New Grower First grow... Ever...

[Muddy]

Welcome to AFN and congrats on your new setup. A couple things you might want to consider. Growing hydro is generally not recommended for new growers. Things happen faster in hydro than in soil, so if something does go wrong there is less time to fix it. I would recommend that you reconsider, do a couple soil grows first till you learn a little more, then step up to hydro.

While LEDs don't put out near as much heat as some other forms of lighting, they still do put off some heat. Most will raise the ambient temperature by about 5 degrees. Given the size of your room it shouldn't be a problem, but be aware that the temperature will likely rise to some degree.

Proper venting is crucial. Not only for odor removal but for proper air circulation. I assume your dryer vent is 4", most are. You could install a Y in that line and hook the dryer to one side, the vent from your grow to the other. I'm not sure how well something like this would work when the dryer was running. It may restrict the air flow a bit. Otherwise you would need a separate vent for your grow. I would strongly suggest you also install a carbon filter. The smell, even from one plant, can be very strong depending on the strain. It will certainly be needed once you start growing more plants.

Also, as previously mentioned, a good pH meter. Most issues new growers run into are pH related so if something does go wrong and you need our help, it's likely the first question asked will be what the pH is. Better to have it from the beginning so you're prepared should problems arise.

 

[astronomy420a]

hey fran, i see your in good hands! that is a nice grow closet!:thumbs:cant wait to see it full of green! pay close attention to what muddy has to say! he has the knowledge set her up! video updates are very popular!!

 

[lowcoast grower]

hey fran, i see your in good hands! that is a nice grow closet!:thumbs:cant wait to see it full of green! pay close attention to what muddy has to say! he has the knowledge set her up! video updates are very popular!!

I must agree I could of saved myself alot of headaches.....follow his directions to the tee, I mean make it your grow as your not a robot....but boy does that man know his shit,my first grow don't think he was wrong once.....good luck bro

 

[Franchise]

hey fran, i see your in good hands! that is a nice grow closet!:thumbs:cant wait to see it full of green! pay close attention to what muddy has to say! he has the knowledge set her up! video updates are very popular!!

Thank you
I will most definitely listen to Muddy, thanks for the tip!

I must agree I could of saved myself alot of headaches.....follow his directions to the tee, I mean make it your grow as your not a robot....but boy does that man know his shit,my first grow don't think he was wrong once.....good luck bro

Thank you, and I will definitely listen I am a first timer. Unlike most others I am open to learning instead of trying to "Do it myself/Teach myself" I look at this like when I played sports(3rd Grade-College) your coach(the experienced growers) know what they're talking about... and if you just listen and learn you will one day be able to pass your knowledge to the young yourself

Welcome to AFN and congrats on your new setup. A couple things you might want to consider. Growing hydro is generally not recommended for new growers. Things happen faster in hydro than in soil, so if something does go wrong there is less time to fix it. I would recommend that you reconsider, do a couple soil grows first till you learn a little more, then step up to hydro.

While LEDs don't put out near as much heat as some other forms of lighting, they still do put off some heat. Most will raise the ambient temperature by about 5 degrees. Given the size of your room it shouldn't be a problem, but be aware that the temperature will likely rise to some degree.

Proper venting is crucial. Not only for odor removal but for proper air circulation. I assume your dryer vent is 4", most are. You could install a Y in that line and hook the dryer to one side, the vent from your grow to the other. I'm not sure how well something like this would work when the dryer was running. It may restrict the air flow a bit. Otherwise you would need a separate vent for your grow. I would strongly suggest you also install a carbon filter. The smell, even from one plant, can be very strong depending on the strain. It will certainly be needed once you start growing more plants.

Also, as previously mentioned, a good pH meter. Most issues new growers run into are pH related so if something does go wrong and you need our help, it's likely the first question asked will be what the pH is. Better to have it from the beginning so you're prepared should problems arise.

It seems you are very much liked here Muddy! Thank you for your warm welcome as well.
Everyone here so far has told me not to grow Hydro... and as dead set at wanting to grow Hydro I guess I am thinking it might be best to learn in soil as suggested. The only medium/container I purchased was for a Hydro setup though :-/ what do you suggest??

My place usually stays at a constant 72-76 degrees and that room is usually around 74-77 will the LED put off enough light to cause an issue?

Yes it is a 4" vent the laundry room is going to be PURELY for growing... I will not have a washer machine or dryer in there. With that being said, you stated proper air circulation is needed. I only have that one vent installed so would that be an issue? It would either be to push air out... or pull air in... one would fight odor, and the other as you said circulate air. What do you suggest?


I am about to head out to the Hydro store now and see if the guy has a decent PH meter I can snag. From what I have read in other Grow Journals here is that PH is definitely one of the major problems in autos for new growers.


Thank you all for jumping on and showing love. I am very open minded, and am looking very much forward to starting this grow with all of your suggestions.

 

[Muddy]

Thank you. I would still suggest you go with a couple soil grows before switching to hydro. pH is very important for proper nutrient uptake. In hydro it can go off very fast leaving you little time to compensate. Things happen a bit slower in soil. If the pH does drift you've got more time to correct it. Same with nutrient issues/deficiencies.

If you're going to use that dryer vent for your grow what I would suggest is getting a good 4" carbon filter. Run a short piece of flexible ducting from it to a 4" fan, then connect the fan to the dryer vent. That will pull the air through the grow room, filter out the smells, and vent it outside. Here's what I use:

http://www.plantlightinghydroponics.com/phat-12x4-200-cfm-carbon-filter-p-3016.html
http://www.plantlightinghydroponics.com/active-air-165-cfm-in-line-duct-fan-p-2755.html

You'll also need a circulation fan in the room. Nothing fancy, just a regular desk top type that you can find at places like WalMart. It will circulate the air in the room and provide some movement of the plants, which helps to strengthen their stalks so they can later support the weight of the buds.

Given the size of your room heat shouldn't be an issue. I run a 240 watt LED in a 2' x 2.5' area and it only raises the ambient temperature by about 5 degrees. I hardly expect you'll see much difference in your room.

If you've got the $, don't skimp on a pH meter. A good electronic one will usually run around $100 - $140. I use the Hanna Combo with measures pH, TDS, ppm and temp. Stay away from those cheap $20 ones. They usually aren't very accurate.

 

[Franchise]

Thank you. I would still suggest you go with a couple soil grows before switching to hydro. pH is very important for proper nutrient uptake. In hydro it can go off very fast leaving you little time to compensate. Things happen a bit slower in soil. If the pH does drift you've got more time to correct it. Same with nutrient issues/deficiencies.

If you're going to use that dryer vent for your grow what I would suggest is getting a good 4" carbon filter. Run a short piece of flexible ducting from it to a 4" fan, then connect the fan to the dryer vent. That will pull the air through the grow room, filter out the smells, and vent it outside. Here's what I use:

http://www.plantlightinghydroponics.com/phat-12x4-200-cfm-carbon-filter-p-3016.html
http://www.plantlightinghydroponics.com/active-air-165-cfm-in-line-duct-fan-p-2755.html

You'll also need a circulation fan in the room. Nothing fancy, just a regular desk top type that you can find at places like WalMart. It will circulate the air in the room and provide some movement of the plants, which helps to strengthen their stalks so they can later support the weight of the buds.

Given the size of your room heat shouldn't be an issue. I run a 240 watt LED in a 2' x 2.5' area and it only raises the ambient temperature by about 5 degrees. I hardly expect you'll see much difference in your room.

If you've got the $, don't skimp on a pH meter. A good electronic one will usually run around $100 - $140. I use the Hanna Combo with measures pH, TDS, ppm and temp. Stay away from those cheap $20 ones. They usually aren't very accurate.

I will go with Soil, it seems with everything I am missing I may have to postpone my first grow for a month or so :-/

What brand of soil do you suggest?
I will grab that Carbon Filter.
Is that fan silent? I couldn't find it's sone rating. I would like to keep noise to a minimum in the room.


I will grab a decent oscillating fan. Maybe one that clips so I can hang it in the corner of the room facing down?


I can have the money, but I will have to postpone about a month. So I guess that is the plan.


Now that we are postponing though, I am going to start piecing together this room to make it perfect, do you mind taking this adventure with me? haha
I will start getting all of the equipment we decide I need and update with pictures as I get/install them
Next pictures will be the reflective material I grab and install over the walls.

 

[astronomy420a]

hey fran, maybe you can start your seeds, and build around them! for instance, soil and buckets are cheap, if you can get promix or sunshine#4 they are pretty much nute free as to not burn seedlings, some of the gear you wont need until the girls are larger, charcol filter wont be needed until the girls are larger, start with inline fan then inside reciprocating fan, and move thru the build that way! the girls will be growing as you setup!:smokebuds:

 

[Muddy]

Sure, I, and others, will be here to help you along. That was the reasoning behind setting up the New Growers forum. A place where new growers like yourself can get help in setting up their grows and pulling them off successfully.

I agree with Astro, get your seeds started while you work on everything else. Most strains don't start to smell till they go into full flower, so you've at least 6 weeks before you really need the carbon filter. No, that particular brand of in-line fan isn't that quiet. I believe the Vortex brand are quieter but are also more money. You might also consider hooking it to a variable speed controller. Since heat extraction shouldn't be an issue for you it can probably run at a lower speed, still filter well, and make less noise.

Yes, Pro Mix or Sunshine. These are considered soil less mixes as they are made from peat moss, perlite, lime, mychorrizal fungi and starter nutrients. You will also need some garden sulfur. Right out of the bag they are usually a pH of right around 7, which is considered neutral. Weed likes it a bit lower, in the 6.3 - 6.5 range. The sulfur will lower it. I would also suggest picking up a quart of cal/mag supplement. Many auto strains, especially when grown soil less, often exhibit the need for additional calcium and magnesium at some point during the grow.

 

[Franchise]

hey fran, maybe you can start your seeds, and build around them! for instance, soil and buckets are cheap, if you can get promix or sunshine#4 they are pretty much nute free as to not burn seedlings, some of the gear you wont need until the girls are larger, charcol filter wont be needed until the girls are larger, start with inline fan then inside reciprocating fan, and move thru the build that way! the girls will be growing as you setup!:smokebuds:

Yeah, I spent a good bit getting prepared for a Hydro grow though. Since it is pretty much unanimous that I should learn in soil(I agree at this point) I would have to purchase quite a bit to get started. I get paid next weekend(6th-9th) but even then I have bills due so I will wouldn't be able to have everything until my second paycheck.

I may just attempt a small grow, with the realization that it will probably fail, with what I have and just pay attention/snap pics and learn what means what. Then when I have the money to get what I need start my REAL first grow where I have every intention and desire for the best results possible.

Sure, I, and others, will be here to help you along. That was the reasoning behind setting up the New Growers forum. A place where new growers like yourself can get help in setting up their grows and pulling them off successfully.

I agree with Astro, get your seeds started while you work on everything else. Most strains don't start to smell till they go into full flower, so you've at least 6 weeks before you really need the carbon filter. No, that particular brand of in-line fan isn't that quiet. I believe the Vortex brand are quieter but are also more money. You might also consider hooking it to a variable speed controller. Since heat extraction shouldn't be an issue for you it can probably run at a lower speed, still filter well, and make less noise.

Yes, Pro Mix or Sunshine. These are considered soil less mixes as they are made from peat moss, perlite, lime, mychorrizal fungi and starter nutrients. You will also need some garden sulfur. Right out of the bag they are usually a pH of right around 7, which is considered neutral. Weed likes it a bit lower, in the 6.3 - 6.5 range. The sulfur will lower it. I would also suggest picking up a quart of cal/mag supplement. Many auto strains, especially when grown soil less, often exhibit the need for additional calcium and magnesium at some point during the grow.

All I need to truly get started is a pot, the soil mixture, garden sulfur, pH meter, and cal/mag right? If all of that combined ran me less than $100 I could get started Friday... but just the pH meter will run me close to $80 :-/

 

[Muddy]

Yes, the pH meter will be the biggest expense, but well worth it. It's also something that you will have for years so a good investment.

No reason you should expect failure on your first grow. If you follow the advice given here, keep your pH in check and feed them right you should get good results. We've had many new growers like yourself pull off some fine grows on their first attempt. No reason you can't too.