Help with Autopot setup in a 4 x 8 tent (240cm x 120cm)

[lavidaloca]

Hey,
so I decided to go for a pretty big growing tent (4 feet by 8 feet / 240cm x 120cm) and now I'm wondering about what the Autopot setup should look like.
I know I will go for regular 600 watt lightning (no led) since I don't have the money for it, I will put 2 600 watt on each side since it's basically two 4x4 tents that are connected.
Now with the Autopot I was contemplating going for 18 pots in the 1pot version so I'll have 6 pots horizontally and 3 pots vertically or two times 9 pots (3x3) in each 4x4 tent.
What I don't know is whether I should go for the 8,5 liter pots or the 15 liter pots, I know from the past that 5 regular 11 liter pots filled with coco soil will almost perfectly fill a 1 square meter tent but with the Autopots you have to have like a layer of clay balls on the bottom which should take away some of the volume of the pot? Or will the 15 liter Autopots still grow a plant as big as a regular 15 liter pot filled with dirt or pure coco.
Next thing would be what soil to use, I've read a grow report from a user here called Hansbricks in which he only used coco with a layer of clay balls on the bottom of the Autopots with Airdomes.
Now the thing is I want to make the Autopot setup as cheap and effective as possible, less pots means less cost for me but I don't even know if you can adjust the spacing between the pots properly since they are all connected?
Pretty much need a user to help me with the complete Autopot setup including soil, fertilizer etc. I want it as cheap, effective and easy as possible.

 

[Arthur]

Your confusing grow styles. You have options. You can use soil, and grow a normal soil based crop. Or you can use coco, and run hydroponic.

Soil and coco will give wonky results if you mix and run. Some do it, but you'll see the infirmary full of issues.

Is this a first run? That's a lot of plants to start off with, and marginal lighting at best. A 600 hps is good in flower over 3x3. 4x4 is almost double the sq feet.
A suggestion, grow in one side, get dialed and expand.

 

[Chronic_passion]

You want easy and cheap... check out my thread, I'm almost fully automated. I work away for 5+ weeks at a time and don't touch them. AutoPots and BioTabs are killer.
Use 4-6 15ltr AutoPots each side (8-12 total).
Yes use airdomes with expanded clay pebbles level with the top of the domes. BioBizz Lite mix and BioTabs full line.
Most importantly, make sure you keep humidity and temperature at the right levels. Have a search on here for VPD. If you get that right then you'll only need 4 pots each side.

Good luck

 

[lavidaloca]

You want easy and cheap... check out my thread, I'm almost fully automated. I work away for 5+ weeks at a time and don't touch them. AutoPots and BioTabs are killer.
Use 4-6 15ltr AutoPots each side (8-12 total).
Yes use airdomes with expanded clay pebbles level with the top of the domes. BioBizz Lite mix and BioTabs full line.
Most importantly, make sure you keep humidity and temperature at the right levels. Have a search on here for VPD. If you get that right then you'll only need 4 pots each side.

Good luck

I think I will go for 18 8,5 liter pots that way I basically have 3x3 pots in each 4x4 ft space.
Do you think three 315w CMH lights will do a better job than two 600w HPS lights?

 

[Chronic_passion]

That's an awful lot of pots for that space. I'm in a 4x4 and 2 are close to filling it. I really wouldn't go more than 6 each side. You want plenty of air flow. Don't get the double tray sets either, you'll over crowd the plants. Single trays are better. If you want smaller plants only half fill the 15ltr pots. The beauty of Autopots is that you can always expand later if you want to. It'll be a ton cheaper too. On everything, setup, medium, food, water.
As for lights, I've never used CMH and it's been 20 years since I used an HPS so couldn't advise sorry.
2x 600W HPS would again be cheaper to run.

 

[Proph]

I think I will go for 18 8,5 liter pots that way I basically have 3x3 pots in each 4x4 ft space.
Do you think three 315w CMH lights will do a better job than two 600w HPS lights?

Will this be your 1st grow????

 

[lavidaloca]

Will this be your 1st grow????

No why?

 

[Proph]

No why?

Just wondering.. Because it seems like some of the basics aren't being considered, and no one had asked yet. Sometimes it's hard to give answers without knowing the experience levels involved.

The minimum watts per square foot for hps is 40-50.. The minimum for cmh is 25-30ish.. For really efficient cobs, the minimum is 20-25ish.. The minimum space per plant is 1 plant per 1-2 square ft. That's not including autopot trays or anything else that may be inside the tent. Since your plan is to max out the space (2 sq ft per plant would be 16 plants, your plan is for 18), you would need to max out the lighting as well. Having max plants and minimum light won't work well. Max hps is about 65w per sq ft. Cmh is about 35ish.. And good cobs are about 30w per sq ft.

Based on your plans, that space will need about 1500w of hps or 1100w of cmh to properly light 18 plants. And that's if it's evenly distributed. It doesn't factor in the rectangle shape of a 4x8 tent. I've out grown 3x3 tents with just 4 2.2 gal auto pots in that space.

Chronic Passion has the right idea. 4-6 plants per side (6 is even pushing It a bit depending on other factors) is much more doable for veg and flower with two 600w hps fixtures or three 315w cmh fixtures. (The three fixtures would give better/more coverage).

 

[lavidaloca]

Just wondering.. Because it seems like some of the basics aren't being considered, and no one had asked yet. Sometimes it's hard to give answers without knowing the experience levels involved.

The minimum watts per square foot for hps is 40-50.. The minimum for cmh is 25-30ish.. For really efficient cobs, the minimum is 20-25ish.. The minimum space per plant is 1 plant per 1-2 square ft. That's not including autopot trays or anything else that may be inside the tent. Since your plan is to max out the space (2 sq ft per plant would be 16 plants, your plan is for 18), you would need to max out the lighting as well. Having max plants and minimum light won't work well. Max hps is about 65w per sq ft. Cmh is about 35ish.. And good cobs are about 30w per sq ft.

Based on your plans, that space will need about 1500w of hps or 1100w of cmh to properly light 18 plants. And that's if it's evenly distributed. It doesn't factor in the rectangle shape of a 4x8 tent. I've out grown 3x3 tents with just 4 2.2 gal auto pots in that space.

Chronic Passion has the right idea. 4-6 plants per side (6 is even pushing It a bit depending on other factors) is much more doable for veg and flower with two 600w hps fixtures or three 315w cmh fixtures. (The three fixtures would give better/more coverage).

Okay first of all thank you for taking the time to respond.
I'm still a bit confused with the low amount of pots that are suggested here, I've done grows in the past in a 120cm x 90cm growing space with six 11 liter pots and the plants filled the space perfectly.
Is that recommendation specific to autoflowering seeds? Because I've only used regular feminized seeds before and I sent them to flowering when they were about 35 cm tall.
1500w sounds like a lot, I considered getting LED lights aswell, specifically this one because it's affordable:

Mars Hydro TS 3000 Full Spectrum 450W Meanwell Driver LED Grow Light

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The 4x8 has a rectangular shape sure but technically it's just two 4x4 spaces so if I get proper lightning (like the LED mentioned maybe?) that should hopefully do the trick? (Two of those ofc, one for each 4x4 space)

Another option would be four of these (two in each 4x4 growing space) but that would be 1200W , kinda overkill for LED?

Mars Hydro TSL 2000 Full Spectrum Dimmable 300W LED Grow Light

TSL2000 provides perfect retangular lighting coverage for 4-6 indoor plants and for decorative Floral Shelf as well. Affordable price, intuitive yields and dimming and daisy chain function guarantee its salability.Wattage - 300w Veg Coverage - 3x5 ft Flower Coverage - 2x4 ftThe overwhelming...

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Or four of these with the same configuration as the previous one, about 1000W in total.

SP 250 230w 2x4 energy saving plant led growth light - Mars Hydro for sale,buy SP 250 230w 2x4 energy saving plant led growth light - Mars Hydro - Mars Hydro

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[Chronic_passion]

I'm still a bit confused with the low amount of pots that are suggested here

Ok this is my current grow... 2 main plants and 1 stunted back left....

This was my first run with BioTabs... 1 plant....

This was 5 using nutes fed into the res under cheap blurples...

Can you understand now that 9 in that space would be rediculous? It would stop airflow and create bud rot, mould, climate issues.
If you keep them small and do SOG then you may get away with it but AutoPots create monsters, hence the advice to do less.
You can always expand more later as I said before.