[Anti]

Synopsis:

2x400w Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH) vertical bulbs hung bare in the center of a custom built 2.5 ft. deep x 6 ft. long x 6 ft. tall) hidden closet. 70 budsicles in 2.5"x2.5"x10" tree pots in a two-tiered colosseum. 40 plants on top (outer) tier and 30 plants on bottom (inner) tier.

Genetics:
Serious Seeds AK47 clones from the lone AK47 female I first cracked in my first grow. (See .\nti's Micro Stealth 3000 thread to watch that grow).


Room Specs:

Room Size: 2.5'x6'x6' (15 sq. ft. / 90 cu. ft.)

Container Size: 2.5"x2.5"x10" (857 ml / 0.2 gal)

Bulbs: (2) 400w Philips Ceramic Metal Halide 4000k
Ballasts: (2) 400w Sun Systems Crop Master Magnetic HPS
Ventilation: (1) Can Fan 6 Fan/Filter Combo (~190 CFM filtered.) with passive intakes below table.

Introduction:

This thread is long and many of you are just picture junkies who already know it all. For those, I have added this break down to move you quickly up to speed. Other people can use this as a reference if they want to go back through the thread and look for specific information.

For anyone who is new to vertical growing or who wants to learn about the process of how this grow room evolved from concept to final design, I recommend that you read the whole thread straight through. I proposed many ideas along the way that were modified, elaborated or outright scrapped when I got the responses from many of the most respected members of the ICMAG vert community.

If you read the whole thread you will understand why I made certain decisions and also why the final design is significantly different from the illustrations in this first post.

I have long felt that many minds are greater than one and that I am smarter when I allow myself to access the thoughts and ideas of others. Read along if you dare, you may learn something.

Mini Index of the Thread:

• Original concept starts here in this first post.
• The room build-out starts on............................ .............................. .............................. .......................page 06
• The table build starts on............................ .............................. .............................. .............................page 10
• Vegging moms start on............................ .............................. .............................. .............................. .page 11
• "Let There Be Light" (VIDEO)............................. .............................. .............................. ...................page 12
• Attack of the Clones........................ .............................. .............................. .............................. ..........page 13
• Clones get planted and begin Veg on............................ .............................. .............................. .........page 16
• Flipped to 12/12 on (9/29/11)........................... .............................. .............................. .......................page 19
• WEEK I of 12/12 on............................ .............................. .............................. .............................. ......page 21
• WEEK II of 12/12 on............................ .............................. .............................. .............................. .....page 22
• WEEK III of 12/12 on............................ .............................. .............................. .............................. ...page 23
• UPSKIRT PICS on............................ .............................. .............................. .............................. ........page 25
• WEEK IV of 12/12 on............................ .............................. .............................. .............................. ....page 25
• WEEK V of 12/12 on............................ .............................. .............................. .............................. .....page 27
• WEEK VI of 12/12 on............................ .............................. .............................. .............................. ....page 31
• WEEK VII of 12/12 on............................ .............................. .............................. .............................. ...page 33
• WEEK VIII of 12/12 on............................ .............................. .............................. .............................. ..page 34
• WEEK IX of 12/12 on............................ .............................. .............................. .............................. .....page 37
• Final Harvest Weights And Pics on............................ .............................. .............................. .............coming soon!

Let's start the show!

ORIGINAL POST STARTS BELOW THIS STATEMENT:

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Seeing all the great work that's being done in vert-world, I've been thinking about ways to take my CFL Mini-SOG to new heights.

Here's what I'm getting under 252w of CFL currently (Perpetual SOG):

Serious AK-47 budsicles in 2.5"x2.5"x10" tree pots:

For reference, the plant you see in the first two pictures above is in a container that is 2.5"x2.5"x10" and the plant itself is about 13" tall from tip to soil.


A recent smoke off plant pictured above. the nug in the photo is one of the small ones near the bottom.

I love these containers (Mini Tree Pots MT2510) but when the plant gets big, it's easy for them to fall over. So I was trying to think of a way to setup a colosseum grow using these containers without having to fear a domino effect.

Here's what I came up with:



Basically, 4 plants per shelf, with holes cut into the top of the shelf to allow the plant container to hang suspended.

The green cylinders represent the approximate size of the bud you see in the first pictures. That's what happens when I drop my newly rooted 2" tall clone in one of those containers.

So then I basically built a stadium that utilizes a total of 12 shelving units like the one above:








In the pics, I've basically just divided the entire room in half and hung each light in the center of its half of the room.

Entire room is about 6.5ft long x 2.5ft wide

I'd put fans under the lights, of course.

Planning on 2 x 400 CMH.

Anybody care to comment?

Suggestions on ventilation, criticism, personal attacks?

[Crusader Rabbit]

I'm really interested in this! How do you plan to water these plants? Your pots are small enough at the bottom that you could probably use plastic rain gutters as drainage or ebb/flow trays?

If the pots were round instead of square, then you could drill the holes they fit into with a hole saw. I don't see the shelves with square openings as being that easy to fabricate. But then you only have to build them once.

[Anti]

Originally Posted by Crusader Rabbit

I'm really interested in this! How do you plan to water these plants? Your pots are small enough at the bottom that you could probably use plastic rain gutters as drainage or ebb/flow trays?

I have a couple of ideas about watering. Simplest but most work-intensive idea is to water the way I do now, one at a time via complete submersion in a bucket.

I also considered doing something along the lines of what you're saying. The bottoms of these things already have about 1.5" circular holes so they drain with no issues. If I could figure out a workable gutter system I could eventually go to blumats or something.

I don't see the shelves with square openings as being that easy to fabricate. But then you only have to build them once.

That's why I love sketchup. Wasn't sure how to do it so I started playing in sketchup. I think all I have to do is get a piece of scrap wood and use my jigsaw to experiment with the perfect hole size. Then the shelf is simply 3 pieces of wood joined at 90 degree angles. Cut four holes using a jigsaw into the top piece of wood. Assembly complete.

[Crusader Rabbit]

I see a problem with cutting out these square holes with a jigsaw, in that the narrow cross pieces will be cross grained, and so that small section of wood will have little strength. Possibly a synthetic material? If I was to do these square holes with wood I'd probably glue/screw it up using separate pieces of wood, or maybe use plywood? These could possibly be glued up as a frame of 1/2" or 3/4" pvc pipe.

Presently I'm running three 2' x 3' mortar tubs as ebb/flow trays under two 400watt CMH lights. I now have 1 gallon pots of coco, plants controlled with LST, but once I've sorted out my strain selections down to the mothers I want, I'd like to run SOG. I have tree pots similar to yours and figure the high sides of the tubs will keep them stable. But I'd really like to try vertical.

My set-up requires an automated watering system since my job regularly takes me away for a week at a time. I also want the ability to easily remove a pot with one hand, to rearrange things or work on a plant.

[Crusader Rabbit]

A flat horizontal piece of wood can support less weight than one turned on edge. We see this in 2"x4" rafters which are not laid flat, but on edge. The horizontal portions of the shelves could be fabricated from 1" x 2"s. or 1" x 4"s. You'd have to cut a lot of the cross pieces, then glue/screw them together. The resulting product would be very strong. Some places sell 1" x 3"s.

[Anti]

I feel ya. It's slightly more work that way but definitely would add long term strength/durability.

[bonsai]

Those plants in the middle seem a fair distance from the bulbs. How about having two sections like you currently have at each end, in the middle and back-to-back. So it would be two identical mini colosseums next to each other, each centered around a 400W. Would come to the same number of plants.

Hey anti, you have a good plan .Crusader Rabbit has given you a great technique for building the racks. Drill ,screw and glue would be the way to go about this.
Also instead of exposing the pots to light,you could incorperate a shield to the design that would...
A)catch run off
B)reflect light
C)add support so the shelves dont rack and sway
This could be a piece of plywood with white paint on one side and some lightwieght gutter screwed on the back.
Good luck Mr.

Dewd......That looks so fukin awesome.........Your sq ftg and choice of light gives yas right at perfect 50 watts per sq ft.....

My suggestion is ta cover everything behind , above and below anything that`s not green with reflectix as that "shield" pine boy spoke of......even the ceiling......

For structural support yas could just put another board directly underneath each shelf for the lil containers ta sit on while being flush mounted above where the squares have been cut out....

Simple with no glues or screws laminating panels for upper strength when they can just rest their lil ass on another shelf below....

Regardless....if yas use wood , paint and seal with bathroom midewcidal paint to prevent molds and mildews from poppin up from runoff or excess humidity......

Had a Growbro that used fiberglass resin ta seal his stadiums....Wood will mold , and cause problems that can`t be seen so easily....

With 2-400`s evenly spaced in said pattern , not how you`ve got em drawn , the overlap lumens will take care of the plants in the middle and on the ends I assure yas......

Don`t leave plants out of the corners , just back the 2 end units up lil bit , and extend em across for max plant numbers and lumen absorption in as even a canopy with no holes in the walls of weed....

The 2 end units could be where the bottom shelf plants line up with the bottom shelf plants on the long side , and the tops could have as many as it took to complete the rectangle for a fully contained sideways canopy.....

Killer design Bro.......Very Heath-ish......Now handle it and show us how it`s done.......

Smaller areas are easier ta control environment in and will reward accordingly once dialed.......

A perfect example of how increased plant numbers will dictate yield once dialed....

Peace..DHF.....

[Anti]

Thanks for all the responses so far, guys. I will move the lights in sketchup as soon as I get a little time later today and repost to make sure I've got it right.

What you're recommending is exactly what I did at first, but I wanted to make sure that the plants on the end wouldn't be neglected. If DHF says they won't, then I have no qualms about moving them back to the middle.

I'll post up new sketches later.

Keep the thoughts flowing. If you're thinking them, I want to hear them!

ICMag, you're my hero.