First post so please bear with me. Pretty green in this area. Have been reading a decent amount on this page but still have questions. I am looking for a first set up and do not want to go overboard but also don’t want to waste money on repurchasing items because of newbie mistakes. My plan is to set up a indoor grow unsure about the size of the tent (need opinions). I will want to grow 2-4 plants at a time. I know I need a decent light system as that seems like it is the most important.
So far Vivosun has been recommended on here a lot for the tent. What size would you recommend for what I am doing? 2-4 plants max at a time.
I have been looking at the HLG 260xl rspec kits. Are there better options for the money? I believe I will need two of these for a 4x4 tent. Do I need any other types of lighting for germination? Also, with the low qty of plants do I need two lights? Is there a preferred vendor that you guys use to purchase this system?
I believe a 4” exhaust system will work. Any recommendations for a quieter more efficient one that will not break the bank? Or are most of them just run of the mill.
Am I better buying a kit or just parting all this out? Is there anything else I am not aware of? Any other recommendations appreciated. I would like to be around 1k for everything. A little over buy a few hundred isn’t going to kill me. I would rather buy once and not skimp on the essentials.
Ok…4x4 tent is perfect. Long as you control them. You will need two HLG 260xl rspec is what I would recommend and I do have a 4x4x80” grow tent and the HLG lights.
These lights is like giving steroids to plants. I wasted $450 on two lights before switching to HLG.
Here is what can happen if you don’t stay on top. But mind you I prefer growing monsters as its challenging aka getting the right doses of nutrients.
My HLG lights was $799. At the time my tent was $85. FF nutrients was $60. FFOF soil was $50. You do need fans and I picked them up at Walmart.
2 of these to cover a 4x4 for flowering.
As far as in line fans if I were you I would bump up from a 4” to a 6” size as that will give you more range if and when needed. I’m not sure your location relating to temps over the year or where you will be setting up the tent. I use a hyper fan and love it. Many here also use the cloud line series fans. If your concerned about the smell during flower you’ll also need a carbon filter sized to the fan you get. There are many options for them out there some good some junk and some great. I had purchased one that was terrible and sent it back because the filter severely restricted air flow. With those you need some flexible ducting to connect things. You’ll need hangers to hang lights and other things in the tent. You’ll also need fan/s to keep good airflow at plant level. I love my Holmes fan or costs about $35 and it can be on the floor or hung up with hangers. I also use tower fans and small floor fans in my 2 tents which are both 4 1/2’ x 8’ sizes.
Fabric pots of 5-7 gallons, saucers for underneath pots of appropriate size for pots.
Soil. Can use super soil to make the grow water only there are several suppliers of that soil out there like Kind Soil or you can make your own.
With that super soil at the bottom you would the use another cannabis friendly soil like from fox farms ocean Forrest or coco loco or happy frog. Or roots organic original (ROD) etc.
Depending on if your looking to grow organically with living soil or using chemical salt based nutrients you’ll need a PH pen and a TDS meter.
A power strip able to handle the load you’ll be plugging into that as well as being aware of your electrical capacity where you’ll be setting up the tent.
The HLG 260 r-spec lights will draw 260 watts each or 520 total which is short of 5 amps. Most fans used for air movement will use around .5 to 1 amp each. The inline fan will use from 1 amp to 2.5 amps depending on which one you choose.
Humidifier and or dehumidifiers may be (probably be) needed at certain times of the year. Humidifiers are usually on the lower end of around .5 - 1.5 amps and larger dehumidifiers will draw 7.5 amps.
Tent
Nutrients
Depending on your water source ie tap or well or Reverse Osmosis etc some form of PH down (citric acid) and or PH up like earth juice brand.
Sorry for the long post but wanted to try and cover the basics when growing indoors.
I may have missed some things but there can be a lot
You can check out my 2 journals on this site that cover many things as well as others that can help too.
I should ask, do you know what kind of plants you wanna grow, autoflowers or photoperiod. This matters as what lights you get, HLG will work however make sure you get a full cycle spectrum. So don’t get something too red. Also if you run autos are you running perpetual harvests? Also if you are in a colder climate you could need a heater not mats
I use a 440cfm 6in fan and run the hose through both lights and a the filter
4x4 need at least 800watts and then 1200watts and more is better once i got close to 800ppf man very big difference in growing in weight and dense buds freaking heavy and you can train your plant’s with your lights if you want hope this helps you and good luck with your grow
I really appreciate the input and advice. I know there is a lot that goes into this but holy crap I feel like I need to have a masters degree for this. From soil and the grow, to training and trimming, to needed a jelwers loupe to look at the Trichomes. Holy crap I was just looking at this as something fun or another hobby. I will be pissed if I don’t produce quality plants. Typically, how many trial and error grows will I go through before I start feeling confident? I wanted to try just feminized seeds but now I am thinking I need to go auto flower my first run.
I’m relatively new with a couple of grows behind me. I honestly think every one of us continues to learn as we go. I can see where it seems you are choking from the information, but cannabis really is a resilient plant. Focus first on proper watering, pH, and nutrient practices. The other issues you may encounter are usually minor and easily overcome. The great folks here will help you along the way and we’ll help you knock down issues along the way. Don’t be hesitant to grow photoperiod plants if that is what you want to do. I’m still learning and I have a blast tweaking things as I go. Your first grow can be successful. The benefit of experience is really just higher yields.
You don’t need to go Auto on your first grow. Its not as hard as it sounds. Now if start having problems and wait to late to ask for help, then it gets hard fast.
I know I have learned the hard way as many others previously have. But once you get how you grow dialed in, it gets really fun.
You said to grow for fun. I’m being forced to grow because the VA Hospital waited to long to fix my problems and now marijuana is used to make my pain tolerable.
Growing outside most of this stuff goes away but since we are indoors we need that stuff to create an optimal environment for them.
I would suggest going with Photos because if you do run into problems during the vegetative stage you can correct the issue before changing the light schedule to initiate flowering.
With autos they will do their thing on their schedule so if there are issues they will keep flowering and it’s best to correct issues and have healthy plants before initiating flowering.
If you live in a state where you are legally able to grow than some things like a carbon filter to filter the smell during flowering would be an option. Depends on your circumstances
Hi guys new here.i use too grow about 5 year ago and just starting again.just wondering what size pot I should use for best results? I’m using bruce banner 3.thanks in advance.
I’m new here as well but have been reading in here for hrs . I just built my HLG 320 quantum kit and was wondering how close or far from plants that are about 8 in? Sorry to jump in on your post Flxr seen the HLG and went for it. I don’t see how to start your own
@Godfear I’ve used 5-gal bags for plants that I’ve vegged for 7 weeks. I’ll be vegging those I have developing now for 10 - 12 weeks while my other girls flower, so I’ve put those in 10-gal bags.
@gailsred An 8" plant is into veg, so I’d put a 320 at ~24" from the very top. Maybe a little bit further. The 320 puts out an awful lot of light.
What is a good ventilation setup. Looking at the 6” Vivosun kit with carbon filter on Amazon. Any better options out there? Concerned about the decibel rating
I personally like the AC Infinity products better than anything else. They are fairly quiet and they do move a lot of air.
I don’t know how big your grow area is, but I’ve owned both the 6" and 8" AC Infinity fans. I really prefer the 8" because it doesn’t draw that much more power and the 8" moves twice as much air as the 6" does. The 8" is probably overkill for a 4x4, but I’ve got one in my 5x5 and it works great.
Wow, now that’s some serious light, you’ve inspired me to add some LEDs to my HPS setups, don’t know why I have not done that already, best of both worlds, can’t wait to see the massive buds I’m gonna grow with that. Thanks!
