Incoming tl;dr:
I think I'd like to grow four plants at a time. I intend to grow different strains but keep them "in sync" as far as vegetation and flowering goes; i.e. they veg together and flower together.
First off I'd like to say I have tried to read a lot of tutorials on this site and others. It's just that there are some questions I haven't seen answered, or I've missed them, or need small clarifications on certain aspects.
Grow tent
I know this is relative to how large I want to grow the plants. I'm going for "good" yields (pretty vague I know), but - especially since this is my first grow - I don't want it to take a long time if I can avoid it. I was thinking a month vegetation before flowering, but possibly longer on future grows depending on the results. I've looked at 4x4x6.5-7 tents and realized that gives each plant more or less a square foot of horizontal space to itself. I don't know if this is big enough, particularly if I want to do longer vegetation. I also don't know if it's bad for plants to sort of bump into each other, if having the leaves overlap a bit is a bad thing. I could alternatively go for 6x6, but on the same token I don't want the tent to be too large.
The grow will be in the quite spacious basement so physical space is not an issue outside of the aesthetics of a big black rectangular prism sitting against the wall, but, on the other hand I see no reason to purchase something larger than what I need. Anyone have any advice on this?
I'm looking at techniques like topping and I plan to employ them if not the first time (at least one a test plant) then the second time around. I don't want the plants to be crowded, at least not if it's going to affect the overall stability of the grow.
I honestly don't know what to expect. Assuming the grow goes well and I get decent results (fingers crossed) I would hope to have at least a pound out of the four plants, if not more (the more the merrier)
Sorry if it's a stupid question. I am very bad at visualizing physical space, and have no idea how big the plants will be physically, relative to a 4x4 or 6x6 space.
Lights
I'm planning on alternating between MH and HPS based on growing stage. However, I don't know if for what I'm doing I should go with 400w or 600w. I was told 400 should be enough for four plants. Can anyone confirm this? Additionally, would 600w be in any way overkill? Would stronger lights be a good thing? I'm sure there's a theoretical point where the lighting is over the top. I'm trying to be adequate, but I want something that'll do a good job versus just getting the job done.
Medium
Since I am impatient, I'm going for speed. From what I've read, hydroponics or aeroponics is simply a faster (I hope that's not the kind of comment to create a shitstorm) medium versus dirt.
I looked at AeroGardens and they look like they'd limit the yield, although perhaps it doesn't matter if the turnaround time is fast... I probably wouldn't need a large space if I go this route, though, right?
I also see guys using systems where there's multiple plants in one bucket... This too seems to be limiting based on space (correct me if I'm wrong). Doesn't it also mean that all the plants thrive and suffer together? Say if my pH levels are whack, won't that essentially hinder/ruin multiple plants at once?
I also looked at building a 5gal bubble bucket. Not a big DIY guy and I have practically no experience constructing things, but I would imagine I'm intelligent enough to figure it out. The thing is when I add up all the parts for a DIY system like this https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/278582-lets-build-bubble-bucket.html the price isn't that big of an improvement in price over the Bucketeer, which makes me wonder why it's worth the trouble.
I guess this is something I can't have anyone answer for me directly. Any suggestions, given what I'm trying to do overall?
Seeds
I plan to "pick and mix" from Attitude. Should I purchase about as many as I need for the grow or is it smarter to have some spares? I was planning on for right now, just getting four seeds and hoping they all germinate, and if bad luck occurs there will be the freebie seed as a backup. Should I purchase way more than that? A couple more? Twice as many as plants I intend to grow?
Secondly, is it inadvisable to grow different strains simultaneously? From what I know, size and yield will vary from strain to strain, which is OK with me I guess, so long as it doesn't present any bigger issues, and so long as the plants don't vary in size so widely that it becomes impossible or difficult to keep them on the same schedule.
Overall, I'd like to grow four plants at a time on the same schedule, in a mylar grow tent, hydroponic medium most likely, using 400 or 600 watt MH/HPS, employ advanced techniques like topping to increase yield, and hopefully get a pound or more when all is said and done. Can anyone help me narrow down my equipment choices and methods?
Sorry for the long post Thanks in advance.
I think I'd like to grow four plants at a time. I intend to grow different strains but keep them "in sync" as far as vegetation and flowering goes; i.e. they veg together and flower together.
First off I'd like to say I have tried to read a lot of tutorials on this site and others. It's just that there are some questions I haven't seen answered, or I've missed them, or need small clarifications on certain aspects.
Grow tent
I know this is relative to how large I want to grow the plants. I'm going for "good" yields (pretty vague I know), but - especially since this is my first grow - I don't want it to take a long time if I can avoid it. I was thinking a month vegetation before flowering, but possibly longer on future grows depending on the results. I've looked at 4x4x6.5-7 tents and realized that gives each plant more or less a square foot of horizontal space to itself. I don't know if this is big enough, particularly if I want to do longer vegetation. I also don't know if it's bad for plants to sort of bump into each other, if having the leaves overlap a bit is a bad thing. I could alternatively go for 6x6, but on the same token I don't want the tent to be too large.
The grow will be in the quite spacious basement so physical space is not an issue outside of the aesthetics of a big black rectangular prism sitting against the wall, but, on the other hand I see no reason to purchase something larger than what I need. Anyone have any advice on this?
I'm looking at techniques like topping and I plan to employ them if not the first time (at least one a test plant) then the second time around. I don't want the plants to be crowded, at least not if it's going to affect the overall stability of the grow.
I honestly don't know what to expect. Assuming the grow goes well and I get decent results (fingers crossed) I would hope to have at least a pound out of the four plants, if not more (the more the merrier)
Sorry if it's a stupid question. I am very bad at visualizing physical space, and have no idea how big the plants will be physically, relative to a 4x4 or 6x6 space.
Lights
I'm planning on alternating between MH and HPS based on growing stage. However, I don't know if for what I'm doing I should go with 400w or 600w. I was told 400 should be enough for four plants. Can anyone confirm this? Additionally, would 600w be in any way overkill? Would stronger lights be a good thing? I'm sure there's a theoretical point where the lighting is over the top. I'm trying to be adequate, but I want something that'll do a good job versus just getting the job done.
Medium
Since I am impatient, I'm going for speed. From what I've read, hydroponics or aeroponics is simply a faster (I hope that's not the kind of comment to create a shitstorm) medium versus dirt.
I looked at AeroGardens and they look like they'd limit the yield, although perhaps it doesn't matter if the turnaround time is fast... I probably wouldn't need a large space if I go this route, though, right?
I also see guys using systems where there's multiple plants in one bucket... This too seems to be limiting based on space (correct me if I'm wrong). Doesn't it also mean that all the plants thrive and suffer together? Say if my pH levels are whack, won't that essentially hinder/ruin multiple plants at once?
I also looked at building a 5gal bubble bucket. Not a big DIY guy and I have practically no experience constructing things, but I would imagine I'm intelligent enough to figure it out. The thing is when I add up all the parts for a DIY system like this https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/278582-lets-build-bubble-bucket.html the price isn't that big of an improvement in price over the Bucketeer, which makes me wonder why it's worth the trouble.
I guess this is something I can't have anyone answer for me directly. Any suggestions, given what I'm trying to do overall?
Seeds
I plan to "pick and mix" from Attitude. Should I purchase about as many as I need for the grow or is it smarter to have some spares? I was planning on for right now, just getting four seeds and hoping they all germinate, and if bad luck occurs there will be the freebie seed as a backup. Should I purchase way more than that? A couple more? Twice as many as plants I intend to grow?
Secondly, is it inadvisable to grow different strains simultaneously? From what I know, size and yield will vary from strain to strain, which is OK with me I guess, so long as it doesn't present any bigger issues, and so long as the plants don't vary in size so widely that it becomes impossible or difficult to keep them on the same schedule.
Overall, I'd like to grow four plants at a time on the same schedule, in a mylar grow tent, hydroponic medium most likely, using 400 or 600 watt MH/HPS, employ advanced techniques like topping to increase yield, and hopefully get a pound or more when all is said and done. Can anyone help me narrow down my equipment choices and methods?
Sorry for the long post Thanks in advance.