Hey all!
So, I am looking for any helpful input I can get.
I am setting up a 2x4x5 grow tent…
Planning on starting some seeds in soil under t5 fluorescent. Switching to vypar spectra 450 led when they get big enough.
Basic nutrients (probably home depot/local garden center), hand watering, scrog method grow.
I am doing this in a basement bedroom. Humidity generally runs pretty high. I have a 50 pint dehumidifier, also space heater (oil filled radiator style) to keep the room temp up.
Plan on using a 6" vortex fan into a carbon scrubber, vented out the window. Inkbird controller for heat and humidity.
Will have the fan and carbon filter outside the tent to save space.
This is my first grow and I want to go at it with a smart approach.
Get a bigger tent(4x4) will give you plenty of room.Even keeping fans and filter outside there not much room, losing a foot+ with just pots and raisers.
6" is overkill for anything under 10x10. positive and negative air pressure are your friend
Keep the pots off the ground(harbor freight fatigue mats) foam, carboard. something other than cool,concrete/hardwood
Looks good! Try do get a good 2 or 3 parts nutrient, way easier to feed proper ratios and stable ph. À la general hydroponics
Look up a tech called mainlining(not for autos), similar to scrog.
And 6" may be overkill for a 2x4 but look at it this way… you’re ready for when/if you expand
The only “negative” effect could be more noise than necessary and it could lower your humidity.
Kudos for wanting to grow your own, if you have any questions, fire away
Ps try to ask for samples of a known quality nutrient line at your local hydro shop
Start off with a strain that’s mold resistant if you have high humidity.
Top your plants so you don’t get giant cola’s, to reduce chances of mold and increase yield.
For water only soil I recommend certified organic soil, if you open the bag and it smells like chemicals then that’s not it. Real organic soil should smell nice, like a forest after rain, and a little bit sweet and be a little greasy to the touch.
After getting real natural soil you can mix it with all kinds of stuff you can find for free like horse manure, nettles, dandelion, thistle, grass clippings, tree leaves, kitchen scraps, etc. Doesn’t cost you anything.
If you insist on spending money you can get powdered seaweed, basalt, hemp seed meal, malted barley, …
Also cover crops / green manure such as vetch, sowed in the same pot as your cannabis, and cutting down the vetch when it starts flowering will help with nitrogen availability.
Look into no-till gardening / permaculture. Much info to be found that can save you a lot of money.
Geoff Lawton has taught me a lot. The beauty is that in this way your soil keeps getting better and better.
Awesome replies everyone!!
I am furiously taking notes and making a shopping list
Will need seeds at some point and would love some recommendations…but I really wanted to have everything prepared and ready to go first.
I have attempted half-assed grows a couple times in my younger days and they were a ridiculous disaster, as one would expect!
There is an old saying “when you fail to plan, you plan to fail”…I can relate.
Thanks for all the tips!!
Probably best to choose one method OR the other, to start off with.
When shit goes wrong it’s much harder to troubleshoot when you mix several methods together.
You can always change or add something later on.
Regarding seeds, depends what effect you are after and what method you choose.
Strains that have been bred extensively and exclusively on hydro don’t perform that well in soil, but, after a few generations in soil they will adapt. So there’s that too.
Welcome, btw, it’s always good to have more grow journals, spread the love and experience!
I tend to overthink everything…this is no different, I am sure.
Not sure how I came across as going between methods…? Seeds in dirt…water with some basic nutrients…supply appropriate light and ventilation.
If I am going down the wrong path in my thinking, someone please tell me
There’s many different types of dirt and nutrients. You gotta read the ingredients very carefully and question the manufacturers, because they’re after your money.
There’s organic nutrients, and there’s synthetic nutrients, they feed the plant in two completely different ways.
You can grow completely organic, no-till, sow in the same pot over and over, never taking your soil out, only harvesting and adding topdressing.
You can grow completely hydro, in water, with organic or synthetic nutes, a mix of both probably exists too.
And the inbetween is growing in coco coir, or sterilized organic soil, and feed liquid nutrients, which again, can be either organic or synthetic.
There’s all manner of combinations and inbetweens going on, everyone on the planet doing their own thing. Underground cannabis growers have done a lot for the advancement of agriculture.
Ok, I will choose my soil carefully. Would like to keep things as organic as I can.
I have a speed controller for my fan, so I should be able to keep the hurricane effect to a minimum!
Once I get it all together I will make sure to journal it all on here
