First time grower -- checklist and questions

[Trismegistus]

Thank you to all the contributors to this forum, I've found loads of resources for getting into growing. I'm planning my first grow and so I'd like to get some advice and critiques from people here. Feel free to recommend different equipment, specific soil/pots, etc, as I'm completely new to this. My plans and questions below.

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My grow area: a 5x4x6 (length, width, height) closet with a door and an A/C vent.

Tent: 32x32x62 https://www.amazon.com/VIVOSUN-Hydroponic-Observation-Window-Growing/dp/B07PJ4VWF7/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=3x3x7%2Bgrow%2Btent&qid=1566331841&s=gateway&sr=8-4&th=1

Lighting: Vivosun 600w HID kit https://www.amazon.com/VIVOSUN-Inline-Control-Australia-Charcoal/dp/B01EV10FI0/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=vivosun+6+inch&qid=1553482210&s=gateway&sr=8-5

Filter: 6" inline fan with carbon filter https://www.amazon.com/VIVOSUN-Inline-Control-Australia-Charcoal/dp/B01EV10FI0/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=vivosun+6+inch&qid=1553482210&s=gateway&sr=8-5

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Questions

1. Is this a proper amount of lighting?
2. Does this 6'' fan/filter fit my tent?
3. Any other hardware required for this tent? Not talking about pots soil and nutrients, I'll make a checklist for that below.
4. There's an A/C vent in the closet, should I leave it open or closed?
5. Seeds? Currently have some Purple Haze x Malawi. Would it be better to grow multiple strains in the same tent or just stick to the one?

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Checklist (equipment)

1. pH reader
2. thermostat
3. pots (with holes in bottom)
4. soil
5. nutrients and fertilizers
6. light timer

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Checklist (techniques)

1. Topping
2. training
3. light schedules
4. watering

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I plan to research as I go, focusing on the stage I'm on at the time. So if you guys can give me some guides or information pertaining to these preliminary stages of growing, I'd appreciate it. I've been reading some great guides from Kodiak. Links to guides or just general knowledge will be appreciated as well.

 

[Teddybrae]

Welcome to the Site! I hope you enjoy yourself here. Sorry, can't answer yr questions cos I do big plants outdoors.

 

[RB56]

I don't see a projected height for Purple Haze x Malawi on Ace's site but I'd expect that to be your first issue - 10 foot plant (guessing) in a 5 foot tent. Going to have to control height if you're interested in Sativas. Some kind of scrog?



Try to build redundancy into your purchases. What so you do if a light or timer goes bad? Lack of preparation can cost you a crop.



How much do you want to produce? You can be much more productive and consistent if you have one space for cloning, germinating seeds and getting plants ready to flower and a separate flowering space.

 

[Trismegistus]

I don't see a projected height for Purple Haze x Malawi on Ace's site but I'd expect that to be your first issue - 10 foot plant (guessing) in a 5 foot tent. Going to have to control height if you're interested in Sativas. Some kind of scrog?



Try to build redundancy into your purchases. What so you do if a light or timer goes bad? Lack of preparation can cost you a crop.



How much do you want to produce? You can be much more productive and consistent if you have one space for cloning, germinating seeds and getting plants ready to flower and a separate flowering space.

Was interested in Sativas. Wouldn't mind some hybrid of indica dominant strain if they grow better for a tent.

I'd like to produce as much as I can without over-complicating things and risk ruining my crop. I'm not adverse to experimenting though, so I'm going to look into cloning. I assume the flowering stage will be done in the tent, but what would be the requirements of a 'cloning and germinating' space?

 

[pop_rocks]

rb56 is on the right path
if you have a 6f ceiling, lets subtract about a foot or so for your container and another foot for the light
this only gives you about 4f of actual space to grow in
considering most sativas will at least double in size during flowering you can see how it gets kind of tight in most indoor grows
growing out clones is a great idea, clones require less veg time and offer a know result
but you need to have a plant to take cuts from first

 

[NoSativaction]

Forget HID if you have that little height to work with and have any interest in leggy sativa. LED is probably going to be your best bet here. Or even t5 bulbs.

Don't go cheap on everything or you'll regret it.

 

[RB56]

Was interested in Sativas. Wouldn't mind some hybrid of indica dominant strain if they grow better for a tent.

I'd like to produce as much as I can without over-complicating things and risk ruining my crop. I'm not adverse to experimenting though, so I'm going to look into cloning. I assume the flowering stage will be done in the tent, but what would be the requirements of a 'cloning and germinating' space?

Much less stringent requirements for the vegging (cloning, germinating, getting ready for flower). You'll want something like 20 hours lights on, 4 hours lights off. No real requirement for darkness at all. My growing space is basically one large room divided in two. The flower room is behind the veg room - you enter the space in the veg room then go through another door to the flower room. That also lets me pull air through both rooms, so maybe some savings on ventilation equipment.


Sativas are great. Pure sativas can be a little trickier than hybrids and will take longer to finish. The key point is that growing weed isn't like growing tomatoes. With tomatoes, you can pretty much pick one you like by seed brand and strain. Plant the same seeds next year and you'll have pretty similar tomatoes next year. In a 10-pack of marijuana seeds, you'll first discard the males (unless you'll be breeding). If there are 5 females left, there's a pretty good chance that you will get 5 vert different plants. Some will have great highs, some will have terrifying highs you're not interested in experiencing again. Others may not do much for you at all. Some will yield great, others not. There are many variables. When you find a plant you like, cloning lets you make exact copies of the same plant for as long as you want it. We call these keepers and they are the holy grail of indoor growing.

 

[Slashemup]

HLG Leds.

 

[BuzzBob56]

Not sure if Tris is going to make it back. But, as a renewing Grower, I'd like to say I appreciate the obvious thought and planning s/he's done!

Moreover, the feedback y'all have provided already is fantabulous, providing me with valuable insights as I plan out my next room expansion.

 

[troutman]

Stay away from pure Sativas if you're a new grower as they can be very tricky.

Go with with a hybrid instead for starters to build experience.

 

[hush]

Yes, you can do HID lighting in a tent. I do it. But 600w is too much for that sized tent. I determined that 600w was almost too much for my own tent, which is slightly larger than yours at 36" x 36". A 400w setup would work great in there, though. That's what I currently use in mine. Everything everyone said about vertical space is true. You will need to force flowering early on, or do training like LST or SCROG, or you will run out of height quickly. I'm a huge fan of SCROG. That's my primary method for tent growing.

As a new grower I think you would be better off growing one variety at a time. It can get complicated when several plants with different requirements are all fighting for your attention. The purple haze x malawi you mentioned is going to be unruly, and I would recommend you order some seeds that'll give you plants with shorter stature, but it can be done. It will require both forcing early AND training methods to keep the height down. I think a solid 50/50 sat/ind hybrid would promote more success for you, generally speaking.

Yes, any standard 6 inch inline fan and carbon filter combo can be fitted into your tent.

Regarding the AC vent, you can probably keep it open without any detriment to the plants, and possibly some benefit, but it will NOT be sufficient as a primary cooling mechanism for your grow space. You are going to want to exhaust the air coming out of the tents far away from this closet. You won't be able to simply exhaust the air coming out of the tent back into the closet where the tent resides. That would require a dedicated air conditioner.

Hope that helps.

 

[Nean]

Hybrid

Hybrid

Which is best for first time grower?