Tent Grow In Old Dirty Basement...Need Advice

JimmyD77

JimmyD77

New Member
Hey everyone and thanks for the add! So I've been reading and doing alot of research but not really finding answers. I just ordered my seeds, I plant to run 2 600 Watt LED in a 4x4x6 Tent in my basement. I will also have access to adequate venting so the venting should not be an issue. Here are my questions...

#1) The basement is dirty, i've cleaned up piles and piles of cob webs but it is a dirt floor, stone walls (house was built in 1800's... there is an existing wooden platform so the tent will not be directly on the ground...my main concern is the air in the basement going to my girls, will that be an issue for them??

#2) I live in upstate NY, the basement doesn't get cold to the point where I can see my breath, but it does get chilly...what kind of heat will the LED's put of if any and should I look into an alternate heating source??

#3) There is obviously spiders galore but will that environment promote other issues with insects? I don't have the money to finish the basement that is for sure and this is my only other option besides my garage which would cost a fortune in gas to keep heated for the winter.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated...i've learned a ton from alot of you already and I thank you for that even if you have no clue:bigjoint:
 
Walterwhiter

Walterwhiter

Well-Known Member
The dust will effect your filters and fans+ the worry of pests. If the environmentin the garage is easier to control that's where I would set up. But just the same you could throw down a tarp and use a hepa filter if the basement is the ideal locale.
 
Richard Drysift

Richard Drysift

Well-Known Member
I grow in an old smelly basement...well it smells like dank now lol. The house was built in 1904 and the foundation is stone so I understand your concerns but should be no problem to get your space ready for growing. Anyways first thing before you set up your grow get a shop vac and go around sucking up all the cobwebs and spider webs you can find. Get some Ortho home defense or equivalent and spray that around the outside of the house; optional but effective albeit temporary against most creepy crawlers. Reapply every 6 months.
Next you are going to need a dehumidier to keep the space from getting too humid with all the plant material you plan to add later on. A hygrometer can help see how it's working. You can use the reclaimed water that is collected for your plants..win-win. Just keep the collection sump clean.
Temps in the winter should be ok as LEDs do put off some heat; not like hids will but they should help get the space warmer than it would be otherwise. Unless you are getting high quality LEDs I also suggest going with an HPS. You can run the lights at night if low temps are a concern. A small heater can help if it's too cold. I would just be sure to keep the tent off the dirt floor on pallets or something just in case of flooding. One issue I had when I started out was the plants being too cold on the concrete floor so I have to elevate them on milk crates or plywood risers during the colder months. I'm in the northeast too but a bit further south than you; hope this helps good luck happy growing
 
JimmyD77

JimmyD77

New Member
Richard Drysift said:
I grow in an old smelly basement...well it smells like dank now lol. The house was built in 1904 and the foundation is stone so I understand your concerns but should be no problem to get your space ready for growing. Anyways first thing before you set up your grow get a shop vac and go around sucking up all the cobwebs and spider webs you can find. Get some Ortho home defense or equivalent and spray that around the outside of the house; optional but effective albeit temporary against most creepy crawlers. Reapply every 6 months.
Next you are going to need a dehumidier to keep the space from getting too humid with all the plant material you plan to add later on. A hygrometer can help see how it's working. You can use the reclaimed water that is collected for your plants..win-win. Just keep the collection sump clean.
Temps in the winter should be ok as LEDs do put off some heat; not like hids will but they should help get the space warmer than it would be otherwise. Unless you are getting high quality LEDs I also suggest going with an HPS. You can run the lights at night if low temps are a concern. A small heater can help if it's too cold. I would just be sure to keep the tent off the dirt floor on pallets or something just in case of flooding. One issue I had when I started out was the plants being too cold on the concrete floor so I have to elevate them on milk crates or plywood risers during the colder months. I'm in the northeast too but a bit further south than you; hope this helps good luck happy growing
Click to expand...
Thanks for the input. I was kind of leaning towards LED's for the simple fact that I am paranoid...lol..I've already been in trouble once. The crazy part is I don't smoke anymore because of my job, I just love looking at other people set ups and accomplishments and I want to give it a shot. I've grown outdoors in the past, but this is a whole new ballgame. The basement actually has a partial floor built in so that will help as well, I will lay a tarp over that just to be safe. Do you have to heat your room in the cold winter months or does your lighting take care of that??
 
Richard Drysift

Richard Drysift

Well-Known Member
My basement has ducting for central air so it's climate controlled but I shut off all the venting down there to push the air upstairs. It's gets cool in the winter but never cold maybe down in the 50s during winter at night but the lights do give off some heat. The exhaust from the lights does raise ambient temps but I'm not sure if that will be warm enough to heat your basement in the dead of winter. So just add a space heater if you need to...better to be too low in temps than too high. You ought to get some nice colors on your leaves before harvesting...
 
B

bryan oconner

Well-Known Member
great advice with the hid lights . suggest buying some bug bombs . hit it 2 days in a row then skip 2 days and hit it again . do this after you clean . then watch how many bugs you sweep up !
 
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