Yet Another New Guy Seeking Advice (T8 Closet Grow)

And too lazy to read the billion guides out there. Tried posting over in the general section, but I think its more suited for here. Hope nobody gets too mad..

I have only grown outdoors, aside from starting. So I am new to the whole closet thing. Honestly never realized you can grow decent buds without killing the electric bill...
So here is my plan.

Have a small walk in closet, with decent ventilation and an A/C vent. I have read on temps n such, so I know to keep the room around 75f, which will be easy until I decide to do better lights.

What I plan on using for now is 4ft 4 bulb T8, and growing in soil. I know the T5's are better, but right now its what I already have to use. How is it buying a T5? I cant seem to find local to pay cash, are they safe to order online?

Seeds are a mix, I have 5 from what was said to be Bruce Bannor, cant be certain but it was some killer. Also have a bunch of an unknown strain with a skunky smell. Will be ordering some different ones for next grow, but wanted to get this first experiment started.

Looking for advice on how many plants can that light handle? I'd like to have maybe 2ft - 3ft at the time of flowering, but thats just the plan, and I am open to suggestions. Size of the grow area will be a tad larger than the T8 4 bulb fixture, so about 4' x 4' and open at the top for ventilation. I was planning 4 - 6 plants, however I have seen vids & pics of more under the same light, so if I can I might as well ya know..

Also soil. I plan on using MG Starting Soil, and then transplant to MG 3 Month Nutrient. Hear such mixed reviews on MG so I figure just go with it. But if there is something else simple I can obtain at a HD or lowes Im open to it.

If anyone can post a link or two to a simple easy guide that would be cool. I know I can just google it, but would rather get one that someone has used and knows it works.

Last but not least, I may decide to go with HPS for flowering. So figuring that same space, what would I need?

You are basically asking us for a guide anyways...lol

T5's can be ordered online and picked-up at HD if they are out of stock, just found them on their website. I also buy bagged organic soil at HD for about 3 bucks a bag(off-brands), then I add mushroom compost, a bit of peat, perlite, and Epsoma Plant-Tone. All of which is also available at HD, it's cheaper and better than Scott's products.

That MG 3 month soil ur talkin bout has time release nutes in it correct, I wouldn't use it if I were u. I have read other posts with ppl that have used time release soils and the problem they run into is u cant control the nutes and they started getting nute burn but they couldn't flush their plants because adding water to the soil causes more nutes to be released, if ur lookin for sumptin inexpensive u can always use a reg organic potting soil, I found a good mixture i used with org. soil, perlite, vermiculite, worm castings, and lime. Ur basic mixture will be good so u don't need nutes for the 1st 4wks or so. And for when u do need nutes if u don't want sumptin expensive MG nutes r ok to start off a plant in veg.
And unless ur totally set on using T5 lights there r always larger cfl bulbs u could look into like 100w or even up to 200w. I don't wanna start a whole thing on here again but they say on the packages of like the 105w clf its equal to a 400w reg bulb, and they r around $20 or so I think, and I think they r used in photography alot also so if u know of a specialty camera shop near ya they might have like 85w or 105w, but if there is a hydro shop near u I find they usually carry like 125w and up for cfl, at least the ones near me.

Sunbiz1 said:

You are basically asking us for a guide anyways...lol

T5's can be ordered online and picked-up at HD if they are out of stock, just found them on their website. I also buy bagged organic soil at HD for about 3 bucks a bag(off-brands), then I add mushroom compost, a bit of peat, perlite, and Epsoma Plant-Tone. All of which is also available at HD, it's cheaper and better than Scott's products.

Click to expand...

LOL yeah, I guess I am.

Thanks for the tips on the soil. I just want to try and get the right soil mix for all stages.

As for the lights, I am planning on the 4' T5 from HD, however right now I have a 4' T8 to use. I am in a very populated city area, and shops of all kinds are plentiful, so if there are better bulbs to be had then the standard at HD I could use then thats great too. What types of T8 are recommended?

Sorry, I would just rather ask now, then be here in a few months asking why its not growing correct.

I am still reading about this, and gathering info so I have a decent understanding. Thanks for helping out

10acjed said:

LOL yeah, I guess I am.

Thanks for the tips on the soil. I just want to try and get the right soil mix for all stages.

As for the lights, I am planning on the 4' T5 from HD, however right now I have a 4' T8 to use. I am in a very populated city area, and shops of all kinds are plentiful, so if there are better bulbs to be had then the standard at HD I could use then thats great too. What types of T8 are recommended?

Sorry, I would just rather ask now, then be here in a few months asking why its not growing correct.

I am still reading about this, and gathering info so I have a decent understanding. Thanks for helping out

Click to expand...

You only need 1 mix for all stages, and it isn't an exact science when it comes to ratios...except for the Epsoma organic granule nute you mix in as well. I use approximately 2 parts base soil to 1 part compost to 1/2 part peat and perlite. I mix it all in 5 gal buckets, then water and let sit for a couple weeks. Now you're growing organically as opposed to using synthetics. I also use worm castings as a top dressing, that you can find at most garden centers but probably not at Home Depot. As for your lighting, I use mainly real sun and supplement with CFL's, so I can't really help you in the tube lighting dep't. I prefer CFL's b/c I can individually adjust each for side lighting etc....fixtures limit my height too much.

The only other nute I use is molasses mixed w/water.

I would recommend some dolomite lime to throw into ur soil mix there, not so much as a ph control measure but more cause it has alot of good stuff in it too that will help ur plants, u hear alot of ppl mention cal/mag def. in threads here the lime is a good source for both of em. Just as a preventative measure.

Sawxthis thread so scoured for my t8 closet grow image. This is a bagseed, said to be la confidential. This Plant was at around 4 weeks in flower (vegged for 6 weeks), topped, and LST'ed. I thought I uploaded a pic at around 8 weeks, but it must still be on my pc. If you want I will try to find it. Just wanted to show a plant can do just fine under t8 for the complete cycle. Final weight, dried and cured came up to 2.5 oz.

Edit: this was also grown using mg potting mix (time release nutes) and mg nutes for feed.

Thanks for the tips.

And DAMN! Thank you Grumpy, that makes me feel a bit better going forward. Could I ask what bulbs you used?

Sure daylight spectrum for vegging, kitchen and bath for flowering. During the first two weeks of flower, I had a mix of both for the transition.

Well I ended up getting lucky. Stopped at a local shop, having a sale on everything.
Got a Hydrafarm 4ft 4 tube T5 for the same price a T8 would have cost. Came with 6400k lights.
Also got some Flora grow, and happy frog jump start fertilizer.
PH tester... Have fans, seeds a germinating....

Will update when its together with pics.

Well plenty has changed since I first started, reading guides and getting tips from people has really helped.

I got everything setup, vented it very nicely and have good airflow. Temps under the light are about 80 now but thats with the light shining directly on the thermometer, and the rest of the inside is around 77.

Dimensions are a bit bigger than I originally planned, and I will probably swap the T5 out with a Sun System 2, at least for flowering, however I am thinking I might just go with the MH/HPS 250W switchable, pretty sure I can keep it cool from what I have gathered from folks.

My closet setup.
54"L x 24"W x 66"H
12" fan with 8" duct floor level intake
2 x 4" duct top exhaust
Currently Under Hydrafarms 4' 4 Bulb T5 (6400k)
Seeds: 3 x bag seeds of what was said to be Bruce Banner, unknown how or what is was pollinated with, got a oz and found 3 seeds in one bud, the rest seedless.
Seeds: + 5 x mixed bag seeds (should be interesting)
Soil: MG Seed Starting now, MG 3 Month next
Nute: FloraNova Grow
Temp: about 77 - 80
Humidity: ? (waiting for digi therm to get here)

I think my PH is off because they are slow growing, but my digi meter wont be here til the end of the week. Also I am waiting for my digi thermometer to come in, I have a feeling I will need a humidifier as well. Pretty sure the slow growth is from the Ph & dryness. However my soil Ph seems fine....
I will more than likely just let this first batch grow a few weeks and then go to a 12/12, being the strains are really unknown I dont want to mess around too much. I am still trying to work out my nutes & water. Get an idea of temps and such, work out the kinks and get my feet wet.

I have some Wonder Woman from nirvana on the way I will be using for my second grow, and planning on a ScrOG grow

Here are some pics. Not so stealth closet, but stealth enough for what we need.











.



Thoughts, Ideas and suggestions always welcome and appreciated....

Will be needing an inexpensive ozone generator to control the smell in the future, so if anyone wants to recommend one feel free.

Doing a journal now https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/537118-bruce-banner-bagseed-experiment-first.html

A humidifier? Don't u mean dehumidifier? How high r u tryin to have ur humidity at? If it is too high during flowering ur buds can start to develop mold and other such fungi. And idk if an ozone gen. and a carbon filter r the same but I if not a carbon filter might be a less expensive alternative, but u don't need to worry bout it till u get into flowering. What is ur humidity normally at where u live?

10acjed said:

And too lazy to read the billion guides out there. Tried posting over in the general section, but I think its more suited for here. Hope nobody gets too mad..

I have only grown outdoors, aside from starting. So I am new to the whole closet thing. Honestly never realized you can grow decent buds without killing the electric bill...
So here is my plan.

Have a small walk in closet, with decent ventilation and an A/C vent. I have read on temps n such, so I know to keep the room around 75f, which will be easy until I decide to do better lights.

What I plan on using for now is 4ft 4 bulb T8, and growing in soil. I know the T5's are better, but right now its what I already have to use. How is it buying a T5? I cant seem to find local to pay cash, are they safe to order online?
Looking for advice on how many plants can that light handle? I'd like to have maybe 2ft - 3ft at the time of flowering, but thats just the plan, and I am open to suggestions.
Also soil. I plan on using MG Starting Soil, and then transplant to MG 3 Month Nutrient. Hear such mixed reviews on MG so I figure just go with it. But if there is something else simple I can obtain at a HD or lowes Im open to it.

Last but not least, I may decide to go with HPS for flowering.

Click to expand...

you can find t5's at home centers. i like the kind i got from ebay. 129.USD for a 4'x2' panel....the thing is you don't get the penetration you'll need to grow tall plants. you have to keep the canopy very close to the light source. not possible with 3' plants. if i were you i would look into LST and grow in three gallon grow bags. that gives you plenty of room for a long root run and also keeps your canopy (the tops of the plants) nearer to the light. remember it's leaves that make flowers and you need to give those solar collectors plenty of light.
stay away from soil with time release nutes. for several reasons i can go into later. but you're asking for trouble you don't need if you're a new grower. you need to learn basic growing 101, soil biology 101 and harvest/cure 101...that's a lot to handle so keep your first couple grows simple.
you can do a whole grow in T5's. or in HPS. i like that better. but it's a personal choice and there are many ways of growing good buds.

A suggestion...
watch for root pests in the MG soil used indoors.
Even with highgrade soil at the hydro store, i look over the bags and the area they are in.

I second the carbon filter being more practical than an ozone gen.
If smell is a concern, go oversized. A slow pull on a large carbon filter works great.

Thanks for the reply's. As for the T8/T5 lighting part, I have taken some suggestions and will be going with a T5 to veg for now, just not able to edit my title.

I went with the MG soil because it was simple, I havent planted in the 3 month soil yet, and keep getting mixed suggestions, half say its fine they use it, others say dont.
I have read quite a few guides, so I may just do a mix with soil, composte, peat & perlight.
I would prefer to have control over the nutes anyway. I have FloraNova already.

As for a humidifier/dehumidifier is concerned, I am pushing cool air in from an air conditioned apt, so the air is generally dry indoors, however the climate I live in is warm n wet.
I am not sure what % it is at now. Waiting on the digital thermometer to get here as well as the ph meter.

I will look into the carbon filter. Smell obviously wont be a problem for a little bit, just wanted to be prepared.

From what I've looked up regarding humidity I believe u want it around 35%, and I think u don't want it over 55% but I could be totally wrong on that one, but pretty sure bout the 35% part. Just dont screw it up ya damn dead head!!!!! P.S there r no bears dancing around ur grow room its a flashback!!!




Only playin witcha.

dvs1038 said:

From what I've looked up regarding humidity I believe u want it around 35%, and I think u don't want it over 55% but I could be totally wrong on that one, but pretty sure bout the 35% part. Just dont screw it up ya damn dead head!!!!! P.S there r no bears dancing around ur grow room its a flashback!!!



Only playin witcha.

Click to expand...

If I stare into the T5's and then look into the reflective I see Jerry LOL.....
And its all good, Im here for fun, this is merely a hobby.


I read similar, I think 40 - 60% seems to be the area, higher during veg and lower during flower if possible. I dont know where I am at now so....
Im learning as I grow, literally. This batch isnt a critical grow, I just figure I may as well throw some plants in there while I get all the variables worked out.

Something about white haired, basketball shorts and pocket t shirt Jerry just cries for a ghost sighting.

In a cup of morning coffee, a dinner plate, reflector, whatever. It just works.

I picked up some purified water for them this morning, seeing some yellow tips on one, and slow growth all around, however they are sprouting a little more since the weekend and better than last week in the old box.

Bruce:



Bagseed:


One oddball with round leaves:



The last one you can see some yellow tips, which from what I read is too much nutes, so the purified h20 went through this am and will see how it goes...

Also I am picking up some Fox Farm Happy Frog potting soil to transplant into. Seems like a good premix, and its more affordable than mixing it myself.