Hey Guys, new grower here in Detroit MI area and I am looking for what pretty much amounts to an education on setting up and starting my first ever grow attempt. Haha, I know that is asking a lot but here is where I am at. I don’t have any experience growing at all. I have been doing as much reading and video watching as possible and have a few pretty experienced friends growing on larger scales I can go to for advice as well but other than that I am a true beginner. My hope is to grow somewhere between 25-36 plants (my legal limit) or better yet, simply have the goal of producing as much yield as I can out of this limited space. I am setting up in an attic area of my detached garage. The garage and room are well built and insulated with heat and central AC that are not currently ducted into this attic room but could be fairly easily if need be. The room I am working with is pretty restricted with a total size of 19.5 ft by 8 ft and very hight limited, being only 6 ft at the highest point and sloping down to the floor. One of the biggest challenges may end up being working in the room once it is set up as I will likely be on my knees or at the very least crouched pretty much the entire time. I plan on sealing the room off to be as airtight as possible and installing an intake vent at one end and exhaust vent at the other with a carbon scrubber attached to keep smells down and neighbors happy. The garage has full electrical but due to the existing loads I am fairly sure I'll have to install a whole new panel and all new electrical to the room before setting up. I have put in my share of outlets and switches and such but am looking for help with this or somewhere I can go to find good wiring diagrams or power calculators for this. I also have yet to decide the best way to effectively regulate the room temps on a long term basis and need some guidance here as well. I am hoping to get things off the ground within the next month and with the cool fall temps here in Michigan and heat generated from lights and stuff I think I might be right in the comfort zone without too much additional regulation for summer I will probably go with split AC and could possibly use space heaters for the winter or try and duct the air from the furnace in, however I don’t know if I could thermostat regulate it.
The most pressing questions I have at this time are number one, what is the best source or sources you can recommend as a pretty comprehensive guide for a beginning grower like myself. These could be either online or hopefully even local. I am ordering the growers Bible and I have just joined a number of forums as well as subscribing to you some YouTube channels. In regards to the room I am trying to set up I am really hoping that someone with experience growing in a height limited space restricted area like this can chime in and tell me what they think the best way to go about it is and answer questions such as:
I have attached photos of some very rough plans I drew up so far with estimates of 16 plants in 12” pots fitted pretty snug per side of the room for a total of 32 with 8 lights, 8 ballasts, two blowers, two dehumidifiers, 6 oscillating fans, light controller, thermostat, carbon filter etc. There is also a crowded pic so you can get some idea of the shape of the space I will be using. My budget is slightly limited at the moment and will probably end up being between 1.5 and three thousand to get started. I will very likely be able to find some good deals on used equipment in my area and the budget could be increased by another 2-3K if not more after the first cycle if things go well. That said, I am trying to do everything as professionally as possible with that budget, build a room I can continue to improve on and focus on as high of yields and as little maintenance as possible as well as minimal energy consumption costs. Thanks in advance for any help at all. I am hugely looking forward to becoming a member of the community here and embarking on what will surely amount to a lifelong journey into the world of growing.
The most pressing questions I have at this time are number one, what is the best source or sources you can recommend as a pretty comprehensive guide for a beginning grower like myself. These could be either online or hopefully even local. I am ordering the growers Bible and I have just joined a number of forums as well as subscribing to you some YouTube channels. In regards to the room I am trying to set up I am really hoping that someone with experience growing in a height limited space restricted area like this can chime in and tell me what they think the best way to go about it is and answer questions such as:
- How many plants do you think I can fit in this space and what might my yields be if I do
- How much equipment will I probably need to get started
- What size lights, ballasts, blowers, fans etc
- How should I go about laying things out?
- What should I expect for startup costs and time investment?
- What is a realistic weekly or monthly time budget to maintain and manage a grow like this?
- Any other good ones you think I should know the answers to
I have attached photos of some very rough plans I drew up so far with estimates of 16 plants in 12” pots fitted pretty snug per side of the room for a total of 32 with 8 lights, 8 ballasts, two blowers, two dehumidifiers, 6 oscillating fans, light controller, thermostat, carbon filter etc. There is also a crowded pic so you can get some idea of the shape of the space I will be using. My budget is slightly limited at the moment and will probably end up being between 1.5 and three thousand to get started. I will very likely be able to find some good deals on used equipment in my area and the budget could be increased by another 2-3K if not more after the first cycle if things go well. That said, I am trying to do everything as professionally as possible with that budget, build a room I can continue to improve on and focus on as high of yields and as little maintenance as possible as well as minimal energy consumption costs. Thanks in advance for any help at all. I am hugely looking forward to becoming a member of the community here and embarking on what will surely amount to a lifelong journey into the world of growing.
