Need advise in setting up a grow tent

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Show_OFF

Well-Known Member
Hello everyone,

I'm planning to grow 4 plants in a grow tent "Grow Lab GL80" (size is 2'7" x 2'7"x 5'11"). I have 3 questions for you, colleagues:
  • What pot size should I use to grow 4 plants (2 sativas and 2 hybrids) in the aforesaid grow tent?
  • Should I use 400w or 600w HPS bulb to fully cover my plants with light? I'm planning to use air cooled reflector to keep it cool.
  • How much Air Flow Capacity (CFM) should my Inline Fan have to decently operate with a carbon filter and air cooled reflector?
Looking forward to hear from you, guys

Thank you!
 
smokebros

smokebros

Well-Known Member
  • That's a small tent, you may be able to get away with 3 gallon pots. Considering the width of the tent is 31'', perhaps something with a 14'' circumference is the largest you get jam in there.
  • 400W if you decide to go with an HPS lighting system. 600 is too much for a tent that small.
  • 4'' inline fan with carbon filter would be ideal. Something around 160-200CFM.
 
smokebros

smokebros

Well-Known Member
Also,

Unless you're hellbent on fitting four plants in the aforementioned tent, one plant in a larger pot (10 gallons) would be the direction I'd personally go. But that's why growing is great, we all have our own styles and preferences. :bigjoint:
 
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Show_OFF

Well-Known Member
smokebros said:
  • That's a small tent, you may be able to get away with 3 gallon pots. Considering the width of the tent is 31'', perhaps something with a 14'' circumference is the largest you get jam in there.
  • 400W if you decide to go with an HPS lighting system. 600 is too much for a tent that small.
  • 4'' inline fan with carbon filter would be ideal. Something around 160-200CFM.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the reply.

Will the grow tent "Grow Lab GL100" (3'3" x 3'3" x 6'7") make the situation better? Or it still will be small for 4 plants?
 
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Show_OFF

Well-Known Member
smokebros said:
Also,

Unless you're hellbent on fitting four plants in the aforementioned tent, one plant in a larger pot (10 gallons) would be the direction I'd personally go. But that's why growing is great, we all have our own styles and preferences. :bigjoint:
Click to expand...
If I follow your advice and fit a single 10 gallon pot, will it deliver me better harvesting results than fitting 4 small pots?
 
smokebros

smokebros

Well-Known Member
Show_OFF said:
Thank you for the reply.

Will the grow tent "Grow Lab GL100" (3'3" x 3'3" x 6'7") make the situation better? Or it still will be small for 4 plants?
Click to expand...
I think it's possible to fit 4 plants in just about any size tent if the grower scales down the size of the plants and pots. It's all contingent on whether you have the space to accommodate the larger of the two tents. As the plants grow in size it'll become crowded quickly. You'll find that less plants with a slightly longer vegetation time will be easier to maintain and create an even canopy with, than a higher quantity of smaller sized plants in either size tent.

Show_OFF said:
If I follow your advice and fit a single 10 gallon pot, will it deliver me better harvesting results than fitting 4 small pots?
Click to expand...
If you are alright with an extra couple weeks of vegetation time, I think you'll be rewarded for the wait. Ever heard the old adage "bigger roots means bigger fruits"? Over the years I've learned that having a happy root zone is the key to growing successful cannabis. Personally, on my next grow I'll be doing 1-2 plants in a 4x4 tent. I'm not under a time crunch so I don't mind waiting the extra few weeks to fill out the canopy.

It's all in your personal preference, I don't want to steer you away from your idea if that's what would work better for you.

I will say that if you're a newer grower it's best to keep things simple, IMO. Get your feet wet, grow 1-2 plants in the tent, and don't go for yield on your first run... once you're comfortable then you can determine if you want to scale up or down.
 
Show_OFF

Show_OFF

Well-Known Member
smokebros said:
I think it's possible to fit 4 plants in just about any size tent if the grower scales down the size of the plants and pots. It's all contingent on whether you have the space to accommodate the larger of the two tents. As the plants grow in size it'll become crowded quickly. You'll find that less plants with a slightly longer vegetation time will be easier to maintain and create an even canopy with, than a higher quantity of smaller sized plants in either size tent.



If you are alright with an extra couple weeks of vegetation time, I think you'll be rewarded for the wait. Ever heard the old adage "bigger roots means bigger fruits"? Over the years I've learned that having a happy root zone is the key to growing successful cannabis. Personally, on my next grow I'll be doing 1-2 plants in a 4x4 tent. I'm not under a time crunch so I don't mind waiting the extra few weeks to fill out the canopy.

It's all in your personal preference, I don't want to steer you away from your idea if that's what would work better for you.

I will say that if you're a newer grower it's best to keep things simple, IMO. Get your feet wet, grow 1-2 plants in the tent, and don't go for yield on your first run... once you're comfortable then you can determine if you want to scale up or down.
Click to expand...
Thank you a lot, buddy. That's what I was looking for - a sensible advice.

The only reason I wanted to grow 4 plants at once is getting 4 different strains, not to get more yields. Maybe I should follow your advice and grow only 2 plants.
 
Show_OFF

Show_OFF

Well-Known Member
smokebros said:
I think it's possible to fit 4 plants in just about any size tent if the grower scales down the size of the plants and pots. It's all contingent on whether you have the space to accommodate the larger of the two tents. As the plants grow in size it'll become crowded quickly. You'll find that less plants with a slightly longer vegetation time will be easier to maintain and create an even canopy with, than a higher quantity of smaller sized plants in either size tent.



If you are alright with an extra couple weeks of vegetation time, I think you'll be rewarded for the wait. Ever heard the old adage "bigger roots means bigger fruits"? Over the years I've learned that having a happy root zone is the key to growing successful cannabis. Personally, on my next grow I'll be doing 1-2 plants in a 4x4 tent. I'm not under a time crunch so I don't mind waiting the extra few weeks to fill out the canopy.

It's all in your personal preference, I don't want to steer you away from your idea if that's what would work better for you.

I will say that if you're a newer grower it's best to keep things simple, IMO. Get your feet wet, grow 1-2 plants in the tent, and don't go for yield on your first run... once you're comfortable then you can determine if you want to scale up or down.
Click to expand...
Help me with something else, please. My question may seen stupid at first:

My grow tent has 125mm diameter holes for ducting. Will actual 125mm diameter ducting fit in there or I should buy smaller 100mm ducting to be sure that it will fit?
 
smokebros

smokebros

Well-Known Member
Show_OFF said:
Help me with something else, please. My question may seen stupid at first:

My grow tent has 125mm diameter holes for ducting. Will actual 125mm diameter ducting fit in there or I should buy smaller 100mm ducting to be sure that it will fit?
Click to expand...
Go for the 100mm ducting as 4'' in imperial measurement is the standard with of the fan you'll want to attach the ducting to.
 
smokebros

smokebros

Well-Known Member
Show_OFF said:
Thank you a lot, buddy. That's what I was looking for - a sensible advice.

The only reason I wanted to grow 4 plants at once is getting 4 different strains, not to get more yields. Maybe I should follow your advice and grow only 2 plants.
Click to expand...
Good idea. Four strains at once is a lot of work for an experienced grower, let alone someone just getting into it. Try to stick to one, maybe two strains max until you get your feet wet.
 
coreywebster

coreywebster

Well-Known Member
I would go with the bigger tent, better to have space you don't use than too little and cramped conditions for your plants and for watering needs. Plus a bigger tent has bigger duct socks, which allows the addition of acoustic ducting should you want or need it. 6" acoustic ducting for example is 8" thick on the outside. If you had 100mm acoustic duct you would need 150mm duct socks.
 
DankDave420

DankDave420

Well-Known Member
General rules of thumb:
Pot should be 1 gallon per foot.
Yield is based on light, not number of plants, 50 watt per sq. ft. is adequate, get the 400w.
You only need your fan CFM to match your volume. Basically all inline fans will work for your space, but don't bother with booster fans, they are inadequate under load. And remember your light vent is probably 6", not 4".
Cannabis is easy to make grow any shape you want, short, tall, fat, skinny. Plant training goes a long way.
Plant count is irrelevant. You could SOG or train your plant and actually get an even canopy. A plant only needs 1 sq foot if you don't top it and keep it short for SOG, or you could grow it up and SCROG one down to 4x4, I've seen plants 8+ foot diameter. Each has its advantages.
Growing different strains under one light will make it hard to keep an even canopy and you will get deminished yields but, you can always low stress train your plant while it is flowering as well.
And Sativas stretch a lot. You don't want to veg them too tall or you are going to crash and burn.
There are a lot of variables. Not being a forum hater but most of the basics of growing are well documented by reliable sources right here on the net. Take everything you read on forums with a grain of salt, like you would Wikipedia.
 
Show_OFF

Show_OFF

Well-Known Member
DankDave420 said:
General rules of thumb:
Pot should be 1 gallon per foot.
Yield is based on light, not number of plants, 50 watt per sq. ft. is adequate, get the 400w.
You only need your fan CFM to match your volume. Basically all inline fans will work for your space, but don't bother with booster fans, they are inadequate under load. And remember your light vent is probably 6", not 4".
Cannabis is easy to make grow any shape you want, short, tall, fat, skinny. Plant training goes a long way.
Plant count is irrelevant. You could SOG or train your plant and actually get an even canopy. A plant only needs 1 sq foot if you don't top it and keep it short for SOG, or you could grow it up and SCROG one down to 4x4, I've seen plants 8+ foot diameter. Each has its advantages.
Growing different strains under one light will make it hard to keep an even canopy and you will get deminished yields but, you can always low stress train your plant while it is flowering as well.
And Sativas stretch a lot. You don't want to veg them too tall or you are going to crash and burn.
There are a lot of variables. Not being a forum hater but most of the basics of growing are well documented by reliable sources right here on the net. Take everything you read on forums with a grain of salt, like you would Wikipedia.
Click to expand...
Thank you, buddy for the reply. I understood everything but "Pot should be 1 gallon per foot" rule. Could you explain it a little bit further, please?
 
Last edited:
Roger A. Shrubber

Roger A. Shrubber

Well-Known Member
per foot of plant, a 4 foot plant needs at least 4 gallons of dirt to support it (and the roots it takes to keep your plant healthy)
 
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