Opinions needed: new grower, setting up a 400w hps Scrog in closet, Blue Dream clones

[dr. jones]

Hi to everyone...
great place here, so much info! I have been lurking for weeks, but am planning on taking the plunge, so I need some input.

I have grown before, several years back, so I get the basic gist of the process.

From all of my research and reading, I think I would like to try the SCRoG method, here is my info, and my plan-

- 2'-6" d x 3'-6" w x 7'-4" t closet space; looking to get a flowering space
and a cloning chamber out of the closet.
- 400w hps, electronic ballast
- 4 plants, ebb & flow hydroponic unit-diy
- carbon scrubber- diy; have seen lots of great posts here and elsewhere on
how to make one. was planning on getting a 170cfm fan. are vortex fans
loud?
- plywood enclosure w/ removable door panel, vented

The strain I am getting clones of are blue dream. I have access to bubble gum and white widow clones as well, but really want to grow the dream...

my main concerns for this ultra stealth closet set-up-

-odor
-odor
-odor
-noise

i think everybody gets the first three... i was planning on building a pretty large carbon filter and pull air through a vortex fan. i am a little concerned about noise from the fan, but heard that computer fans don't really cut it... thoughts?

i also want to keep the noise down, but short of the fan, don't think that will be a problem.

i will have fans blowing in the space, and with the 400w hps, i feel ok about the temp- we have a/c, so the place stays relatively cool.

am i missing anything? opinions and thoughts welcome-
-will the strain stink no matter what?

thanks in advance, everyone!

-

 

[LighTer]

Re: Opinions needed: new grower, setting up a 400w hps Scrog in closet, Blue Dream cl

i wish i lived in cali so i could get ahold of blue dream!!!!!

 

[dr. jones]

Re: Opinions needed: new grower, setting up a 400w hps Scrog in closet, Blue Dream cl

yah, I'm psyched...
any thoughts on the set-up?
nice avatar, by the way

 

[LighTer]

Re: Opinions needed: new grower, setting up a 400w hps Scrog in closet, Blue Dream cl

any medical grade is going to smell.... like dank.
carbon filter is a must. i cant comment on the fans, if your worried about noise from it, then try and find one with a power setting or cut the cord and add your own resistor.

the strains...if i were you i would go with more than one strain.
for your veg area, i would go with fluorescent, either tubes or CFL with reflectors.

also, a cheaper route than making a carbon filter is to use on pro gel, it works, it masks the odor but only for 2-3 weeks. (so its ~15 dollars every 2-3 weeks) versus a carbon filter that lats months and elimantes the odor. pick your poison.

your going to want to make clones so you have enough for scrog, so go buy clonex or get a rooting hormone powder. your going to want a humidity dome as well.

make sure to vent that air outside of the closet.

Also, i would do about 5' length on flower side and 2' length on veg side. make the veg area a double decker so you can have mothers and clones. (this will get you ready for another harvest two months after your first)

What type of nutes are you using in your hydro setup? for bloom i suggest advanced nutrients and for veg, fox form will work. (really anything with trace elements and lots of nitrogen)

make sure to have fans blowing inside to make all the plants dance. (a dancing plant is a happy plant?)

i think thats all

 

[dr. jones]

Re: Opinions needed: new grower, setting up a 400w hps Scrog in closet, Blue Dream cl

thanks for the info, Ligh Ter, greatly appreciated!

I was thinking of adding the BG to the rotation, although i was also considering starting NL from seed and going back and forth between NL and the Blue Dream. I can get the Bubble Gum in clones all day, so that's the fall back right now.

My set up since I last wrote has changed- now going with a 2' x 2' x 4'7tall grow tent. I will have a separate grow 'box' that will be for clone / veg. As you had mentioned in your response, I will be using (2) 45w CFLs in a reflector for the clones, and the tent will still be a 4 plan 2' x 2' SCROG. Still planning on rocking the 400w hps. I have read here on this board that I can get 1 plant per square foot...

As for the odor, I will do the carbon filter up high in the tent, venting out into the larger closet. If the smell gets dicey even still, I'll go with the Ona Gel.

As for nutes, I was planning on using GH- I grew a couple cycles several years back and had good luck their three part system, although I was planning on adding a bud enhancer in flower- any suggestions there?

It's gonna be tight, but I'm getting excited to get going, I'll keep you posted.

Also, any thoughts on the tent system?

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts

 

[LighTer]

Re: Opinions needed: new grower, setting up a 400w hps Scrog in closet, Blue Dream cl

tent system was a great idea. i myself plan to get one sometime within the year.

I have only heard good things about GH --never used it myself.

I have never SCROG'd before but plan to do so this next go round. only fimming and lsting

For sure, looking forward to picks.

 

[SanibelGreen]

Re: Opinions needed: new grower, setting up a 400w hps Scrog in closet, Blue Dream cl

Are you planning 4" or 6" fan?

SG

 

[Mr Blonde]

Re: Opinions needed: new grower, setting up a 400w hps Scrog in closet, Blue Dream cl

With your "stealth" are you able to run any ducting out of the space and into your attic? That's what I did and I got to tell you it worked wonders. The heat came down and I'm using a 250w HPS with the ballast outside the cabinet but the light is intense!! So I'm blowin in with a 4" inline duct fan and exhausting with the bargin basement bathroom fan from the hardware store. The attic takes care of the smell. If I needed more I could put a carbon filter in the attic. I love it. Great stuff bro. + reps!

 

[dr. jones]

Re: Opinions needed: new grower, setting up a 400w hps Scrog in closet, Blue Dream cl

hey Sanibel... fan size is up for discussion. I need something that has the appropriate cfm for the carbon scrubber i get, but what i really need to know is whether a 4" or 6" carbon scrubber will keep a 2' x 2' grow tent from stinking...

I have also considered using two 200 cfm computer fans in line to cut the noise down.

 

[dr. jones]

Re: Opinions needed: new grower, setting up a 400w hps Scrog in closet, Blue Dream cl

With your "stealth" are you able to run any ducting out of the space and into your attic?

Hey Mr. Blonde, thanks for chiming in... I live in a condo and have considered ducting out through the ceiling, but my only option would be through the roof, which could cause leaks, etc. I think i'm going to go with the scrubber inside and pump air back into the closet space where the tent is.

what inline duct fan are you using? is it really noisy? i'm concerned about the sound... what are you using for odor, too?

I am planning on using a 400w, and everyone I have asked about it seems to think that the temps won't get too out of hand with a fan.

we shall see.

what strain are you growing, mr. blonde?
and thanks for the reps

 

[SanibelGreen]

Re: Opinions needed: new grower, setting up a 400w hps Scrog in closet, Blue Dream cl

hey Sanibel... fan size is up for discussion. I need something that has the appropriate cfm for the carbon scrubber i get, but what i really need to know is whether a 4" or 6" carbon scrubber will keep a 2' x 2' grow tent from stinking...

I have also considered using two 200 cfm computer fans in line to cut the noise down.

Most of the noise really does not come from the fan if you have good ducting but rather the air moving itself, I use a 6" for my 4.5x4.5 it works very well. Just depends on the minimum amount of CFM needed for your filter, check that first then start looking at the fans, I honestly think a 4in should be fine for a smaller tent like that, should not need a very large filter either. LMK what you think!

SG