Ideal Setup For Indoor Grow

Hello everybody,

New guy here. Im also a newbie at growing so I wanted to see if you guys could help me with a few questions I have.

So if budget wasnt an issue, and could pretty much get your dream set up, how would it look if you are trying to grow 12 plants? I am in NM so I can legally grow 12 mature and 12 immature plants. I have about an 800 sq ft barn I will be using to grow the plants. So space shouldnt be an issue either.

I know I would probably need a lot more details to find out exactly what works best for me and I have an idea of a few of the things I want but wanted to get your guys ideal set up for something like this.

I ordered my first 20 seeds of White Widow a few days ago from ILGM so I should be able to start as soon as I set everything up.

Also budget isnt a big issue, I want to do things the right way to maximize my yield.

Thanks for your time!

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Your most important item is going to be lights.

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A good starting point is to determine how much (in grams, ounces or pounds) do you want to produce and over what period of time?

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I plan on going with a few Scorpion Diablo, not sure how many I will need but that was my initial thought unless you guys have a better idea. I want to go LED though

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Well really Id like to maximize how much I can produce in as little time. So for example if I can produce 1 lbs per plant in 90 days but 1/2 lbs in 30 days then I would go for the first option. So not necessarily huge plants. Just whatever produces more. This is more like a test run so I want to see how much I can produce in what amount of time.

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I don’t use my entire 8X8 grow room any more but when I did I grew six plants that filled it up. It was about 120+ days seed to harvest and another month to six weeks for dry and cure. In that configuration I got between 12 and 17 ounces per plant. Could stabilize on one pound per plant if I were to select a good plant for a parent and grow clones. I choose to grow fewer plants from seed so get 12 to 17 ounces each from 4 plants per grow.

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For 12 plants you’ll need around 4000 watts at 200 watts per plant @Luchotocado . That’s just a general estimate. I would go much higher so I could run my lights around 60%.

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One unit per plant is more like outdoor growing. Even a half pound per plant is on larger size for typical indoor grow. If you vegged a plant the minimum amount (usually about 5 weeks) i would expect these plants to produce 2-3 ounces per plant. It can definitely be more, but to expect more would generally require more veg time or use or something like a hydroponic system.

I’m not too familiar with your state definition of “immature plants”, does this mean plants in veg? If so you could veg out some pretty large plants in 8-10 week time your first grow is flowering. So there is some considerations for what you may do to get started vs what your long term plan is.
You also need to think about if you’re going to flower 12 plants all on same schedule or maybe stagger them so that you’re harvesting a smaller amount of plants on mord frequent schedule.

At the end of the day how you plan to grow will have as much to do with requirements as plant count. I have seen more than 12 plants in a 4x4 tent and have seen one plant fill a 4x4 tent. As well as various levels between both of those.

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ok so if 8x8 = 6 plants, I can grow 24 plants in a 16 by 16. Just separate it into 2- 8x16 grow rooms correct? Did you have an actual grow tent? Im not sure if I need to build like an enclosure inside the barn of if I can just designate a 16x16 space within it and set everything up there.

Also why do you choose to grow fewer plants from seed? Any reason behind that? Wouldnt it be better to clone a good plant? Also a bit faster from start to finish?

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I like the variation that one gets by growing from seed. As for growing less, I produce many time what I need and give the excess to a buddy that he shares with one other. Even doing that, I trash a lot of bud just because I grow way more then three of us can use.

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I see the Scorpion Diablo is rated at 650 Watts. Then I also read that its the same as a 2100 Watt HID light. Do I use the 650 watts for my measurement?

Also I see you said its about 200 watts per plant but I need 4000 watts for 12 plants? Got a little confused there but if I need 4000 wats then I need about 6 Scorpion Diablos correct? For 12 plants? or is that for the 24 plants?

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That’s sweet @Luchotocado. Since budget is flexible and space is abundant, I think I’d make areas (stalls?) for various life stages. Seems like you could appropriate one space for the 12 immature (we’ll say “veg”) and double that for 12 mature (aka flower). Then you’ll need a drying room and room for longer term storage.

You’ll be in there a lot so consider how to get music in and you’ll need a tv so you don’t miss the big game. And a fridge and sink for obvious reasons.

Course, people here have so many good ideas about stuff, I’d likely switch it up :rofl: :rofl:

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I would try to shoot for 40 watts per square foot if you want to go from start to finish with that light setup. Foe example: if the area is 2x4, you’d have 8 ft and want around 320W. 35 works if that’s where you’re at or lower/higher for veg vs flower. Don’t skimp on light for sure.

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If you have never grown cannabis before, I would consider getting a light and the other equipment (TDS, pH meters, etc) and grow a couple of plants from seed to harvest. That would give you a good feel for what you might want to do going forward.

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12 plants seems like a lot to take on for your first grow, but if you do
You will want to enclose the area or use a tent or two to control the environment a bit easier and to minimize light loss. PAR is far more of an accurate measurement to use than watts
The PPF rule for optimal lighting is 65µmol (Usable PPF) per square foot or 700µmol (Usable PPF) per square meter.
Get good controllers
If heat is a concern in your area maybe a mini split or air conditioning unit will be necessary.
With 12 plants you will have a lot of humidity to content with so you will need a good size dehumidifier.

To maximize your output I would go with an automated drain to waste coco/perlite system.

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I’m sorry for the confusion @Luchotocado. I meant 2500 watts for 12 plants.Look really deep into what you buy. There are excellent lights out there I’m sure the one you’re looking at is ok. I use Chil Led lights and they are real good. I’m running around 600 watts with 3 lights in my setup


They are dimmed to about 50% right now. I use DLI to set my lights for the different stages of growth and being able to turn them up or down for that is a big plus for me.
With good lights you will get good results.

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The HLG lights he is interested in are top of the line and will be very good

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I run 2 diablos in an 8x8 have 17 in 7 gal pots and i have 6 in 3 gal pots going outside. 2 for an 8x8 is more than enough light. Budget wasnt really an issue with me either i got my dream set up this go around lol

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Thanks for the advice. I want to go all in on my first try and then learn as I go. I know it might not be the smartes idea maybe but just what id like to do. Im thinking I might have to do that, enclose an area maybe just frame out some rooms and use plywood and paint it white on the inside. I could make 4 separate rooms all inside the barn. Heat is a problem in the summer so I will have a minisplit in there or a window unit and I was thinking a couple fans. Thanks for the Dehumidifier advice, I will look for a good one that covers the area once I decide how big the rooms will be. Do you have recommendations for controllers? Any good brand you guys go for?

About the automated drain to waste system. The property is actually a farm with an irrigation well. I was planning on using the well water for the plants. I originally was planning on growing them outside and just flood watering them like I water pecan trees. Actually didnt even think about how I will water the indoor plants though. Ill look into that system, I wonder if it can be rigged up to a well.

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Test your well water it may have too many minerals or what not. It could throw off the EC and nutrient element ratio when using nutrients.
It seems like soil would be the easiest to start with, but after starting with soil myself and switching to coco I think coco is way easier to have a good grow. Soil starts good but then some nutrients are depleted and you don’t know what is gone and what is left and the fertilizing gets tricky and I didn’t end well. Moved to coco and a full nutrient line from start to finish and had good solid buds. If you do go coco the coco for cannabis website has so much info on growing in coco and lighting. I Learned so much from the website and from his podcasts.
AC infinity makes good controllers, I use ink bird with fine results.
Also I started with autoflowers and moved to feminized photo seeds and liked the photos so much better.
Get a good pH meter from the start and any cheap TDS meter works fine

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