spacecatz
New Member
Ok folks, first post. I will be frank with you and say that I have grown before and am not a first time grower. However, the caveat being I haven't grown in about a decade. I've been casually following things and now have the ability to get back into the hobby. My setup is quite traditional, with 4 x 1000 watt hps with air colled hoods (I have several 400w mh for mothers if they are needed), a 4 light timed controller, fans and controllers, carbon filters, and a co2 controller. The only thing I havent used before is the co2 controller, but the learning curve seems pretty short with that, just a matter of getting the postioning and timing correct. The he room I am using is roughly 10 ft by 10 ft. Now, on to the questions...
Room design:
Am i better off sealing off the room and using mylar/poly to cover the walls and window, or buying an 8x8 tent? Shouldnt a tent be 10x8 so it allows a couple ft to maneuver inside if you are using 8x4 tables?
Table/pot setup:
Should I use a couple of 8x4 tables with soil like I have in the past (with a sea of green and many cuttings) or is it more efficient to use pots or a hydro setup with less plants and grow them larger? In the past the sea of green gave a higher yield, but with some of the newer strains I see mostly people growing in pots so I'm unsure. I have never used hydroponics before (besides a brief trial with a flood table). Would a flood table be a good way to go?
Heat control:
This is one that I've really been racking my brain on. When I first grew, we used sealed rooms and a cooling unit that took up about a 4x4 section of the room, and needed a constant flow of water to remain cold. In time they created a freon 'chiller' so that you could use a large reservoir that recycled the water for the cooler. I'm not really sure if they even use these things any more, one friend of mine said most people use heat pumps now and use the dehumidifier and air conditioning options on it to keep things cooled. I know in the summer that the heat outside can get up to 90F outside, so having 4 lights going, even with cooled hoods will get stifiling inside. What does everyone use to keep the room cooled down nowadays?
My goal is to produce 2lbs per light, though anywhere over 1 would be considered a success until I get things worked out and perfected. Some trial and error, but would like to get a jump on things by throwing some ideas around. Hoping for some suggestions and advice, thanks!
Room design:
Am i better off sealing off the room and using mylar/poly to cover the walls and window, or buying an 8x8 tent? Shouldnt a tent be 10x8 so it allows a couple ft to maneuver inside if you are using 8x4 tables?
Table/pot setup:
Should I use a couple of 8x4 tables with soil like I have in the past (with a sea of green and many cuttings) or is it more efficient to use pots or a hydro setup with less plants and grow them larger? In the past the sea of green gave a higher yield, but with some of the newer strains I see mostly people growing in pots so I'm unsure. I have never used hydroponics before (besides a brief trial with a flood table). Would a flood table be a good way to go?
Heat control:
This is one that I've really been racking my brain on. When I first grew, we used sealed rooms and a cooling unit that took up about a 4x4 section of the room, and needed a constant flow of water to remain cold. In time they created a freon 'chiller' so that you could use a large reservoir that recycled the water for the cooler. I'm not really sure if they even use these things any more, one friend of mine said most people use heat pumps now and use the dehumidifier and air conditioning options on it to keep things cooled. I know in the summer that the heat outside can get up to 90F outside, so having 4 lights going, even with cooled hoods will get stifiling inside. What does everyone use to keep the room cooled down nowadays?
My goal is to produce 2lbs per light, though anywhere over 1 would be considered a success until I get things worked out and perfected. Some trial and error, but would like to get a jump on things by throwing some ideas around. Hoping for some suggestions and advice, thanks!