The 4x4 Grow Tent Club

[Scoooter]

What do you mean when you say leave myself a 6" inlet duct. Like add a 6in" intake fan? or just open up the vents and ducting sleeves for extra airflow?

I use a flexible but lightproof duct that goes about 6" into the tent, comes out at 90degrees then makes another 90 bend for a foot into the room so no light enters through it. Need to replace that air inside the tent even when lights out unless you use co2.

 

[Gimik]

I use a flexible but lightproof duct that goes about 6" into the tent, comes out at 90degrees then makes another 90 bend for a foot into the room so no light enters through it. Need to replace that air inside the tent even when lights out unless you use co2.

Do you have an intake fan attached to the ducting? Or you just let it passively flow through?

I leave my fan running even when the lights are off to control humidity... I had a mushroom grow box hanging in my tent that's outputting 1200ppm CO2 (at least thats what they claim) since I started the grow. I'm probably going to add another during flower.

 

[TorturedSoul]

I had a mushroom grow box hanging in my tent that's outputting 1200ppm CO2 (at least thats what they claim) since I started the grow.

1,200 PPM is only a thing if they defined the space that it's sitting in. It's not like 128 ounces, lol. It's like the top number in a fraction - without the bottom number, it's meaningless. I mean... They could be meaning that it's 1,200 PPM in a space the size/volume of a five-gallon bucket. And is that 1,200 parts per million... per hour, per day, per week, per... per the lifetime of the product?

Probably makes for good ad copy, though, lol.

I'm sure it's producing some amount of CO₂. But you have to pay as much attention to what the marketing scammers DON'T say as you do to what they do say.

 

[Gimik]

1,200 PPM is only a thing if they defined the space that it's sitting in. It's not like 128 ounces, lol. It's like the top number in a fraction - without the bottom number, it's meaningless. I mean... They could be meaning that it's 1,200 PPM in a space the size/volume of a five-gallon bucket. And is that 1,200 parts per million... per hour, per day, per week, per... per the lifetime of the product?

Probably makes for good ad copy, though, lol.

I'm sure it's producing some amount of CO₂. But you have to pay as much attention to what the marketing scammers DON'T say as you do to what they do say.

Yeah I'd like to think I'mm pretty aware of savy marketing ploys. I read up a fair amount before I bought it. They say 1200ppm in a 4x4 space for up to 2 months. I have several friends who swear by it...however I don't think any of them ever measured the CO2 in the tent before and after adding the mushroom kits oh well. Either way my plants are bushy as hell! They definitely ate up whatever CO2 it actually produced =)

 

[Rider509]

If only there was a mushroom-generated CO2 system that produced "functional" mushrooms. You know... the kind you could eat.

I don't place much stock in those CO2 generation systems. I'm way too much of a control freak to leave it to chance. A CO2 bottle and an electronic metering/delivery setup is so inexpensive and controllable. But then, how many people are hitting the PAR numbers to even benefit from additional CO2? The world would be a better place if we just took a good book into our grow spaces and just hung out for a couple of hours. The human body is an incredible source of CO2. I'm rambling.

 

[Gimik]

If only there was a mushroom-generated CO2 system that produced "functional" mushrooms. You know... the kind you could eat.

I'm not entirely sure what your trying to say here. Are you trying to make a joke about magic mushrooms or something? The CO2 kit can actually grow edible mushrooms too, the CO2 production is just a side effect if you will.

I don't place much stock in those CO2 generation systems. I'm way too much of a control freak to leave it to chance. A CO2 bottle and an electronic metering/delivery setup is so inexpensive and controllable. But then, how many people are hitting the PAR numbers to even benefit from additional CO2?

Are you trying to say that there isn't a benefit of adding CO2 to the grow?

 

[TorturedSoul]

Are you trying to say that there isn't a benefit of adding CO2 to the grow?

My guess is he's just commenting about the fact that, for many people, the amount of CO₂ in the grow isn't the limiting factor. If one is giving one's plants more light-energy than they can process - and the temperature is high enough that it isn't limiting the amount of light that they can process), then adding supplemental CO₂ is pretty much a requirement.

If I'm not maxing out the lighting and/or my temperatures are only in the high 70s or LOW 80s (and I'm not running a "cold-weather strain), then adding CO₂ might cause some improvement - but so would doing several other things. IOW, my ambient CO₂ level is NOT the limiting factor at that point.

If things were different here, I might want to try one of those mushroom kits. But it's not going to do me much good - both because I'm not giving the plants all the light-energy that they can process and more... and because it's not a sealed environment or even a "semi-sealed" (venting sporadically instead of constantly) one. The CO₂ would exit as fast as it arrived. Probably would have been beneficial when I was running big HIDs in small spaces - and doing so with "sealed" air-cooled reflectors and, therefore, was moving the vast majority of the heat out of the grow spaces with separate ventilation runs just for the lights (and could get by with interrupting the general grow space ventilation fans).

Besides, I don't really care for mushrooms, lol. Hmm... I wonder how much space I'd need to come up with for a dozen rabbit cages... (LOL)

 

[Gimik]

My guess is he's just commenting about the fact that, for many people, the amount of CO₂ in the grow isn't the limiting factor. If one is giving one's plants more light-energy than they can process - and the temperature is high enough that it isn't limiting the amount of light that they can process), then adding supplemental CO₂ is pretty much a requirement.

If I'm not maxing out the lighting and/or my temperatures are only in the high 70s or LOW 80s (and I'm not running a "cold-weather strain), then adding CO₂ might cause some improvement - but so would doing several other things. IOW, my ambient CO₂ level is NOT the limiting factor at that point.

Makes sense.

After hearing what everybody said about recycling the air in the tent and how you want to exchange the total volume 2-3x a minute I went ahead and bought an Apollo 440cfm + 6in 450cfm carbon filter. I'm hoping this increased air exchange will nip my temperature problems in the butt once and for all.

 

[TorturedSoul]

After hearing what everybody said about recycling the air in the tent and how you want to exchange the total volume 2-3x a minute I went ahead and bought an Apollo 440cfm + 6in 450cfm carbon filter. I'm hoping this increased air exchange will nip my temperature problems in the butt once and for all.

In theory, a person ought to be able to meet their target temperature even if the air coming in is only a degree or two cooler - as long as the rate of airflow is high enough. It looks like you're definitely increasing yours, so it should help. Whether it'll help enough remains to be seen, of course, but hopefully it will.

Please return and let us know how well your new setup works (and what you think of the products in general). I can't afford even a cheap carbon filter setup right now, but if/when I'm able to even consider buying one, it'll undoubtedly be one of the "ultra-cheap" companies - such as Apollo - that I have to buy from. I have concerns about their products actually meeting their respective stated specifications in the real world. You obviously cannot give me specific airflow numbers, lol - but you will be able to tell me whether or not this upgrade helped and, if so, how much. I'm also wondering about the basic quality/construction. I'm guessing that there's a great deal of plastic in that fan and not much metal. Cheaper products are, after all... made cheaply. But I don't plan on using one for a hammer, lmao, so I can deal with one that isn't bulletproof as long as there are no defects, the bearings don't fail, the blade set is balanced, et cetera.

Oh, and I hope this solves your issue!

 

[JuanCarlos]

I have read different things, but I believe that the target is to exchange the complete volume of the grow area once every 3-5 minutes.

 

[Gimik]

In theory, a person ought to be able to meet their target temperature even if the air coming in is only a degree or two cooler - as long as the rate of airflow is high enough. It looks like you're definitely increasing yours, so it should help. Whether it'll help enough remains to be seen, of course, but hopefully it will.

Please return and let us know how well your new setup works (and what you think of the products in general). I can't afford even a cheap carbon filter setup right now, but if/when I'm able to even consider buying one, it'll undoubtedly be one of the "ultra-cheap" companies - such as Apollo - that I have to buy from. I have concerns about their products actually meeting their respective stated specifications in the real world. You obviously cannot give me specific airflow numbers, lol - but you will be able to tell me whether or not this upgrade helped and, if so, how much. I'm also wondering about the basic quality/construction. I'm guessing that there's a great deal of plastic in that fan and not much metal. Cheaper products are, after all... made cheaply. But I don't plan on using one for a hammer, lmao, so I can deal with one that isn't bulletproof as long as there are no defects, the bearings don't fail, the blade set is balanced, et cetera.

Oh, and I hope this solves your issue!

Man I sure hope this helps because I'd much rather spend the $140 on this more powerful fan than hundreds every month on AC expenses. I'll definitely post an update whether or not it helps and a product review. Everybody on amazon said it worked great, aside from a handful of people but that's to be expected from any product. There's a 1-year warranty and amazon is really good about returns but hopefully everything is all good.

I chose this particular fan because it was a highly rated fan, it was a decent price AND it came with a speed controller included so I'll be able to dial in the CFM as needed. Luckily I won't have to run this fan 24/7 for the entire 3-4 month grow, basically only through flower so that should help extend its lifetime.

 

[Cornfield Gro]

If only there was a mushroom-generated CO2 system that produced "functional" mushrooms. You know... the kind you could eat.

I don't place much stock in those CO2 generation systems. I'm way too much of a control freak to leave it to chance. A CO2 bottle and an electronic metering/delivery setup is so inexpensive and controllable. But then, how many people are hitting the PAR numbers to even benefit from additional CO2? The world would be a better place if we just took a good book into our grow spaces and just hung out for a couple of hours. The human body is an incredible source of CO2. I'm rambling.

This is life!

 

[gr865]

Sweet glad its not cause for concern. However, I have been noticing an increased number of leaves starting to discolor at the tips, and this is forsure not an optical illusion lol.... I don't believe its heat stress or light shock as its only a few leaves so far and they are in different places in the canopy. Any ideas?

I caught my sisters cat nibbling on some of the lower leaves of a different plant so maybe he introduced a bug into the tent or something. I want to spray the plants down with some diluted hydrogen-peroxide (3%) to disinfect before the buds start coming in. Whats the best technique for using peroxide?

What you grow medium, looks a bit like Mag problem.

 

[Gimik]

What you grow medium, looks a bit like Mag problem.

I'm growing in a soil mix. 50/50 Sunshine Mix #4 and Fox Farm Ocean Forest.

 

[508Squid]

What you grow medium, looks a bit like Mag problem.

I don't think it's a Mag problem.
The leaves look really dark green and that's a sign of too much nitrogen. But that could just be the camera lighting. The discoloration is an indication of Potassium deficiency. IMHO

 

[Gimik]

So I got home from work last night and noticed there was a new change in the plants. Now some of them are starting to get this weird orange speckles almost...It looks like an orange dusting or something. Of course the minute I switch to flower I start having all these issues now. I knew this was going to happen fml. Any ideas?

 

[Rider509]

Are you trying to say that there isn't a benefit of adding CO2 to the grow?

My guess is he's just commenting about the fact that, for many people, the amount of CO₂ in the grow isn't the limiting factor. If one is giving one's plants more light-energy than they can process - and the temperature is high enough that it isn't limiting the amount of light that they can process), then adding supplemental CO₂ is pretty much a requirement.

Thank you, TorturedSoul. I've been MIA on this thread, but that's exactly what I was thinking. The natural level of CO₂ is adequate for the vast majority of grows. It isn't until you're pushing the envelope of max grow conditions and hitting a solid 800 PPFD or more in a sealed grow with high temps that it'll return significant benefits.

And sitting in your grow room reading a book was tongue in cheek. Yes, it would increase the CO₂ levels marginally, but the true benefit would be the relaxing downtime with your plants and a good book... if you discount the radiation burns and retinal damage from your high wattage HPS lights. LOL.

 

[Rider509]

So I got home from work last night and noticed there was a new change in the plants. Now some of them are starting to get this weird orange speckles almost...It looks like an orange dusting or something. Of course the minute I switch to flower I start having all these issues now. I knew this was going to happen fml. Any ideas?

Looks like calcium deficiency. Need to determine if you're nutrient locked or just need to add some cal-mag. What parameters changed prior to this showing up?

 

[Gimik]

Looks like calcium deficiency. Need to determine if you're nutrient locked or just need to add some cal-mag. What parameters changed prior to this showing up?

The only thing I've changed is the light schedule and that was 1.5 weeks ago. The last two times I watered them I used strictly H2O and no nutes. The last time I fed them nutes was 9/14 so chances are it's just a deficiency I'm just not good at identifying the different symptoms yet

 

[Rider509]

Hit 'em with some cal-mag, stat!