Noob's First Grow - Advice Needed

[bigsby]

bigs, Good to know I've got someone else to relate with, and sure, go ahead and list your stuff man; we can keep bouncing ideas and grow logs throughout this whole process.

Here is my shopping list. Tell me what I'm missing. I'm going to use a 3w LED panel for flowering. More on LED below. I've already purchased half the stuff needed. Also, I'm building a little hydroponic cloning box. I'll send the details if you are interested. So easy...

Lumber / Drywall / Screws / Mud
Fan (240 CFM)
Fan Speed Controller
Carbon filter
Duct
Muffler (if needed)
Mylar
Scrog screen
Lights
Timer
Thermometer / Hydrometer
Trays
Pots
Ph Kit
Humus
Perlite
Botanicare PureBlend Grow & Bloom for Soil
TopMax
Unsulfured Molasses
Seeds
Tupperware for Clone Box
Air Pump
10â?� Aaquaculture Bubble Curtain
Air Hose
Plasti-Dip Spray On black
Clonex Liquid
Rooting Gel
Moisture Meter

I did actually think about just leaving the room with the negative pressure and it would be fine, but then I thought that it would be deficient as far as smell prevention goes, so that's why I put it in with the fan controller (by the way, both of those products combined costs me maybe $50, so I'm okay with having a complete breathing system for an extra 50). Also, as you stated, because it's a tent structure (even though it will be held down at the corners), distorting the shape of it through negative pressure could potentially do some unwanted damage, so like I said, for $50, may as well.

Wait are you thinking that you're going to use a couple of can fans to exhaust through a carbon filter? That won't work. You'll need a real fan for that. If I misread and you will use an inline fan on one end and the duct booster on the other then my only comment is to get a fan controller so you can dial it in properly. I understand that using an active intake can greatly complicate the equation. See this nOOb guide for a detailed discussion of fan sizing.

As far as that guide goes for nut/repotting...THANK YOU!! I needed that SO badly. I'll definitely keep that reference handy.

This place is filled with great info like that. Take a look at the top level forums. All start with stickies - most worth reading. See here for example. Then drill down into any of the sub-threads for more sticky goodness.

Snippet

I'd like to learn more about the LED HID route.

You need to do proper research if you go this route. It is difficult to compare LED with HID light sources. HID has the advantage of penetration. Nothing beats it. Lumins are not so important when it comes to usable energy for a plant. What counts is wave length of the light reaching the plant. Plants "see" and make the most use of the red and blue spectrum wave lengths. So 99% of the yellow and orange light produced by the HID lights do not benefit the plant. LED technology has only recently becoming feasible. Beware, there is a load of crap on the market. There are also 10 naysayers for every believer. You need to find the right product and prepare for sticker shock. The initial investment is heavy. But the rewards are there - no heat, no bulb replacement costs, minimal electric costs, no risk of fire and on. When you take the long view the lights pay for them selves in a few years. Check out this guy's grow. It shows what can be done. Also see this one. There are bunch of LED people working here who can better advise you on technical details.

Also, quick question to anyone, does having a little more light than necessary hurt the plants or is it okay (I know heat created by the lights is bad, but how about having more than enough lumens)? Or should I be keeping a strict 2500 veg/10,000 flower?

More light never hurts...