First off, wazzup y’all. I’ve been researching everything for about a month and not asking any questions since google can be your best friend for finding anything. I took the plunge and ordered supplies for a small grow box 2’x1.5’x4’ tall. Already setup and just waiting on some GSC seeds to arrive.
I’ve built a 4 site dwc and top feed dripper in a 20”x16”x11.5” high tote. I’ve got a mars reflector 48 and the inside of the box lined with 6 mil Mylar. Two 92mm pc fans for the air supply and a 4” duct fan and carbon scrubber to handle the funk. My earlier intentions were to buy a smaller stealth cab but figured I had a plethora of 3/4” birch plywood so why not.
Now my thoughts are on going bigger and I haven’t even started growing yet lol. I was torn between the Mars hydro 300 and reflector 48 when I ultimately chose the reflector for my setup. I got paranoid (hence needing some smoke to chill) and burned all of boxes everything came in so I can’t send anything back now. So I’m thinking about the perpetual harvest and want an area to bloom while I’m begging the next round.
My question is, with a Mars reflector 48 already in hand which is supposedly good for a 2’x2’ area and I’m thinking about building a 2’x4’x6’ tall 2 chamber box, will a second reflector 48 be the best bet? I’m always changing my damn mind so I don’t know why I thought this was set in stone.
Basically, I feel like I should’ve picked a bigger light but I was trying to save on electric as I’m on disability and gotta make every cent count. Can’t afford to buy smoke anymore. Took a plunge and sold some personal belongings to get cash to get the supplies to start this.
How are you at stripping wire and minor assembly? If you’re up to it, you can source much higher performing leds and build your own fixture to whatever size and specification you’d like.
It’s not for everyone, but the absolute best way to get most bang for your buck.
No problem with building things or electrical but I am trying to stay small for now. Already have the reflector 48 and would like to utilize that since it has the veg and bloom settings. When I step up to a real grow tent or room I’ll definitely get more powerful lights or possibly make the COB lights. Not sure how well the veg setting is gonna do on this Mars but the idea behind it sure sounded sweet.
I’m sorry, thought you were looking for an additional light for second grow space. The cobs are great, but they’re not the only option if going diy. You have tons of options if you ever decide to go that route.
Well I am looking at getting a second light. Just did some reading on COB and it sounds like the way to go. Wish I still had the box my light came in to send it back lol. I’ve gotta do some figuring with the basement I’ll be using and maybe I can squeeze in a 4’x4’ instead of a 2’x4’. Maybe have to use 2 2’x4’ to get perpetual going on. Hope the 4” 190 cfm fan and filter are gonna be adequate as well. Damn I wish I hadn’t destroyed the boxes everything came in so I could return them if they weren’t suitable.
Got my wheels turning now so I’ll have to investigate my area tomorrow to figure out how big I can actually go if I move somethings out. For perpetual harvesting would it be better to have 2 separate grows or a single with some type of partition?
When you’re talking about spaces that size, two separate spaces is probably the way to go. Is there an issue with using the box you built as a veg space, and purchasing something a little larger to flower in?
No issues other than I was trying to be super stealthy by sticking the box in the hidden shower stall in the basement and the box had to be that small. The hidyhole room is small and I wish I could turn it into a grow but I could only use half (30”x30”) since you’d have to stand in the adjoining 30”x30” dressing area to get to the shower and the doorway to the shower is 22” or 24” so it’s tight.
I have an area near the chimney so I could vent the exhaust to that with a 8’ or less flex ducting. My other possibility is the catty corner of the basement if I tear out some canning shelves.
I was trying to do all of this as cheaply as possible and improve/upgrade things down the road but I’ve never been one to settle for less than perfection so I may just order a tent or two. Decisions decisions.
Sometimes starting small and getting a good look at a grow or two before dropping your wad can save money in the long run. That’s entirely up to you.
But I think you could start a plant or two in that box and then move them to a larger area for flowering. If you’re thinking about going perpetual, a quick easy way to get started would be to grow a mother plant in the cabinet, and then take a bunch of clones. Root them and give them a little veg time in your secondary area and then flip to flowering. You could then flower out your mother and replace it with a small clone. You wouldn’t have large plants, but you could make up for it by having several plants even in something like a 2x4.
There’s lots of ways to do it. Best way depends on your personal needs and ideals.
This is of course my first indoor grow and I’ve only ever grew outside twice and they were nothing to brag about but I just started them indoors and left them on their own once outside. Winters here and I need a hobby so what better hobby is there than growing your own medicine.
Not sure I can tag ya, I think it’s up to you to follow the thread. I unfortunately had to get rid of all of my reptiles due to the fact they carry salmonella and I’m currently awaiting a transplant so they had to go in order to avoid possible infections.
Been checking out the basement today and I could stick a good sized tent down there but then I’d have to afford the electric to run the lights it would need. Thinking more about (2) 2’x4’ tents but I’m curious as to how much I could yield in that space.
Think I’ve got cash coming tomorrow so I may be able to get 1 or 2 tents and maybe enough to throw at the Parts for a COB.
Any reason why I couldn’t run a Y adapter on the 4” Ducting so I could use the 4” fan to exhaust 2 grow tents?
If u put a @ in front of name example: @Venomous and it’ll automatically tag the person. I feel ya on reptile collection, when my daughter was born i donated a huge collection to a place that did school shows for kids. Just starting at it again. Actually just got a snow white lutistic with bright blue eyes!
As for fan question, i personally wouldn’t run anything smaller then a 6" if using a Y. But other can figure about the size fan for size tent for u for sure. I use a 6" for a 4x4x5 room for intake and a seperate 6" for my cool tube and charcole filter. A slightly bigger fan then you need will allow u to not run it at full speed to do its job. It helps alot with noise
@Familyman420 I love those blue eyed lutistics. Man they’re some beautiful cobras. I’m gonna be brainstorming on what exactly I can fit in the dungeon now. I got the go ahead for it. Now I just need to pick a spot that won’t be seen by anyone in the event the furnace needs work or something like that.
How many cfm is the fan? You’ll want to minimize length of duct and amount of bends, but as long as other aspects of grow are in order, I would think a decent 4” fan would have enough volume to maintain enough air exchange. Just don’t restrict your intake much. Now if it’s only like a 30cfm fan, that may be an issue.
If you’re kinda strapped for funds, I would seriously consider taking a crack at one tent. A lot of the members here make it seem very easy, and it can be. But getting started usually shows some unexpected issues, for all of us. Try one, and try to do it well. If you run into problems you can make whatever adjustments needed 2nd go around.
My first grow was in a cabinet I bought at yard sale, using a bunch of recycled cfl’s. It was ridiculous, but it grew weed. Not the best weed, and it was far from a lot. So I started looking to improve it $30-$40 at a time. By the time I scrapped the whole thing and just built a room in my basement, I bet I had $1000 wrapped up into different lights and fans that were supposedly quiet. The weed was better, but I wasn’t seeing a 10x increase in yield for my 10x increase in investment. Had I just taken $500 and started over I would’ve been a lot better off. I never had that much to spend, but found a way to easily spend double on stuff that was half as good.
I will say the knowledge I gained is irreplaceable. And I’ll put half the budget and twice the knowledge ahead of the opposite any day. So don’t sweat trying to get started on a small budget. You just want to make that money go as far as possible. Sometimes that means spending an extra $20 upfront to keep from spending $100 later. Other times it means finding ways to make due without.
The fan is rated at 190 cfm. I was trying to save a buck and build the cabinet but now I just want to get as good a start as possible. Thought about vegging in the cabinet and then moving to a 4’x4’ for flowering with maybe a 600 or 1000 watt led of some type. I d like to utilize what I already have if I could for now. I figure I can get a tent or build a few walls for the bloom room. I could piece things together for that setup while vegging in the cabinet and transfer them once really to flower or possibly sooner if the plants get crowded in the box. I just can’t afford to fail. What kind of yield could be expected with a 4’x4’ hydro of some type. Was thinking the dwc and top fed drip would be a winning setup. Liked the idea of one reservoir for multiple plants.
If things go well tomorrow I could have about $1000 to invest at the absolute most. Build a COB, get a tent and new hydro setup for the 4’x4’??
Thanks for the insight guys. Much appreciated having a second opinion when I’m coming in with no experience.
I’m sure there’s people that harvest a pound plus in a 4x4. But I’m even more sure that they didn’t do it in their first couple grows. As far as what you should expect, getting a couple of plants to harvest would be better than a lot of people do. .5 gram per actual watt of hid or led seems too be a typical yeild for a personal use hobby grower that’s been at it a few times. People that make a living growing weed seem to be well into the 1 gram per watt range.
I don’t know a lot about the different hydro setups to say one way is better than another. I have looked into trying it many times though, and I can say they all have their ups and downs.
Even building a decent cob light for a 4x4 is going to eat up most of a $1000 budget, so keep that in mind. I like the idea of starting a plant in the cabinet you have while you figure things out. That’s probably exactly what I would do. Worst comes worse, and you could always just flower it out in there too.
Did you consider possibly starting with a 3x3? Four 75 watt vero 29’s in a 3x3 does pretty good. I built that exact light for a grower friend, cost around $300. With tent, and other stuff you should be able to come in we’ll under $1000. You can get your feet wet in there.
I’ve thought about 3’x3’ but just figured 4’x4’ would be a little bigger for the future. If I had my way I’d fill the whole basement lol. I didn’t realize that the price difference for lighting was that drastic of a difference between the 2 size tents. Definitely food for thought. I’ve got plenty of free time and want to immerse myself with all things growing. My lan is to get good at growing so that eventually this could be my new line of work once all states get on board with the legalization.
I’ve had many jobs and career paths over the years and they all bored me terribly. I’ve been drawn to the thought of indoor hydroponics for about 12 years now but never took the initiative to get started. There’s some real trash bud that goes around in this area and I think I can grow top shelf eventually. I’ll get good practice supplying myself and one day I can step things up and do it for a living.
I read where one guy tracked his expenses for a grow and the harvest came out to costing him $1.46 per gram to grow. That’s my kind of price right there!
It doesn’t seem like it, but a 4x4 at 16 square feet is almost double a 3x3 at 9 square feet. Depending on growing method you could certainly do more light than I quoted, but it will do a good job.
You could always buy a 4x4 tent and put a portion of required lighting into it to start.
The idea of using a grow box or grow tent is to have complete control over light, air, humidity. When ur in a sealed space its easier for things to be uniform and controlled. As far as yeild the #'s @dbrn32 gave u are the average i hear, but depends in strain. Lights. Nutes. Soil. Container size, neg. Pressure, co… But the strain is a HUGE part of that. U can be the best and have the bestbof everything and some plants produce more then others. I would research what u are trying to accomplish. Heavy yeilds, high cbd, high thc, sativa, indica couch lock, or a hybrid well balanced and go from there. With those details some others maybe ablebto make educated suggestions to get you were u wanna be.