So I just started prepping my grow room, which is an old playhouse that ended up becoming a backyard storage shed. It is already equipped with 120V electrical and has insulation underneath the shingled roof. The 4 vertical walls and floor are not insulated l, but that is what I am doing currently. I have NEVER grown before and have done a decent amount of reading and research on the topic. My grow space is somewhat Limited at least from a height perspective. The peak of the roof’s canopy is 77 inches. The height of the 2 walls before the roof extends up and over is only 60 inches or 5 feet. The floor measures 40 Square feet or roughly 7 X 6 feet. Initially I had planned on growing six plants three on each side with a walkway directly down the middle. However, after calculating the height of the pots in which I will grow in, along with the distance the lights will need to hang from the roof, would give me maybe three feet of height maximum. I had initially planned on doing the 3 and 3 with two HLG 550W LED lights. Now I am thinking it wiser to grow 4 plants in a 5 X 5 foot area with either two 600W LEDs or one 1200W LED. I want to use soil as my grow medium and I want to maximize yield but will only have about 5 feet of height. I have a supply list, but do not want to buy anything until after everything is air tight. ANY SUGGESTIONS PLEASE AS I AM A 1ST TIME GROWER. MY BUDGET IS NOT LIMITED BUT I WANT TO SPEND AS LITTLE AS I HAVE TO. TOP QUALITY AND HIGH YIELD ARE PRIORITY.
You can use some type of kitchen/bath caulking(which will be mold resistant) to seal anywhere you might think bugs or unwanted guests may get it in… Also have you thought about painting with a high gloss paint or lining your walls and ceiling with some type of a reflective material before moving your equipment in
Exciting stage you are in and good to read you have a supply list. Eventhough you have a flexible budget it might be wise to start writing down a solid plan, with a goal in mind. Just got my hands on some sour gelato grown in a hydroponic system that seemed to stay short and produce a decent harvest, I think it was just over 150 grams per plant. Just under 4 months from planting the seed to cured flower. You will probably also go for feminized seeds as you dont want to be picking out males. Have you thought of clones?
No I have not considered clones, but I do plan on using feminized seeds.
Yes I have thought of clones but for my first time I want to take it from start to finish. I am as excited about the whole process as I am growing and smoking my own medicine. I ordered an indicia mix with 3 strains from RoyalQueenSeeds 5 seeds for each strain and they are all high yield and short to medium height indicas. From what I have read it really all comes down to genetics. If you get a bad seed or mother seed to begin with it. Some of the best GSC I ever smoked was grown outdoors in Cali and had been grown the same way in the same spot for almost two decades. On the other hand the lights are important (the brand especially) Amazon has some cheap shit from China. I also read that it is important to NOT OVERFEED OR OVER WATER (less is more basically). They are living organisms and with that said I do not want to drown them or kill them. My main concern is will the California Lightworks 550 Solar System be enough light for 4 plants on a 40 square foot floor (even though I am only going to use half that space (most likely 16-25 square feet)
Hi @teddykrueger and welcome to the growersnetwork, great people here
If it were me, I would want to save a little bit of money on the lights, HLG are expensive for that model. (this is just my opinion)
You can save and get 2 of these (I own the 260w very happy)
For exhaust fans
https://www.acinfinity.com/duct-fan-systems-1/
I grow in a tent, so you will have to wait for others opinions on growing in a room
Piper do you think 2 of those lights will be enough wattage and footprint to grow 4 plants in a 5 X 5 foot area? I want to take advantage of my legal right to grow 6 mature plants, however, I think growing 4 plants in that height restricted space would be better…thoughts?
I’d do the plants in the middle like you suggested, with a full perimeter walkway that you can use for easy access to all the plants. Especially as you start, being able to get into the canopy and deal with each plant is important. 2 of those lights would work well for full cycle growing. Spend time and effort first to get your environment dialed in - imagine fixing a car in a properly outfitted shop versus in your driveway; they’ll both get the job done, but one end product will be much more enjoyable and overall higher quality.
What does the outside temperature and humidity do where you live? Will you need to heat or cool the space?
You should grow a short statured strain. I have a smallish closet in my kitchen that i grow in. Doing well with a strain from Dutch Passion Seeds called HiFi 4G. I’ll take a photo tomorrow, bloom week 4.
https://www.cannabis-seeds-bank.co.uk/dutch-passion-seeds-hifi-4g/prod_7767.html
GrowerMD on YouTube has a space similar to yours. If you do a single level of plants and follow his layout,I think you’ll have a great garden.
Or, your room could have a central aisle with a bank of plants on either side, giving you 2 grows of 2’x6’. That would require different lighting than what was suggested above.
Either way you layout the room, the first step is to make it a clean, waterproof space that can handle the temperature and humidity you need without developing any issues.
Are you going to use CO2? They sell a reflective film in a roll in the insulation department at Home Depot. Look at grow bags on Amazon, They are very light weight and drain better, I use 7 gallon and leave room on top to water. Buy an ozinator.
What is the ozonator used for. We are new and just building a room.
Fred I currently have 5 of the 5 gallon grow containers made of the fabric-like material containing a handle on each side of the bag. I was just wondering if this would be a better idea for the space I am using…AutoPot - XL System - 4 Pot direct from Growers House
Air treated with ozone then put through a UV air filter neutralizes scents from cannabis. Ozone alone can work for less smelly things, but it’s not strong enough or safe enough to use around plants and people on its own. These guys do a good job explaining the use of ozone and UV together.
https://www.ozonetech.com/products/uv-systems/uv-c-air-515
Rutlet
You can get ozinators in many sizes. They take the smell out of any room, car, apartment, wherever it is plugged in. The one I have now is vented into the exhaust of your room and is only used about 10 minutes twice a day. You can’t be in room when it is on as it takes one of the O’s out of the O2. Believe me when I say, If your growing cannabis, it stinks the last 3-4 weeks, no matter what anybody else says. Your exhaust will smell even with carbon filters. You are starting at a great time in history because you can buy almost everything you need at Amazon and Home Depot.It hasn’t been that way always. We even buy our coconut coir from Home Depot online only. Wonder Soil is better than soil Wondersoil.com check it out. Home Depot ships it free freight over 3 units. A unit will fill 3 seven gallon containers. Just saying if your starting from scratch, I covered my entire room in pond liner so I never worry about a water leak. We use Induction lighting 1200 watts in one room and 2000 watt LED in veg and clone room. Induction is more money up front but they last literally for ever no bulb replacement.
Virus-free. www.avg.com
I would look at 10 gal fabric bags. turn down the sides to about 3/4 the height and fill to about the top. this will give you the spread for the root system and still keep you lower pots for allow for growth of wider plants.Doing this will allow more water and nutes to the roots system with a larger root mass then 7 gallon pots. Then sog netting over the top to spread your canopy out to control height of the plants.Now you will veg a little shorter time letting your plants getting up to about 18" in height with some lst training before flipping them to flowering stage. With led lights running at night should help with the cooling off effects of night time temps.
@teddykrueger hi!! welcoming you;) sounds like a cool project. I have realized you will get to learn the environment and eventually see what works for your style! When you first set up, less is more since you can always add next time if you want to improve and see what is working:)
Cheers and good luck.
Yes. 5 gallon is good. Fabric is so much lighter and easier to move around.