Hi all, I'm back again after a long break, time to get a new journal started.
To anyone joining me from my original journal, welcome back and thank you for sticking with me. To all new arrivals, welcome to my wandering, ranting journey.
Let's start at the beginning, my grow area is 4' wide, 3' deep, and 5' high give or take.
My lights consist of a hodge-podge assortment of fluorescents of all shapes and sizes.
Main overhead lights:
-1x 200w (actual watts, not equivalent, this thing is a beast) Sunblaster cfl at 6400k center hung.
-2x home-made 8-socket cfl array, each currently sporting a mix of 25-27w bulbs in 5000k, 3000k, and 2700k, approx 200w each for 400w total, 1 on each side of the Sunblaster.
600 true watts total.
Supplemental lights:
4x vertically mounted 32w 4' tubes, 2 in each front corner, currently all 6500k. 2 shown below.
1x vertically mounted 54w Sunblaster 2' tube+nanoreflector, center of rear wall, height adjusts up and down on sliding mount. Also 2x 32w 4' tube horizontally hung over rear area, currently in 2700k
246 true watts total.
Overall light in box around 850w, all fluoros.
Ventilation:
-exhaust is handled by my new 280 cfm Vortex 4" fan combined with my new Phresh activated carbon filter, ducted outside through the silver ducting to a well hidden but real looking dryer exhaust outlet.
-new air is brought in via the white ducting on the left, lets out at bottom. Also have some passive intake, box is not air-tight and exhaust keeps it at just slightly negative pressure in there relative to house, which is exactly what I wanted.
Lights on temps hover around 80-85 F, lights off around 70 F
My growth medium is a hand-mixed "soil-less" blend, similar to SuperSoil but different enough:
-%33 Sphagnum Peat Moss (provides structure, water retention, capillary action, and Ph regulation.
-%33 Vermiculite (pretty much same thing as Perlite, for porosity and water retention)
-%33 mixed organic composts, cow, sheep, chicken, deer, shrimp and fish, general vegetable matter, worm castings, etc.
-%1 various amendments, powdered eggshell, used uncomposted coffee grinds, blood meal, bone meal, epsom salts.
To anyone joining me from my original journal, welcome back and thank you for sticking with me. To all new arrivals, welcome to my wandering, ranting journey.
Let's start at the beginning, my grow area is 4' wide, 3' deep, and 5' high give or take.
My lights consist of a hodge-podge assortment of fluorescents of all shapes and sizes.
Main overhead lights:
-1x 200w (actual watts, not equivalent, this thing is a beast) Sunblaster cfl at 6400k center hung.
-2x home-made 8-socket cfl array, each currently sporting a mix of 25-27w bulbs in 5000k, 3000k, and 2700k, approx 200w each for 400w total, 1 on each side of the Sunblaster.
600 true watts total.
Supplemental lights:
4x vertically mounted 32w 4' tubes, 2 in each front corner, currently all 6500k. 2 shown below.
1x vertically mounted 54w Sunblaster 2' tube+nanoreflector, center of rear wall, height adjusts up and down on sliding mount. Also 2x 32w 4' tube horizontally hung over rear area, currently in 2700k
246 true watts total.
Overall light in box around 850w, all fluoros.
Ventilation:
-exhaust is handled by my new 280 cfm Vortex 4" fan combined with my new Phresh activated carbon filter, ducted outside through the silver ducting to a well hidden but real looking dryer exhaust outlet.
-new air is brought in via the white ducting on the left, lets out at bottom. Also have some passive intake, box is not air-tight and exhaust keeps it at just slightly negative pressure in there relative to house, which is exactly what I wanted.
Lights on temps hover around 80-85 F, lights off around 70 F
My growth medium is a hand-mixed "soil-less" blend, similar to SuperSoil but different enough:
-%33 Sphagnum Peat Moss (provides structure, water retention, capillary action, and Ph regulation.
-%33 Vermiculite (pretty much same thing as Perlite, for porosity and water retention)
-%33 mixed organic composts, cow, sheep, chicken, deer, shrimp and fish, general vegetable matter, worm castings, etc.
-%1 various amendments, powdered eggshell, used uncomposted coffee grinds, blood meal, bone meal, epsom salts.
