First Time Growing... Journal...

[Dawgster]

I'm going to start with a vegetation room for now. I'm doing a perpetual system, 4 plants each harvest. Next month I will set up a flowering room.

 

Here's the stuff that I bought for now.

 

8 bulb 4 foot wide T5 fluorescent light

EBB Flow n Grow 12 bucket 2.5 gallon system (on the way, ordered them online)

Green planet nutrients for growing

Ecosystem Fan (Dont have a wall that can hold the fan, so I have to buy a standup fan)

PH Tester

PH Up

PH Down

Timer Meter

All the electrical HVAC stuff for lights.

 

In 3 weeks I will be getting flowering/bloom nutrients along with 1000 watt hoodlight, another bucket reservoir and pump flow.

 

 

Here's what my setup looks like right now. (In the picture)

 

What I'm planning to do is, get something to cover around the light for reflection. I dont know what so I'm hoping you guys would be able to help me.

 

Behind me is the furnace so I dont want anything near it.

 

I'm growing in the basement so I'm trying to get this done asap so it would grow during winter time.

 

More pictures will be coming soon once I get the clones and bucket systems.

 

Any advice would be helpful.

 

 

 

Thanks,

Dawg

[The Digital Nomad]

bare cement walls should be covered with plastic. You will have trouble controlling the environment because its not a room or tent - but looks like an open basement. Air drafts will cause microchanges in the climate you can't control.

 

instead of 1 - 1000 watt, I prefer 2 600watts, more room for more plants.

 

Signage, The Restricted Area sign will go on the basement door until you build a room down there. Basement door should be locked and only you can have access to it. If the laundry room is down there, its not exactly secure is it?

 

Wood to keep the plants off the cement floor.

 

you said your hydro system is 2.5 gallons??

 

DN

[DailyToker]

I'm sure you mean the plant buckets are 2.5gallon size right? The reservoir is much bigger correct?

 

I agree with Nomad, you need to build some type of room/enclosure for your grow. Head down to Lowes and pick up some

wall studs and 1/4" paneling and a door/frame/lock setup. Total cost should be under $100 for your grow size.

 

What type of power backup system do you have? If you don't have anything, I would invest in something pretty quick. You never know when mother nature can hit, or even some drunk take out your pole.

[Medcnman]

I prefer 1000 watt lights but ive seen beautys such as DNs with 600 and even some nice nugs from under a 400. Panda film is a great inexpensive way to cover your walls and add reflection without the worry of "hot spots". Just remember, with your furnace being close to your grow, it will most likely pull the odor from the room and distribute it evenly through your entire house. Like DT said, $100 bucks and build a seperate little lockable area. Preferably away from your furnace, unless odor isnt an issue. Basements can be breeding grounds for powdery mildew if you dont keep your heat and humidity in check. I keep the heat at about 80-82 and the humidity at a solid 45%. low humidity + high heat = powdery mildew! With this being your first grow, you will encounter many hurdles to jump over. Just pop back on the forum and explain what issues your having and you will get answers here. Welcome to the wonderful world of growing!! And best of luck too! Medcnman.

[Dawgster]

Sorry for not being specific enough.

 

My basement is huge with finished basement. This area is located in the corner of storage room with secured locked door. I'll try to take a picture around today.

 

For the tent, I was planning to cover around with plastic. But I'm heading to Lowe's to support the outer corner. I will make it act like a curtain but attached to wood pole support so no lights would be coming outside.

 

For the 1000 watt. I'm planning to get another light when my second vegetation is done. I saved up alot(pain in the butt with things going around me).

 

And yes, 2.5 bucket size with 55 gallon reservoir.

[Dawgster]

Thank you for advices. I can't wait to get started. More pictures coming this week.

 

And today for the storage room 360 degrees.

[The Digital Nomad]

Still line the room with plastic. You are creating a micro climate.

 

I also have three gauges - two electronic temp/hygro meters - both have inside/outside sensors - place the sensors and gauges in various parts of the grow room. This helps detect dead spots, or hot spots. My sensors are both high and low in the room. the third gauge is mechanical - it ensures the electronic gauges are honest. All gauges, while reading various temperatures in all those different spots - will behave in a predictable way. This is how you will 'baseline' or control your temps predictably. All the gauges, while not exactly the same temp or humidity, everyday, will read the same temp ranges in relation to the other sensors.

 

I can enter the room and watch the gauges react to my presence. All the gauges react as I expect when I adjust the air flow - I now have a way to 'measure' what is going on! I start all this with an empty room, because I notice that humidity and temp increases when it fills with a growing plant.

 

With the room air tight, temp and humidity controlled, you should be able to know what will happen in the room when you add cooler or warmer air. The plastic lining just keeps wood and cement from adding or subtracting temp or humidity. Its easier to clean plastic than wood or cement from mold spores and mites.

 

ditto for putting wood on the floor to protect the pots and resirvor from the cement floor - you do not want temp changes from the floor causing unpredictable temp changes in the pots or water temp.

 

All this was from my lab experience. We tried to eliminate as many factors or variables in a experiment. We establish a "baseline" - a picture of perfect health. set up, environment. Instead of worrying about testing for the baseline everyday - you just need to look for the anomalies. With a perfect environment that you can control, you can have control over the plants inside the environment.

 

I find many, many grows had problems - because they had no control over their environment. Too many people skimp on the grow room, too many people think of the plant, and not of the environment.

 

DN

[Dawgster]

I also have the thermometer and hygrometer. I am planning to cover that corner with plastic inline. As I was saying that I will make the plastic inline act like a curtain so I could enter to check to plants instead of being stuck from looking at my plants. Also the floor and the wall will be covered with the plastic as well. I already have the latex gloves and shoes nurse cover ordered. :x

 

* edit: I will be hanging the meters on the light to make sure the climate are controlled.

 

 

I do think about the climates. You and I were suppose to meet up at my house for breakfast. You had some reasons of not showing up. But I'm still waiting the email response from you. Lol.

[The Digital Nomad]

You are doing this the right way - using the community - as I am only one person. not feeling well for a week now.

 

Keep the sensors away from the lights. Plan on using rigid ductwork rather than the lame flexible ductwork. you will raise and lower the plants under the lights, the lights should be mounted to wood or chains. Rigid ductwork can deal with bends better than flex duct as they are smoother. Air has mass and 'weight' - use inline fans to pull, as that sets the air flow in motion. Pushing air, the fan does all the work. You want FlexFit tape, I know its $10, but its worth it.

 

DN

[Dawgster]

I have the threads that pulls the light higher. Trigger it to make it lower. I know I have to measure the lights 4 inch away from the light.

 

I tried to have the fans attached to the wall with 3 screws but it won't drill through. That's good I guess. So I have to get a fan that stands.

 

That's why I said I'm waiting for your respond. take your time to rest.

[The Digital Nomad]

yea for something like your lights to fall on your almost done flowering plants would suck, I do not recommend a crucial part of your gear be secured - with a string.

 

Stand fan is ok - thats your oscillating fan. You need a inline fan to connect to the ductwork for the lights - these will pull the heat from the lights and the air from the room. I use a 8" inline fan with a speed controller.

 

Then you need a smaller fan, a duct fan is fine - to pull air into the room. You need to refresh the air, as plants use up CO2 in ambient air - by refreshing the air, you are refreshing the CO2.

 

You got time, finish building the room. Once you have the perfect room, the rest is not so hard.

 

We'll work on clones soon, as I want a few for myself. Sativa dom of course.

(noone gets the Wonder Haze I grow sorry)

 

DN

[Dawgster]

Its a mesh string, I tested those string before I hooked my light. I hung onto it, it didn't stretch or rip.

 

How can you do inline without the hood light? I would like to know more about that because I'm setting up inline when I get my hood light in 3 weeks. Right now I'm using T5.

 

Thank you for the duct fan advice. I'll have to figure out where to place it because its really secured. Pictures of storage room will be up soon when I get home after I setup the plastic inline.

[Dawgster]

Full storage room pictures. I will be attaching the reflector right now.

[DailyToker]

Looks like a decent area. If you aren't growing in that ENTIRE area (under the stairs, etc etc) You need to create some type of structure. I think I read that you want some type of tent setup? If that's the case, you're moving in the right direction. Keeping that area open and growing in it will create multiple issues that will just set you back and end up costing more in the long run.

 

Personally for that space, I would still get some wall studs and box in your grow area (you don't need the normal 14" spacing as required for normal walls). You could use PVC tubing, and some people have. But for your size area I would stay away from it. Wood gives more attachment options (staples/nails/etc) vs. PVC which you are very limited.

For walls, you can use mylar or something similar. I wouldn't, but you can. I would still go with some 1/4" thick cheapo wood paneling for the exterior walls and then line the interior with plastic. You could do any style door on it since you can lock the entrance door to the room. You could even just do plastic with a sticker zipper. The point is to create an environment inside of an environment. (Like Nomad said, a Micro climate) For the ceiling of the grow space, I would get some insulation sheathing and staple it to the floor joists and then cover it with plastic. You want this area to be sealed like a tupperware container essentially. That way you control what comes in and goes out. Basements are GREAT growing areas if you take the time and money needed to properly set them up. Bare cement walls and flooring isn't proper obviously, and that's where a lot of people seem to skimp. Like Nomad said, people focus too much on what they think the plant needs. When in reality a properly setup grow room is both beneficial to the plant and grower.

 

Keep in mind I am far from a mastermind, and these are just suggestions based off what I would do in your situation.

If you want someone to help you build it or to bounce ideas off or whatever, let me know. I am more than willing to

help. Any chance I can build a grow setup I jump on it. Knowledge is power they say!

[Dawgster]

I got the reflector 80% covered. Half of the ceiling and the front door are missing. I was figuring out how to make a door. You gave me some nice ideas. Such as zipper door. Once its done, I'll take pictures. Alot of work is done and it looks great! I can't wait to get the work done. After that ill install the inline with duct tape. And then I'll be cleaning inside before I install the buckets and plant the beautiful plant. Pictures soon

[The Digital Nomad]

Well the T5 is not going to be too hot, so i am not worried about the duct work connecting to them, heat rises to the top, so lacking aircooled reflectors - the duct will remove air from the room near the ceiling.

When you buy your lights for the HPS/MH - get aircooled - either 6" or 8" hole is fine. I got the Easycool 8 and the Sunspot 8. Raptor is good too. aircooled lights just simplify things when it comes to removing heat from the lights. The open end of the reflector will remove air from the grow room. If you needed to add a filter, it goes in front of the lights. you build a frame, because a tent or plastic will be sucked inward.

 

Exhausted air<<<<inline fan<<<<<<<<<light #1<<<<Light #2<<<<<carbon filter--grow room air

 

You need to find a hole to exhaust the air outside, I see you have a brick window, you need to black out that window, knock out one of the glass bricks and install a dryer vent there. Your intake air will just be a hole cut into the grow room (about 7.5"x7.5") with a furnace HEPTA filter taped over it. I black out the intake vent with black plastic for light leakage. The intake air will be temp regulated because it is the inside of your home - you will have A/C in the summer, and heat in the winter. The inline fan will cause a negative pressure in the grow room - so all air will be pulled into the room - no stink.

 

The inline fan should have a fan speed controller ($20) I run my 590CFM 8" inline at low or medium speeds on regular days, I turn it up higher on hotter days.

 

Build your zipper flap on the 'door' to overlap, this kills light leakage.

 

DN

[jjbigs]

I got the reflector 80% covered. Half of the ceiling and the front door are missing. I was figuring out how to make a door. You gave me some nice ideas. Such as zipper door. Once its done, I'll take pictures. Alot of work is done and it looks great! I can't wait to get the work done. After that ill install the inline with duct tape. And then I'll be cleaning inside before I install the buckets and plant the beautiful plant. Pictures soon

 

I also have more room than god in my basement to grow in, but Im not new at this, this is my first grow, prob for the 10th time, and instead of making a perm grow room like i have so many times before, I went on ebay and many many hydro sites, I wound up buying a tent for my grow room and i will be buying another tent for my veg and mother room (clones of cours also but them can be put pretty much any where in the room with its own cheap stealth tite box! I found that the tents just were so much cheaper to do then building walls and buying doors and all the other stuff needed to make your room climate controled! tents for me are the best option at this time,,for my first grow again,,I got a tent 4'x 4' by 6.5 ft! has all the vent holes already in it, all i have to do is vent it to the outside to avoid some of the smell! your room looks great, a couple of 100 t0 180 buck tents will do wonders for you, I also bought a new 400/600 hps/mh switchable ballast that came with 2 600 watt bulbs, tent and one dwc system . now the rest I can get at my local hardware store of pet store. I have one more lite to get and im gonna be buying it today. one t5 4 bulb 2 fters,,that is all the lite i will need for both tents,,the first grow im gonna veg for 2 weeks and boom straight to bud, by the time this grow finishes i will have my veg tent here and up and ready to run, all total i will have no more than 500 into my equip for the first grow including nutes! Best of luck to ya, and dont forget there are other ways to adjust your ph level you dont have to pay for expensive additives for that, infact im sure you have what you need to lower or raise your ph level right in your spice cabinet in your kitchen!

[Dawgster]

Dn. I'm getting the vent setup when I have the flowering room ready. Right now I'm just focusing on vegetation. In three weeks, week before I move them to flowering, I will have the flower room ready by then.

 

The stuff you listed, I already had them but I was thinking about 6" inline.

 

I already have the ph calibration. So I'm waiting for buckets to come.

[Dawgster]

90% Vegetation Room / 100% Complete Done

Missing, Half Ceiling / Door for entrance - exit

 

Buckets arrived... 12 2.5 gallon bucket with 55 gall reservoir.

 

Electrician arriving tomorrow to move the wires and lightbulb thats in the middle of the room, can't attach to the ceiling with it in the way.

 

Pictures here....

 

Still working on it! 2 Days of work. Homemade

 

Any advice how to close the front to make it a door. Zipper lock is a good idea but any other ideas

 

*Edit: Moderator is there any way I can upload more pictures since 500k is the limit.

[Dawgster]

After many hours struggling. Plants are alive and well and curling its leaves up fast to the light. Astonishing views... saved from death... 1 rip leave. :'(

 

Anyways I got Cinderella 99 strain and Indiana bubble gum. Looking so good!

[The Digital Nomad]

yea - 6" is fine - but you might run it at higher speeds - more noise. I got the 8" from htgsupply.com 2 years ago, and it has not been shut off! The 8" with fan speed control will give you more power on reserve.

 

The door is a flap, you can construct this out of materials yourself - like the reflective stuff is thick enough. It over laps to kill light leakage.

 

I guess now it is time for me to come over!

 

DN

[The Digital Nomad]

Maybe run both soil and your hydro kit - if the hydro kit screws up, the soil plant could be your only harvest.

Replace reflective material on the floor with a dark color tarp. i will explain later. Use the reflective material for the door.

 

DN

[kruztydj]

You will have to get a good tri-meter if your doing hydro so you know where your ph and ppm/ec is at all times. Soil grow would have been much easier for a first time grow/grower. hydro can be very, very picky and without a GOOD tri-meter your gonna have problems. I prefer a sealed room verses a vented room as you can control the eviro better. Build walls out of wood and just paint the walls with flat white primer paint and seal all corners with caulking. A good a/c unit and r/h unit and you'll be able to dial the room in where ever ya need it. The dehum will run at night(lights off) only and will keep the grow space warm when the lights are down and the r/h right as at lights off is when it wants to climb the most. Lights on and a/c will control temp and r/h. Without co2 set temp for 79 degrees and 40%r/h for the bloom room. Veg is more forgiving so I wouldn't worry about r/h to much in veg. 50% and you'll be fine or anywheres close. Bloom room is the biz end of all grows so this room needs the most work and control. The more you can control the room the better your life will be. Without that control your gonna have issues period.

I can dial my bloom rooms in wherever I want to set it. I do run co2 so run my bl room temps at 85 degrees and r/h at 42%. With a sealed room and good a/c you will not need ANY venting nor hoods. Bare bulbs are always better as a vented hood no matter how well ya try to seal them will still pull your co2 out of the room. trust me I have cooltube, raptors and xxxl hoods and they all leak like mad. Toss the high dollar hoods and just run bare bulbs and let the a/c and dehum do the work that needs to be done.

 

But yes I know thats not the cheap way to go so if ya can't afford it then vent and spend the money on a good meter. Your needing that first in my eyes or we're gonna be trying to help you later with sick plants as hydro is not very forgiving. In hydro if ya get the ppms off or ph off or rez/water temp off then your gonna be hit.

[donnachris]

*Edit: Moderator is there any way I can upload more pictures since 500k is the limit.

 

Do not upload your pictures to your post here. You want to upload them to your gallery then post the first link on the right to your post here and the picture will show up.

[Dawgster]

DN, I sent u an email.

 

I don't see ED/PPM settings on the control bucket.

 

I will upload pics to gallery.