Smartest way to run 3 plants in a 4x4 tent

nice fella · Jun 25, 2020

I've settled on a ROI E680 light in my 4x4 tent.

I can only run 6 plants in my state, so 3 at a time in the 4x4 flower tent. I will be using 10 gallon smart pots w/ coco.

What is the best way to maximize yield from said three plants in terms of positioning? Should i SCROG?

Thank you!

MoS · Jun 25, 2020

That what definitely be a good approach to it.

Fill out the screen and fim them several times over eg.

Koondense · Jun 25, 2020

SCROG is life.

nice fella · Jun 25, 2020

Thanks guys! Does matter if its

X
X
X

vs
X X

X

etc?

Mountainkush · Jun 25, 2020

Just like to add that 10 gallon pots of coco is just a waste of coco and is unnecessary for such small indoor plants.

Are you hand watering?

Even 3 gallon smart pots would only have to be watered once a day.

Can’t help with the scrog, I grow too many different strains that finish at different times and would be a pain to harvest.

indagroove · Jun 25, 2020

Mountainkush said:
Just like to add that 10 gallon pots of coco is just a waste of coco and is unnecessary for such small indoor plants.

Agreed.

Maybe break the law and just grow 8 plants at a time instead. What is the penalty in your state for being over limit? Might be worth the risk. Doubt and judge would give a search warrant for 8 plants instead of 6 anyway.

nice fella · Jun 26, 2020

Thanks guys. I am new and was told to get 10 gallon pots because only 3 plants with the equivalent of 1000 watts would need the room.

I can purchase 3 gallon pots no problem. Sucks I was given bad information!

Mountainkush · Jun 26, 2020

nice fella said:
Thanks guys. I am new and was told to get 10 gallon pots because only 3 plants with the equivalent of 1000 watts would need the room.

I can purchase 3 gallon pots no problem. Sucks I was given bad information!

I’m not an expert but I can give you some advice if you give me a little more info on your plans for feeding/watering, pure coco or mixed with perlite..
I don’t mind helping out.
Are you new to growing or just new to growing in coco?
I started out using 3 gallon fabric pots of coco watered once a day and now use 2 gallon hard sided pots watered multiple times a day. And plan to drop down to 1.5 gallon in future. All depends on how you want to water them. You can grow a huge plant in a small pot of coco as long as you water/feed correctly.

Also, the “growing in coco coir” sub forum under marijuana growing has lots of great info.

nice fella · Jun 26, 2020

Mountainkush said:
I’m not an expert but I can give you some advice if you give me a little more info on your plans for feeding/watering, pure coco or mixed with perlite..
I don’t mind helping out.
Are you new to growing or just new to growing in coco?
I started out using 3 gallon fabric pots of coco watered once a day and now use 2 gallon hard sided pots watered multiple times a day. And plan to drop down to 1.5 gallon in future. All depends on how you want to water them. You can grow a huge plant in a small pot of coco as long as you water/feed correctly.

Also, the “growing in coco coir” sub forum under marijuana growing has lots of great info.

Thank you, that's very nice of you. I'm brand new to growing. Read a few stickies on here, bought some beans and went for it!

I'm not sure if I'm going to add perlite or not. What do you think? I don't mind watering more than once a day, and I'm new to gardening in general so I worry about over/under watering.

I'm general general hydroponics basic nutrients fwiw.

Also: yesterday I put the hygrometer in the basement (where the tent is) and we're at about 68%F and 80 percent humidity down there...yikes.

Should I go ahead and buy the dehumidifier now? I assume I'll need it?

indagroove · Jun 26, 2020

nice fella said:
Thank you, that's very nice of you. I'm brand new to growing. Read a few stickies on here, bought some beans and went for it!

I'm not sure if I'm going to add perlite or not. What do you think? I don't mind watering more than once a day, and I'm new to gardening in general so I worry about over/under watering.

I'm general general hydroponics basic nutrients fwiw.

Also: yesterday I put the hygrometer in the basement (where the tent is) and we're at about 68%F and 80 percent humidity down there...yikes.

Should I go ahead and buy the dehumidifier now? I assume I'll need it?

I always use perlite with my coco; @ approx 2 parts coco to 1 part perlite. I've tried straight coco before, but I found that the perlite adds extra oxygen and drainage to the root zone, which plants really like.

Personally I use 2 gal square pots with several holes drilled into the side walls for extra aeration, then drip those 3x during the lights on cycle, with approx 10% runoff into a catch basic, then wet vac out the catch basin when it fills up.

Dehumidifier is needed if you live in a humid area to avoid mold issues.

This is what I got right now @ 4 weeks flowering cycle, coco/perlite, drip, drain to waste, under quality LED lighting:

nice fella · Jun 27, 2020

indagroove said:
I always use perlite with my coco; @ approx 2 parts coco to 1 part perlite. I've tried straight coco before, but I found that the perlite adds extra oxygen and drainage to the root zone, which plants really like.

Personally I use 2 gal square pots with several holes drilled into the side walls for extra aeration, then drip those 3x during the lights on cycle, with approx 10% runoff into a catch basic, then wet vac out the catch basin when it fills up.

Dehumidifier is needed if you live in a humid area to avoid mold issues.

This is what I got right now @ 4 weeks flowering cycle, coco/perlite, drip, drain to waste, under quality LED lighting:

Looking great!

Thank you for your guidance. Before I read this I ordered a bunch of 3 gallon smart pots lol so I guess I'm using them.

Dehumidifier has been purchased.

So, 2:1 coco to perlite in 3 gallon smart pots. Elevate the pots on some kind of platform, with small buckets underneath the smart pots to catch the 10-20% drain off each morning? Does that sound right?

Is there a runoff solution that requires less vertical space utilization? My tent is only 6 feet tall so I'm thinking height may be an issue.

Thank you all! I'm learning so much!

indagroove · Jun 27, 2020

nice fella said:
Is there a runoff solution that requires less vertical space utilization? My tent is only 6 feet tall so I'm thinking height may be an issue.

Thank you all! I'm learning so much!

I use a grate on top of a small tupperware type container that's just a few inches tall, and wet vac the runoff out when it starts getting full. I run an auto drip system, and drip 3x during lights on.

Mountainkush · Jun 27, 2020

nice fella said:
Thank you, that's very nice of you. I'm brand new to growing. Read a few stickies on here, bought some beans and went for it!

I'm not sure if I'm going to add perlite or not. What do you think? I don't mind watering more than once a day, and I'm new to gardening in general so I worry about over/under watering.

I'm general general hydroponics basic nutrients fwiw.

Also: yesterday I put the hygrometer in the basement (where the tent is) and we're at about 68%F and 80 percent humidity down there...yikes.

Should I go ahead and buy the dehumidifier now? I assume I'll need it?

I’d skip the perlite if you plan to hand water but with coco there are so many ways to do it you just have to find what works best for you.
Like indagroove I find 2 gallons great for multiple watering but I use straight coir. Everything else he said sounds just like my setup.

Either way if you plan to hand water or auto feed i would set up a reservoir with a small pump and either attach a wand for hand watering or some irrigation lines. Makes your life a lot easier.

I just switched to using general hydroponic micro and bloom and nothing else with great results. Just trying to make things as simple as possible.
There is a thread on it in the coco section “H3ad goes coco” and it’s dead simple. I like it way better than canna coco.

Mountainkush · Jun 27, 2020

indagroove said:
I use a grate on top of a small tupperware type container that's just a few inches tall, and wet vac the runoff out when it starts getting full. I run an auto drip system, and drip 3x during lights on.

A grit guard for a bucket to wash your car is another easy fix. Only lifts it 2 inches.

Mountainkush · Jun 27, 2020

nice fella said:
So, 2:1 coco to perlite in 3 gallon smart pots. Elevate the pots on some kind of platform, with small buckets underneath the smart pots to catch the 10-20% drain off each morning? Does that sound right?

When I was using those same pots, some of mine had to be watered a second time because they were getting too dry for my liking by the next morning with just coco, no perlite.
But that’s just my personal environment and I use 1200 watts of high pressure sodium in a 4x6 tent so it might be different with the leds your using.
I just started using leds in veg and had to raise the feed levels because they weren’t drinking as much as they did under metal-halide lighting.
Less heat=less they transpire.

You mentioned under or over watering being a concern so you made a great choice choosing coco. As long as you have good drainage and your plants have some roots you can’t over water coco. The more the better to a point. Each watering bring fresh oxygen and nutrients and washes away the old stuff.

I would recommend a good digital EC/PH meter if your serious about growing too. I love my blue labs combo meter but there are lots of choices.

Once you get growing and start researching more you’ll figure out what you want to do and refine different parts of your setup as you go.

What did you pick for seeds for your first grow?

indagroove · Jun 27, 2020

Mountainkush said:
When I was using those same pots, some of mine had to be watered a second time because they were getting too dry for my liking by the next morning with just coco, no perlite.
But that’s just my personal environment and I use 1200 watts of high pressure sodium in a 4x6 tent so it might be different with the leds your using.
I just started using leds in veg and had to raise the feed levels because they weren’t drinking as much as they did under metal-halide lighting.
Less heat=less they transpire.

You mentioned under or over watering being a concern so you made a great choice choosing coco. As long as you have good drainage and your plants have some roots you can’t over water coco. The more the better to a point. Each watering bring fresh oxygen and nutrients and washes away the old stuff.

I would recommend a good digital EC/PH meter if your serious about growing too. I love my blue labs combo meter but there are lots of choices.

Once you get growing and start researching more you’ll figure out what you want to do and refine different parts of your setup as you go.

What did you pick for seeds for your first grow?

I personally have had terrible luck with all sorts of ph pens, so I use the ph strips these days, specifically these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M0FQ4JE

nice fella · Jun 28, 2020

Thanks for the tips guys! I saw someone else do the pump/irrigation line thing on Youtube...seems straight forward.

I'll be running Sweet Seeds Dark Devil Auto Feminised Seeds for my first run. I'm out of smoke so I wanted my first run to be quick, and also I do not have have a veg tent at this time.

If I'm any good at growing and like doing it, I plan on running "normal" feminized seeds henceforth.

I purchased Critical Purple Kush from Seedsman, and I received a variety of feminized freebies from them:

-Phantom Cookie Domina Fem from Garden of Green
Seedsman Bubba Kush Feminised
Seedsman Gelat.OG Feminised

Mountainkush · Jun 28, 2020

indagroove said:
I personally have had terrible luck with all sorts of ph pens, so I use the ph strips these days, specifically these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M0FQ4JE

I didn’t have much luck with the pens either. Absolutely love my combo meter though and it’s been flawless for 2 years. I leave the probes in one of my reservoirs at all times and can check temp, EC and PH instantly and be able to watch the numbers change as I’m adding things. Very convenient! But not cheap.

Mountainkush · Jun 28, 2020

Hope I at least helped a little. I’ve learned so much from this site that I want to pay it forward if I can.
Sounds like some easy to grow stuff for someone new. I’m actually growing a couple bubba crosses at the moment.

nice fella · Jun 28, 2020

So this is embarrassing...

So this is embarrassing...

I think I screwed up gentlemen. What you see above the tent is water lines. The tent is directly above my bathroom.

Shit.

This didn't even occur to me until I set everything up. That's....dangerous right? I should move it?

ugh...

Smartest way to run 3 plants in a 4x4 tent

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