# First Time Grower



## October420 (Aug 31, 2014)

Hey Everyone,

I'm soon to give an indoor grow a try. This will be my first time growing, I know there is a learning curve here so I expect there will be mistakes and failures involved. I'm good with that I'm a patient man. I'm also doing this for my wife, she suffers with Multiple Sclerosis and cannabis IS THE ONLY thing that we have found that is effective in treating her symptoms. 

Space is limited to a closet in my home office. I'm going with the Hydrohut Silver Edition 2 x 2, actual dimensions are 2.3' x 2.3' x 5'-6" tall. I'd love to have a bigger tent but space won't allow it. I have a few questions I'll list below, any help is appreciated.  

1. I would like to use a 6" inline fan mounted under the house to pull the air         through a carbon filter. Filter will be inside the tent and I'll run the duct through the top of the tent through the closet floor to the fan under the house. I'm mounting the fan under the house because of noise concerns. I know the fan is more efficient pushing air rather than pulling it, but does anyone see any issues with this arrangement?

2. I don't want to start a debate here about grow lights. I know HPS & MH lights are king, but not an option for me. So I was leaning hard to LED but my budget at this time is real tight so I'm thinking about a T5 fixture, either a 2' x 6 bulb or 2' x 8 bulb rig. Either of these fixtures will fit my tent. Anyone have any suggestions with t5, and if I should use the 6 or 8 bulb fixture?

3. Whats a great strain for a beginner? Remember it needs to be effective in treating pain and spasticity.

Thanks in advance!

Peace,

Randall


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## pcduck (Aug 31, 2014)

Howdy

1. I would use a 4" inline fan, otherwise sounds good.

2. 400 watt hid is what I recommend. There will be heat with any light you use.

3. To many strains to list. Go to a seed bank and read the descriptions. Pick the one that meets your criteria.

 4. Tell no one that you are growing.


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## October420 (Aug 31, 2014)

pcduck said:


> Howdy
> 
> 1. I would use a 4" inline fan, otherwise sounds good.
> 
> ...



I'd prefer to use a 4" fan, but was worried that since I'd be pulling air as opposed to pushing it a 6" would be better. But I'd rater a 4".

One of the reasons to having the fan under the house is for discretion. Absolutely no one will know of my grow, it's for personal use only and if I didn't think I could do this without anyone knowing about it I would't attempt it.

Thanks for your advice.


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## Rosebud (Aug 31, 2014)

So were you thinking 2 or 3 plants? This light which i have only used a few months will veg and flower with the same fixture.  Look at it here. http://www.topledgrowlight.com/reflector-led-grow-light-144x3w.html


A nice smallish plants is Hashberry by Mandela genetics..


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## Hackerman (Aug 31, 2014)

I would stick with the 6" fan. Running these fans at less than full speed is a lot quieter than running at full speed. I would suggest the 6" fan with a variable switch to turn it down to about 60 or 70%. Maybe less. I run the 6" Hydrofarm in my 3x5 tent and I run it at about 60%. It is way way more quiet than when it runs at full speed.

And, you want your fan to pull, not push so you are OK there. It should pull from the filter and the light and push it out of the grow area.

Indicas are usually smaller than Sativas and usually more associated with pain relief.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Aug 31, 2014)

If you are growing in a closet, is there a reason that you are also purchasing a tent?  Can you forgo the tent and just use the closet?

Pulling your air is better than pushing it, regardless of what you may have heard.  I have my fan mounted in the crawl space of my home and it is absolutely silent.  I also pull my intake air from the crawl space as the air stays a nice temperature most of the year.  

I don't necessarily want to get into a debate either, but why exactly are HPS lights not an option?  Many people have misconceptions about them, like believing they run hotter, which they don't.  Or that they cost more, which they don't.  Etc, etc.  The reason that I want to discuss lighting options is that even an 8 tube 2' T5 is going to be inadequate for a space that is 2'3" x 2'3".  The 2' tubes only put out 2000 lumens, so that is 16,000 lumens--not enough for 5 sq ft.  A 5 sq ft space needs a minimum of 5000 lumens per sq ft for adequate flowering, so 25,000 lumens as a minimum.

Like mentioned, indicas will be better than sativas at pain relief.  I would do some searching on the internet and see what people are recommending for MS.

This growing takes a long time--look for it to be 4 months or so from germination to dried bud.  So, I encourage you to buy the best equipment that you can as it certainly does pay off in larger harvests and better bud.  Fortunately, you can do some of this as you go.  So, start looking for bargains.  I found a nice 2' 4 bulb T5 at the Habitat for Humanity Restore place that I gave to a friend just starting out.  I made Dual 150W HPS setup with 2 150W HPS security lights I found at a storage unit sale.  I bought a 400W MH for $20 at a yard sale.  Look for bargains and figure out what you can DIY to save money.  When the plants are very small, all they really need are a few CFLs over them.  Then for vegging, you could use some T5s or a MH if you find one.  For flowering, you need the good light and plenty of it.  Your harvest is directly tied to your lighting.  

Good Luck!


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## October420 (Aug 31, 2014)

Unfortunately my entire closet isn't available as a grow space. I do however have the room for a 2' x 4' x 7' tall tent. I say this because if I do decide to use a HPS vented light fixture I don't think it would fit a 2.3' x 2.3' tent. 

I've looked at a few fixtures and it looks like they run around 23" long, and that's without the flex duct connected at both ends. I didn't want to run an HPS light because of my concerns of heat. Perhaps I'm being to cautious here? Never having used HPS lights before I'm completely unaware. If I do use an HPS light any idea how many watts would be required? pcduck recommended a 400 watt but that was for a 2.3 x 2.3 space not 2 x 4. 

I suppose I'd grow no more than 3 plants at a time, more likely 2. I appreciate everyone's feedback and help. I do realize the time and commitment involved here so I'd like to get it right, although I do have a budget I don't want to go cheap on any of this. 

Peace


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## Hackerman (Sep 1, 2014)

As far as lighting goes, get the HID light. T5's and CFL's are hotter, more expensive and less efficient. I don't see why people even bother recommending anything else. T5's, T8's and CFL's might be good for cloning or seedlings but HID is the way to grow.

Also, I can't say how much I love my switchable ballast. It will take a 250, 400, 600 and 1000 watt bulb in HPS or MH. I started out using a 1000w and it was too many problems in my little room so I put in a 600w bulb and... problems solved.

It's a tiny bit more money than a regular 400w or 600w ballast but it's worth it to me.

For that tent, I would probably start our with a 250 or 400w bulb. Once the grow is dialed in, maybe try the 400 or 600 watt.

They have small hoods but get as big of a hood as you can fit in your room. Same with the tent. Get as big as you have room for.

JMO


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## The Hemp Goddess (Sep 1, 2014)

October420 said:


> Unfortunately my entire closet isn't available as a grow space. I do however have the room for a 2' x 4' x 7' tall tent. I say this because if I do decide to use a HPS vented light fixture I don't think it would fit a 2.3' x 2.3' tent.
> 
> I've looked at a few fixtures and it looks like they run around 23" long, and that's without the flex duct connected at both ends. *I didn't want to run an HPS light because of my concerns of heat*. Perhaps I'm being to cautious here? Never having used HPS lights before I'm completely unaware. If I do use an HPS light any idea how many watts would be required? pcduck recommended a 400 watt but that was for a 2.3 x 2.3 space not 2 x 4.
> 
> ...


 
 I wondered whether you were laboring under one of the fallacies re HPS...and you were.  Although they do run hot, the actual fact of the matter is that lumen for lumen, HPS is going to run cooler than your other choices.  Plus cool tubes make it easier to keep things cool.  The hot filtered air can be blown back into your living space in the winter to make use of some of that excess heat.  

 Regarding your tent size, if 27" x27" is a better shape for you, you can also hang your light on the diagonal, which would give you approx. 40" to work with.  Regardless, I would go with a 600W dimmable.  There is very little difference in price between the 400W and the 600W.  And a 600W dimmable can be run at 75%.  I am going to be purchasing one of these [ame]http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EUIWM9K/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1HHYPCL51QYFW&coliid=I1Q9IN3QH9QBBZ&psc=1[/ame] for a 32 x 32 tent.

 I think a 6" fan and filter with a speed controller with a 600W light.  Besides, the cool tube is 6", so that makes a 6" fan and filter the logical choice.

 You might think about running 2 indica dominant strains and maybe 1 smaller sativa dominant strain.  A good sativa dominant strain can be great for daytime while still offering some pain relief.  Satori and C99 both come to mind, but they can be strong smoke for "inexperienced smokers"--don't know how much smoking experience your wife has had--some of us old timers have decades and decades of, ummmm, experience.

 It is wonderful that you are doing this for your wife.


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## Locked (Sep 1, 2014)

I also would recommend a 600W HPS that is air cooled. I bought a 400W HPS Once and I was quickly sorry that I hadn't got a 600W. You get the most lumens per watt with a 600W.   jmo


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## Hackerman (Sep 1, 2014)

Considering your budget, I agree with the 2 above on the 600w. I said 400w to start and up to 600w with a switchable ballast because I have a higher budget.

Just what HG said..."I think a 6" fan and filter with a speed controller with a 600W light. Besides, the cool tube is 6", so that makes a 6" fan and filter the logical choice."


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## MR1 (Sep 1, 2014)

What will the the temp of your intake air be and will you have a way to regulate it? Maybe you can take cool air from under your house and exhaust filtered warm air into house somewhere.


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## October420 (Sep 1, 2014)

OK, so after considering everyone's comments, seems the consensuses is HID is the way to go. I'm going to order the Lighthouse Hydro 32" x 32" x 84" Grow Tent. It will fit my space well and still allow me to use a 6" Cool Tube, the light is 19" long and that gives me plenty of room for the flex duct. 

I'll have to do some research on the ballast I'll need, but I'm assuming I'll need a 600-1000 watt dimmable, switchable one? 

The temp of my air being drawn into the tent will be a constant 72-74 deg F. So hopefully I'll be able to maintain a constant acceptable temp. 

Thanks, for all the help, if I'm missing anything let me know. 

Peace


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## pcduck (Sep 1, 2014)

600 watt dimmable. A 1000 will produce way to much heat for that little area


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## Locked (Sep 1, 2014)

pcduck said:


> 600 watt dimmable. A 1000 will produce way to much heat for that little area



:yeahthat:

1000W in that space would be overkill and hard to keep cool. 600W will be great. Best bang for your buck and temps should be easy to control. Not sure how hot your Summers get but mine get so bad that I shut down my Flower tent.  This year I went LED and was able to grow in the Summer as well.


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## October420 (Sep 1, 2014)

Y'all thanks for all the info and advice. 

I just ordered that 32" x 32" x 84" tent, next in line is the 600 watt HID light kit, inline fan and all the other odds and ends. So most likely a couple of months to get it all together.

So what about a reputable seed bank? I've been looking at Royal Queen Seeds and Sensi Seeds. I've never ordered seeds online so any suggestions? Are there seed banks in Canada?

Peace


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## JustAnotherAntMarching (Sep 1, 2014)

Ive used Attitude many times but they are located in the UK...  most seedbanks are overseas...  hemp depot is in Canada and has never let me down...


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## MR1 (Sep 1, 2014)

Hemp Depot is also my choice this time around. I found the same seeds on there cheaper than Attitude.


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## KoDak (Sep 1, 2014)

is it true that if plants are left in flower too long that it would lose it potency? i have 4 plants in flower? 2 look ready. tight buds and amber. the other two have some amber but the buds are loose. Do some plants just grow like that? idk if i should prepare to harvest all of them...


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## MR1 (Sep 1, 2014)

You should chop the one that is amber, yes they will lose potency if left too long. Sativa's can have looser buds, indica's tend to be denser. Are they all the same strain?


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## The Hemp Goddess (Sep 2, 2014)

Amazon has some really good prices, bot on HID setups and fan and filter combos.  I think that a square tent gets better light coverage than one that is long and skinny.  I think you will like the 32 x 32.  You might want to check out this light:  [ame]http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EUIWM9K/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1HHYPCL51QYFW&coliid=I1Q9IN3QH9QBBZ&psc=1[/ame]

Thye also have pretty good buys on fan/filter combos:  [ame]http://www.amazon.com/VenTech-IF6CF620-Inline-Virgin-Charcoal/dp/B0052ZPMAG/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1409666531&sr=1-1&keywords=6%22+fan+filter[/ame]

I use Hemp Depot if I can find what I want there as they seem to be cheaper than Attitude.  However, it does take longer with Hemp Depot as you have to send a money order to them.  And sometimes you cannot find what you want, but they are getting new breeders all the time.  Look for a strain that sounds like it has the characteristics you want.


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## JimB (Sep 17, 2014)

October420, 

Congrats on start-up.

At some point you just have to run w/plan, parts, methods, seeing where that gets you and with clarity of viewpoint, make adjustments.

Majority of indoor gardens greatest induced problem is creating a oven via using lighting where half the light is not seen/used by the plant, only our eye.

Induction lighting output is 95% useable to the plant, uses less than half the power comparatively, is 4x as expensive up front but penny for penny on full footprint energy cost of entire show, make it up in short order and permanently remain on plus side of cost/benefit ledger.

Medicine quality produced under cooler Induction lighting is much better, in part due to less degrading under high radiation of HID lighting


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