New Grower Planning Out My First Grow

[ThaGreenBandit]

Wzup, AFN? Laying out the plans for my very first grow, and I'm hoping to get some guidance that will lead me to many sticky, sweet smelling buds. I've got a bunch of questions, so please feel free to offer any advice you may have.
Here goes: My plan is to use a homemade hydro setup (http://www.rollitup.org/do-yourself/498833-bubbleponics-made-easy-diy-bubble.html) I found on another site a few years back, and I will start off with three plants in a 4'x4'x6.5' mylar tent. I've heard of plenty of good stuff about LED light, but it's still kind of confusing to me, especially when it comes to customized spectrums. That being said, was wondering if this set of LEDs (http://growblu.com/120x3w-apollo-led-grow-light) would be sufficient for what I'm doing? As far as circulation goes, I was told that a PC fan would be good enough for pulling air in, while a 4" inline fan hooked up to a charcoal filter would handle exhaust. I will also have a fan blowing directly on the plants. is it necessary to run all 3 fans 24-7? Also, is a humidifier necessary, and if so, how often should I run it?

 

[Twigglius]

Hey Bandit, I swear whatever you end up doing now you will end up tweaking haha at least I did....started with all t5s, then added a BS240 for flower then ultimately landed on the GN MS0006, all in about 4 months.

Anyways, if I could do it all over again here would be my tips.

Lights - I think going with two lights each at a lower power is the way to go. If you have multiple plants two lights will make it tons easier to make sure you can adjust light distance if some plants get much taller. Me, and a lot of people on the forum, have gone with GrowNorthern LEDs, check out the GN forum here to see some in action, but I think 2 MS004 would do you right. Our even 2 Blackstar 240s.

Fan - I don't know you really need any fan pulling air into the tent, just having some vents at the bottom, most tents already have then, will create good passive airflow. Then you just need the main extraction fan and a good carbon filter. I emphasized his carbon filter because I bought a cheap one that stopped working really quick. I just got a carbon filter made by Phresh and this thing is amazing, absolutely no trace of smell.

The other thing to keep in mind is make sure you're fan is not too powerful for the filter, if it is then the air will pass too quickly through and won't scrub all the smell.

Humidifier - get a good thermometer and hygrometer and monitor the grow space when you first start, if the RH is too low it's an easy fix to go pick up a cold air humidifier.

Just my "My 2 cents". Good luck!

 

[late]

The rule of thumb is 50 watts/sq ft. So 16x50=900 watts.
So in HPS, a 1000 watt would be perfect. You can get LED,
but you have to be careful, ask in the LED forum which one to get,
the good ones seem to be expensive.

I would suggest doing your first grow with soil. You have a lot to learn,
and soil is a lot more forgiving than hydro. You can grow a lot of pot in soil.
That will also slow down the spending a bit. You can move things along with
liquid nutes made to use with soil. I have been using the General Organics GO Box,
it's not expensive and would get you started.

You don't need an intake fan. A good exhaust fan will take care of your needs.
You do want a small fan or two to circulate air around the tent, but it doesn't have
to be directly on the plants. Once the plant gets big, it won't be a problem, but you
don't want to stress the plant with a nonstop wind when it's small. You run the fans 24/7.

Here's a small, cheap device that will track temp and humidity. It's not all that accurate,
but it doesn't need to be. You simply want to avoid extremes of heat or humidity.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013BKDO8/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I might have some more suggestions once we get a better idea of where you're headed.

 

[ThaGreenBandit]

Thanks for the advice, Twigg. The two lights makes perfect sense, and I will definitely keep the advice about a good carbon filter. Ever made your own, and if so, how did it work?

 

[wg]

Welcome brother! I merged your two posts and consolidated the replies for you.

The carbon filter suggestion is a good one and typically home made ones work good for low to moderate odor strains with only some removal of odor past that. If you grow "loud" then I'd recommend a quality carbon filter made by CAN, Phat or Phresh.. The $100 you'd spend on a room that small for a filter, $165 with a fan, is far less than the fines you'd be levied if you got caught (and the jail time if you're doing it in a state that strict).

Go with two to four Grow Northern MS006's, you'll destroy that little grow area with 4 and get a great yield.. otherwise, go with two and get a a pretty good yield but realize that your outer edges will not have the same success as the inside. You'll still get intense overlap with two and shady edges, with 4 you'll get more consistent overlap and your edges will prosper. Another alternative is to get a lot of flouros for the edges so that they get a good amount of light as well. With an area that big, if you went HID you'd need at least a 600W HPS and even then your outlying canopy will suffer. 1000W as noted by another user is much more realistic - so in comparison you'd need about 6-700W of LED to compensate.

Going with a makeshift hydro set up on your first grow?... That's a bit tough brother and we'll be here to help you along the way but the hydro expertise here is limited. There's a few good DWC runners here though, without a doubt. I'd build a bucket and play with it before I started my plants though, I highly highly recommend this to you !

@twig & late: Great info brothers, have some reputation!

 

[ThaGreenBandit]

Thanks for the help, Goodie. Kinda srewed up when submitting the thread, and wasn't sure how to correct that. Good save! Awesome advice and I will definitely take it all into consideration, especially about the lights and air . Been reading about growing 'dro for several years, and the curiosity has finally gotten the better of me! I know using a homemade setup is gonna be a daunting task, but with all the help on this site, and plenty of reading and planning, I just gotta give it a go. The challenge is so tempting! Then again, I just may go with soil first. I was always taught that a hard head makes a soft ass...

 

[ThaGreenBandit]

will the oscillating fans, and the exhaust fan be ran 24/7, or just the oscillating fans, with the exhaust fan on a timer?

 

[wg]

Exhaust fan 24/7 and oscillating can be on a timer but typically 24/7 as well. You want air to be cycled out of the room pretty consistently, moving the air helps the plants to stay healthier. Exhaust 24/7 especially though because of odor issues. If the exhaust isn't running, the carbon filter isn't working! :thumbs:

 

[ThaGreenBandit]

Thanks, WG. I've been eyeing this 20lb co2 tank on craigslist, but with the space being so small, would it be a sensible investment, or would the constant movement of air in a 4x4x6 box provide sufficient co2?

 

[pop22]

Thanks for the help, Goodie. Kinda srewed up when submitting the thread, and wasn't sure how to correct that. Good save! Awesome advice and I will definitely take it all into consideration, especially about the lights and air . Been reading about growing 'dro for several years, and the curiosity has finally gotten the better of me! I know using a homemade setup is gonna be a daunting task, but with all the help on this site, and plenty of reading and planning, I just gotta give it a go. The challenge is so tempting! Then again, I just may go with soil first. I was always taught that a hard head makes a soft ass...

Well I'm a noob, but i don't see what's so hard about DWC. Less work than soil it seems to me. watch your res temp to keep fungus out, ph your water properly, and add some nutes! I fuss with mine every day, but you know, I could go away for a week and it still would be fine, try that with soil!