First timers growing plans, need some help

Nodgman

Active Member
So this is my first real grow(one that i intend to grow to harvest). Im planning on starting with a soil less medium, coco coir and perlite. I Plan on using fox farm nutrients( Big Bloom, Grow Big & Tiger Bloom).

For lighting i intend on using a 250w Metal halide fixture that has 4 24" T5 HO bulbs, its an aquarium light that i already have. I was thinking about using a light mover, Any brand recommendation? Also down the line im going to either add a 1000w HPS setup OR go full LED to make my grow more efficent. Still debating between the few LED grow fixtures on the market and doing a custom DIY setup.

The grow area will be a 2'W x 5.5' L x 7'H closet, unfortunately it has bi folding doors on it though. Because of the doors ive been thinking about maybe getting a grow a tent,likely after this first grow. Any recommendations? I know the Gorilla brand seems to be quality built but pretty pricey when comparing to others, like the lighthouse grow tents seem to be an exact copy of the gorilla tents but a good bit cheaper.


I haven't decided on Ventilation yet. I was looking at getting either a turbine style fan or a inline booster fan. I also plan on adding a carbon filter for odor control, will the inline booster be enough to use on a 4" carbon filter? But im also wondering how loud a turbine style fan is?
** if i go the tent route do i need to run the exhaust out of the house into the attic or can i just exhaust into the room? the room is a spare bedroom and i live by myself in my own home(its in a subdivision, so my neighbors are only about 10- 20' away)

So i either have or i have ordered everything except a grow tent, and ventilation.

Here's the strains that i ordered
5- Bomb Auto Bomb Feminised
3- Barneys Pineapple Express Autoflowering Feminised
5-Ministry Of Cannabis Northern Lights MOC Feminised

Then i got these freebies
1-World Of Seeds Medical Mazar X White Rhino Feminised
2 -Delicious Critical Jack Herer Feminised
5 - White Widow X Skunk #1 Regular

So heres my plans for now, i plan on planting either all or almost all of the ones that i actually ordered(not the freebies). I figure by the time i get past the germ stage at best ill have about 10 plants(if im lucky). I plan on vegetating the NL's for the entire time till i harvest the autos, then once i harvest the autos i can either wait a little longer or put the NL's into flowering stage. This way once im done curing and USING the autos, i can start preparing the NL's to harvest. And as far as the free beans go, ill just put them in the mix eventually.
I wish i had known that autos cant be propagated the same way that regular plants can,because had i known i would have only purchased one strain on of autos. Oh well you live and you learn right?

Does this seem like reasonable expectations? Is it doable? Anything im missing here? I have watched all the major grow movies, read alot online, and as a hobby i grow and propagate living coral( surprisingly coral and plants are extremely similar) , so i have a pretty good understanding on the lighting,PH, magnesium, Phosphate, Nitrate, and trace elements side of the grow.

And with my background in aquaculture i Eventually plan on going hydro/aero but i wanna get a few normal harvest under my belt before i start with anything else.

Thanks in advance, with much appreciation,
NoDgMan
 
hps will do good for fattys. remember 2 fans, one for in and the other for out. that's where you'll get good results.
 
hps will do good for fattys. remember 2 fans, one for in and the other for out. that's where you'll get good results.

Thanks for the response,What type of fan would you recommend? Possibly a mixture of the two? A booster for the "In" and a Turbine for the "OUT"? Do you know about how loud the fans are? Its not a deal breaker but i would like to keep noise levels low. Also i have heard that when using LED's you don't need extreme Ventilation, because of the substantial reduction in heat, is there any truth to that?

Thanks again!
 
Oh yeah, and do you think that Odor will be a particular issue with those strains that's i listed? The reason I ask is because if it will be I might as well order it now, along with the vent.
 
You'll be veg'ing for 60+days... remember that a plant will stretch 2-3 times its size when in the first 21-24 days of flower.

Also, I'd go with an inline 440 CFM fan for exhaust from the get-go. If you have a decent enough opening(s), passive intake will be fine. No sense screwing around. Get the carbon filter with it.

No sense fretting about a mover yet, you need to get this grow under your belt first. Things you must consider:

- pH tester & calibration solution
- nutrients
- pH up/down
- hygrometer

....etc.

Good luck!

-spek

ps. You'll want four (or max five) plants on that floorspace if you want to do any veg at all, especially for a first grow. I guarantee this. Even with four, you're going to need to learn about LST and even HST really quickly if you want to make this a worth-while run. I'd do the autos first by themselves, and get a grow under yourself, then use the other seeds and consider a SoG or even a ScrOG.
 
Get a real fan, no booster crap. Probably at least 450 CFM.. And get air-cooled reflectors or cooltubes. You still need good circulation in any grow, LED or not - CO2 exchange is important.

And yeah, filter for sure.
 
You'll be veg'ing for 60+days... remember that a plant will stretch 2-3 times its size when in the first 21-24 days of flower.

Also, I'd go with an inline 440 CFM fan for exhaust from the get-go. If you have a decent enough opening(s), passive intake will be fine. No sense screwing around. Get the carbon filter with it.

No sense fretting about a mover yet, you need to get this grow under your belt first. Things you must consider:

- pH tester & calibration solution
- nutrients
- pH up/down
- hygrometer

....etc.

Good luck!

-spek

ps. You'll want four (or max five) plants on that floorspace if you want to do any veg at all, especially for a first grow. I guarantee this. Even with four, you're going to need to learn about LST and even HST really quickly if you want to make this a worth-while run. I'd do the autos first by themselves, and get a grow under yourself, then use the other seeds and consider a SoG or even a ScrOG.

Thanks for the detailed response... How loud is a 440 cfm inline fan?

Oh and by the way, i Just went thru and checked out your thread... im suprised you had issues with your leds... one thing i dont under stand is why they make the grow leds pink. Whats the purpose of this? If you look at reef keeping leds they are full spectrum lights, that can produce the same coloration as the sun.(google "ecotech radion"<yeah i know their pricey>) So why is it that every grow light uses pink and blue leds? Does it actually help with flowering/veg stages? If i did a DIY led setup i would go with nothing bluer than 10,000k leds.
 
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