Newbie trying to calculate best tent/plant configuration

Hi all,

I have room for a number of possible configurations, but was just looking to benefit from some experienced opinions and some help validating my assumptions and figures below
(A bit of expectation management is probably necessary)

Vision:
Quality is king - prefer photoperiod non feminised seeds
Would like to grow at least 2 (if not more) strains together
Produce around 1lb per month (aspiration rather than absolute) (ultimately as good a yield as possible under these criteria)
Growing medium - Soil using as much organic/natural methods as possible
Automate air quality, watering, lighting, air-con, filtering as much as feasible
Prefer smaller number of plants with big yields (IE: NOT SCroG)

Option 1
3 x 2.0m x 1.2m x 1.2m tents
One for Veg (600w lighting, 5 plants)
One for flowering (600w lighting, 5 plants?)
One for Mother and clones (600w lighting)

Option 2
1 x 2.0m x 2.0m x 2.0m tent
For veg, Mother and clones
1 or 2 x 2.0 x 1.2x 1.2 tent
for flowering (600w lighting?)

For the first grow, I am looking to make it as idiot proof as possible, then learn and improve from there.
The main thing I am trying to avoid is wasting money on the wrong stuff to begin with, only to have to replace later.

One other question relating to those places that sell "All in One" kits. I have seen so many of them ranging from £229 (1.2m kit - HydroSupermarket on EBay) to £3000+
Generally what is one missing with these kits that is required before you can get growing.
How important is a branded tent?

Thanks in advance for responses
Whirlygig

one thing, your flowering tent should be bigger then your Veg tent, you will have bigger plants in bigger pot`s

I would say double the size as the Veg tent, or get two at the same size and use the Veg tent to keep your mother/clones too

and a 400W MH in the veg tent should be plenty, in general Veg plant need 1/3 of the light as a flowering plant to do good, plus the fact you have bigger plants and need to cover more room, as a rule of thump a 400W cover 3x3 ft and a 600W cover 4x4

if it was me I would get a 4x4 tent with a 600W HPS for flowering

and a 4x4 tent for veg and keep the mother/clones in ther too, out to the side of the light so to speak, so you cover your Veg plant optimal with the 400W, if needed a CFL or two can be placed over the mother/clones

and remember HID light get hot, VERY hot ! so make sure you have a nice 6 inch ventilation for both tent`s and a cool tube/hood would also be sumthing I would look in to


about the Kit´s some can be pretty good, but most I have seen for cheap money also look like they are of poor quality, I have seen people in here with cheap tent`s where the PLASTIC pool`s broke and the light ended on the plant`s, looked like Oklahoma in there, and if you do the mat you mostly don't safe much, all you get is a few freebee`s so to speak, cheap timer`s and fan`s aso, IMO get some quality tent`s (do some research and ask in here what people have good experience with, some cheap once is`t light proof either)

and get some quality ballast/light maybe some digital once that make little heat, use less power, are more safe, can run both MH and HPS and 400/600W, and get some speed control on the ventilation`s so you can control the air flow, need to keep a slightly under/negative pressure in there, specially in flowering, so you know all air is passing through your filter so no odor escape`s

lol, thanks for the "Like"

dont even remember I wrote this post how did your shopping go ? did you get started yet ?

Experience has shown me that my flowering room needs to be 3-4 times the size of the veg room. BigSteve.

yes tent can hold 20 plants veg but only 4 flower they get fat and ugly and want more space