Coco or soil? 1 gal or 2 gal smart pots? First time indoor grower needs advice here

hey im getting ready to start my first indoor run after doing outdoor for several years and i got a few questions. first just to give u some insight i will be running two 600w hps for the flowering room which is 8x8x8. i will be doing a sea of green. i plan to veg for 2 weeks under my t5 or however long it takes for them to get about 6-8 inches, lolipop em and then wait a couple days before flowering them. i always cut smaller clones from the bottom of plants so i figure they will take a week or two to reach my desired height. now ive heard conflicting opinions from other growers i know in person so i want to get your opinion. i was planning on using 1 gallon smart pots and fitting as many in the room as i can, i figure 50 under each light so 100 total. i was planning on using promix but my friend has almost convinced me to use coco and just treat it as if it were soil. he said that coco also reduces the pot size necessary to prevent root curling. but he also says since im doing an indica that i might wanna use 2 gal pots since they have a denser root mass than sativas, generally speaking. i just think it would be a waste of space since im going to bud them when they are so small. so what do you guys think?

IMO..... you should use less plants in an 8x8x8 or, more light...as far as coco or soil..? I mix my pro mix 50/50 canna and pro mix.

I think if you use an ebb/flow, you could use less plants, and get the same or more yield with less pot volume, say 1/2 gal.......just a thought

if it was me id just go 20-24 plants under them on 12-12 from seed...........

how many 600w lights would u suggest for that area because i already have two more ballasts n bulbs i just need 2 more hoods and i would have 4 complete systems.

oh yeah go coco it rocks.............

oh and i will be growing from clones not seeds. which kind of coco do u use? which brand?

southsacboy916 said:

oh and i will be growing from clones not seeds. which kind of coco do u use? which brand?

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if you are asking me im using canna but ive used other types too......really good stuff...........gets em bigger quicker

For my seedling, I use 50%/50% canna perlite. wanna see roots go FAST....Try it.

8x8 flower room and you are only planning on using 2 600watts?? Ok so that will diffenelty not cut it.....600w covers 3.5x3.5 to 4x4 area. So if your room is 8x8 you should be looking at it as if its four 4x4 grows, in which case you will need MINIUM of 4 600w lights which is 1 600w per 4x4 space and you should really have 6 600w lights...

In a 8x8 tent a proper set up would be 2 rows of 3 600w lights.. which comes out to 3 6k lights per 4x8 and since you have 8x8 that would be 6 6k lights....... So if you think you going to put 2 6k lights in an 8x8 room thats just plain craxy talk.....

its the Smart pots themselves that prevent spiraling, by air-pruning the root tips. if someone has said this......please ignore me. 1 gallon would be fine, methinks. folks do SOG in liter soda bottles.

coco is basically hydro and is faster than soil imo great for sog, 1 gal is prol fine as you are only vegging a week or two and with air prooning i doubt theyll get rootbound and yeah 100 plants isnt even 1 sq ft each... maybe 64 max =) still testing your lighting

I use cocotek from general hydroponics... i dont remember what i paid for 5 kg but it wasnt bad

Phate said:

coco is basically hydro and is faster than soil imo great for sog, 1 gal is prol fine as you are only vegging a week or two and with air prooning i doubt theyll get rootbound and yeah 100 plants isnt even 1 sq ft each... maybe 64 max =) still testing your lighting

I use cocotek from general hydroponics... i dont remember what i paid for 5 kg but it wasnt bad

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its not basicaly hydro IT IS hydro.......if the meduim is enert then its HYDRO.......just passive hydro....... promix, sunshine#4, perlite, coco its all hydro.......hydrdo just means that all the nutes the plants get is deliverd from the water and not in the meduim........ So anytime you use enert soil its hydro......

ok well im gonna run with 1 gal smart pots and i think i will incorporate some coco into the mix. has anyone ever tried doing a 50/50 mix with promix and coco?

2layz2p said:

IMO..... you should use less plants in an 8x8x8 or, more light...as far as coco or soil..? I mix my pro mix 50/50 canna and pro mix.

I think if you use an ebb/flow, you could use less plants, and get the same or more yield with less pot volume, say 1/2 gal.......just a thought

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Ummm.....I have.....

so i guess no ones concerned about his 2 600watts for a 8x8 tent?? lololol ok

he he he....

FootClan said:

so i guess no ones concerned about his 2 600watts for a 8x8 tent?? lololol ok

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for one its not a tent, and second of all forgive me for not acknowledging the fact that not only did i take ur concern into consideration but i went out and purchased two more 600w systems. the person i got the first 2 600w lights from had 4 sets so i went back and bought the other two so i will be running 4 600w hps. my friend had already told me i needed more lights but he doesnt always know what hes talkin about so i took it with a grain of salt.

2layz2p said:

Ummm.....I have.....

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and forgive me as well i didnt even notice that in ur post or i wouldnt have asked. but thanks i think thats the mix imma go with.

It's good man, you'll get some fast root growth.

well im glad you got two more lights that will help......