Hypothetical

[OmaDesala]

I've been procrastinating about posting here, as I cannot imagine anyone being remotely interested. However, I do understand how communities work. So, here I am.

As my profile tells, I'm 59 y.o., and I live in an unenlightened red state. Ugh.

Hypothetically, I am slowly ramping up for my first grow. Slowly, because as a retired senior, funding is slow in coming. My hypothetical grow room is a closet, 2X6X8.

So right now, I am in the R&D phase. I have already spent hours pouring over this site and others, collecting and collating data. I am so jazzed at the prospect of having decent medicine once again!

I am also grateful that a place like this exists!

And P.S. will somebody tell me what the 420 Girls is all about? I went to that board, but there are no stickies or any posts suggesting what the group is about/for. I love the avatar, Women being the messengers for Mother Nature... Oma Desala being Mother Nature (you already know this if you are a Stargate SG-1 fan... ).

 

[Major PITA]

to Oma!

I'm in a similar situation (but blue state). Have fun! See ya around. Stop by my yard if you want to meet some great growers and even greater people here on the forum.

 

[Stinky Snid]

Welcome to the forums Omadesala, I'm sure you've noticed that when your searching around for an answer you inevitably end up her. That's what makes this place so grand, folks from all over the world sharing their experiments and kindness. I'm one to admit research is the most important thing, I did months of collating info and deciding what I would buy. It doesn't take much to start and give you a head start while you build the hypothetical room. Just a few bulbs and a pot of good media. Anyway... Glad you found us, questions are our speciality. Don't be a stranger...

KiG cheers

 

[OmaDesala]

You guys rock! Thanx so much for the welcome!!

 

[AngryBird]

You guys rock! Thanx so much for the welcome!!

Hi and welcome from me too
I am on the other side of the pond but I don't care 420mag is your virtual family if you let it. We help each other and LOVE what we do.

 

[Oldbear]

What are you not thinking about regarding lighting and ventilation?

 

[OmaDesala]

Hi and welcome from me too
I am on the other side of the pond but I don't care 420mag is your virtual family if you let it. We help each other and LOVE what we do.

TY, AngryBird! I see your name all over the place here, so I already look forward to your input!

 

[OmaDesala]

What are you not thinking about regarding lighting and ventilation?

I'm not? LOL! No, lighting is one of my biggest research areas. My closet will be lined with mylar And I plan on putting light fixtures over the grow area on an adjustable chain. I'm trying to figure out how much and what kind of lights to use. I am leaning towards cfl's, as they use less energy. I read here - just today, in fact -, that one should plan on 150 watts (CFLs) per plant. But then I reead others who say much much more, s the natural sun puts out over 10,000 watts!

No, lighting is the one thing I'm consumed with!


As for ventilation, that's going to end up being a work in progress. That and co2 levels. And humidity... and soil/soiless... and nutes and omg, I'm going to go crazy!!! LOL

But it's all good. It's been awhile since I've had a project to focus on.

 

[Major PITA]

I wouldn't be concerned about CO2 until you've dialed in every other aspect of your grow environment and have a couple of runs under your belt in the new space. Not only does it add expense and complexity, but the added payoff is small, IMO. If you are sure you want to use it, design for extra heat and a closed system using recirculated air since you don't want to extract CO2 from the grow. I def' would bother with it if using CFLs. They don't provide the horsepower to justify it.

With CFLs use more smaller bulbs rather than fewer high wattage bulbs. 50 watts (true watts, not "equivalent") per sq-ft of grow space is a good rule of thumb to shoot for. I think CFL's actually use more power to give your plants the same amount of PAR, but I haven't got the data to show it. They also seem to be more expensive to purchase than the other forms of light.

 

[OmaDesala]

I wouldn't be concerned about CO2 until you've dialed in every other aspect of your grow environment and have a couple of runs under your belt in the new space. Not only does it add expense and complexity, but the added payoff is small, IMO. If you are sure you want to use it, design for extra heat and a closed system using recirculated air since you don't want to extract CO2 from the grow. I def' would bother with it if using CFLs. They don't provide the horsepower to justify it.

My thoughts exactly. My first grow is going to be from bag seeds I've got, so I won't feel so terrible from the mistakes I am bound to make. Adding one more thing to have to learn and implement is just not smart for this old woman. One thing at a time, one step at a time.
For my second grow, I'm leaning towards CK's Autoflowering, fem'd Jack Herer.

With CFLs use more smaller bulbs rather than fewer high wattage bulbs. 50 watts (true watts, not "equivalent") per sq-ft of grow space is a good rule of thumb to shoot for. I think CFL's actually use more power to give your plants the same amount of PAR, but I haven't got the data to show it. They also seem to be more expensive to purchase than the other forms of light.

okay, dumb question time! "50 watts per sq.ft. of grow space"... at 2X6X8, my grow room has 96 sq.ft. of growing space, altho obviously, not all of that will be used. 96 sq. ft. X 50 = 4800 watts.

Am I understanding that correctly?

 

[Oldbear]

I'm not? LOL! No, lighting is one of my biggest research areas.

No, lighting is the one thing I'm consumed with!


As for ventilation, that's going to end up being a work in progress. That and co2 levels. And humidity... and soil/soiless... and nutes and omg, I'm going to go crazy!!! LOL

But it's all good. It's been awhile since I've had a project to focus on.

I was thinking that you wouldn't be thinking about lights and ventilation since that would mean you were thinking about a garden setup which of course your not so its all fine , hypothetically.

I think dealing with odours in a 'red state' means zero smells escaping to the outside? Where you live will determine how diligent you must be to ensure this. Top of the list perhaps in your design.

 

[Croatsan]

I'm with Major on this one. For CO2 to be effective, you need plenty of light. CFL's just won't cut it.

But again, one way of increasing CO2 in your grow space is ramping up your exhaust.

Many people seem to overlook the fact that right now we're at 400ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere. I know it sucks but that's just the way things are at the moment, and they're not getting better.

So, if you increase the power of your exhaust (which also increases your intake providing it's passive one) for 50%, you're getting around 600ppm of CO2. Not bad considering that even growers with proper CO2 setup aim at no higher than 1500ppm.

You can dial it down during dark periods because plants don't use CO2 at night. They are, actually, releasing it.

And there you have it - CO2 el cheapo way

As an added bonus - no hassle about sealing up your growroom.

Just some food for thought.

 

[Major PITA]

My thoughts exactly. My first grow is going to be from bag seeds I've got, so I won't feel so terrible from the mistakes I am bound to make. Adding one more thing to have to learn and implement is just not smart for this old woman. One thing at a time, one step at a time.
For my second grow, I'm leaning towards CK's Autoflowering, fem'd Jack Herer.




okay, dumb question time! "50 watts per sq.ft. of grow space"... at 2X6X8, my grow room has 96 sq.ft. of growing space, altho obviously, not all of that will be used. 96 sq. ft. X 50 = 4800 watts.

Am I understanding that correctly?

First off, there are no dumb questions. We all started where you are.
2x6x8 is cubic feet (volume).
If your space is 8' tall, then the grow area you want to cover with light is the 2'x6'=12 square feet = 600 true watts of light for optimum coverage. If some of that space won't have plants (room for a fan, other stuff) then reduce accordingly.

 

[Major PITA]

I'm with Major on this one. For CO2 to be effective, you need plenty of light. CFL's just won't cut it.

But again, one way of increasing CO2 in your grow space is ramping up your exhaust.

Many people seem to overlook the fact that right now we're at 400ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere. I know it sucks but that's just the way things are at the moment, and they're not getting better.

So, if you increase the power of your exhaust (which also increases your intake providing it's passive one) for 50%, you're getting around 600ppm of CO2.

I don't understand this. If the general atmosphere is at 400 PPM, by increasing the exhaust, you pull in more air (also at 400 PPM). So no matter how quickly you turn over the air in your room, isn't the CO2 the same at 400 PPM. It doesn't accumulate.

 

[Croatsan]

I know your dilemma. I was banging my head in desperation trying to understand this one. But a friend of mine, a chemist, says it is possible. Even probable.

CO2 should accumulate inside the growroom because it's heavier than air and it should gravitate toward the bottom. By sucking in more air, you're sucking in more CO2 as well. And some of it gets used by plants. Some of it doesn't and gets sucked out through the exhaust. But you're always pulling in more CO2 than it gets sucked out. So, gradually, it should accumulate.

I know, it's counterintuitive. On one hand, it makes sense to me. On the other hand, I still can't wrap my head around it fully. We need a physicist to settle this issue once and for all

 

[OmaDesala]

I was thinking that you wouldn't be thinking about lights and ventilation since that would mean you were thinking about a garden setup which of course your not so its all fine , hypothetically.

I think dealing with odours in a 'red state' means zero smells escaping to the outside? Where you live will determine how diligent you must be to ensure this. Top of the list perhaps in your design.

A hypothetical garden, yes!

I understand that odour is indeed a problem, so yeah, it is something I must consider. I am planning to grow only one plant as I start this project, to get a feel for what I must deal with if I intend to grow more. The closet is in the back of the house in a small suburban neighborhood of people who pretty much ignore us, esp now that our sons are no longer teenagers and live elsewhere... lol!

The closet has the bathroom plumbing in the shared wall and I was thinking about creating either the inflow or exhaust there. Ultimately, I expect to put some kind of exhaust in the ceiling, venting to the attic.

 

[OmaDesala]

First off, there are no dumb questions. We all started where you are.
2x6x8 is cubic feet (volume).
If your space is 8' tall, then the grow area you want to cover with light is the 2'x6'=12 square feet = 600 true watts of light for optimum coverage. If some of that space won't have plants (room for a fan, other stuff) then reduce accordingly.

Okay, I suck at math, too... LOL! Thank you for explaining this to me!

 

[Billyjack]

Welcome to the site. I have learned so much and still do not know enough. I agree with what everyone is saying about the CO2, forget it for now. It sounds like you have a handle on the light, keep the nutrients simple and always PH your water, going in and checking runoff. The biggest mistakes I made early on was over watering and not PHing my water. I would suggest researching hempy bucket grow. Its a simple setup that makes it almost impossible to over water.

Its all very exciting. Good luck

 

[OmaDesala]

Welcome to the site. I have learned so much and still do not know enough. I agree with what everyone is saying about the CO2, forget it for now. It sounds like you have a handle on the light, keep the nutrients simple and always PH your water, going in and checking runoff. The biggest mistakes I made early on was over watering and not PHing my water. I would suggest researching hempy bucket grow. Its a simple setup that makes it almost impossible to over water.

Its all very exciting. Good luck

Thank you, BillyJack! One of the first threads I read here was about the most common mistakes new growers make... and over-watering was at the top of the list. So I've been reading everyone's opinions about the best way to handle this. It is forefront in my mind, so thank you for your advice! And for the welcome!

 

[AngryBird]

TY, AngryBird! I see your name all over the place here, so I already look forward to your input!

Well Thank you I am only a newbie testing things I help with the knowledge I had from other things or gained from my mistakes.

I'm not? LOL! No, lighting is one of my biggest research areas. My closet will be lined with mylar And I plan on putting light fixtures over the grow area on an adjustable chain. I'm trying to figure out how much and what kind of lights to use. I am leaning towards cfl's, as they use less energy. I read here - just today, in fact -, that one should plan on 150 watts (CFLs) per plant. But then I reead others who say much much more, s the natural sun puts out over 10,000 watts!

No, lighting is the one thing I'm consumed with!


As for ventilation, that's going to end up being a work in progress. That and co2 levels. And humidity... and soil/soiless... and nutes and omg, I'm going to go crazy!!! LOL

But it's all good. It's been awhile since I've had a project to focus on.

I wouldn't be concerned about CO2 until you've dialed in every other aspect of your grow environment and have a couple of runs under your belt in the new space. Not only does it add expense and complexity, but the added payoff is small, IMO. If you are sure you want to use it, design for extra heat and a closed system using recirculated air since you don't want to extract CO2 from the grow. I def' would bother with it if using CFLs. They don't provide the horsepower to justify it.

With CFLs use more smaller bulbs rather than fewer high wattage bulbs. 50 watts (true watts, not "equivalent") per sq-ft of grow space is a good rule of thumb to shoot for. I think CFL's actually use more power to give your plants the same amount of PAR, but I haven't got the data to show it. They also seem to be more expensive to purchase than the other forms of light.

A hypothetical garden, yes!

I understand that odour is indeed a problem, so yeah, it is something I must consider. I am planning to grow only one plant as I start this project, to get a feel for what I must deal with if I intend to grow more. The closet is in the back of the house in a small suburban neighborhood of people who pretty much ignore us, esp now that our sons are no longer teenagers and live elsewhere... lol!

The closet has the bathroom plumbing in the shared wall and I was thinking about creating either the inflow or exhaust there. Ultimately, I expect to put some kind of exhaust in the ceiling, venting to the attic.

Okay, I suck at math, too... LOL! Thank you for explaining this to me!

According to an electrician I spoke to..CFL pulls more watt to light than a LED for example one LED bulb shines as 150W.. it needs 15W to do so
A CFL shining as 100W would need 20W to do so.
Although LED bulbs are slightly more expensive.. in the long run..you save electricity..

My DIY box has aluminum foil..( the cheapest one I could afford at the time) but many people swear by white flat (not shiny) painted walls.
Odour.. depends on strain you want to grow.. I can lead you to a thread with a DIY fan to put in closet.

You are lucky, anytime I am out back to check on my babies.. I have my nosy neighbor practically hanging over the fence...