Which Growing Method to Use????
Damn, man. I typed some huge response yesterday...and somehow it got lost. Whatever. Anyway, I'll try to remember and summarize.
KISS...for small grows...and somewhat for larger grows. Have you flowered a smaller grow before? If it was be (being a perfectionist too), I'd want to get everything set up before starting, if possible instead of 'tricking out along the way.' Just IMO.
You don't have to use CO2, but you just have to consider how you willh ave to build your set up to use it or not...and/or change your set up when you add it.
Herbaltivo, saving money on A/C then speding some on CO2 system. Almost a wash...until you consider your increased yields. :D True.
Pharma, savings on electricity when using 2 lights on movers (instead of 4 lights) will be much more than you might expect. Over the long run...you will save on wattage from the lights and your room will be not so hot, therefore less $ spent on A/C. Just trying to take everything into consideration. Plus 4 lights cost more than 2. ;)
That garage looks so nice to grow in. You are sucking your intake air from where? Exhausting to where? How will you be exhausting cool air? Sorry if I missed something.
The Fog :rastasmoke:
Which Growing Method to Use????
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheGreenFog
Damn, man. I typed some huge response yesterday...and somehow it got lost. Whatever. Anyway, I'll try to remember and summarize.
KISS...for small grows...and somewhat for larger grows. Have you flowered a smaller grow before? If it was be (being a perfectionist too), I'd want to get everything set up before starting, if possible instead of 'tricking out along the way.' Just IMO.
You don't have to use CO2, but you just have to consider how you willh ave to build your set up to use it or not...and/or change your set up when you add it.
Herbaltivo, saving money on A/C then speding some on CO2 system. Almost a wash...until you consider your increased yields. :D True.
Pharma, savings on electricity when using 2 lights on movers (instead of 4 lights) will be much more than you might expect. Over the long run...you will save on wattage from the lights and your room will be not so hot, therefore less $ spent on A/C. Just trying to take everything into consideration. Plus 4 lights cost more than 2. ;)
That garage looks so nice to grow in. You are sucking your intake air from where? Exhausting to where? How will you be exhausting cool air? Sorry if I missed something.
The Fog :rastasmoke:
Hey Fog!
"Cooler" is always comparative, Grasshopper... LOL
I live in a fucking desert, man! SoCal may look tropical, but that's all man-made. Except for the narrow coastal plain, this started out as hot, mean, scrub-brush desert. Temps will be in the 100's for months at a time. Temperatures in a closed garage can get well into the 110's, 120's by the afternoon. So, if the temperature in my growroom is 90 - 95 F, then my g/r exhaust will be around that same temperature, which is cooler than the surrounding garage.
Here's how I plan the ventillation and cooling system:
Fresh air intake into room - through window a/c unit mounted in wall. Unit will be sufficient in size to cool incoming air and maintain constant temperature. In fact, a/c units aren't terribly expensive. I'm leaning towards overkill on the a/c unit because then I can find a 240v unit and it will be much more economical to run.
Exhaust from grow room - active exhaust going directly into garage. IF I can filter all the odor from the air, the room exhaust will stay in the garage because it will help cool the garage in the summer months. If the smell gets too great, I have access, in the garage, to a vent that goes up and out the two-story roof and I can blow the air up and away from inquiring noses.
Light cooler intake - From garage. This will suck fresh, outside air into the garage.
Light cooler exhaust - Through garage wall to the outside.
The wall construction, if looking at a slice of the wall from outside to in will be: 5/8" drywall; 5/8" sheathing; 2x6 steel stud; R-30 insullation; 5/8" plywood; 1/2" greenboard; paint; poly-film (mylar-type stuff). Obviously the walls are built for not only strength and security, but are well insullated too. This will help with energy costs and climate control.
Light movers - They might be great, but... In my neck, C4, C5, C6 & C7 (those are all neck vertabra) are all fused together. When I say overhead work can be painful, I'm not exagerating. In addition to that, right now I have a DVT (blood clot)in my leg and I'm taking blood thinners just to be able to walk a very small amount. Now, I like to think I'm a tough old buzzard, but building this grow room with almost no blood circulation in one leg is gonna strain even this curmudgeon and the fewer trips I have to take up and down a ladder will be all the better for me. I truly love construction work and, if I were in good physical condition, just building this actual room would take about three days and complete the entire project in a week. As it is now, I'm going to have to have to hire people to do the heavy work at it will probably take me a month from start to finish - which is ok because that is right on schedule with my growing schedule.
And, in any event, I don't have an unlimited budget. I've pretty much decided to start with cool tube 1,000's. A lot of research has shown that 600w lamps with digital ballasts are the most efficient (cost per lumen) way to go. But then, of course, you need more lamps (at $425 per, cuz, of course, you gotta have the best reflector too). So right now it's a choice between $1,040 for four cool tube 1k's or $ $2,550 for six digital 600's
Temperature - it looks like you were right on about the higher temps for the CO2. I'll have to do some more research into CO2. In this climate, it would be nice to be able to operate in the 90's.
When I said "tricking out along the way", I meant in between subsequent grows. I have never grown before, so this a learning experience for me. Whatever method I decide on, whatever systems I have in place, they will be tested and working from the onset. I spent many years building houses and there's a simple proceedure to follow for any project like this, be it big or small: You start when you are ready - you work until you are done. So I may have to plod along, but everything will be in good working order when it's time to start.
Fog - thanks again for all your help!
Which Growing Method to Use????
Quote:
Originally Posted by herbaltivo
I haven't rolled CO2 yet, but I'm planning on it, and I can confirm from many, many discussions, that CO2 is best absorbed by plants that are in an elevated temperature range, 90-95 F.
Think of the benefits too, you run your AC unit less = more $$ in your pocket instead of the utility co. and with CO2 you have the potential to produce more product in the end.
I'm not saying don't do the AC, you're gonna need it too in SoCal.
Good luck with your project!
p.s. I have 2 master kush that are about a week or two from flower. As soon as I get back from Vegas, I'm cloning them.
herbaltivo - Thanks for the input!
All things taken into consideration, CO2 will probably be the way to go. If the cost is a wash, like Fog pointed out, and the yields are higher, that alone should be enough reason to use CO2. But also, in this climate, trying to maintain a 90 - 95 temp would be a lot less stressful on the g/r infrastructure, and me, than trying to maintain a 75 temp. Correct me if I'm wrong, but, if I'm using CO2, then I am re-circulating the g/r air most of the time, as opposed to continualy refreshing it; aren't I? Obviously it would be a lot cheaper to maintain a 90 - 95 temp than it would be to have to constantly cool hot intake air.
How often do you have to change air when you are using CO2?
