# my plans



## jdmnismo300 (Dec 3, 2007)

well im a complete noob at botany and ive been researching like crazy and just wanted to run it across u growing experts. ive read how soil growing is alot easier but i cant help but want to try hydro so here we go. 

basic run down:
ten gallon tank filled with water/nutrient solution with a
high density styrofoam float with holes cut out to fit
plastic pots with plenty of slits cut into them. in these pots thered be a medium (not yet decided but links or recomendations would be great! ) with germinated seedling in them. now i know like this the plants would drown so i planned on providing oxgen using
2 bubble stones powered by 
1 or 2 air pumps

i plan on building 4 walls about 4feet high painted white and light tight with an access door or curtain for access to the plants with a pusher fan through a light tight hole near the top 

i still havent decided on a light source 

variables that need to be taken account of our 
*nothing TOOO expensive lol
*no high heat 
*screw on preferably 

links would be greatly appreciated on what bulbs i should go with

so please let me know if im just wasting my time or would this actually work please fill me in on any advice you guys might have or point out anything 

i tried searching as best i could through the site to not annoy anyone im a car forum guy and i know how anoyin it is when some noob comes on and post a question that has been answered a million times im sure theres quite a few in my plans above srry again thanks

***edited pics***


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## akirahz (Dec 3, 2007)

go with metal halide and hps

http://www.e-conolight.com/Product/EProducts.asp?ProductFamilyID=3

or get one from www.htgsupply.com , or check ebay even for your lighting or even a local hydro store/lighting store.

Also, how wide is the unit and whats the length? it looks like a good design to me but some dimensions would be nice : )

also you could benefit from a exhaust fan to move the hot air out


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## jdmnismo300 (Dec 3, 2007)

well the tank is 20"L, 10"W, and 12"H but measuring from the float up thats about  20"L, 10"W, and 36"H sooo....

tank is: 2,400 cubic in

float and up (actual growth space): 7,200 cubic inches

i have a couple computer exhaust fans but how can i rig/wire them to run off my wall outlet??

im really looking into cfl's

htg seems to have some bad *** prices for some 25watt(1800lumens) bulbs. they claim to have "grow bulbs" (6500k) and "bloom bulbs" (2700k) but seems like you can only purchase "bloom bulbs" (see here http://www.htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=51127) .

can use 3 of these "bloom bulbs" for growth is that enough? it would be a total of 5400 lumens

thanks for the links and help 

keep em coming guys


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## akirahz (Dec 3, 2007)

jdmnismo300 said:
			
		

> well the tank is 20"L, 10"W, and 12"H but measuring from the float up thats about  20"L, 10"W, and 36"H sooo....
> 
> tank is: 2,400 cubic in
> 
> ...



a good rule of thumb is 5,000 lumens per square foot, so length x width and if your going the CFL route.. go to 1000bulbs.com and check there prices and selection... now all you need to run the PC fans is a 12v DC power supply adapter (that plugs into the wall yes) splice your fan into its cord directly and ba-da-bing


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## jdmnismo300 (Dec 3, 2007)

would one of these be fine then i guess?

http://www.1000bulbs.com/150-Watt-Compact-Fluorscent/ 

and thanks for the pc fan wiring info!


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## akirahz (Dec 3, 2007)

jdmnismo300 said:
			
		

> would one of these be fine then i guess?
> 
> http://www.1000bulbs.com/150-Watt-Compact-Fluorscent/
> 
> and thanks for the pc fan wiring info!



ah well how many square feet are you working with? 

that one has 8,000 lumens

i dont know much about cubic inches or cubic feet, just inches and square feet, if you say its 20x10 (in inches) then thats  1.6 feet x 0.8 feet = 1.29 so yes that would be perfect i think : ) just get one for flowering and one for vegging n just do swapping when its time .. that seems a bit low though.. im thinking since yours is tall you may have 2.41 sq ft. 

Length of the base, in feet: 1.6 
Length of the height, in feet 3
= 2.41

so 2.41x5,000 lumens = 12,050 lumens you will need. But you could probably get away with 2.41x3,000 = 7230.. either way i think your 8k lumen bulb will work


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## Stoney Bud (Dec 3, 2007)

Hey, jdmnismo300. Welcome to MP. It's always great to see someone take an interest in learning how to grow their own stash.

The type of system you're trying to build is called a "Floating Garden" type of Hydroponics. That type of system was used extensively by the Aztecs for as much as a thousand years in what is currently Mexico.

For growing weed, it's really not a good method. The problems that you'll run into during your grow will be many and often. Your pH will go nuts. The plants will have an almost immediate reaction to the pH problems and you'll run around like crazy trying to react to the problems.

You're setting yourself up for failure.

Today's weed is pretty finicky about it's environment. 

What I would advise you to do is to save up some money and grow some weed the right way.

The least expensive method would be a dirt grow. It's slower than Hydroponics and easier to use as your first grow with little money.

Growing weed is not free or even inexpensive. If you already know how to grow weed, sure, you can build a dirt grow for almost nothing but the cost of lights and nutrients. You can even create your own nutrients for a dirt grow and save that money.

The lights can't be priced down. They cost good money. CFL's are not the best type of light unless you go to a more expensive type of 125 watt setup with a quality reflector. A good HPS would be your best bet.

In reading your first post in this thread, it's obvious that you're an intelligent person and motivated. That's the best start any grower can have.

What I would advise you to do right now is put your grow on hold. I know in your mind you're probably saying "Oh heck, I'll do it anyway". If you do at your current level of understanding about MJ, you're going to have what we call a "Learning Crop".

It's a crop that struggles through a grow and costs more and more with desperation thrown in and ends up providing you with a half ounce of weed for the same price you can buy in on the street.

Believe me man, you don't want to go that route.

Take the first $20 dollars you put towards your grow into a solid Grow Book. Barnes and Nobles sells them..(for cash).

Tell them you're doing a report on Marijuana for a course you're taking. They've heard them all...:hubba: 

Then, read, read, read, read, on this site. Read at least a couple hours a night for a month or so.

THEN start a simple dirt grow. Make your mistakes in slow motion. You'll learn a bunch from it and you'll also end up with a fair amount of weed when you're finished.

Jumping into Hydroponics isn't the proper or even an intelligent way of learning how to grow MJ.

Save your money for a good quality HPS and proper nutrients to be used in a dirt grow.

OR...

Don't grow anything until you've learned a LOT more about Hydroponics. Every technical method of production in the world starts with the classroom learning BEFORE the lab work.

I don't mean to be negative to you. I just don't want you to chase your tail all the way through one messed up Hydroponic attempt full of disasters.

1. Learn how to grow weed in dirt first.

2. Grow at least one crop in dirt to learn how MJ grows and the problems you'll see.

3. During this period of several months, keep hitting the books and learning Hydroponics. The best book on Hydroponics that has ever been written is Dr. Howard Resh's book "Hydroponic Food Production". Barnes and Nobles can order you one. That single book will introduce you to Hydroponics and teach you what you need to know to have a successful grow without chasing one problem after another.

4. SAVE YOUR MONEY UP. Growing marijuana isn't free or cheap. If you want to grow properly, it'll take some real money.

Good luck to you. If you do what I've suggested, you'll thank yourself a bunch, later.

A good Hydroponic system for weed is an ebb and flow system. Many growers here use this type of system, including me.

NFT is bothersome and I personally don't like the type of system you're trying to build. Too many problems. You also could try a DWC system. They're good starter systems for Hydroponics and don't cost much to build.


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## pyroguy (Dec 3, 2007)

i would say go with the dwc as well. no extra timers, no feeding schedual, personally i think hydro is hydro. the ebb and flow and nft is just like...a science fair project. just something neet to show off.


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## Stoney Bud (Dec 3, 2007)

pyroguy said:
			
		

> i would say go with the dwc as well. no extra timers, no feeding schedule, personally i think hydro is hydro. the ebb and flow and nft is just like...a science fair project. just something neat to show off.


 
If you started with Dr. Resh's book, "Hydroponic Food Production", you could drastically improve your knowledge of the subject of Hydroponics.


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## jdmnismo300 (Dec 3, 2007)

Stoney Bud said:
			
		

> Hey, jdmnismo300.


 
i cant tell you how greatfull i am really that was a very very informative reply im totally new to this things so im deffinately gonna listen and take your advise i would hate to have to wait very long using a dirt growth method but we shall se im gonna be reading up further on the methods uve recomended i have alll the time in the world so again THANKS ALOT


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## jdmnismo300 (Dec 3, 2007)

some questions

why would the ph levels get so out of wak? i had fish b4 and the ph in the water was cake to maintain

also do any major name stores sell hps bulbs ie. walmart,homedepot,lowes?


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## Stoney Bud (Dec 3, 2007)

jdmnismo300 said:
			
		

> some questions
> 
> why would the ph levels get so out of wak? i had fish b4 and the ph in the water was cake to maintain
> 
> also do any major name stores sell hps bulbs ie. walmart,homedepot,lowes?


 
Some of the local type stores sell them, but with lights, you'd be better off purchasing the larger ones online.

The pH in water will fluctuate like crazy when other infuences affect it. In a floating garden type grow, the net pots are actually floating in the water. So is the media that the plants are in, the root mass and any nutrients you've added. Because of the amount of different items in the water, it's very likely that the pH will be all over the place unless you have a sterile environment.

Give it a try as an experiment. Balance some water at 6.5

Add a clean net pot filled with hydroton or gravel.

Let it sit for two days with a bubbler in it.

Check the pH again.


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## md.apothecary (Dec 4, 2007)

I have grown hydro for other plants, etc. However, MJ is similar to growing tomatoes, but this is basically, in the veg/flower process. EVERYTHING else is totally different. I've learned about the troubles and problems MJ has by growing cheap bag seed first and then upping the anty to a white strain. I am finding this was a mistake. White strains tend to be VERY finicky in nutes, etc. So I am trying to recover my white rhinos at the moment, so it was good I didn't go into hydro.

Definitely do your research on your grow methods, area, etc.

With an HID light type setup, you're going to need to move a lot of air. Remember, CFM's are important, you need some awesome powering fans to cool a HID in a limited space area... so research. 

While you're reading the books mentioned above, you need to be POSITIVE on your grow area. 

I am designing a micro-medium grow box. It's going to be 2ftw x 2ftd x 3fth

Make sure you know and stick with your dimensions. This is very important because everything you need will be really determined by those measurements. Fans, to lighting, to lumens, to how many plants, to what type of strain is best suited for such enviroments, to reflectivity, etc.


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