Planning My First Grow Room

I have a small 1/2 door (already has a lock on it too!) opening in the rear of my basement to a 10 x 5 x 5'4 crawl space. As I am short I can stand up in it. The space has power already with a gfi outlet and is 2/3 underground and stays very cool. I am in a city with buildings very close all around me. I am thinking I can vent into my backyard with a scrubber. I can mylar the room or grow area easily. I was thinking of using 2 Vanity lights with CFL's on the sides and one on top OR just get a 400w hps. There are already joists there for me to put clips so I can raise and lower the light. With the DIY Rubbermaid tub bubble areoponic I can do two plants at a time. How much time per day would this take to maintain? How hot do the lights get or will it not be an issue as it is underground?

Thanks for any advice.

All that room 2 400w's and only 2 plants. WHAT!!

I must not have explained myself very well. I have two options open to me -

1 using cfl, I can rig up a bathroom vanity light to a board so I can raise and lower it. Using light bulb splitters I can get 8 cfl bulbs onto one vanity light.

2 I can use a 400 watt or lower Hsp ordered offline


The room is cool, but I keep reading about how hot lights are and the need to vent them, so I am concerned.

Venting the room is also of a concern, the room was built to be a wine cellar by a previous owner, in order to vent it out I need to cut into my house near the foundation. We have alot of moisture here in WA and I dont want to do something permenently stupid to my house. I could vent it out into my actual basement instead of outside - but that might seem odd to have a fan runnning into your basement. Also I store my work gear in the basement and it would not be good for it to smell like weed.

My trip to the hydroponic store was interesting - the nutes are not nearly as expensive as I thought, and you can buy a 4 unit drip dwc hydro set up minus the pump for 15$ per unit. The square buckets are white so I would need to use the plastic spray to make the bucket dark. OR should I just use the rubbermaid tubs?

If I use a large resevouir do I have to check it every day?

This could be a very interesting project. I would suggest you read Al B Fucts post How to get a harvest every two weeks. 5'4" is cutting close, you may want to consider somethign other than a dwc. Tubs will take up a foot of height or more. I would consider t-5's for this space. Check out Videoman40's grow journal for pictures. Take up less height, less heat problem. Venting could be done using your existing furnace exhaust especially if the furnace is in the basement. Unless the house is brick you can cut a vent into the band board if neccessary. Pictures might help, we like pictures, and did I mention pictures might help. VV

Nothing you do above ground will affect the water problems so don't worry about that. Insulate the space before starting. It sounds like you may have to keep the heat in. Wine cellars are usually cold. VV

pics??

we could really set this guy up wit hhis space LOL seriously tho

ok sorry I was real high the first time I posted.
Exhaust; can you vent it out an existing dryer duct, Or Install a vent like the ones used for dryers just above the foundation between the floor joists.
Light; I would get the 400w and use CFL's for side lighting.
Plants; start with 10 seeds and you might end up with 5 nice females plant.
Pic's; we love pic's, Can you get us pic's

Just some background. I started this endeavor as I am tired of paying 350 for a light oz from my unsteady supplier who grows a toke and sleep type of weed. I like a toke and giggle stay awake and clean my house all day kind of high. That said, I am very lucky my dh (dear husband) who does not smoke is letting me do this. I dont hassle him about drinking (I dont) and he does not hassle me about smoke.

The pics are awful, and embarrasing as I have not cleaned the space out yet. I use it for storage of mahogany wood for my various wood working projects and general stuff.

I have kids running through the house all day so it has to be stealth and no smell, as I store my work stuff down there and take it to peoples homes. Plus my kids best friend has two cops for parents who are at my house all the time.

First pic is of the little door to my secret lair... Luckily the kids have shown NO interest in this space for over 5 years.

Second is a general pic, All the area's above the foundation line (ceiling too)are lined in cedar?

Third pic, is of ceiling - I have been using the wine racks to store junk - I need to do a goodwill run.

I only wish to do a once or twice a year grow and use it all myself, well maybe I will share with my mother but thats it. I have too much to loose if popped and I dont really know anyone other than my mother and my supplier that smokes.

Sorry for going on and on, I just dropped the kids at basketball practice, and came home to smoke... before I start my day.

sorry had to learn something while -

How much do you have to spend on this grow?
What do you have already?
With your kids friends parents being the fuzz, you are going to have to get a filter of some kind or some kind of oder nutralizer.

I have about 500, and would hope to get about 2oz as a first time grow.
How long can you store it for?

for ever if cured right

I did a recon for prices at home depot, no t5's. I knew I would have to order it online if I wanted anything other than cfl's.

So I have 500$ and a modest goal.

Shamen, If DWC is going to take up too much height than what method would I use for regular water and hydro?

FYI, Credit Cards
When ordering items online (like seeds) you can use a credit card. My church and my kids school offers an item called script - You but gift cards at face value and the school or church gets a cut like 5%. They have generic visa cards like a gift card you can get, no names, no paper trail. I buy them in amounts of 100 and use them to purchase things online then throw them away. I started doing this for purchases off ebay...

Have you thought of keeping a good mother plant and maybe learning to clone, This way you can use all that space for a little S.O.G, Cut clones from your mother plant, root them, then veg for two/three week, switch to a 12/12 light cycle and have a carpet of bud, Finished plant size about 2 feet with lots of room for lights.

5 CFL's for a mother and a 400w HPS for budding babies.

MIZMIA.. Question About how much do you smoke a Day/week?

How would I keep them on different light cycles in the same space for SOG?

A mother doesn't need much room. Can you build a little divider.

I can build almost anything, if I know what I need.

Say a box for a mother plant, 1.5f, /1.5f,/3.5f,high. with 5 CFL's in it,1 on the top and 1 on each side. 2 small Pc fans for air in/out, air in on the bottom air out on top.
This can be placed at the front of your grow space just inside the door, Then you have the rest of the space for flowering clones.
P.s Get a good lock for the grow room door never know when the kids might want to take a look.

Door already has a lock on it, from previous owner...

So what you are suggesting is I make a grow box just for the mother. Do I grow her in soil?

Then what a pvc clone situation with what kind of watering system. It is the watering system that I dont quite have my finger on yet.

With this type of situation I grow the mother, then take clones (cuttings) from her put into pvc system and flower the clones. This keeps the mother separate.

I think I understand that the clones are the same age as the mother at the transplant stage and that if I use veg lights on them they grow new roots and then add more red light put on 12/12 lighting cycle - they should put out buds from the clones. These would not need as much height - but what about weight. If I use the pvc would not the clones become heavy and topple over in the PVC system?