Need some help on setting up

[nimaorange]

Hey well decided to give it a go. Do a few plants or so just for some medicinal smoke. I have been planning this for a while and for me a box/tent would be ideal. for my first time I shall be constructing my own box made of wood. My friend is going to supply me with one 400w HID and I have heard these get very warm so i may be making my own cooltube ( Just ducting through the light, to take hot air out... Do i need to do anything else with this? ). Also half of my soil will be using the usual soil mixes with the normal fertz but the other half will be organic. I was just wonderinh how many would go be fine under a 400w and would i have to get a reflector? I will be installing mylar in the box for good reflectivity. how far would my 400 w lights have to be from the plant? I might be using just cheap CFL's for seedlings and is it right to keep CFL 1 inch away and HID 1.5 foot away? When is the exact time i should change them to HID? From start I am going to be using an 18/6 cycle and veg it for as long as i can then gradually lessen the light to 17 to 15 and then 12/12. I will make my soil mix 1.5 weeks prior to using and before using i know to make it slightly moist but how moist? And can anyone reccomend me a nice and easy soil mix which prevents mould and all the other nasties.... With watering i shal be using tap water but i will leave the tap water out for a few days to lower the PH. How much should you exactly water from the start to the end? The intake at the bottom does a fan+ducting need to be there because i have seen just fans used here. Iv got a little plan below how i will be constructing my box but how would i get "Fresh-air" in from? Will using an exhaust and an intake fan be enough for plants to breathe or do i need to bring in extra air from outside? Or if i cant vent air from outside will I need to use co2 and how much co2? I was thinking about getting a tank of co2 but I dont know how much co2 to use and when. What extra precautions should i take for this not to be a fail? things like temp , humidity etc....... Thanks!

 

[TanR]

Hi nimaorange.

Welcome to ! I know you'll find this site to be loaded with great information and a very supportive community of members.

It appears you have either done some reading already or have been exposed to some grow efforts, as your off to a good start in the design of your box. I also applaud that you have an actual plan or strategy, but leave some room for altering it as you learn more. Growing can be a life long, very rewarding hobby in which you continue to learn every day!

You have a lot of questions still and I'll try to respond to as many as possible. You may find many more answers (and probably more questions) under the 'Grow Room' tab at the top, entitled (How to Grow Marijuana) here: How to Grow Marijuana Everything You Need to Know

Yes, your light is going to create quite a bit of heat and you will need a reflective hood. I'd be surprised if the light your friend gives you doesn't have a hood already, but if by chance it does not I highly recommend getting an air cooled (think cool tube) type reflector as opposed to making your own or buying an open air hood. If it comes with an open air reflector(hood) you can make it a cool tube as you suggest by enclosing the bulb in some translucent tubing (I used a 6" hurricane lamp from hobby lobby) and either way your going to want an in line extraction fan. If you get or build an air cooled reflector you should be able to keep your light about a foot or 14 inches from the top of your plants. You can always test the proper distance by holding the back of your hand under the light. If it feels warm on your hand, keep moving your hand away until you no longer feel the heat, then add an inch or so to that distance.

The number of plants you can grow under this light, will be determined to a large part by how big you grow them. A 400 watt light will cover an area about 2 1/2 ft. x 2 1/2 ft. although ideal lighting area will only be 2x2. If you grow the plants to 20 or 24 inches you will really only get 2 or 3 plants in this area. There are some great resources for training your plants to maximize yield the same link provided above.

I would like to respectfully suggest you try to stay away from any soil that contains fertilizer. Most do not contain cannabis specific nutrients and it becomes really difficult to judge what nutrients to give if every time your watering your releasing more time release nutrients already in the soil. Since we don't know your location it's hard to provide a specific soil recommendation that might be available to you, but if you have access to Promix HP I can highly recommend it! Otherwise just get some generic organic top soil and then plan on buying a quality nutrient line. I recommend looking for a good basic 2 part nutrient mix where the part A is used during veg. and part B is used during flower. You usually add part B along with continued application of part A during flower to be perfectly clear.

I'm interested in the fact that your mixing your soil ahead of time? Are you planning on amending the soil with anything? Regardless of that answer, don't worry about mold or "nasties". In all organic gardening we are actually promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria in the soil as the bacteria helps break down the nutrients that the plants take in. You'll want your soil damp enough that when you squeeze a handful of together and then open your hand, it remains slightly clumped, but still falls apart some. If the soil you end using doesn't already contain it (most won't) I recommend liberally adding perlite or vermiculite for improved drainage.

Staring under cfl's or not is a personal choice. It is a good low cost option with the benefit that the low heat will allow you to put the light within an inch or two of the seedling. Make sure you get the CFL's that provide a color range as close to a 6,500 Kelvin rating as possible. These may be labeled "daylight" or similar wording and will provide your plants with the proper light range for tight intermodal growth.

Most municipal tap water will work fine for our purposes but you may wish to eventually invest in a PH meter. You can get one online for $30 bucks or so and it will allow for some "fine tuning" of your water and grow medium with a goal of keeping the soil PH in the 6.3 to 6.8 range. Leaving the water out for 24 hours or so allows the chlorine to dissipate but shouldn't alter it's PH. The amount of water you'll need will vary depending on the size of your containers, heat within your box and size of the plants. Obviously, a larger plant will transpire more water than a smaller plant. The overarching thought regarding watering is that Cannabis grows best in a dry'ish medium. It's kind of funny but especially during the vegetative growth phase, cannabis loves a pretty humid environment (50-70% RH) but still wants a dry'ish root zone. During flowering the ideal humidity will be a little lower (say 40-60% RH) and ideal temps will be 65'ish during lights out and 75 to 80 during light on period.

I know I haven't addressed all your questions but between exploring the information on the site and responses from other members, I think we can help you achieve the results you desire.

Again, welcome to 420 Magazine!

 

[nimaorange]

Thanks for the reply. yeah that helped alot. Well iv been reading up on soil mixes nd i have seen a few. In most of the soil mixes it just tells me the ingrediants and at the end you just mix it up and let it sit for 3-4 weeks. I know that these "mixes" are too hot for little seedlings so will i need to transplant or can i just make the top 1/4 layer just normal basic soil and the rest 3/4 have it with all the other stuff like kelp meal and perlite etc. Also Does fresh air NEED to be pulled in from the outside or can i replace fresh air with co2? And one more question. I am going to have some of them organic and some of them just normal and iv had a look at both recipies but they just look the same to me? With organic u dont use bloom and grow right? Is grow and bloom just used with Non organic? If you dont use grow and bloom for organic do you just use plain water and the soil will have enough nutes for its last time? Or is "Teas" used for feeding organics it instead of grow and bloom? After these questions answered i will be ready to start!

 

[TanR]

nimaorange.

Wondering if you couldn't have some normal basic soil set aside for the seedlings and sprouts and then transplant into the "hot" soil once their past the tender stage? If that's not your preferred solution then yes, you could layer the soil in the containers and hope the seedling/sprouts roots don't grow into that area before their really ready.

It is possible to grow in an enclosed environment that is supplemented with CO2. However, this will complicate your efforts in a manner I consider unnecessary, especially for a first effort. "Fresh air" pulled into the room (either from passive intake or forced) will provide the necessary amount of CO2 for your plants. Most of growers I believe are circulating air from inside our homes rather than "outdoor" fresh air. If you wish to pursue adding CO2 I think you will find it a somewhat expensive addition if done correctly. You'll need a meter to measure the CO2 levels and some type of regulator to control it's application, in addition to a CO2 source.

The main difference between organic growing and non organic is the source of the nutrients. Non organic nutrients will be derived from chemical compounds (think petroleum distillates in many instances), where organic nutrients are derived from natural sources and will not harm the beneficial bacterial present in the soil.

I use only organic nutrients, but have found an affordable 2 part (A&B) series that I supplement with an organic bloom booster. I have also brewed some teas, but I admit I was stabbing in the dark to some degree and didn't really see an immediate benefit, but certainly did no harm.

 

[nimaorange]

Ah right yeh i might just use the air from around the house through from the fan at the bottom with some ducting. So if i was to go organic i would use that A+B? and if it was chemical i would just use grow and bloom?

 

[TanR]

Nimaorange.

Each nutrient manufacturer will have a different combination of formulas. Some will have an A&B combo, but I've seen as many as 7 part series of nutrients. I always thought those nutrient lines with more than 2 or 3 parts though were selling a lot of hype as I just don't believe the needs of the plant changes that much during the different phases of maturing.

I think the decision you want to make is are you going to grow organically or inorganically. Then you can identify a manufacturer that offers products in your price range and go from there. I found many of the cannabis specific nutrient lines priced at a point I considered to be too much. But I kept looking and found a former site sponsor that offered an organic nutrient line that I considered reasonably priced.

Be well and happy growing.

 

[nimaorange]

but how many cud i put under a 400 w led or 400 w hid? its going to be winter and the lights wud help heat up room or wud i need additional heating and how wud this additional heat be added? heater in the room? What light wud u reccomend and how many could you put under that light? Thanks! this would really help. What degrees should a seedling be?? dont want to kill them.. and its 75-80 Degrees during veg and flower right? Not fahrenheit? and 65 degrees when lights off?