My first time growing in a tent - <----- needs any & all advice

suprizeme said:

what's up riu!!
Okay, this is the thing. I just placed an order for a grow tent. Measurements are 1' 4" x 1' 4" x 3' 11".
Also 2 new plant grow light cfl bulbs 2700k+6500k, 100 watts each. I can't put the pics of the bulb because i got them off ebay and i can't copy the pic. The pic shows when they are on, one is looks like it is a sky blue type color, and the other is like a yellowish color.
I got a fixture that holds 1 bulb.
I know the tent is not big, but it's all i could afford at the moment, and i have limited space for it.
I'm wanting to grow bud the hydro way, but i also would like 2 grow in soil. I was thinking hydroponics. It's something new and seems like a challenge i'd like to take on.
The only materials i have at the moment are the grow tent, and the bulbs & light fixture. I included a pic of the tent here. It aint much but gives you an idea of what it looks like.

What else do i need to complete the tent set up?? I know i'm missing quite a bit still, but don't know exactly what. What would i need if i did it the hydro way & soil way.
I need any & all suggestions please!!!!

Click to expand...

hey man
the tent looks absolutely fine, its far better to start off small, don't run before you can walk and anyone that tells you different is an idiot.
I'd definately advice soil for your first try, hydro has more exspensive start up costs; unless you really know what your doin and nutrient balances can be alot harder without soil to buffer the ph and EC.

you may want to consider investing in some more cfl's after about a month, the 250-300w are really good, extremely energy efficient and cheap and have the light intensity to support decent yeilds.

nutrients of course are needed, veg is easy , just a bog standard fertiliser is fine; alot of ignorant people believe they need to spend loads of money on weed-special fertiliser, this isnt true. For flowering you may want to invest in a better nutrient formula as time is crucial and a toxicity/deficiency can set you back alot.

pots will be needed, plant them in little square pots at first whcih will be the most effiecient and then upgrade to a 3-5 gallon pot before flowering.

you can use c02 , i've pesonally found the cheap yeast and sugar method works wonders if everything about the plants growth is at a peak.

most other things are personal to your grow
post me back any questions and ill do my best to answer them
hope that helps
x

iv been wanting to try one of those out...

let me know how it goes.....

you still need...

power cords

timers

thermometers

water

ect.................lol

forgive me . im fucked up right now

yea you'll need quite alot more stuff i just felt too lazy to list them
btw
MAJOR ISSUE!!! dont use digital timers with fluros, they can keep a slight current goin through the bulb so the bulb will eventually flicker on, this will disrupt delicate photoperiods and savagely impair your bulbs life
x

Well your going to need a ventilation system for sure. Anytime you got them in an enclosed area your going to need to be getting rid of excessive heat. The amount of light you can add to the tent will be dependant on how well you can eliminate the heat. You might try a simple hydroponic system such as hand watering coco or maybe a DWC. The biggest thing with hydro is maintaining your reservoir which usually means a few mildly expensive PPM/PH meters because changes in PH and nutrient levels can kill your plants much faster than a soil grow where it is buffered by the soil and can be flushed out of the medium. With that said I'm not knockin hydro, I know it can massively increase yeilds but I think starting with soil or doing a little of both like your planning is the best option until you have a little more money to invest in a bigger and better setup. Good luck.

bobbyhopefeild said:

hey man
the tent looks absolutely fine, its far better to start off small, don't run before you can walk and anyone that tells you different is an idiot.
I'd definately advice soil for your first try, hydro has more exspensive start up costs; unless you really know what your doin and nutrient balances can be alot harder without soil to buffer the ph and ec.

You may want to consider investing in some more cfl's after about a month, the 250-300w are really good, extremely energy efficient and cheap and have the light intensity to support decent yeilds.

Nutrients of course are needed, veg is easy , just a bog standard fertiliser is fine; alot of ignorant people believe they need to spend loads of money on weed-special fertiliser, this isnt true. For flowering you may want to invest in a better nutrient formula as time is crucial and a toxicity/deficiency can set you back alot.

Pots will be needed, plant them in little square pots at first whcih will be the most effiecient and then upgrade to a 3-5 gallon pot before flowering.

You can use c02 , i've pesonally found the cheap yeast and sugar method works wonders if everything about the plants growth is at a peak.

Most other things are personal to your grow
post me back any questions and ill do my best to answer them
hope that helps
x

Click to expand...

i'm thinking of going soil. Plus i don't think i should run up my folks electric bill.
Do you think i have enough space to put 3-4 plants? Again the measurements are 1' 4" x 1' 4" x 3' 11".
How much bud you think i can get from 2 plants if i let them do their thing without getting impatient?

Also, is it ok to start off with only 1 light for the tent? That's just because i only have 1 fixture for it. If i need to use more, at what point in the plant's life should i put it in?

Here are a couple of pics of this bubbleponics system i have going on. It's only 1 plant because i'm experimenting. The pics of the plant are the first 3 days since i put it in the system. So far it looks ok.

goten said:

iv been wanting to try one of those out...

Let me know how it goes.....

You still need...

Power cords

timers

thermometers

water

ect.................lol

forgive me . Im fucked up right now

Click to expand...

besides from having the tent & bulbs/fixture, i need to know everything i'm going to need to have that tent up & running. If it's not asking much, let me know because i'm trying to get everything gathered by next weekend. Thanks a bunch.

pipe dream said:

well your going to need a ventilation system for sure. Anytime you got them in an enclosed area your going to need to be getting rid of excessive heat. The amount of light you can add to the tent will be dependant on how well you can eliminate the heat. You might try a simple hydroponic system such as hand watering coco or maybe a dwc. The biggest thing with hydro is maintaining your reservoir which usually means a few mildly expensive ppm/ph meters because changes in ph and nutrient levels can kill your plants much faster than a soil grow where it is buffered by the soil and can be flushed out of the medium. With that said i'm not knockin hydro, i know it can massively increase yeilds but i think starting with soil or doing a little of both like your planning is the best option until you have a little more money to invest in a bigger and better setup. Good luck.

Click to expand...

what's up. What exactly would i need to complete the ventilation system?? I need to know like maybe the names & brands so i can try to find it on ebay cheap. I'm gonna do it the soil way. All i gotta do now is get hold of some fire seed & i'm good to go. All i have now is a couple of seeds from some pretty good reggie weed.
I'm trying to get all i need by the weekend. I know i need a ventilation system.
When i get the vent system, is that what i would use w/ i think is what controls the humidity in the air or something like that, not quite sure. I know i need some kind of electronic device with numbers on it that tells you all that. I'm stoned right now and can't remember the name of it for nothing.
Thanks man!!

i'm thinking of going soil. Plus i don't think i should run up my folks electric bill.
Do you think i have enough space to put 3-4 plants? Again the measurements are 1' 4" x 1' 4" x 3' 11".

possibly but they would have to be flowered pretty small, and you defo need sativa dominant strains as you hav far more height than width. are you sure that right measurements for the tent, it looks alot bigger in the pic?

How much bud you think i can get from 2 plants if i let them do their thing without getting impatient?

sooo many variables, alot people say watt=weight but thats complete crap, it depends on sooo many things...
quality of seeds
c02 depletion/enrichment
quality of soil
stress
light intensity, spectrum of light, light reflectors ext
ventilation and air-flow
humidity
pests and fungus
ext ext ext
is this your first grow?

Also, is it ok to start off with only 1 light for the tent? That's just because i only have 1 fixture for it. If i need to use more, at what point in the plant's life should i put it in?

1 light is absolutely fine for the first 3-4 weeks , when its enters veg you going to need more canopy penetration and lux to speed the plants growth, it is possible to grow with 1 light but they will grow slow and eventually stretched n spindly. Most people step it up again in flowering , for optimum results you want 27000 lux (lumens per metre squared) and 107000 lux for flowering, but even half that would giv decent results

Here are a couple of pics of this bubbleponics system i have going on. It's only 1 plant because i'm experimenting. The pics of the plant are the first 3 days since i put it in the system. So far it looks ok.

yep , looks absolutely fine
post me back with any more questions although im no expert with hydro
x

bobbyhopefeild said:

i'm thinking of going soil. Plus i don't think i should run up my folks electric bill.
Do you think i have enough space to put 3-4 plants? Again the measurements are 1' 4" x 1' 4" x 3' 11".

possibly but they would have to be flowered pretty small, and you defo need sativa dominant strains as you hav far more height than width. are you sure that right measurements for the tent, it looks alot bigger in the pic?

How much bud you think i can get from 2 plants if i let them do their thing without getting impatient?

sooo many variables, alot people say watt=weight but thats complete crap, it depends on sooo many things...
quality of seeds
c02 depletion/enrichment
quality of soil
stress
light intensity, spectrum of light, light reflectors ext
ventilation and air-flow
humidity
pests and fungus
ext ext ext
is this your first grow?

Also, is it ok to start off with only 1 light for the tent? That's just because i only have 1 fixture for it. If i need to use more, at what point in the plant's life should i put it in?

1 light is absolutely fine for the first 3-4 weeks , when its enters veg you going to need more canopy penetration and lux to speed the plants growth, it is possible to grow with 1 light but they will grow slow and eventually stretched n spindly. Most people step it up again in flowering , for optimum results you want 27000 lux (lumens per metre squared) and 107000 lux for flowering, but even half that would giv decent results

Here are a couple of pics of this bubbleponics system i have going on. It's only 1 plant because i'm experimenting. The pics of the plant are the first 3 days since i put it in the system. So far it looks ok.

yep , looks absolutely fine
post me back with any more questions although im no expert with hydro
x

Click to expand...

those are the measurements that were in the description. it does seem a bit larger in the pic. as for what seed i intend to use for that tent, all i have is seeds from a pretty good bag of bud i came across a few times, so i don't really know if they are sativa or indica. i would like seeds from across seas, but i heard it takes a month to get here.
to complete the tent, i know i need a ventilation system, but i don't know what to look for. what are like names of them so i can look them up online? i would need the more cheaper one now because i'm on a really tight budget.
i know i also need like something to read the air or moisture that's in the tent to make sure it's right. I forgot the name of it.
with the vent system, does that come with that silver looking long slinky? lol, i don't know the name for that either. i never write down what i need, but from now on i will. this is the first time i have taken the initiative into putting so much time, effort, and money into this, so i would like for it to come out nice.
i have a bag of "miracle grow" brand perlite. should i use that with soil when i plant?
i know i'm going to need a ph soil meter, is that correct? sorry for all the questions, it's that i want to learn as much as i can from you vets.
if it's not asking much, you think you can make me a list of what i would need?
what nutrients do i start out with?
thanks a lot!!!

You should just keep reading the forum the answers to all your questions have been asked a million times I guarantee it's all out there. Your plants are going to be fine in soil with the two lights for a while, but get that light as close as possible to them without burning them. With Fluorescents you should be able to get within 3 inches. This will ensure they get the right amount of light. Also make sure you are using that 6500K bulb for now and add more of 4100K spectrum and above. You wont need the lower spectrum till you start into flowering, and CFL's aren't going to really get you what you need at that point. Pick a very balanced and neutral soil, the N-P-K breakdown should be listed on everything you buy. If it's not don't buy it! Look for soild with 1 or less of each number. I'm using Miracle grow moisture control and it's working fine but there are a lot of choices out there. I haven't had to fertilize yet and I am going on 6 weeks. I will drop some nutrients in soon but the soil had enough to get everything going. Good luck and keep growing.