New grower - Questions regarding grow tent recommended height.

W

WhiteBoyBrian

New Member
What's up everyone , I'm a new grower, I'm in the process of purchasing a grow tent. I'm looking into a Lighthouse
32x32x60h tent . I understand there will be a filter and light hung at the top . Just wanted to know if 5 feet in height would be good enough to fully grow the plant ?
The seeds I'm looking to plant are Lemon kush x 2 , strawberry blue x 1 , and afghani regular x 2.

Any recommendations for tents and tent heights for these plants would be greatly appreciated .

I look forward to documenting my first grow soon !!
 
Re: New grower.. Questions regarding grow tent recommended height.

That tent should work fine, with any lighting system, and any strains.

For the size of that tent, and being a beginner, I would only grow 1 plant at a time. I see too many new growers planting 10-60+ seeds expecting a massive yield, from a small grow space. When you plant too many together, they start crowding each other out from the light, and the yield of each plant drops.

Just as an example: I would prefer growing 1 plant, and get 3 ounces, opposed to growing 3 plants, and get the same 3 ounces. If you have 6 seeds, you're looking at either 2 grows, with a total of 6 ounces, or 6 individual grows with a potential to see 18+ ounces.

I strongly suggest NOT just letting them grow as tall as they want. Ignore the height the breeders and vendors say they'll grow up to, and train the plant to grow how you want. All you need is to Top or FIM, and LST. I have a single plant growing now that's 23 days into flower, takes up over 4 square feet, and is only 16" tall.

These topics will help:
How to Grow Marijuana Everything You Need to Know

How To: Bend and top your way to a 1 pound monster
 
Re: New grower.. Questions regarding grow tent recommended height.

There is not much difference in cost of the tent you're talking about and one at 68-72"... Always nice to have the extra room just in case if you have the few extra bucks. I agree with Antics with regards to height, there are ways to keep them in check! (LTS, Scrog, Top'n and Fim'n to mention a few) As far as veg time Usually 30 days from germination. A good rule of thumb is a plant will normally double in size when in flower so you can use that as a judgment as to how long to veg. If you're concerned about height then this is a good method to use! Remember to figure in the light itself and a reasonable distance from the plants so as not to damage your little ladies!
 
Re: New grower.. Questions regarding grow tent recommended height.

Yea I totally agree the few extra feet for a few bucks is def a great idea I'm just limited on height which is why I'm limited to the 5 foot tent unfortunately . I will def look into scrog , I've seen that come up in a few threads . This is my first time Im not expecting huge yields or anything I'm just hoping to do this correctly.
I appreciate all the advice on this tent situation !!

Any experience in lemon kush ?
 
Re: New grower.. Questions regarding grow tent recommended height.

WhiteBoyBrian said:
Greatly appreciate the response I will def consider that . For the size of the tent, and growing 1 plant how long do you think I should let it veg for ?
I'm in no rush but I do plan I using a 400w hps/mh and I fear the plant will get too tall.
Click to expand...
WhiteBoyBrian said:
Yea I totally agree the few extra feet for a few bucks is def a great idea I'm just limited on height which is why I'm limited to the 5 foot tent unfortunately . I will def look into scrog , I've seen that come up in a few threads . This is my first time Im not expecting huge yields or anything I'm just hoping to do this correctly.
I appreciate all the advice on this tent situation !!

Any experience in lemon kush ?
Click to expand...

First, consider the size of the tent. If we start with a 60" tall tent as you're discussing now, we have 60" of height. Most growers suggest a 5 gallon container, and a lot of growers tend to just use the cheap utility buckets from big hardware stores. They're between 14-17" tall.

So now you're down to 43-46" left in tent height already. Next we have the light. LEDs will be somewhere around 3-5" thick, CFL hoods eh.. maybe 6" or so, and HID lighting will fall somewhere between 8-12".

So now we're down to somewhere around 40" total height available in the tent.

And obviously that light has to hang somewhere, depending on the hanging system used, you can lose anywhere from a couple inches, to 10" or so, and we have filtration up there too, which common ducting sizes will be anywhere from 4-8" for a tent, so now you're just above 30" height available for your plants

And finally, there are certain distances the light has to be from your plants.
CFLs shouldn't be any further than 8", I like mine in the 3"-6" range, so that gives you room for 24"-27" of plant height.
MH will depend on the wattage of the light. In that size tent, I would use a 400w MH (and HPS for Flower). That light would need to be somewhere between 5"-18" away from your plants. This leaves you with 12-25" available for plant height.
LEDs typically require 18-24" distance in Veg, and can get a little closer in Flower. Leaving you with 6-12" available for plant height.

But we can make changes to the setup to accommodate different lighting, light shorter containers (preferably wider too). You have enough space to use any lighting type, you just have to plan it out, do a little research, and get a game plan together on how you're going to train the plant to grow wide instead of tall. (Plus when it grows tall, the lower branches don't get as much light, which can reduce yield)

2 Autos yielded me about 1/2 ounce letting them grow tall.
Next grow 2 photos, Vegged for 5 weeks for one, and 6 weeks for another, and I used LST to grow them wider and flatter, and I yielded a little over 3 ounces using the same lights, same nutes, same pots, and even reused the same soil.

No experience with Lemon Kush, sorry bud.

As for lighting costs, you can find LED panels priced around the same as what a good CFL setup would cost you, and the LEDs will out perform CFLs any day.
MH/HPS systems are affordable too, but will require more effort to control the heat they produce.

Just focus on a quality grow, and your yield will just come naturally :)
 
Re: New grower.. Questions regarding grow tent recommended height.

Outstanding reply thanks for breaking it down, this 60 inch tent is starting to seem small. I have a bunch of shelves on my walls which I might just try to knock down and invest in a 7 foot tent which seems more ideal. I would really love to let my plant veg for a few weeks rather then rushing to flowering because of limited height .
This is my first grow and I feel like I'm doing too much research and I have too many questions lol
I'm going to go for the 7 foot tent. Now for lighting, would you rather go with the CFLs over the Hps/mh hood setup ?
Also I haven't looked into any nutes as of yet or pots to grow in. Any recommendations ?
Any advice would be highly considered and appreciated !
 
Re: New grower.. Questions regarding grow tent recommended height.

Dude, don't get discouraged here! That tent can easily work for you, you'll just need to train the plants.

I'm growing under LED now, I Vegged my plant 11 weeks, Flowering for 24 days now, and it's only around 17" tall.

Limited height doesn't mean much when you have a plant that's over 4 square feet wide :)

For lighting HPS/MH will outperform CFLs, but will require a cool tube hood to control temps, with a decent exhaust fan.
Using a decent amount of CFLS (12-14 bulbs) can easily make your temps rise into the 90's if you don't have a strong enough exhaust fan.
LED is my preferred option, it uses less power than 'energy saving' CFL bulbs on comparable setups, produces less heat than HPS and CFLs both as well.

Think about the LED a bit. If you get a shorter, wider pot you can snag some extra height right there, and make an LED grow totally possible. And they're about the same price for a Mars Hydro unit as you would spend on CFLs, just with better results.
Mars Hydro LED - the Best Solutions for Horticulture and Indoor Plants
I'm using the Old Model 100x3 in my grow, and my plant is currently taking up about 4 square feet of space in my closet without using a SCROG. With a SCROG, the grow can get even better.
IMG_20150224_182459_759.jpg


I don't have any brand preferences for nutes yet, since I'm still learning and trying things myself, but I definitely suggest a nutrient system, or kit, that comes in 2-3 separate bottles,, and allows you to mix the nutes in varying strengths, depending on the specific stage of grow the plant is in. This can also help minimize the risk of nutrient toxicity when you can custom tailor your mix.

You can use anything for a pot, as long as it can be made to drain water, which is easily accomplished by drilling a few holes. Let your imagination run wild here. People have used 5 gallon buckets, mop/utility buckets, small garbage cans, nursery pots (the type that plants come in when you buy them), and I'm using a couple 6 gallon pots that have a drain tray attached to them that normal people would put decorative plants in.
 
Re: New grower.. Questions regarding grow tent recommended height.

You can do it, you just have to train them,...like Antics said. He's given you great info on a wide range. I grow in a short/small tent, but I train them, see my journal.

I'm doing lemon kush, too.

From the base of my plants, to the top of the colas is about 16 inches,, I'll measure tonight. But it's not much. I have plenty of space left over in my tent, with my 400 about 14 , inches from the tops of my colas.

Your tent height works, if you run the show. Let those plants run it, and you'll be scrambling for space when it counts.

Good luck!
 
Re: New grower.. Questions regarding grow tent recommended height.

Great setup you got I was thinking of doing something like that as well and also with lemon kush from Herbies lol . So the Qtips are used to help them grow wider rather then higher ?
I was thinking about going with either the Hps/mh 400 watt reflector hood light or 300w Marshydro LED
4" inline exhaust duct and fan
I would also need a fan at the bottom of the tent to suck in cool air correct ?
I'm honestly going to try to grow two plants .
Just so damn confused lol !
 
Re: New grower.. Questions regarding grow tent recommended height.

I'm really leaning towards these LED lights right now .
Looking at the Marshydro 100x3 300w LED light
How effective would they be for 2 plants ?
Should I start with two lights or should one light be good ?
Would they work for veg and flowering ?
How's does LED effect the temp in the tent and do they need to be cooled ?
Also what's the yield like with LED vs Hps or CFL ?
 
Re: New grower.. Questions regarding grow tent recommended height.

No, the qtips were to keep leaves or branches where I wanted. My goal there was to get light to as many potential bud sites as possible, without cutting fan leaves, which are my energy gatherers. Those were handy, I use all sorts if things.

LEDs will also allow you to run in a shorter tent. .But, you still need to be concerned with height. Maybe some topping would be best for you. Read up, this place is an encyclopedia of knowledge,,, for free if your diligent.

Good luck, most all of us were at your skill/knowledge level at some point, (and I'm not far ahead of you, trust me) but, the ones who found the free knowledge and then applied it have done the best.....
 
Re: New grower.. Questions regarding grow tent recommended height.

Getting the tent set up can be a lot thinking to do...

I use 90cm by 90cm by 180cm tent, 400w hps & a 5" inline fan plus suitable carbon filter using a passive intake via tent vents at the base.

0021085.JPG
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But do use a smaller tent for veg with cfl tho...


I use my spare bedroom for growing with an average base temp of the house around 20c... can spike in summer months tho raising grow room temps with passive based intake. Normally i run at 26/27c most of the time on real hot days i've hit 31/32c.

A little trick i like to use is to run lights during real life night time when temps are cooler even tho central heating may effect things a little during the winter months.


The exhaust ducting i just hang over the bedroom door & vent out onto the landing area at best it should really go out side.
 
Re: New grower.. Questions regarding grow tent recommended height.

@petergreen - thanks for the tips and the knowledge much appreciated .
The Qtip idea is like scrog right ? Keeping the stem separate and all .

@FuzzyDuck - great setup . That was my first thought, using a 400w Hps/mh light hood but I'm worried about the heat from the bulbs.
I do plan on using a intake fan at the bottom of the tent, summer is coming and the tent will most likely be in a AC cooled room. I also plan on using a oscillating fan for a breeze for the plants . Running the vent through the light and all seemed like a lot more work because of the temp of the bulb, LED are seeming ok cause they are less bulking and lower temps .
Any experience with LEDs fuzzy ?

Also I have my lemon kush seeds coming on Tuesday and I'm looking to order everything the minute my babies arrive !
 
Re: New grower.. Questions regarding grow tent recommended height.

The plant I'm growing is a Strawberry Blue. I don't have pics of the whole setup due to a bunch of boxes and shit right behind me, so I can't get far enough back to take pictures of the entire closet unfortunately. But there's nothing impressive to it.

A simple shelf I built for storage, pots on top, hole in ceiling venting to attic, filter on top of fan, it's really simple and basic, and there's nothing pretty about it like some of these other grow rooms here.

Lights are easily thought of in terms of coverage.
The 100x3 light (Old Model) will cover a space of 3'x2.5' @ a height of 24" if I remember correctly. So it will grow as many plants that fit in the space. I would suggest no more than 2 plants under it, personally.

One light is fine, but two is better. You can easily start with one now, and add a second one later on.

An intake fan is optional, but not required if your exhaust fan pushes enough air.
The 100x3 Old Model is a full spectrum light that will work from seedling to flower. The light just needs to be higher during seedling phase.

In my closet, which is 3'x2'x7', temps with 14 CFLs @ 361w was 91 degrees doors closed, exhaust off.
With the LED temp never goes over 81 degrees, doors closed, exhaust off.
With the exhaust on, 73-75 degrees.

LEDs have their own cooling fans, and do not need additional cooling. Just manage tent temps.

LED is far superior to CFL in my experience so far.
I haven't grown with HID, so I can't give a good comparison there.
 
Re: New grower.. Questions regarding grow tent recommended height.

WhiteBoyBrian said:
Marshydro 300w Reflector LED Grow Light Flower Veg Switches Save Power Cover Biger Area Increase Yields Full Spectrum 3w Leds

Looking to buy this one . Whatcha ya think ?
Click to expand...

No.

Buy direct from the manufacturer. Mars Hydro LED - the Best Solutions for Horticulture and Indoor Plants Their site is currently being updated or something, so product links aren't working, at least not from me.. but buy from them, they'll ship from a warehouse closer to you, and you get a 3 year warranty.
 
Re: New grower.. Questions regarding grow tent recommended height.

The light I'm actually buying from their eBay store it's not as expensive as that Amazon but it's the same light . The eBay store name is Marshydro and they have multiple warehouse they say. Gotta be them.
But would that be a good light to start with ? I'm thinking use that for veg and add one for flowering .
 
Re: New grower.. Questions regarding grow tent recommended height.

I'm pretty sure Smoke Sara says in the Mars thread that they ones on fleabay aren't the same..YMMV
Mars-Hydro LED Grow Light Discussion
 

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