1st time grower. i have some questions!?

[timetogetbusy]

allright i have a closet that i have chosen for to grow in. it is a 4 x 3 ft wide and about 8 ft tall. I plan on putting either a white plastic to cover the walls or white cardboard. For lighting I plan on using a 400 wat high pressure sodium bulb and ballast. Does any one have any suggestions on what ballast system i should get and also is it ok if i buy it used? i also plan on putting a flourescent light somewhere in the closet for various rays. I heard this is better for the plants is this true? I plan on getting a grounded eletrical timer. For soil i plan on buying Miracle grow moisture control and potting mix. Additionally i am getting some perlight and ph tips. through my research i found out that the ph level should be 6.8 to 7.2 and that 7 is the perfect level. Is this true? also does any one know how to use the perlight because this is a area where i truelly am lacking in knowledge? For ventalation i plan on using two fans one near the top of the grow box and the second i plan on placing near the bottom but only after the plants have matured so i can strengthen the stems of the plants. and finally i plan on using a Berometer to measure temperature etc.

A few additional questions i have:

When i have the HPS system should i attach it to ceiling or hang it? if i should hang it how far from the plants and will i have to keep raising it as time progresses? keep in mind the closet is 8 ft tall

If anyone has a good reference or can explain how to use perlight and how to control the ph level?

Any suggestions or tips will be highly appreciated!!!! thanx guys

 

[bobbiedont]

I use a soil that has some nutes in it and the ph is at 7 what I do is to mix up the ph at 6 and it slowly brings down the ph level to what is needed. I use tds testers and a ph tester to make sure its good. Hang your light place it over the plants place your hand underneath it once you hand starts to to get hot lower your hand slowly until it fells not hot, thats where the top of your plant should be. I would use the white plastic or paint the closet with an off white. If you get a 600 or maybe even a 400wt hps get the hood vented you might need to suck the hot air out of the room.

 

[sportsman9987]

If your not very knowledgeable with soil you can always just buy Fox Farm Ocean Forest and use that throughout your entire grow. It has everything already mixed together. Some people add stuff to it to make it even better but its a pretty excellent soil that you should be able to use throughout your entire grow. Other wise add 1/3 perlite 1/3 spaghnum moss, 1/3 worm castings and a couple teaspoons of ground up dolomite (Lime). Theres a lot of threads on soil so just do some research and im sure you will find some helpful info.

As for your lightning system i recommend this: High Tech Garden Supply and its only 119$ GREAT DEAL!!!

I would consider purchasing some mylar from that site as well for the walls. Its like 15$ for a 25 ft x 50 ft roll. And that should be more than enough to cover your walls. Other wise i agree with bobbie just paint it white. And your going to need to consider your venting system for this closet if your using a 400w HPS. Its going to get HOT in there and just a few fans wont do much. You need to get the air vented OUT of the closet from the top and some air coming IN. Good luck with your set up man. I hope this helped.

 

[Ms.Fox]

I bought all my stuff used! ;-) I also agree about using mylar or flat white paint for the walls. I would not recommend MG for a first time grower. Fox Farm soil is the best! A ph of 5.5-6.5 is optimal. I used fluoros for veging and then switched to HPS for flowering. Perlite is used to keep the soil from compacting, which is not good for your plants. ;-)

 

[timetogetbusy]

i appreciate the assistance. allthough i am unable to cut a hole in the wall for ventalation so is there any way i can ventilate without having to cut a hole in the wall? how can i vent air out of the top with out cutting a hole?

 

[timetogetbusy]

also can any one tell me how many bags of FoxFarm's Ocean Forest Potting Mix 1.5 Cubic Feet i will need if i am planning on growinng 4 to 5 plants?

 

[Ms.Fox]

Check out this link to a page where you can see my set up. Maybe this will help you visualize how I did it.

Just For Fun Bagseed Grow

 

[timetogetbusy]

is ur ventalation system hooking directly up to ur lighting fixture

 

[Ms.Fox]

Yes, but I really didn't use that particular fan for ventilation. That was mostly to keep the light cool. I used the floor fan for blowing cool air in. ;-)