very first time growing pretty much anything!

So, I'm going to start with the box and the lighting. Listed above are the dimensions. Its going to be completely lined with Mylar, will have 3 120 watt full spectrum LED lamps and 10 1.5ft long 5 watt (per strip) full spectrum LED light strips that will be adhered to the sides of the box to completely surround the plant in full spectrum light. I've calked the edges of the box to prevent any light from seeping in for the flowering stage.

As far as the lighting cycle, I haven't yet decided if I want to do a 20/4 cycle or do a 24/0 cycle until flowering. At that point it would change to 12/12. Any advice or recommendations as far as lighting goes would be awesome!

Soil

I'm going to be growing in a hydroponic medium, in this case, Perlite. I will be using a 5 gallon bucket with a reservoir at the bottom to hold water. A 1" thick cotton rope will go from the reservoir to the top of the Perlite to guide the roots of the plant to the bottom.

As far as nutrients and fertilizer go I bought some standard MiracleGro but I've also gotten FloraGrow, FloraMicro, and FloraBloom along with Cal-Mag. I would like to use the latter nutrients and not the MiracleGro. However, I am finding vastly differing opinions on what ratios of the nutrients to use per gallon of water.

I've read that you should water with just plain water, daily, at a pH of 5.8 and an EC of 1.0 until the plant has its first nodes, but thats in soil. Since I am growing in pure Perlite, I'm uncertain as to how much of each nutrient I should add per gallon of water for the best overall development in each of the stages of growth.

-How much / what ratio of NPK for a hydroponic medium (Perlite) grown plant for the seedling stage? Vegetative? Bloom?
-Since the plant has 6 ft to grow in, at what point during the vegetative growth stage should I start the 12/12 cycle to begin blooming so that the plants don't outgrow the room in which they have?

Ventilation

Since I have 66 cubic feet that needs to be recirculated every 5 minutes, I would need a total of 13.2 CFM to keep the box properly ventilated. I have a 6" inline fan for exhaust with a 6" carbon filter to keep the smell out of my house. For intake, I've got 2 120mm computer fans. The inline fan has a CFM rating of 260 and the two combined 120mm fans have a total CFM of 138, so I'm pretty sure the ventilation will be adequate.

As far as temp and humidity are concerned, I know I need to keep it at approx 70 - 80 degrees Fahrenheit with a humidity of between 50-70%. My room right now is sitting at 43%, I know with the plant being in a sealed box, the humidity will increase but any techniques you guys have to help maintain proper temp and humidity would be great!

Also, I have carbon generator pellets that will be placed inside the box. Is there anything specific I need to know about that in terms of how much to use?

Are there any other factors that I am missing that should be taken into consideration? Have I done my homework well enough based on the information I have provided here? Any tips or tricks that you guys have to help a newbie who is probably aiming waaaaay higher than I should be? Over all, I've invested about $800 into this build so I would just like to be as prepared as possible when I actually start growing.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this and for any advice or recommendations you give. Every bit is going to help!

Click to expand...

Any way you can post pictures of your set up? Lined the walls with mylar or panda film? Paint? Location? If you already invested $800 into the build what exactly have you spent all that on? Materials? Fans to move the air around in the room? Can't comment on hydro as I wasn't going to try and learn it yet ...soil was simple to me. Mix 50/50 of Fox Farm Ocean Forest and Happy Frog with some perlite and your done. Or be super uber lazy and make some Super Soil that has all the nutes for the entire grow! You just check the pH on your water and your good to go.(Not sure about PPM as I don't run a filtration system and my grow is perfectly fine)

Should also read into using molasses. Don't buy those "flavor" additives they try to sell you ...just go molasses. This is what I'm using as I wanted a large 1 gallon size and it was only like $15 vs $45 plus for the "flavor" bull crap.


Grow room, lights, ventalation, growing medium, clones/seeds and your ready!...Thats just to grow of course. Can't forget how you plan on trimming, drying and curing Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor!

The first two of was before the doors, mylar, and lights were put up. The next two are after everything was put in, and the last is a pik of the intake, total of 138 CFM. Its not quite finished yet, I still need to install the exhaust and carbon filter, then wire a surge protector to the inside to plug everything in. Should only be using up about 600 watts total, my computer uses almost 700. So there wont be a big jump in power. Also, it runs at 75 degrees Fahrenheit with all the lights on.

Andrew4385 said:

The first two of was before the doors, mylar, and lights were put up. The next two are after everything was put in, and the last is a pik of the intake, total of 138 CFM. Its not quite finished yet, I still need to install the exhaust and carbon filter, then wire a surge protector to the inside to plug everything in. Should only be using up about 600 watts total, my computer uses almost 700. So there wont be a big jump in power. Also, it runs at 75 degrees Fahrenheit with all the lights on.

Click to expand...

I would've loved to DIY a grow but I think I wanted the more simple and easy route and just got a tent for like $120 and saved me the time. I found that I wanted my grow up and running as soon as I got my set up materials. I ordered everything on Amazon Prime and funny thing was I got my seeds before my tent had everything it needed LOL

I kinda understand why you are asking about the CFM needed to move the air in the room. I never thought to worry about the ideal movement rate ..more so adjusted the speed on my controller to what would help with humidity in my tent. Lower my fan now and the heat in my tent can reach about 88* degrees fahrenheit. Not too bad for the room temp and keeps the RH low still but I worry about drying out my soil as I also have a mini heater running outside my tent in the garage.

I still havent gotten my seeds yet and those were the first things I ordered lol. Im waiting on a couple more things to come in but other than that, im just about ready to go!

I bought some mixed seeds from a friend of mind today. Attempting to germinate them now. Uploading pictures of the finished box. All it needs is to have the scrog installed just below the first LED strips which I am going to do some time soon. Let me know what you guys think!

https://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-medical-marijuana-growing/1137028-scotts-hyponex-potting-soil.html

Looked up your soil. Lots of people are againest it online. Bad things...but super soil would be good. Any hydroponics stores or nurseries near by?

Yea, Ill do a double check on the soil, will have to get more perlite too, its all pretty cheap though. Yea, I've got a couple hydroponics stores nearby, ill go by and check them out on my next day off.