Hoping this is the right place to tag this, I am looking to start growing again and I would love to draw on the knowledge here! I am building a new set up and I am hoping folks can guide.
I am starting with a gorilla tent 5x5 and I ordered a scorpion diablo x with a grow flux unit.
I would like your thoughts on what to get, shooting for a lazy but quality set up. Won’t have time to do daily checks , so looking to automate a bit. I miss growing, and I like making canna honey.
Would love:
Best recommendation on inline fan and refillable canister (size?) low noise option preffered.
Best soil recommendations, and auto water setup? Pot recommendations welcome here.
Best low maintenance nute pack or group.
Best in tent fan choice, best low noise option?
Best climate control option, would skip wifi if possible.
Anything else I should add? Might want a few mentors to help me keep an eye on how the first run goes. It’s been a few years…
I had run a DIY drip feed in air pots with sunshine pro mix and adv nutes, all under a 6 cob timber grow light - it did ok, but it’s chunky and I think I could do better.
Looking to grow out 3-4 plants. I have some blue dream, blue cheese and tangie seeds from 5-7 years ago, going to give em a go tonight.
Phew that was a lot! Super excited for your input!
I have a scorpion Diablo X and it’s an amazing light, but it’s rated specifically for flower. I picked up a Blackbird for Veg. If you’re looking to automate i suggest ac Infinity stuff. I recently purchased a couple controllers, set the parameters, and it’s been a lot more hands off. I run hydro so can’t help you in the soil department.
P.S. I also just switched to Jack’s nutrients from GH stuff and that has also been a lot more hands off as it’s a very stable formula for my reservoir.
You can always do what I did piece by piece. Go AC Infinity. I have two tents one ACI and one other, the quality is noticeable. Both have 6" inline fans, carbon filters, humidifiers, circulation fans, all by ACI. Everything is controlled with a controller that has more combinations than Gyp has Pups.
I would check out autopots my grow bro has a 4 pot system and runs 70% coco 30 perlite, this is inert materials no nutes, so you would need a good nutrient line like jacks, General hydrophobics trio, Advanced nutes from the beginning. Hand watering them the first couple weeks, then turn on the system. This is a type of hydro setup nice got some good strains Sativas I just got 3 Tangie feminized seeds, good luck my friend @Puddlehead
Thanks for the inputs! Can I veg under the diablo x? Would prefer to run one light straight through? Not apposed to using the old light for veg, but it’s heavy to pull out of a full tent, and the timber light inspires a lot of stretch… the tent is high enough, but I wind up with a 6 foot bush by the end.
Just popped the blue dream into a paper towel to see if they go, if not the tangie is still in the unopened blister pack. Humboldt is pretty strong though even if they are a bit aged… we shall see if all five pop. Solo cups on standby!
Never tried hydro, always figured it needed more work, will do a bit of homework there. What size pot do you use?
I run a potting mix with organic nutes, but it is a kind of hydro, because it is good draining medium I treat it more like a flood and drain system wetting the root zone every couple days and I run 3gal plastic pots, I also run HLG lighting but I’m in a 2x6 closet. And yes you can run your light for veg and flowering it is a full spectrum light and a great choice congratulations my buddy is in a 4x4 tent and runs the autopot 3.9 gal pots. Best growth rates and success with types of hydro in my opinion autopot system is gravity fed no power problem lol
One thing I noticed, you haven’t mentioned anything about is the lung room. Controlling tent climate is only achievable when you control the environment of the lung room. No ifs or buts about it.
Depending on your climate you’ll need a dehumidifier with the capacity to keep your lung room with extremely low RH I need mine under 30% to keep my tent @ 50%. I would think 50 pints a day minimum.
On that same note, if you have leaks into your lung room you’ll just suck humidity into the room.
You didn’t ask about lighting? Do you have lights?
What meters do you have, PH / EC meter, ppfd / dli meter? If not the Apera PC60 will do PH & EC, the Uni-T bt combined with the PPFD app will take care of ppfd / dli. (blue tooth model lets you use your phone while the meters under the lights.)
Multiple hygrometers to monitor lung room RH and different zones in the tent.
If $$ is limited, a drain to waste or DWC may be the cheapest way to get started. Search stuff like “Drain to waste vs ebb and flow” or “DWC vs ebb and flow”. Unless you have major $$$ expect to do nute / reservoir maintenance weekly.
You also didn’t mention water supply. Tap, RO, creek…etc? If possible the reservoir will be easier to control temps if they are in a separate room. The lung room needs to be warm and dry, the water needs to be cooler. If space isn’t available you may need a chiller.
The search function on this site will provide tons of info. You’ll just need to read through a butt load of threads to glean out the nuggets. When you read enough you’ll start getting a feel for who really knows their poopie.
I use clay pebbles. Soil would not work in this setup. There are auto pots out that don’t use power. Hard to have a inside grow without power, lights fans etc. My hydroponic system keeps things simple for me making the concerns of watering and nutrients non existent. Definitely lots of ways to grow, good luck with what method you choose
I’m sure it will work for veg, but might not give you the optimal growth as it has a lot of deep reds in its spectrum. It’s an absolute beast for flowering and it is worth every penny. I think the regular Diablo is full spectrum if you’re looking to just run one light start to finish.
Apologies for some of my reply earlier. I read several threads of new start ups, combined with my lack of coffee, I replied to several threads all in one.
After re-reading your post I’m sure you already understand most of what I said.
Anyway, if any of it helps great, otherwise disregard.
Don’t apologize for offering help! It’s appreciated! Couple of questions, as I don’t have enough knowledge on the lung room stuff.
So I am placing an order for the AC inline pro 6” with 2 fans. Tent is sitting in the basement, which is a huge open air environment - that’s to say it is in a safe climate controled exterior. The ambient temp is always around 20. Would have to check what the air exchange has the moisture level at, I think it’s around 35-45%. Worried I may be light on moisture level??
Thanks, felt pretty silly after re-reading your original post.
As far as humidity. I’m in the deep south USA, I’m assuming from your use of “20 degrees” your a bit north of me. Even here, for winter time, I have the T7 mentioned by @Growmoredank .
I use to try and guess or estimate RH, light intensity… etc. Yeah… don’t guess. Amazon hygrometers, eliminate variables / guesses. Even the cheapo’s are better than guessing.
If your RH in the basement does climb, a larger area like an open floor plan basement, may require a bigger dehumidifier than 50 pints.
It takes most folks several grows to get their environment dialed in, so don’t sweat it too bad if things don’t go perfect. Hell, I’m still tweaking mine.
Most importantly, just have fun! No matter what all the guru’s on here help ya with, your environment will be a bit different, everyone’s is. So glean as much as you can but consider your individual needs for how to apply all the info.
, so looking to automate a bit. I miss growing, and I like making canna honey.
my grow bro has a 4 pot system and runs 70% coco 30 perlite, this is inert materials no nutes, so you would need a good nutrient line like jacks, General hydrophobics trio, Advanced nutes from the beginning. Hand watering them the first couple weeks, then turn on the system. This is a type of hydro setup 
nice 
I just got 3 Tangie feminized seeds, good luck my friend 
Even here, for winter time, I have the T7 mentioned by