First Grow

C

CanIgetsum

Member

• Oct 9, 2010

• #1

First off, I would like to thank EVERYBODY b/c w/o YA half of this wouldnt have been possible. Im still a newbie learning, i've spent the last 3-4 months reading almost every post listed here. I finally got the b's to join and show ya my little project. I'm almost 40 and lost my 2nd j.o.b this pass June and with 4 children I'm not trying to lose the crib too. So for the few peps, like myself who grew up watching Robert Blake and Fred the crazy Cockatoo ( YA should know the saying ) I'm all in and at this point dont give a YUCK... Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Pics didnt come out but I listed below. Thxs

 

C

CanIgetsum

Member

• Oct 9, 2010

• #2

Pics

Pics


Mothers in their own rm.
under t5



1200w 4x6 rm

 

C

CanIgetsum

Member

• Oct 9, 2010

• #3

More

More


C02




2x lumatek's outside rm



GrowBright 8" 590 CFM



rm temps when lights are off.

 

Last edited: Oct 9, 2010

C

CanIgetsum

Member

• Oct 9, 2010

• #4

There are two shelves with 9 four gals and 1 two gal on top and 8 four gal on the bottom with drippers, feeding all Botanicare nutes, liquid karma, pro bloom, cal mal, fossil fuel and super thrieve. I'm feeding them for 1 min everyday 5 mins before the lights come on. I'm thinking about buying another 600w. Lumatek setup. So far I have a Ushio hilux gro 600w opti-blue and 600w hortilux Super HPS. Which would be better another 600w or a 1000w in the middle?? I also plan on buying two more scrubbers a 6" and 4". This time nothing cheap tho prolly can or vortex with can 100's filters..

 

C

CanIgetsum

Member

• Oct 9, 2010

• #5

Strain is White Widow, in Ocean Forest Soil with Perlite and dolmite in 4 gallon pots. This is day 3 of 12/12. Clones were 24/0 for 3 wks then 18/6 for 1 wk.

 

C

CanIgetsum

Member

• Oct 9, 2010

• #6

ok maybe I was too vague, my question is which upgrade will i benifit more off another 600w or 1000w, heat isnt a problem with both lights temps are a steady 78 hum 60ish. the 4x6 rm is within a rm, should I make that rm bigger or just get rid of it altogether? Any recommendations?

 

Jellyfish

Invertebrata Inebriata

Veteran

winner@420giveaway

• Oct 9, 2010

• #7

Looking good!

 

jm420

Active member

Veteran

• Oct 10, 2010

• #8

if you can handle the heat go with the 1000

 

jm420

Active member

Veteran

• Oct 10, 2010

• #9

Make amother room for veg ,1 for clones and your all set

 

P

pine boy

• Oct 10, 2010

• #10

You'll be smoking before you know it...Nice work.

 

C

CanIgetsum

Member

• Oct 10, 2010

• #11

Thanks Jelly Fish and Pine boy. Jm420, I'm thinking about only keeping 2-3 mums and then putting the clones with the mums, that closet is 4x5. As far as a veg rm, the mums closet is in a rm that's 20x25. I could prolly build another 4x6 or 6x8 rm in there, I need to think about the ideal setup for vegging 3 - 600's or 2- 1k's. Alot to think about. I'm definitely buying a 600or 1k watt setup this wk for the 4x6 rm, I didnt post pictures of the portable 15,000 btu ac. I'll have another $1500 to play with nxt month. So much to do not enough time...

 

bobblehead

Active member

Veteran

• Oct 10, 2010

• #12

Go with 600w ballasts... 1k is nice, but multiple light sources are important for overlapping light, and the 600w ballasts are more efficient. 1k is more appropriate for a 6x6... you have a rectangular 4x6, so it would be hard to maximize the potential of the 1k ballast in such a confined space. This is just my opinion, and it is subjective. I would also recommend that before you buy more ballasts, buy some NTE DPDT relays and flip/flop your ballasts. That way you'll be driving 2 lamps with 1 ballast, and the relay only costs $30.

I'm going to upgrade my room, and flip/flop the lamp around the room like a light mover, in addition to flip/flopping to another room the other 12hs. I'll run one lamp for 6hs, and then switch to another directly above it for 6 hours. I plan on getting my plants a lot taller before I do this...
You're looking like you're off to a great start so far!

 

AriesXX

Member

• Oct 10, 2010

• #13

Great start! How did you choose your grow style? I see you doing big plants, is this to keep the numbers down? AFAIK, using the SCROG method should help you make a huge leap in yields over tall plants (unless you do vertical lighting between the plants). There are a million ways to grow though, and I'm sure if you've made it this far you'll have a nice harvest It sounds like you need to make some $ right away, but don't beat yourself up if it takes a few harvests to fine-tune your skills. You will advance by leaps and bounds with every grow

Oh! What strain(s) are you working with there?

 

C

CanIgetsum

Member

• Oct 10, 2010

• #14

thxs for the input Booblehead, I've been thinking about what you said and I'm debating if I should just say screw it and get two more 600's. If I do buy them the 4x6 box is coming down, I'll put up sheetrock and seal off a 8x10 rm.

thxs Ariesxx, true I'm trying to keep count low. Strain is WW and I'm in it for the long haul the way I see it, I wont need to see a return on my investment until after i've spent my tax refund in Feb '11.. I'm also tired of paying $60 buck an 8th for shit that smells like fire and is doo doo. In lame terms, thats like getting robbed without a gun..

 

xeasyx

Member

• Oct 11, 2010

• #15

looks might find hope it all goes well for you watching with interest

 

C

CanIgetsum

Member

• Oct 17, 2010

• #16

bobblehead said:

Go with 600w ballasts... 1k is nice, but multiple light sources are important for overlapping light, and the 600w ballasts are more efficient. 1k is more appropriate for a 6x6... you have a rectangular 4x6, so it would be hard to maximize the potential of the 1k ballast in such a confined space. This is just my opinion, and it is subjective. I would also recommend that before you buy more ballasts, buy some NTE DPDT relays and flip/flop your ballasts. That way you'll be driving 2 lamps with 1 ballast, and the relay only costs $30.

I'm going to upgrade my room, and flip/flop the lamp around the room like a light mover, in addition to flip/flopping to another room the other 12hs. I'll run one lamp for 6hs, and then switch to another directly above it for 6 hours. I plan on getting my plants a lot taller before I do this...
You're looking like you're off to a great start so far!

Click to expand...

Hey Booblehead took your advice and the only question I have is what do I need to flip/flop the ballasts. LMK thxs

 

F

Frozenguy

Active member

Veteran

• Oct 17, 2010

• #17

Hey man looking killer! I would however advise that you put the CO2 away for later because if not done correctly, can slow growth down.
I can't really tell what that CO2 device is, but it doesn't look like you have a monitor/controller and without that you will have inconsistent CO2 levels which means your plants are constantly spending energy and time adjusting their leaves.

Also, even if you had that equipment, CO2 shouldn't be applied until the grow is dialed out. Because if you just add CO2 now, its going to be more difficult to dial it out, especially for a new grower. Take it from someone who has used and tested CO2 applications for years.

I've also done many flip flops. I've used the same flip flop device for YEARS, built to handle (x8) 1k ballasts w/ (x16) 1k bulbs. Its on a timer so every 12 hours it switches the power from 8 bulbs, to the other 8 bulbs, and keeps the 8 ballasts running 24/7. Doesn't make anything cheaper, just allows you to use less ballasts, and cut your lighting amperage requirement in half (for flower).

 

B

Birdo

• Oct 18, 2010

• #18

Frozenguy said:

CO2 shouldn't be applied until the grow is dialed out. Because if you just add CO2 now, its going to be more difficult to dial it out, especially for a new grower. Take it from someone who has used and tested CO2 applications for years.

I've also done many flip flops. I've used the same flip flop device for YEARS, built to handle (x8) 1k ballasts w/ (x16) 1k bulbs. Its on a timer so every 12 hours it switches the power from 8 bulbs, to the other 8 bulbs, and keeps the 8 ballasts running 24/7. Doesn't make anything cheaper, just allows you to use less ballasts, and cut your lighting amperage requirement in half (for flower).

Click to expand...

Getsum-For a first grow things are looking VERY solid, it is clearly visible you did your homework properly. I wish I had done the same my first time.

For lighting, the basic rule of thumb is 50 watts per square foot, so 2 X 600w is good for a 6 X 4 space, but a 1200 watt grow is somewhat modest. IMO you could safely double that. A flipper would be a great idea. 2400 watts should be no problem for a normal sized house.

I'm no expert, but I agree with Frozenguy, best to master your technique before going for the CO2.

Frozenguy what kind of flipper do use? I've been looking around but am unsure of what brand to choose.

 

bobblehead

Active member

Veteran

• Oct 18, 2010

• #19

and a few shopping results:
http://www.google.com/products/cata...og_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CEUQ8wIwAg#

not to be a dick, but do a search for kung pow makes a flip/flop... All the instructions are there. You'll need to buy another lamp cord and lamp.

They're right, your CO2 device is pretty much pointless. You just need real good circulation. Change the air in your room at least 1x every 2 minutes... I prefer 1x every minute.

 

C

CanIgetsum

Member

• Oct 19, 2010

• #20

Thxs for the advice Frozenguy, I went ahead and unplugged the co2, when should I use it ??

Birdo thxs, I actually added another 600 setup, the room is now 6x6, @ 50 per sq. I should be good with the 1800 watts in the rm. Been real busy but will try to take pics this wkend of current setup.

Thxs bobblehead, I feel ya, any advice or reference is appreciated. will read up on it and handle.thxs