space saving grow room idea

[nivek]

good morning from western canada. nivek here. wondering if i might get some feedback on a grow room idea i am currently planning.

first off, i am a rookie grower, old time smoker, maybe tasting and smoking 'real' pot for the first time in my life, thanks to a plant i grew in my okanagan garden last summer. that experience peaked an interest in indoor growing and i am now just harvesting my first indoor plant from a clone taken from that outdoor plant. i am 100% a DIY guy and my indoor grow room is evolving slowly into what i think i want and need for the type of growing i will be doing.

and that type of growing is almost 'micro' growing,, sog, supper cropping and low stress training all resulting in small'ish' low'ish' plants, no more than 2 feet high from pot bottom to plant top when put to flower.

my grow room is 3 feet by 10 feet split in two with the veg side and flower side near equal size. flower side is sealed and light proof'ish'.

i am now getting to my question. i realize that the veg side is only working with babies and younguns and need not be as big a space as the flower side but my two rooms are the same size, so,,, i want to split my flower room into two 'levels' both being approx 4 feet high. the small size should make managing ventilation and lighting (strictly cfl's)and watering etc relatively possible and do-able. (theory only).

i am thinking four feet of height should be enough to grow the plants the way i am thinking,, but i have never seen this idea talked about in all the research i have done so far and i am not sure why. perhaps there is some logistical reason this idea might not work. the small size, approx 3 feet by 3 feet is what makes me think i can make this work.

if you have read this far i thank you muchly and appreciate any feedback you might have.

btw. i just cloned the fifth generation from that single outdoor okanagan garden plant so have only worked with that one, unknown strain so far, but, exciting, new (though incredibly overpriced), known eggs on the way.

thanks for your precious time,, cheers, nivek

 

[PeytonManning]

The only suggestion I have is getting a couple led panels instead of CFL bulbs. You'll want it for the coverage and penetration that you can't get from bulbs. And make sure you have a place for all that water to go. I think most people don't grow that way for safety reasons, never want wires or electronics anywhere near water

 

[nivek]

peyton, thanks for the reply. love the last line in your info panel. water and electrical, what an obvious issue. so why did i not think of that? silly me.. does not change my plans,, yet, but sure has given me lots to think about. my post has payed off big time already,, as for the led's,, the nice thing is i can upgrade and yet use the same amount of vertical space when i do upgrade. i have looked into led's, but maybe this hobby will fade, maybe not. as i mentioned,, this is an evolution,, with baby steps.

btw, the water issue, how to collect the waste, is the only part of my plan that i had not yet thought of a good DIY solution for yet,, and you made that issue much more complex, and for that, i thank you. extremely important issue

cheers mate

 

[PeytonManning]

I would get a good tray to set them in, and have it drain through a hose on far side bottom into a bucket or drain.

 

[PeytonManning]

If you're anything like the rest of us, then growing will become as addicting as smoking it.

 

[nivek]

yes, i can understand the pleasure from growing, just for the smell,, that alone is enough. it is science, and that room is my lab. end of story. i freakin love science.

as for drainage, i was thinking a rubber membrane in a tub shape draining to one corner. and maybe with trays on that, maybe no trays. trays are hard to find, i have been looking. i wish i had my old darkroom trays. maybe i will search for some.

i have a week or so to figure this stuff out as my 2nd generation clone is a week or so from ready, though 10 weeks flowering already. come on amber, but just a hint of you please.

cheers again pal, btw, great career.

 

[PeytonManning]

Thank you. I hope to one day grow as great as he plays football. Sounds like you're on the right path now to getting your lab set up. If/when you start a journal, let me know. I'd like to see what you got going

 

[nivek]

this is my veg side as we speak. 100% d.i.y. and k.i.s.s. methods in use. the two in front are the 3rd generation clones and are about half the size i think i want them to be when put to flower. the three behind are 4th generation clones a month old that suffered from inattention over the holidays and the three to the right are more 4th generation clones barely a week old.

everything is a work in progress and changing daily,, one day i might get it finished,, nah, never

 

[PeytonManning]

Looking like a good start. My garage grow space is all diy, and it'll be getting worked on after my grow finishes up again

 

[nivek]

heya peyton,, just a note on something i thought interesting. i was watching a bit of one of your blogs and i noticed your concern about one of your plants,, which looked very nice by the way,, just like i want mine to grow,, very nicely trained, one of your plants got split down the middle.

it was interesting because i recently watched a video, maybe in africa, where the farmers actually purposely split their plants right down to the ground,, all with their feet too, just stomped on the plants, and the plants grew back fabulously. marijuana is one tough plant.

i think i might just start a journal. will let you know,, cheers peyton

 

[PeytonManning]

Cheers to you too man. Can't wait to see your grow. Yeah my first plant split down the middle and I wired it back together. My big PC going now has a split in it from mid flower tightening and the area that's split hardened up and got a skin, so she's chugging along without missing a beat. She was also fim'd early on and has a fat stalk. Can't wait to harvest

 

[nivek]

ok peyton, here goes with the journal. feel free to point me in the direction i need to go to get plants that look just like yours. cheers, nivek

 

[Tejasdirt]

Hey nivek
Congrates on your grow
DIY is the way to go!!!
For what it's worth....
Don't worry about your veg side just yet
Focus on the flower side . Even BADLY veggedd
Plants can yield great results.
I wouldn't split the sides unless absolutely
Have to, and then just split the veg side.
More room in bloom leaves one with more options
For different flowering training technics or lack of them.
In my cab, air intake is on back bottom of flower chamber
Then goes to a all charcoal scrubber, threw the dividing
Wall to veg chamber to a 4 inch inline then ducted threw
The hood of my self made veg 4 bulb 100 watt PVC pipe cfl hood
The air is then vented via a small muffin fan from the veg chamber.
My electronics are under a inverted plastic milk crate
In the veg chamber that I put a sign board ( cut to 1 inch smaller than chamber)
As a floor for my veggies.
All my veggies have deep trays under them
And I veg/ clone in dirt so I don't
Have tons of water to worry about slopping around.
I would suggest in your veg area get some cheap
Kitty litter trays (they come in 3 sizes) or any trays that will fit the veg chamber area.
Start vegging in black squares (from eBay sometimes free from garden centers)
Squares will fit better
Put the squares in the kitty litter trays to catch any runoff and then
Be reabsorbed back into your plants.
Why waste what the plants can use??
Keep it simple.....
Oh yeah diffinatly look into Led for bloom side
I am a former cfl junkie turned to led and NEVER looked back!
I am flowering with a MarsHydro 48*3 reflector led (due to space limitations)
With FANTASTIC results!!
Keep up the good work
Peace
I

 

[nivek]

teja, thanks for the input, sure sounds like you got your system working for you, great stuff. I am a work in progress adapting and evolving every day. led is for sure in my future, price will come down big time soon enough, I think. I will be there, cheers, nivek

 

[Dutty Panty]

Personally I'd do 1/3 veg 2/3 bloom.
I'd also recommend a t5 maybe 6 bulb fixture for veg. On Craigslist in British Columbia has a ton of gear. I've personally bought whole grow ops pennies on the dollar up there. I'm sure you could find a great t5 fixture for under 125$ can

 

[Dutty Panty]

Then maybe a good 600 watt ballast (lumatek)
And a great bulb. (Hortilux)

 

[nivek]

dutty, i agree totally about the third for veg and two thirds for flower, and that is my intention, by splitting the flower side into two levels,, it only makes sense, least to me, the flower side is where the bigger plants are and more room is needed,, veg side for babies and teenagers,, not so much room needed.

i have not looked seriously into any lighting beyond cfl's as i intend to see how far i can go, quality wise, with them,, for many reasons, which i go into a bit in my journal,, my new, first journal,, check it out if you can,, you could help me out a lot i am sure, cheers, nivek

 

[BlaccSmoke]

i have not looked seriously into any lighting beyond cfl's as i intend to see how far i can go, quality wise, with them,,

CFL will grow perfectly fine plants only drawbacks really are canopy penetration and that they throw light in all directions resulting in wasted light. Since you want to save space and use CFL's may I suggest you try setting up a perpetual SOG, I think you will be quite happy with the results from a CFL.

 

[nivek]

CFL will grow perfectly fine plants only drawbacks really are canopy penetration and that they throw light in all directions resulting in wasted light. Since you want to save space and use CFL's may I suggest you try setting up a perpetual SOG, I think you will be quite happy with the results from a CFL.

Heya blaccy, cheers to you. you certainly may suggest that, and what a fine suggestion it is. check out my joutnal as I chronicle just exactly what you suggested. cheers agin, nivek

 

[BlaccSmoke]

Heya blaccy, cheers to you. you certainly may suggest that, and what a fine suggestion it is. check out my joutnal as I chronicle just exactly what you suggested. cheers agin, nivek

I'll head over and give it a look, is it just height your worried about? There are a lot of ways to save room depending on limitations you have. I'd be happy to try and help you come up with the best design for your room if you need/want it.