anonymouscoward
Active Member
Hi guys. Newbie here, about to setup my first grow room. I have been looking to do this for, oh about 4 or 5 years now and things have finally come together so I can go for it. I have a huge, old house with a few different options on where to setup shop - I'd like to run some ideas past you guys and see what you think. I am a bit unsure of how much wattage I need and also how much height I need for each stage. Your experienced advice is welcome and greatly appreciated!!
First off, my expectations. I am in this for quality bud first! Every other priority I have is second to growing the highest quality stuff I can. That being said, I would like to: 2) Harvest a portion of my plants every 30-45 days and 3) Yield at least 8-10 ounces each harvest. 12-16 ounces or more would be great, but not necessary. I hope to achieve all three of my goals so I can personally enjoy the best bud I can possibly grow, while also making a nice chunk of change every harvest.
Now, my house. I have four possible places to locate a room. My house has a basement that's about 5.5 feet tall, an attic with slanted ceilings about 7 feet tall in the center, another (better hidden) attic with slanted ceilings about 6 feet tall, and a detached 3-bay garage with tons of room and 10-12 foot ceilings. I expect my operation to be a bit noisy with cooling and such, so the garage is kind of a last-resort option that I will only take if I really need that kind of height.
Next, my plan. I am still trying to figure out what size and how many ballasts to buy, so let me know if I'm way out of line here. With the three goals I have in mind, I'd like to start with a 240v 600w Lumatek, 6" air cooled hood and a MH bulb. I would like to start cloning and vegging in my basement ASAP - will the 5.5 foot ceilings + 600w MH bulb be too short for this? It would be nice to vent all of that hot air from the bulb and ballast to the rest of my basement, which stays frigid during the winter.
We would like to get started with that ASAP like I said. I figure that gives us 30-60 days to prepare a flowering room, which I would prefer to put in either attic. Again, I don't know how much height I need for plants + clearance + bulbs, so your input will help me decide: 6 foot tall attic or do I need 7 feet? Both attics are slanted, so the height drops a bit on the sides. I have enough room for an 8 foot x 4 foot area, which I think is more than enough to hit my target - is this too much room, not enough, or pretty close??
We plan on building a sealed flowering chamber, framed with flat-white painted particle board. I expect to mount a window A/C unit on the side to control temp + humidity. I am trying to decide how many HPS lights I need, and how strong they should be. I want one or two 600 or 1000W Lumatek + HPS, and would like to error on the side of a little too much light rather than not enough. For my target yield, sq footage and ceiling heights, what do you recommend? We plan on running a (30/50/60 amp??) 240v line to a sub panel in the attic, so we will have plenty of 240 and 120 voltage on hand as required.
So what do you guys think? Will my 5.5 foot tall basement be enough height to clone, veg (and possibly mother) to begin with? Should I go with my 7" attic or the better hidden 6"? What size should I plan my grow chambers, and what sized lights should be installed?
Again, thank you for sharing your experienced advice.. In 4-6 months I will try to do the same!
First off, my expectations. I am in this for quality bud first! Every other priority I have is second to growing the highest quality stuff I can. That being said, I would like to: 2) Harvest a portion of my plants every 30-45 days and 3) Yield at least 8-10 ounces each harvest. 12-16 ounces or more would be great, but not necessary. I hope to achieve all three of my goals so I can personally enjoy the best bud I can possibly grow, while also making a nice chunk of change every harvest.
Now, my house. I have four possible places to locate a room. My house has a basement that's about 5.5 feet tall, an attic with slanted ceilings about 7 feet tall in the center, another (better hidden) attic with slanted ceilings about 6 feet tall, and a detached 3-bay garage with tons of room and 10-12 foot ceilings. I expect my operation to be a bit noisy with cooling and such, so the garage is kind of a last-resort option that I will only take if I really need that kind of height.
Next, my plan. I am still trying to figure out what size and how many ballasts to buy, so let me know if I'm way out of line here. With the three goals I have in mind, I'd like to start with a 240v 600w Lumatek, 6" air cooled hood and a MH bulb. I would like to start cloning and vegging in my basement ASAP - will the 5.5 foot ceilings + 600w MH bulb be too short for this? It would be nice to vent all of that hot air from the bulb and ballast to the rest of my basement, which stays frigid during the winter.
We would like to get started with that ASAP like I said. I figure that gives us 30-60 days to prepare a flowering room, which I would prefer to put in either attic. Again, I don't know how much height I need for plants + clearance + bulbs, so your input will help me decide: 6 foot tall attic or do I need 7 feet? Both attics are slanted, so the height drops a bit on the sides. I have enough room for an 8 foot x 4 foot area, which I think is more than enough to hit my target - is this too much room, not enough, or pretty close??
We plan on building a sealed flowering chamber, framed with flat-white painted particle board. I expect to mount a window A/C unit on the side to control temp + humidity. I am trying to decide how many HPS lights I need, and how strong they should be. I want one or two 600 or 1000W Lumatek + HPS, and would like to error on the side of a little too much light rather than not enough. For my target yield, sq footage and ceiling heights, what do you recommend? We plan on running a (30/50/60 amp??) 240v line to a sub panel in the attic, so we will have plenty of 240 and 120 voltage on hand as required.
So what do you guys think? Will my 5.5 foot tall basement be enough height to clone, veg (and possibly mother) to begin with? Should I go with my 7" attic or the better hidden 6"? What size should I plan my grow chambers, and what sized lights should be installed?
Again, thank you for sharing your experienced advice.. In 4-6 months I will try to do the same!