Indoor Grow Tent set up

bobvilla777

bobvilla777

Well-Known Member
Sup guys! been doing some research and I finally have enough saved up to buy my materials to start my first grow! :eyesmoke:

I just wanted to run my setup by everyone and make sure i have everything covered.
Also, if anyone has comments/suggestions on how to make things cheaper for me, that would be much appreciated. Also, I would of course like to know if i missed anything!

Mylar grow tent (36"x20"x62" or 3'x1.67'x5.17') 54.95
400w HPS/MH (bulbs, cooled tube reflector, electric ballast, hangers, timer) = 161.49
Inline fan/carbon filter combo (440 cfm) = 120
ducting = 14
6" clip on fan = 20
FF ocean forest soil = 21.95
BMO nutrients = 25 (35 after shipping)
ph testing kit = 13
Acurite Indoor Humidity Monitor = 12.50
3 - 3 gallon pots = 9

Total = about $462

Anything i missed in this checklist?
Anything i could improve?

Im trying to grow no more than 3 plants at once.. most likely from seed.

I am trying to keep setup and running costs (electricity/maintenance) at a minimum.

Thanks in advance for any help! I love this forum! hahahabongsmilie
 
JerryGlass

JerryGlass

Member
Don't forget saucers for your pots. I would spend a little more for a good pH tester. Some perlite to mix with the FFOF. A 7" dome and propagation tray to start your seeds.. maybe a seedling heat mat. Maybe not. A good power strip. A hand sprayer. Some aphid traps are nice to have around. Plant ties, bamboo stakes, plant tags, pruning shears, neem oil, something to measure nutrients (cylinder, syringe, etc.), something to mix water in (rope tote, trash can, etc.).. and other stuff.. i'm sure i'm forgetting.. Hope this helps! :)
 
bobvilla777

bobvilla777

Well-Known Member
JerryGlass said:
Don't forget saucers for your pots. I would spend a little more for a good pH tester. Some perlite to mix with the FFOF. A 7" dome and propagation tray to start your seeds.. maybe a seedling heat mat. Maybe not. A good power strip. A hand sprayer. Some aphid traps are nice to have around. Plant ties, bamboo stakes, plant tags, pruning shears, neem oil, something to measure nutrients (cylinder, syringe, etc.), something to mix water in (rope tote, trash can, etc.).. and other stuff.. i'm sure i'm forgetting.. Hope this helps! :)
Click to expand...
Thanks! I would have been running back and forth for this stuff because all of this completely skipped my mind! lol
 
bobvilla777

bobvilla777

Well-Known Member
grower834 said:
While setting up indoor tent,focus on proper framing.You just place the roof supports across the top pipes. Be sure they fit well onto the supports, since these will hold lights and fans in addition to the tent fabric.


​
Click to expand...
ok will do! The tent im buying comes in a package, so hopefully it has good support. It got good reviews on amazon but I will have to test it out on my own.
 
iloveweedallday

iloveweedallday

Member
what seeds you gettin???? :) you're set up should be pretty good.. Heat will be an issue... angle ur fan towards ur light.. unless u got a cool tube then ur all set !

smoke all dayyyyyy yo ;)
 
bobvilla777

bobvilla777

Well-Known Member
iloveweedallday said:
what seeds you gettin???? :) you're set up should be pretty good.. Heat will be an issue... angle ur fan towards ur light.. unless u got a cool tube then ur all set !

smoke all dayyyyyy yo ;)
Click to expand...
Yea sorry I forgot to put that in there, The reflector is a cool tube, so id just hook the fan up to run right through it! :)

The strains im looking at getting are:
dutch passion skywalker
greenhouse train wreck
greenhouse Super lemon haze
G13 labs pineapple express
g13 labs blueberry gum
Nirvana AK48

Any other suggestions on strains? Im open to trying any strain!

Keep blazin!
 
sparce

sparce

Member
Just a sugestion that you use 5 gal pots or bags ( my favorite) so your plants have plenty of room to grow. Bags allow for more areation also, even the plastic ones If you are going with only three plants at a time I figure you want them to be as big as possible and they may become stunted in those 3 gal pots. Looks like you've done your homework though.
Good luck and have a great grow.

Oh, yea someone mentioned the heat issue. I keep my house 70-71 degrees. Still I had to get a window AC and run my 12/12 at night to keep my 4x4x8 tent below 80. That's with a 4in exhaust and a 12 in circ fan.
 
D

drfromby

Active Member
The best way I found to keep the heat under control. I run (2) 600W HPS in a 4x4 - I really need a much larger tent for this.. but it's what I have now and I needed them both to penetrate a rather dense canopy. I took 8" of Duct between the two 8" Hoods then then I exhaust them both out the tent and out the room. I run the 8" Duct right into a 2nd bathroom - across the a small hall and blow right into a can filter. I'm using an 8" CAN FAN to suck air through both HOODS - out the room. I have central air conditioning and I absolutely did not want to put another air conditioner in the tent room. I will say that in intake fan is absolutely necessary if you want good air flow and cooler temps in your tent. Period - I have a 6" fan that I hung right next to my window from the ceiling with hook and bungee cords. Now get this .. It just so happens that there is a central AC vent right next to the FAN ! So when temps get hot outside - i just turn on central air and the cool air gets sucked from the AC Vent into the tent. I use a dust shroom HEPA filter for air blowing back in tent. I believe im pushing 350-400 cubic feet per minute - I probably would not require that much air movement with less wattage. You need controllers to control FAN speed both exhaust and intake - this gives you ultimate control to keep the tent nice and tight - but not so it's going to implode on itself.

Another great thing I did was buy some extension cords. I have 25 foot cords - and I moved my ballasts out of the tent room and into the bathroom where I exhaust into the can fan. I turn on the bathroom fan to exhaust the heat - but it's not that bad - since that bathroom is rarely in use. By exhausting and out of the tent room and moving the ballasts out of that room - The temps is my tent are only 2 -3 degrees warmer that I keep my house consistently. It was later that I was extremely grateful I went through the pain staking effort to control my temps - was the fact that I needed a de-humidifier for flowering and trust me de-humidifiers running full time will raise temperatures in the room and subsequently the tent.
 
bobvilla777

bobvilla777

Well-Known Member
sparce said:
Just a sugestion that you use 5 gal pots or bags ( my favorite) so your plants have plenty of room to grow. Bags allow for more areation also, even the plastic ones If you are going with only three plants at a time I figure you want them to be as big as possible and they may become stunted in those 3 gal pots. Looks like you've done your homework though.
Good luck and have a great grow.

Oh, yea someone mentioned the heat issue. I keep my house 70-71 degrees. Still I had to get a window AC and run my 12/12 at night to keep my 4x4x8 tent below 80. That's with a 4in exhaust and a 12 in circ fan.
Click to expand...
Glad you said something! i was originally going to use 5 gallon pots, but thought it would be excessive. So I will definitely use the 5 gallon ones. I have been looking into the bags, but no confident on how they work. How does the water/nutrients come out of the bags and not build up?
 
bobvilla777

bobvilla777

Well-Known Member
drfromby said:
The best way I found to keep the heat under control. I run (2) 600W HPS in a 4x4 - I really need a much larger tent for this.. but it's what I have now and I needed them both to penetrate a rather dense canopy. I took 8" of Duct between the two 8" Hoods then then I exhaust them both out the tent and out the room. I run the 8" Duct right into a 2nd bathroom - across the a small hall and blow right into a can filter. I'm using an 8" CAN FAN to suck air through both HOODS - out the room. I have central air conditioning and I absolutely did not want to put another air conditioner in the tent room. I will say that in intake fan is absolutely necessary if you want good air flow and cooler temps in your tent. Period - I have a 6" fan that I hung right next to my window from the ceiling with hook and bungee cords. Now get this .. It just so happens that there is a central AC vent right next to the FAN ! So when temps get hot outside - i just turn on central air and the cool air gets sucked from the AC Vent into the tent. I use a dust shroom HEPA filter for air blowing back in tent. I believe im pushing 350-400 cubic feet per minute - I probably would not require that much air movement with less wattage. You need controllers to control FAN speed both exhaust and intake - this gives you ultimate control to keep the tent nice and tight - but not so it's going to implode on itself.

Another great thing I did was buy some extension cords. I have 25 foot cords - and I moved my ballasts out of the tent room and into the bathroom where I exhaust into the can fan. I turn on the bathroom fan to exhaust the heat - but it's not that bad - since that bathroom is rarely in use. By exhausting and out of the tent room and moving the ballasts out of that room - The temps is my tent are only 2 -3 degrees warmer that I keep my house consistently. It was later that I was extremely grateful I went through the pain staking effort to control my temps - was the fact that I needed a de-humidifier for flowering and trust me de-humidifiers running full time will raise temperatures in the room and subsequently the tent.
Click to expand...
Great info! thanks dr fromby!
 
D

drfromby

Active Member
Personally - with a 6' 7" tent - I vegged a full 60 days and now flowering for another 60+ I did not see the need for more than 3 gallon pots. Once the plants start to flower - there seems to be significantly less root development.

Much will depend upon the strain an how long you want to veg your plants. For my first grow I used 3 gallon smartpots. I can't believe how much water was needed - It was insane. With 6 plants went through about 3-4 gallons a day and I fed them each time I watered. YES that's 21-28 gallons of water per week for 6 plants. INSANE - Remember - I have 1,200 watts in that tent, running 350-400 CF Air - and with those breathable pots - the water intake and evaporation drove a lot of water usage.
 
htroff420

htroff420

Active Member
make sure to grab (extra) ducting clamps, duct tape, strong zip ties to re-enforce your roof bars especially if your hangin your hood and filter. also incase your clip fans don't fit nicely on your poles you'll want more zip ties. I would try and keep your inline-fansoutside the tent if possible and FRESH air. GL dude

Also when you get it setup get inside and zip it up if you see light leaks use that duct tape! holes in seems happen...
 
sparce

sparce

Member
bobvilla777 said:
Glad you said something! i was originally going to use 5 gallon pots, but thought it would be excessive. So I will definitely use the 5 gallon ones. I have been looking into the bags, but no confident on how they work. How does the water/nutrients come out of the bags and not build up?
Click to expand...
here's a link to something I wrote on bags. https://www.rollitup.org/indoor-growing/434994-aeration-grow-bags-hardsided-containers.html#post5778017

As far as drainage the plastic bags have holes in the bottom as well as about halfway down. I use a kitchen trash bag as my drip tray. The aeration bags a capable of draining everywhere but you've everwatered by then.
 
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