New grower, oddly shaped space, questioning my lighting choice

It’s more like10 x 2, 20 sf - one foot is a pathway that doesn’t need to be lighted. It’s hard to take a pic of the whole space because it’s so narrow but this will give you an idea of what the issues are.

What I’m trying to do is get enough light to the ladies, while keeping the heat under control. I don’t have any good way to vent to the outside so low-heat lights are gonna be the way to go.

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Hello @fullvermonty , another GREEN MT BOY here. Just going along for the ride.

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:fist_right::fist_left: Fistbump

Always happy to meet another tree tapper :smiley:

I think a good question would be ‘what is your goal in production?’ Because you have enough space to do a lot of plants if you have the money for lighting, ventilation, electricity, etc.

But if you had a specific “I want to grow XX ounces off of XX plants” goal, it might help better direct the help.

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@Whodat66 Good point.
He’s got a 10’x3’ grow space, which is effectively a 10’x2’ space because of the need to access the plants.
With 5 plants it’s going to get crowded, but since he’s stated his intention to start flowering in a month, it’ll probably be manageable.
If it were me I’d grow scrog style, (yeah, I’m a fan of scrog). I’d put 3 plants in there and fill the net. Theoretically he could just do 2 plants, and with a little extra veg time, that net would be full and completely within legal requirements.
@fullvermonty how many plants are you planning on growing?

Yeah, I read the intro. I was just thinking that one light is pretty much going to cover 2-3 feet (unless you go huge) So to fill the room you’re talking 3-4 lights minimum or something DIY-built. If he wants to spend $200 and grow 5 plants, it might not be feasible.

My goal is to reliably produce decent-quality, clean, organic weed in fairly large quantity - eventually, a couple of pounds a month at least. One day, I want to use it to start a small edibles business.

Since we don’t have a dispensary bill, and probably won’t for awhile, I figure I’ll use the time to learn everything I can about growing, and be ready to scale up when the time comes.

I live out in the middle of nowhere and have plenty of room for outdoor growing, but that’s a project to start next spring.

Right now I have five. If I move the seedling starter out, I’ll have 14 feet x 2. Could probably run 10-12 if it’s a more vertical grow, or 4 or 5 if I did SOG or Scrog.

Then if this is a test-run, I wouldn’t go full-monty LOL

Have you thought about partitioning off part of the room, and doing 1-2 plants for starters? Easier (and cheaper while learning) to set up for a smaller grow.

Already have five going

You could even try 2 different set-ups and see what you like, maybe one in soil, one hydroponic? see what you think will work for a big scale for you. Maintenance wise with that little room it might be perfect for a smart-pot set-up, at least from a watering standpoint.

I guess my point is that you are looking at it from a business standpoint. @Usmcjojo is as well, and might have good insight.

If the goal is just to grow for edibles the setup/style could be altered for that. I’m not sure what the most efficient grow style is though.

Outdoors, in ground can produce huge trees if you start in Jan and transplant in may.

That’s not a bad idea at all, except that I know fuck all about hydro. Dirt, I get. I come from a long line of dirt
farmers.

But, I can learn.

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Yeah, that is part of the plan, start some ladies going in January, keep them inside until June, let 'em rip.

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Hydro is quicker and more efficient, but can it be organic? I have zero knowledge of hydro past the basics.

I have a feeling you’re like me and ultimately want to build your own soil with all organics and just water throughout the grow.

I think realistically (and to save headaches later) I would allow 3’ for each plant. If you are going to veg that long you could probably scrog that entire room with 2 plants (6-month veg??? WOW)

I am a fan of the Scrog/SOG style but in my space, vertical might be the way to go. Got more space going up than I do going sideways.

On a side note, I’ve noticed the market price for edibles around here has dropped rapidly. It was $8-$10 full “retail” per edible, $5-$8/edible “Friend price” a year ago. Now it’s sub $5 and I anticipate it to drop more when all the first timers harvest and flood the market.

No idea. Dirt farmer here, I don’t know nuthin about no hydro, LOL

You’re on the right track though, that’s the plan for outside, figure out what the girls like and then build my own soil, keep it all clean and organic.

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