Critique my design. Long time grower. First time indoor.

Hey, Im new to indoor growing. I have been doing outdoor longer than perhaps most of the users have been alive. I am that old hippy that sold out(sorry guys) but never put down the pipe. In no way am I expert. I just got an i-phone and had an intern help me out. Wouldnt it be great to hire a intern to build this for me? The best thing is its a tax write off! lol!


Here is the situation. I am middle aged grower businessman whose kids have gone to college. I like pot but hate hiding it in the backyard and dont want to do soil in the house(messy/wife). My wife gave me my sons old walk in closet to grow.(Almost worth paying for his college, lol). I bought a 4x4 tent, 6in Can fan(435cfm), hydro-farm 400w mh/hps ballast, hood and bulbs. This was a package deal off ebay for 250(I think a pretty good deal). However the hood is not air-cooled. So I am thinking about upgrading to a cooltube 600w Lumatek for 250 at the local store.So my plan is to have a 3x3 grow tray. I was curious how many plants could I fit there if I was to do a SOG. Also for my ventilation I was going to do Filter->Fan->Light(getting new hood hopefully tomorrow)-out of the tent. I would like to send my exhaust through a bathroom fan which is mounted on the other side of the closet wall.(closet share wall) What do you think about the exhaust?

O I am also getting Advanced Nutes Sensi series.
Help an old man out. I dont a ton about hydro or all these new strains. Still the best I ever had was at Woodstock. Any other old hippies out here?
Thank you to everyone.

Roughly 9 plants in a 3x3 area. The exhaust should work, as long as no one ever turns off the bathroom fan

Alright. So I found two offers that I want and need some help.

Offer 1. 600whps ballast with big kahuna reflector, and Hannah ec/tds/ph meter total 160.
Offer 2. Botanicare hydroponic system. Grow tray 42x32. Stand, pumps etc. A large bag of hydroton balls.Galaxy 400W HPS/MH electronic balast. with Bulbs both used only one cycle.Part a b Aqua Vega. total 150
What do you all think.
I changed my mind to doing a scrog instead of a sog. I met a friend and saw his SCROG and it looks so amazing and awesome. I have used tomatoe stands and things like that for outdoors and growing in my normal garden. However hydro scrog looks so clean.

What if I just made my own tray set up. 2x3 concrete mixing trays than a normal set up. I could then do perpetual. Then encase the tray in chicken wire almost like a I think I could acheive this for around 40 bucks. Which do you think is a better deal? This would be awesome because than I could grow two different strains in my flower tent at all times. Im not sure guys. Help a brother out. If you could only pick one which one would it be? I can afford both but also I want to stay on budget. I have a lot of hobbies so budgets have to be maintained.

Offer 1, the pen itself is 120, plus. Buy new, and better (assuming those are cheap) light bulbs, new and clean is always a plus for indoor growing, caus bugs are an issue

Its actually this one.http://htgsupply.com/Product-Hanna-pH-EC-TDS-Meter.asp

old hippie reporting for duty
my $.02? Offer 1 has the light you need/want.
A pH/tds meter is absolutely essential imo.
I like your thread. You sound like you know what you're undertaking. I send good thoughts your way.
ps I grinned at your parenthetic comment (messy/wife) Great visual!
cheers 'neer

Thank you both. Alright. So Im hearing option one. Thats what I wanted to hear. I thought about just doing strips. Then decided thats ridiculous. Its true about the wife. Shes wonderful fits me like a glove. (For gods sakes we met up on a bike trip across Europe biked from England to the Berlin Wall together) She does not like a mess though.

So one of my many hobies is wildlife hiking etc. I just got my wildlife card. Which means I can have most wildllife as pets or rehabilitation. We got it because my buddy who runs a wildlife refuge was about to put down a raccoon baby because of budget cut. The animal could not have survived in the wild as it was first raised by children. So I grabbed him. Not because i would have felt bad for the animal. Im selfish. I lways thought it would be cool to have a raccoon(just think to all the climates they can adapt to). And it is. It is effin unbelievable. That little guy is so cool. Its like a super clean monkey. I also have a skunk(daughter at college. He is like a cooler cat.). Anyways both are really well behaved like normal pets. The raccoon can open cabinets which is going to suck. However, now they are playing and have been for about 15 minutes. Its probably the coolest thing. A skunk and a raccoon playing in my house. BTW both are clean.

Im enjoying some of my buddys grape ape. Thats pretty good. I have been doing autoflowers outdoors for a while because they are easy to do year round. Pretty excited about the change back. I was thinking sannsies jackberry and the sativa mix. I could get clones from my buddy. However the one he is veggin now is great but finiky. My first run at hydro I want to do something stable. You can write to sannies and the breeder will write you back a personalized message. Its amazing. They know the profit is killer. I have used them before on my outdoor. Best customer service hands down.

Back when the president had the same name as a major car co, my momma volunteered for Audubon raising orphans. Mostly squirrels and possums, some baby birds, but the highlight was two litters of two raccoons each.
I was always impressed by the energy and intelligence of those animals. Fierce little boogers though! By the time they were old enough for release with a transitional nest box, I'd count several pair of jeans as casualties.
Good memories. Love the sounds the youngins made ... not unlike meerkats.
cheers 'neer

I hear ya. So what do you think about this. Bubble buckets. 6diy DWC buckets. They could be placed on a pieces of wood which would have small wheels so the bubble buckets could be moved around easily. There could then be individual screens mounted above the medium. This would mean that plants are now movable which seems to be the one big knock against SCROG. I know this isnt a new idea. Has anyone else done this? I was thinking this would be good because you can flower each plant individually.And then move into the next location. What do you all think of that idea?

Pepper, I am planning something very very similar. Same tent and lights. Since this is my re-entry into hydro after a long hiatus, I'm probably going to start with 1 plant, with ambitions to expand to 4 over time. If all goes well my 1st grow of the new era (lol) will be sort of the opposite of sea of green ... mound of green??
I really like your buckets-on-wheels. I realize you say the clones are finicky, but with 6 buckets I'd seriously consider dedicating 2 to the clones - a pheno where you know what's what ... and the remaining four to your seed strain(s) of choice. If a pheno disappoints ... or if a seed yields a mother of uncommon bodacity ... you can cull the runts and dedicate your light and space to the proven performer.
If you have your winners and ... others ... sorted by the end of veg, SCRoG should still work. I'll admit I'm winging it on this one, as I've never screened my former planties. But after a few weeks of devouring grow reports, it *should* work. Of course, I encourage you to gain the opinions of those who have some experience to season their enthusiasm!
I will send good thoughts your way!!
cheers 'neer

Alright update. So I got thebig kahuna hood and 1000gph submersible pump for $50. Someoneelse bought the 600w before I could make it down there as well as the hannah meter. So that was a bummer. Also my tent ripped while putting it together. The tent ripped because the poles were to long for the tent. I believe it was a manufacture error. The tent was suppose to be 48x48. The polesput together measured to 49x49. The mylar fabric was 45x47. I believe the seller will take full cost and send me a new one. Its what he said he would do as long as I leave a positive comment. Which I plan to do.I think it was just a error. He said he would take care of it and he is a top rate seller.

So my Closet runs hot. I just turned on the 400w with the glass hoodnon air cooled (Not the kahuna thats tomorrow). Temp is 80 however this isnt hooked up to any real venting. Should I still do hydro if I cant keep my temps under 77?

crushedredpepper said:

my Closet runs hot. I just turned on the 400w with the glass hoodnon air cooled (Not the kahuna thats tomorrow). Temp is 80 however this isnt hooked up to any real venting. Should I still do hydro if I cant keep my temps under 77?

Click to expand...

I would still do it. I've been growing hydro for a while now and my babies get big (5-6ft avg). Venting is pretty easy to do with a couple of PC fans and some home clothes dryer vent hoses. Considering the grow space that is the option I would use. Also might want to look at making a DIY carbon scrubber to help keep the odor down if you think it will be a problem. Other than that I send good thoughts your way my friend. Happy growing.

I already have a carbon filter and 6in inline fant. Thanksfor the advice. What type of hydro do you use. Can anyone one answer whether ebb and flow and is more efficent use of nutes than DWC. Is this correct?

I use DWC personally. I think it is just a matter of preference and grow space as to which one people choose. I have friends who use ebb and flow and also aeroponics. I even saw a 5ft plant grown in a topsy turvy lol. I just use DWC because it's pretty easy to deal with and allows for a lot of give and take if you do it right.

Hm. Interesting. It seems that 5gallon bucket DWC would #number the limit of plants you could have. Which would be great from SCROG. However if you wanted to do a SOG you would not be able to do so. Could you do an 24(two rubbermaid tubs with 12holes) DWC in a 4x4. With a tray system(roughly same cost DIY) I could do a sog with multiple strains(I love the variety), as well as do a couple of large SCROG. Is this correct? So is ebb and flow flexible. It seems though DWC would be easier as the water offers a little more buffer. Is this true.

I started looking at aeros-ystems. Its dangerous to even look. It looks easy. However, Im sure it isnt. Maybe after a couple of hydro. So is there a place cheaper than discount-hydro.com. I haven't found a place.

I use 3 gallon buckets with 5in net pots in my build. My grow area is pretty large but I do limit the amount of plants I grow. I've never done a scrog grow because of my open grow area. I've thought about a SOG grow but I like where I am now. Considering your grow area a 24 DWC in a 4x4 area SOG could be done. It'd be a little work, but work = reward in this business. I'm not very versed on Ebb and Flow to be able to tell you about flexibility and such. Aero is pretty scary but I hear it's fantastic once you get the hang of it. I enjoy DWC because it is pretty flexible in my experience. As long as you watch your pH, ppm, and temp they grow big fast.

As for where I buy supplies, I try to use the internet only when I have to. I have some local shops that are decently priced and in this economy helping those close to you always give great karma and great returns in your grows.

So listen to what I just found. Well hold background story. I think its worth it.

So in college I was growing a couple of huge field with my only roommate on his his families abonded tree farm(middle of nowhere and in those days no one cared especially where I was). With that money we paid for rent and tuition tuition and a plane ticket somewhere. We then worked to pay for food and save for travel. So we biked across Europe twice and Biked parts of south america. This to us was like being Louis and Clark biking across South America. No internet. Man that was so much work planning a bike trip in South America. Was it safe etc. We had no idea. We used the schools communications dept to contact people abroad to find out info. We biked to where the Manchu Pinchu starts then(hide our bikes) then hike the rest of the trail. Once during college. Second a couple of years ago. He moved to Australia(Gold Coast) for work after college and I backpacked then started working. We visited each other mulitiple time. He is the godfather of my kids visa versa. So over the years we both started growing for personal. He had some crazy seeds from australia he said that were incredible.

So here is the crazy part that was in '10(Mid-fall). When we parted he had to bike another 200miles to the airport. I took another flight. We parted. I get home. My wife tells me he died 40k (1.2hrs) from his cross European destination. Hit by a car. So I started looking at photos. He gave me a framed photo of us when we parted. I picked it up. And saw a little white sheet of paper just sticking out of the frame blending in with the paper backdrop. I took the photo and I saw a note that said "Australia's finest-T" with 4seeds in a dime baggy taped to the back.


This could be one of the most amazing things to happen in while. With this a year anniversary coming up.

This happened last night.I thought you some people might enjoy that.

I just put in for a early retirement(yesterday) in April then doing consulting on the side for a couple more. Boom. Kids save young it just builds. Grow your own. You'll save a ton of money. So today I took a half day. Hit a bowl of some of a friends homegrown and ya. I'm so excited to see what is going to happen with these 4 seeds. I want to throw 1000 usd more to make this grow super clean to ensure these genetics are not lost. I am sure someone somewhere has better genetics, sentimental value is priceless. Here is what I have been thinking. R/0 Filter(75 off CL), 1/6Water Chiller(190 CL) CO2 system(tank still half full 150) and maybe an AC unit. Is there anything esle I can to do to make it perfect. This way I could dial in the environment absolutely perfect for the plant. Perfect water temp, pure water, Air temp, humidity, with more than enough light. With retirement coming up I know I'm moving not sure where for In CO, the state I love is currently has a terribly housing market, which means cheap houses and property. (thats where we grew, back then nobody was there). It was his families farm that was pretty much used for hunting. Im sure his uncles knew. They didnt seem to care. We would camp out about 2 months out of the year. The kids have moved out. So Im pulling up my stakes too!