Wanna Ask The Old Farts A Question?

[The Sensi Rebel]

Hey Folks,

My idea is to build a 4x4x6 wooden frame, then modify it to be able to house many small plants on 3 sides of the frame, so I'd have a Vertical SOG for clones on a perpetual basis, with 400w in the middle.

Now, I know that size-scale is sort of out of your "dojo" of micro growing, but I'd like to see if you had any ideas on how to maximize this new projects potential, or anyone for that matter. I wonder how many plants I can squeeze into the light foot print of the 400w. Nonetheless, it is an awesome experment I'm about to embark on!

Any advice on how to build it/set it up, space plants, or anything for that matter?

Mucho Appreciado

-TSR-

P.S....How many plants should I shoot for having?

 

[MaynardG_Krebs]

Hey Folks,

My idea is to build a 4x4x6 wooden frame, then modify it to be able to house many small plants on 3 sides of the frame, so I'd have a Vertical SOG for clones on a perpetual basis, with 400w in the middle.

Now, I know that size-scale is sort of out of your "dojo" of micro growing, but I'd like to see if you had any ideas on how to maximize this new projects potential, or anyone for that matter. I wonder how many plants I can squeeze into the light foot print of the 400w. Nonetheless, it is an awesome experment I'm about to embark on!

Any advice on how to build it/set it up, space plants, or anything for that matter?

Mucho Appreciado

-TSR-

P.S....How many plants should I shoot for having?

I'd go with at least a 600 watt in that size enclosure... Ideally would be a 1000 watter... I think 18" spacing would be good for most strains... good luck.... sounds like fun...

mgk

 

[HempKat]

Hey Folks,

My idea is to build a 4x4x6 wooden frame, then modify it to be able to house many small plants on 3 sides of the frame, so I'd have a Vertical SOG for clones on a perpetual basis, with 400w in the middle.

Now, I know that size-scale is sort of out of your "dojo" of micro growing, but I'd like to see if you had any ideas on how to maximize this new projects potential, or anyone for that matter. I wonder how many plants I can squeeze into the light foot print of the 400w. Nonetheless, it is an awesome experment I'm about to embark on!

Any advice on how to build it/set it up, space plants, or anything for that matter?

Mucho Appreciado

-TSR-

P.S....How many plants should I shoot for having?

I don't really know anything about doing a vertical SOG as I have never done one. Hopefully someone else can give you more specific advice? What I wanted to comment on is plant numbers. Now the natural inclination is to feel more plants equals higher yields. This is true to a point but if you just keep the same number of lights and the same grow space size, eventually you reach a point of diminishing returns. At that point adding more plants yields roughly the same yield (give or take a few grams) overall but your yield per plant will go down instead of up. Therefore the best approach in my opinion is to find where that point begins and stop there because you'll get the same yield but will have less work to do to get there and you'll need less resources (fertalizer, additives, soil if growing in soil, etc.)

Also I agree with MaynardG Krebs. My grow space is similar to yours at 5'x3'x8' (length, width, height) and I use a 1000W and at the edges of my space I can see where the light is losing it's strength at that distance. So a 400W in a similar sized space is is really not going to cover that space well.

 

[highsteppa]

Quick question i have developed spider mites with one week left of flower what is the best way to deal with them it seems to be contained but i cant be sure the whole crop is not contaminated.

if they are alive they will craw out of you buds when your hanging to dry. The time I was in a similar situation the mites just crawled onto the clothes hangers I had my branches drying on. Good luck

 

[High Country]

if they are alive they will craw out of you buds when your hanging to dry. The time I was in a similar situation the mites just crawled onto the clothes hangers I had my branches drying on. Good luck

TOUGH LITTLE CRITTERS

This plant is stuffed.

 

[MaynardG_Krebs]

TOUGH LITTLE CRITTERS

View Image


This plant is stuffed.

I just sprayed my monitor down with neem oil.. just in case..

mgk

 

[whitewidow47]

little trouble with lighting...,

im building a grow cab with a flowering chamber (20"x16 3/4"x16") housing 12 plants. I plan to have a cfl bulb on top of every plant but I would love to incorporate a vertical type grow with 12" t5 bulbs around the plants in this style....

( x's being lights, o's being plants)

x x x x x
o o o o
x x x x x
o o o o
x x x x x
o o o o
x x x x x

...basically a light at every "corner" of a plant...
... but i do not know how i would mount all of the t5's together or what to use for a ballast. Ballasts at HomeDeopt were $35 a piece and only supported 2 lights and im looking at 32 lights in the cab... $560 seems a tad ridiculous on ballasts alone, not to mention the size of the things!

So anybody... mounting and ballast ideas please!!

 

[HempKat]

little trouble with lighting...,

im building a grow cab with a flowering chamber (20"x16 3/4"x16") housing 12 plants. I plan to have a cfl bulb on top of every plant but I would love to incorporate a vertical type grow with 12" t5 bulbs around the plants in this style....

( x's being lights, o's being plants)

x x x x x
o o o o
x x x x x
o o o o
x x x x x
o o o o
x x x x x

...basically a light at every "corner" of a plant...
... but i do not know how i would mount all of the t5's together or what to use for a ballast. Ballasts at HomeDeopt were $35 a piece and only supported 2 lights and im looking at 32 lights in the cab... $560 seems a tad ridiculous on ballasts alone, not to mention the size of the things!

So anybody... mounting and ballast ideas please!!

Well I haven't priced T-5's lately but based on the last time I checked $35 for a two bulb fixture is pretty cheap. The hydro shops selling T-5 systems had them priced into the hundreds for set ups with less then half the bulbs you're proposing. The only way I can think of to go cheaper is to either find a great deal on a used system or if you're skilled in working with electricity build your own fixtures.

All in all I don't think your idea is bad but for the money it'll cost you it seems like you should be able to do as well if not better with HIDs. In your diagramyou show 12 plants and I can usually grow 12 good 4 foot or so plants with one 1000W HID hung horizontally. But if you wanted to go vertical I would think you shoud be able to do two 600W HIDs or 4 400W HIDs for around the same price as what your T-5 setup would cost you at Home Depot. Of course with HIDs you ability to control temps would be more challenging then with T-5's and your electric consumption would likely be a bit higher?

 

[whitewidow47]

Well I haven't priced T-5's lately but based on the last time I checked $35 for a two bulb fixture is pretty cheap. The hydro shops selling T-5 systems had them priced into the hundreds for set ups with less then half the bulbs you're proposing. The only way I can think of to go cheaper is to either find a great deal on a used system or if you're skilled in working with electricity build your own fixtures.

All in all I don't think your idea is bad but for the money it'll cost you it seems like you should be able to do as well if not better with HIDs. In your diagramyou show 12 plants and I can usually grow 12 good 4 foot or so plants with one 1000W HID hung horizontally. But if you wanted to go vertical I would think you shoud be able to do two 600W HIDs or 4 400W HIDs for around the same price as what your T-5 setup would cost you at Home Depot. Of course with HIDs you ability to control temps would be more challenging then with T-5's and your electric consumption would likely be a bit higher?

ok thank you very much, im trying to maximize the space i have and i thought getting some extra lumens to those lower buds might fatten them up. ill explore some more options and run something by you again... this thread is awesome btw

 

[HempKat]

ok thank you very much, im trying to maximize the space i have and i thought getting some extra lumens to those lower buds might fatten them up. ill explore some more options and run something by you again... this thread is awesome btw

Thanks on the thread, although it has been slow here of late, I guess not many need help getting started anymore? Anyway two 600W HIDs or 4 400W HIDS hung vertically would accomplish the goal of getting more lumens to the lower areas. Hopefully someone will chime in with some examples in the form of pictures?

 

[Dr. Purpur]

I just run a 1000 wat Hort eye, and Lollipop the plants. I dont care to trim popcorn buds. Hempcat, someone was asking about the t5? I have 3 t5 set ups.


I started with a 4 bulb 24" set up, Its about good for clones only. Same with the 4' t5 single tube. The one I want to tell you about is the 4' fixture with eight 4' bulbs. It puts out 432 watts , is switchable to run 4 bullbs at a time, and veges plants like a Champion. That light helped me alot.

 

[HempKat]

I just run a 1000 wat Hort eye, and Lollipop the plants. I dont care to trim popcorn buds. Hempcat, someone was asking about the t5? I have 3 t5 set ups.


I started with a 4 bulb 24" set up, Its about good for clones only. Same with the 4' t5 single tube. The one I want to tell you about is the 4' fixture with eight 4' bulbs. It puts out 432 watts , is switchable to run 4 bullbs at a time, and veges plants like a Champion. That light helped me alot.

Yes whitewidow47 was asking about them 4 posts above yours I believe.

 

[whitewidow47]

HK,

if its question you want im sure ill ask a billion in this thread before this build is all done with haha

another question i have is, my plants will be about 17" tall and im going to be running an aeroponic system... would a 3 inch pvc pipe 16 inches long be big enough to hold the roots of 4 17" tall plants plus the misters?

 

[HempKat]

HK,

if its question you want im sure ill ask a billion in this thread before this build is all done with haha

another question i have is, my plants will be about 17" tall and im going to be running an aeroponic system... would a 3 inch pvc pipe 16 inches long be big enough to hold the roots of 4 17" tall plants plus the misters?

Well I would love more questions then one or two every 5 months or so but I gotta point out that I don't know everything about all aspects of growing. Unfortunately one of the things I don't know is aeroponics, another is hydroponics. I'm a soil guy and so where I can be most helpful is with people who need help with soil grows. Now when the thread was more active there were others like Dr. Purpur here that would help out with the questions I'm unable to answer. Hopefully one of them knows aeroponics and will chime in with an answer to your question? I would think the answer to your question is yes a 3" pipe 17" long would be more then enough, based on the fact that I've used 2/3rds of a 2 litter bottle as a homemade soil pot and got plants well over 17" tall (a 2 litter bottle is roughly 4" around and 2/3rds of it's height is less then 12").

 

[Rudedewd]

Good morning HK, just popping in to say howdy. I hope life is good on ya Bro.

 

[LyryC]

Whats an Average yield for a 600 watt lamp?

 

[HempKat]

Whats an Average yield for a 600 watt lamp?

There's too many other factors to say the average yield for a given bulb is X. If you do things right you should be able to get around a pound though unless using a strain known for low plant yields.

 

[LyryC]

Thank you good sir!

 

[HempKat]

Thank you good sir!

No problem, I should also add that it is possible, if you're really good and working with a good yielding strain to get above one pound. But this is not typical for the average or the new grower.

 

[LyryC]

No problem, I should also add that it is possible, if you're really good and working with a good yielding strain to get above one pound. But this is not typical for the average or the new grower.

One pound seems feasible once dialed in. Ever run Green Crack AKA Cush? I'm basically mono cropping this first grow of mine and am curious about any details, specifics, observations or general information pertaining to the strain.

Appreciate your insight and that you keep your forum alive; I am a younger gentleman and my generation looks past the experience of Old Farts well... really we are so caught up in the bullshit we look past everything that is important these days... and as always, they don't want to listen!