Farmtek 70 x96 Auto Dep

[Abja Roots]

It's been a crazy set of months since I moved up here to Oregon.

I met someone who was in the middle of setting up a 70x96 Farmtek and I'll be helping them get through their first round. They purchased the auto dep kit from them, a Link 4 GH controller, and (2) Propane heaters. The greenhouse has gravel flooring with the fabric flooring above it. They also purchased (82) Gavita DE 1000watt and (82) Gavita supplemental 300watt plasmas. It also has a giant wet wall. The plan is to run this gh year round. The property has water rights and a river that runs through it which will be the water supply for this project.

I plan on adding Rolling benches to maximize our usage of the space, and so far I've contacted Conleys(GH Megastore in Sac), Agratech, Hove Intl, Midgro,, and GGS Greenhouse.

Hove Intl had the answers to the questions I was asking as well as pricing,
GGS Greenhouse had the same.
GH Megastore(Conley's) never called me back.
Agratech people had no answers and after 3 emails I would never use them.
Midgro responded to my online form submission quickly, and is currently mocking up a prototype to see if they can get me the 24" aisle I'm looking for between tables.

I also emailed Gavita to see how they would recommend using the plasmas in conjunction with the DE's. Also shot Jair a message on IG, but haven't heard back yet.

I do still have a few unanswered questions.

(1) Do you need a dehumidifier? We'll be running intake through the wet wall and exhaust fans.
(2) Can I use an on demand hot water heater to heat the water coming from our 3000g water storage tank?
(3) MixRites vs Dosatrons?
(4) Smart Bee Controllers or other environmental sensors?
(5) Hyperlogic water purification system
(6) Dab Sys E Box, Leaders, or Grundfos

I'm trying to set this up to keep it as simple as possible for someone with limited growing experience. I had considered Coco DTW, Rockwool with Flora Flex, and Soil. I'm leaning towards soil and using the Vital Garden Supply nutrient line. This would enable them to reuse their soil for future runs. We would be able to feed that through a dosatron or mixrite setup.

Nutrient options so far:
http://vitallandscaping.com/products/fertilizers/
http://commercialcultivator.com/

We can get a bulk delivery of soil from scott at Nectar which is only 2 hrs away. I wanted to avoid liquid fertilizers from too far away, which is why I was leaning towards the powdered nutrients from Vital over the commercial cultivator products which seem to come from Denver. I also thought about running the one shot from Nectar with a tea brew and some microbelife photosynthesis plus.

Still figuring some things out, but I thought some people might have ideas on here and experience dealing with some of these products or companies.

Haven't sorted the drying/curing situation yet, but the owner had mentioned PharmPods. I looked into it, but it seemed pricey.

Lots to do. If I get the okay to post pictures I will.

 

[caterpillar710]

The stuff from commercial cultivator is just pacific gro oceanic rebottled.

Advancing Eco Agriculture also rebottled the same marine hydrolysate. They also offer many other preparations that help soil biology and fertility.

You do need a dehum, forget about a quest or similar.

For drying throw down on a metal building with spray insulation and HVAC

 

[Robrites]

I'm watching this!

 

[Abja Roots]

Thanks Robrites. Going to do the best job I can with it, but would love any input from locals. I know that this is a much different climate than where I've grown for years (Sierra Nevada foothills and the Bay Area).

So much to consider when putting together a system like this.

 

[Robrites]

Days are going to get shorter and shorter...I'd think Dep would be a challenge this time of year.

 

[caterpillar710]

Days are going to get shorter and shorter...I'd think Dep would be a challenge this time of year.

not to be a dick but OP has lights and heat a green house and no need to block the sun because of day length makes this time of year ideal for black out because the day length makes covering uncessary

 

[BAKED_BEANZ]

i,m subbed for this one , sounds awesome .

you also got some , beautiful strains ......

 

[Abja Roots]

Thanks guys. It's going to be at least 2 months until we're ready to put plants in. The longest wait will be for the benches we're going to order. We won't be able to take advantage of the full auto dep until next spring, but we'll be running this GH year round.

I've got Gavita working on a lighting plan for us right now, and then we'll be able to build the frames to hang the lights. Once that's done we'll run the electric. Then the final inspection will happen. After which we'll be able to put our first plants in.

Haven't decided on the varieties yet, but I'm leaning towards no more than four varieties to keep it as simple as possible.

 

[Buddle]

Good luck. I have another friend whos been through one structural nightmare after another with his Farmtek light dep greenhouse. Hoping yours goes much smoother..

 

[Abja Roots]

Good luck. I have another friend whos been through one structural nightmare after another with his Farmtek light dep greenhouse. Hoping yours goes much smoother..

After seeing this one, I would not go with them again. What issues did he have?

Once it's time to expand we'll be looking at all the available options.

 

[mojave green]

(1) Do you need a dehumidifier? We'll be running intake through the wet wall and exhaust fans.

no dehumidifier. i presuppose dry climate if cooling with wetwall.

(2) Can I use an on demand hot water heater to heat the water coming from our 3000g water storage tank?

i would have water storage containers inside gh. will help moderate temp.

 

[Aota1]

Big things a gwaan!

 

[Aota1]

Super interested to see it unfold. All the best!!

 

[whadeezlrg]

for your water heating- solar option, this one is made for pools, claims to raise temps about 10F. I would imagine that in mid winter that it may not be quite enough as a stand alone.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/SunHeater-Universal-2-ft-x-20-ft-80-sq-ft-Solar-Heating-System-for-In-Ground-or-Above-Ground-Pool-S240U/205953876?cm_mmc=Shopping%7cTHD%7cG%7c0%7cG-BASE-PLA-D28I-InsideGardenOther%7c&gclid=CLya65Kihs8CFQUtaQod3s4J1Q&gclsrc=aw.ds

there are also inline on-demad electric tankless hot water heaters like these http://www.noritz.com/products/

the pharmapod's are really only intriguing because they streamline the permit process. imho

 

[caterpillar710]

no dehumidifier. i presuppose dry climate if cooling with wetwall.

i would have water storage containers inside gh. will help moderate temp.

He definitely needs a dehum when the curtain shuts and the plants transpire humidity will go up and you don't want the wet wall really running during the exhaust cycle because it will cool the GH and he nights are generally cold as is... So I doubt he will want to exhaust out his heat at night.

Please dude don't give people bad advice. It doesn't help anyone.

On another note is the interior curtain system cable or rack and pinion driven

 

[HillMizer]

If you're running such a big show why buy rebranded stuff from Vital for the big price tag? They have nice compost and worm, everything is a quality product but you can buy in bulk. Buy barrels of fish (I know what brand vital's is).
They sell guanos and rock dust mixed together, the proportions don't make sense like 4-13-14. The calmag is calcium carbonate and mag sulfate (ag lime & epsom salt, 100lbs for like $20?)
Baseline is New Mexico dry humate, tons of people sell it.

That's a nice setup, my advice for keeping production cost low is to not blow the wad on nutrients with fancy artwork on the package. Get a trailer truck to deliver some totes. Bonemeal, gypsum, chicken, alfalfa, mn sulfate, cu sulfate, BORAX. Amino chelated foliar sprays.
If you're into biologic but not certified organic there's ammonium sulfate and dicalcium phoshate to use. Guano seems obsolete in a large scale recycled soil situation. Taste will come from balanced nutrients and sufficient micro nutrients. Vital sells that rock dust full of iron that will interfere with your Manganese.

I hope I didn't write this so it reads too condescending. I think it's solid advice.

I used to run a wet wall, you'll want it on a timer and humidistat. Have the timer shut the pump off 2 hours before darktime. The humidistat is in case a rainy or humid day comes at the end of flower, it can get messy.

Dehumidifier for year round use for sure, it's only a dry climate for a few months.

Tankless heater works, I've never seen one integrated in to irrigation but I imagine it will work out. I'd pay attention to the flow specs and how much you're running.

A greenhouse that size will take a bit of water, the solar is nice idea for preheating during warm months but it would have to have a pump circulating it in a tank and be indoor during the winter. At 1oz/square foot does it make sense to use greenhouse space on tanks and equipment? A 1000 gallon tank 5' in diameter will occupy about 25 square feet without ancillary equipment, heater etc. That is1.5lbs right there. That is $2250 to put towards propane, utilities or salary for a worker

Water from the source, to tankless heater & irrigation. No resevoir adjust water with mixer if necessary? Preferably not adjust water at all for simplicity's sake and to account for workers that may not calibrate meters or give a hoot.

I hope this helps if it does, send me one of those big publisher's clearing house or golf tourney checks.

 

[Flyingteapot]

Seems like we are on the same journey right now. We decided to go with two separate housing units for the electrical and the water. Well pumps to a 3000 like you have from there goes through a tankless to the a reservoir that is housed and feeds the greenhouse from there. We are going to install a couple ac units in the unit to keep relative temps down in the summer but we are setting it up as hydro, which is way more important then dealing with soil. I wouldn't worry too much about heating water in the spring and summer months. As for drying think about building a warehouse for as much as those pod things cost you could build a crazy structure. Go wood not metal it helps the the drying process and stays cooler in the sun. Mid summer this year I got a 7 day dry with zero insulation and fans. Our building cost us 6 grand including materials

 

[Abja Roots]

I hope I didn't write this so it reads too condescending. I think it's solid advice.

I used to run a wet wall, you'll want it on a timer and humidistat. Have the timer shut the pump off 2 hours before darktime. The humidistat is in case a rainy or humid day comes at the end of flower, it can get messy.

Dehumidifier for year round use for sure, it's only a dry climate for a few months.

Tankless heater works, I've never seen one integrated in to irrigation but I imagine it will work out. I'd pay attention to the flow specs and how much you're running.

Not condescending at all. The people I'm working for have zero grow experience, so I'd like to keep things as simple as possible for them.

We'll have 12 feet of dead space on either end because of the wet wall and the exhaust system. So that's where we would place our smaller tanks for brewing teas and what not. The larger tanks would sit outside of the greenhouse. I will more than likely recommend they build a house for the tanks. Even if it's just for one of the tanks. I'd like to have one water tank which is full of water which has had it's temperature regulated, and a larger tank of colder water which will be heated before it arrives at the tank which we'll be using.

I'm thinking I may suggest doing a pre-amended just add water soil mix. I had good experience using it before, and my only gripe was that I didn't have enough space to cycle between my soils in an indoor warehouse. It was much messier than coco or rockwool. I'm wondering if anyone has ever used BluMats on such a large scale. My first thought was to go with the C Frame Down Sprayers, which I didn't think would be an issue if we were only putting water through them.

Does anyone have any recommendations for larger dehumidifiers than the Quest ones?

Tankless water heater or a boiler system are my current thoughts on the water heating system.

Found a place that is local and has lots of amendments. http://concentratesnw.com/

Also interested in some of the products from Tainio. Specifically their BioGenesis, Pepzyme Clear, and Spectrum. http://www.tainio.com

My friend down south is using products from Albion and Acadian. Would love to continue to move forward into more traditional style agriculture, which means less Advanced style products and more commercial products.

 

[HillMizer]

Wow so you're going to leave 12ft on each end? Equivalent to a 24x70 house? Why not see how close you can get then adjust? I had plants touching my wet wall, can't recomend THAT.

I know the bigger the house the less weight/foot but you can pull well over 100# in a 24x70. I waste no space.

Check out Jaine DAN modular microsprayers. Cleanable and you can change orifices fertigate with no problem. Call Wyatt irrigation in Ukiah they'll ship them. You probably want violet(smallest) nozzles and orange concave spreaders on stakes. They are modular and customizable so its hard to order online or with unfamiliar dealers. Hopefully they come assembled, it's surprising how long that little job takes.

You can always hire me, I've worked in the gardens of the suppliers of auto greenhouses and fancy nutrients that get talked about often on the mag I just got a little home bought, now I'm ready to crush it.

 

[Abja Roots]

The 12 ft of dead space on each end is what the owner wanted. It's one battle at a time in the new cannabis game. We come from a school of maximizing every square foot and having no down time, but things are changing. Any square footage we don't use in the greenhouse will remain on the license and be able to be applied to the outdoor cold frames or hoops they want to build. The OLCC considers anything with lights over it indoors, and if you have a mixed use license you're allowed to divide the space up. For every 1 sqft of indoor space you don't use you can get 4 sqft of outdoor space. So that's the direction we're leaning in. Cost of outdoor production is much less, and for now they simply want to get one nice crop in over the winter.

There are also currently no other buildings on the site, hence the desire to have some space inside the greenhouse to work in.

I'll look into those Jaine microsprayers.

Congrats on the house. I'm close to selling my property in Butte, and I'll be looking for a new place up here.