Thinking of setting up a winter experiment in outdoor shed. Im wanting to maybe play with an auto but dont want it in house with other girls.
Seams i can set up one fixture for hps/mh for fairly cheep. Im only wanting 1 auto and wanting to use hps for that, would also like to stick around 400 to 600 w range for power usage. Thinking the lamp will help heat the shed along with reflective insulation board. It can get to single digits in the winter here. Would 4 to 600 watts work for 1 auto?
Want to tag @Low on this as he probably knows as much or more than anyone about lighting.
Wanting to use this type of setup as in next year or so this is becoming a tortoise house and the metal halide ive read will also provide uvb light.
Any thoughts or info on this type of lighting would be appreciated.
@Low not overly concerned about harvest, just thinking it might be fun to play with over winter for one auto as ive not messed with one before. It will only be used for this one grow as ive other plans for this space after winter.
Price wise id like to stay under 100 bucks, also am i correct that mh will produce uvb as my sultard tortoise will need a much bigger spot soon?
To me there is a big difference between something being possible and it being reasonable. If you’re getting into any duration of single digit temps it’s not reasonable to setup a shed to grow a single plant over winter.
If you had sealed room that was insulated well a 600 watt hps light could potential keep it warm enough if you run it constantly. But you’ll have to run co2 generator if you don’t have any fresh air exchange. The cost of all this stuff and running it constantly far exceeds the cost of buying a few ounces of weed that you would normally expect a single auto plant to produce.
I have a lung room and tent for my photos wich will produce more than i need, was simply thinking this outdoor space that i wont be using i could experiment and also maybe get some more practice at trimming, training etc. Suplemental heating is obvious. Its going to turn into a tortoise home by next fall and need to provide a basking spot and thinking mh will give me that. Was only thinking i could use this space over this winter to work on temp control and lighting and figured while im working on that why not play around with a single plant. I gotta figure it out sometime over the next year to provide my big guy a happy place to roam and eat and bask in light. Trust me im not doing this for a single plant. Was mostly wanting opponions on this type of lighting and would rather experiment on a plant and get it suitable for my big guy to move out of the house when i no longer have space for him indoors.
Its either that or give up my lung room or kick a kid out of the house. Ill kick the kids out and sale the tortoise before i give up my grow room!
Mh for veg and hps for flower were the standard for indoor growing not that long ago. They will function just fine in those roles. The reason this is no longer the case is because led tech is far less maintenance and extremely more efficient. A good grower will recoop cost of leds within a grow or two and never have to worry about bulb changes etc.
If you absolutely needed the weed and trying to grow in the shed over winter was only way to do it, yeah it can be done. But to simply have something to fool around with doesn’t seem like returns would be worth investment. Especially if you have other grow to support your needs.
I agree with you its a tremendous waste of money to grow one or even many plants out there. But if i can keep a plant healthy and alive over winter a few more modifications and ill have a nice home for a pet for the rest of my life.
Probably alot of money for most to invest for a pet but i kind of like him/her and nobody would know more about heating and light than the fine folks here.
How big is the shed and is the reflective foam board the only insulation in it?
What kind of tortoise do yo have?
I think the lights would support 1 auto. I’m no expert though.
Shed is 12 × 14, havent insulated it yet but it holds heat like crazy, even in the coldest months the shingles pull heat from the sun and it stays approx 20 degrees above outside temp, today was 72 outside and inside was close to 100, thinking with insulation and suplimental heating such as heat pads and lighting and maybe even a small space heater will do for the 4 to 6 weeks where temps are really cold it could work. Also buliding a pen area around shed approx 20 × 30.
Its a sulcatta tortoise i bought less than 2 years ago that was about the size of a silver dollar, now is almost as big as a dinner plate and will soon outgrow the 600 dollar enclosure i built for him in my house. Supposedly will get to 150 to 200 lbs.
Im so creative that i named him sully, pretty clever huh? Then after hes flopped him self upside down a couple of times i call him “The Sultard”
Nice tortoise. When you know it is going to be really cold out you could have an insulated box say 4x4 or 6x6 with rope hangers like for a grow light that you can raise it up and down. Lower it over it to add extra protection. Or just have the box on the floor for a hiding spot. Build it solid though they can cut through cement with there shell. Thats what is bothering me about a wooden shed. Couple of hours alone and he could go for a walk.
I agree about tha digging and tunneling, the fence im going to put on perimeter of pen im going to ditch witch about 18" below ground and the yard is nothing but hard clay and rock with a couple inches of topsoil so grass will grow
I have lots of time now, my 47 year old wife has a terminal form of brain cancer, had a tumor removed last december and average life span is 12 to 18 months, although she is stable now and could live a few more years the chemo is kicking her ass. Im selling my boat and bike because non of that stuff is any fun without her and it makes her smile when i start these little projects. And i need these projects to keep myself together.
