Need help with first grow

[choco99]

Hello people thanks for reading.

For my first grow I want to grow in a 410 square ft room.

I want to use 2 tents for flowering, 7.9 x 11.8 x 6.7ft tents.

And then have a tent for vegetative state and drying space.


-My first question is how do i get the best LED lighting for a tent of that size. What lamps and amount of lamps are recommended for these size tents? money is not much of a factor.

-My second question is if my LED lighting is optimal as described above, how much yield can i expect per tent? I'm confused because some sources use watt to calculate yield and some use square feet.

-My third question is how big does my vegetative tent need to be if i have 2 flowering tents as described above?

-My fourth question, is it possible to use a rechargeable battery like this one: https://www.mastervolt.com/products/...mli-e-12-1200/ to power your LED and other grow electricity? for security reasons.


FYI: I want to start growing Wedding Pie and Grandfather OG.

[alltatup]

Hi Choco, Welcome to GWE! I can't answer all of your questions, but maybe I can help with some. First, start here for LEDs: https://www.growweedeasy.com/led-grow-lights and here for how much light you need: https://www.growweedeasy.com/cannabis-grow-lights

You have a large room, but be aware that vegging plants and flowering plants need different conditions; you also need different conditions for drying and curing buds. In veg, plants need more warmth and humidity, and then you reverse those conditions for flower by lowering humidit and temp, mimicking fall weather conditions.

For drying and curing, you need cool, dark conditions and careful control of humidity. I have two grow boxes, so my plants all veg at the same time, and then I can switch each box to flower when ready (usually within a week of each other). Then I hang the drying plants in another room with 50% humidity, and cure buds in a cool, dark closet.

I have a buddy who tries to do it all in one room, and he's not getting a lot of trichomes on his plants: his LED lights are very warm and he keeps the humidity too low for proper drying conditions. You simply won't get best results this way.

I think you mean Godfather OG, or else you mean Grandaddy Purple...????

[choco99]

Thanks for your answer. I guess the drying can be done in an entirely different location. Its not that hard to keep the humidity high and temp high for the veg stage only in the veg tent right?

Yes I mean Godfather OG, that's right.

[alltatup]

choco99 I had to invest in a strong dehumidifier, a heater, a humidifier that would run for 24 hours, and solar panels.

I meant to mention that this morning: you ought to look into good deals for solar energy where you live; I invested in some panels 3 years ago and got 45% back from the govt, so not a bad deal. If you don't have to worry about that, cool. But the solar panels have helped me control electric bills.

I'm in my 5th year of growing, and these are the most crucial things to me if I want to grow the loudest gas I can:
1. Control over the grow room, the drying and the curing environments.
2. This means control over light, temp and humidity. Crucial.
3. I'm a hydro grower, so I have to keep an eye trained on pH.
4. Being fully committed to growing the most beautiful, loudest gas I am capable of.
5. Worshipping the goddess Cannabis. Seriously, you gotta have total respect.
6. Gotta keep learning more.

This is just if you want top shelf gas. If you don't care that much, you can be not as hard core about this stuff. I taught someone to grow in soil last summer, but he he's not that committed, so his bud is medium grade.

[choco99]

Thanks for your reply bro. I’m definately going for the loudest gas possible. Do you recommend hydro growing for a beginner? Its not that hard to check & alter ph levels right?

[Rwise]

Battery back up would not be needed unless you have lots of rolling black outs.

[YYCannabis]

Glad to see a grower say “money is not a factor” instead of “how can i grow a ton of dank weed for under a hundred bucks” 👍
For your lighting with tents that size, you will definitely want to get multiple light fixtures. It’s easier to control canopy coverage that way and keep it controllable in regards to plant needs. For your tents, think of them as six 4x4 spaces instead of a single 8x12 and plan your lights for each 4x4 area. You will have different strains growing at different heights, so that flexibility to raise and lower individual lights will make your life easier and, more than likely, increase your production quality and quantity. Lights are truly the most important chunk of equipment you're going to be buying so invest wisely.

[YYCannabis]

Oh, many more than 1 per 4x4. Do you plan to SCROG grow? Sea of Green? Au natural growth? Type of grow style and strains will help decide how many you can grow in there 👍
Some strains can easily grow to the top of a tent. Some will only be 24” tall. Having the ability to raise/lower lights can help keep plants happy vs shorter plants getting weak lights because of tall neighbors. Growers tend to cluster similar strains together in a tent. SO if you think of the tent as having several designated spaces (6) and know how the different strains will grow, having all the flexibility you can will help achieve better results in the entire tent as a whole.

[choco99]

Right now im thinking sea of green to get quick semi big yields, and to not worry about plants getting too high. Godfather OG wont get high anyway but im not sure about wedding pie. Is my thinking correct here? How many plants per 4x4 with sea of green, 4/5?

[YYCannabis]

I haven’t done SOG, but you could probably get 16-25 plants in a 4x4 space since they don’t grow very big.

[SoOrbudgal]

Have you decided about anything or are you just doing research?

[choco99]

I have not decided yet just doing research. But i know i want to grow in a big tent. Right now looking at SCROG, that would mean 9 plants per 8x12 tent i think. How much yield could i expect from such a setup? 4-6 lbs?

[SoOrbudgal]

Maybe for a perfect environment and a grower who's done large grows. You could get a lb. per plant if you know how to grow indoors.

[YYCannabis]

Yield depends on many many things. Strain type. Growers skill. Nutes. Lights. Etc...

[grouchyoldman]

I have not decided yet just doing research. But i know i want to grow in a big tent. Right now looking at SCROG, that would mean 9 plants per 8x12 tent i think. How much yield could i expect from such a setup? 4-6 lbs?

With due respect @choco99, "How much yield..." is entirely the wrong question. Pardon me if I'm making the wrong assumption, but you seem to be at the very beginning of learning a craft that can take years to master, and depends heavily on every decision discussed above. It is your skill level more than anything that will ultimately determine the yield of each of your grows.

In fact, once you get the basics totallly wired, your plants are going to be challenged by bugs, weird weather, power outtages, pH swings, CaliMag deficiency... In all likelihood, sooner or later you're going to have a grow with zero yield because your Spider Mite attack got out of control.

The good news is that as you respond to those little crises your skill set and experience will grow, and so will your yields.

I don't mean to disrespect you at all, your question is every grower's question with every grow: "How can I do a little bit better this time?" And the answer is (always): "We'll just have to wait & see.)

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

-Grouchy
PS, a nine plant SCROG in an 8x12 tent is kinda nutz, IMHO.

[choco99]

Yes you are completely right, im new, thanks for the perspective. I’m just trying to get a sense of what yield i can get expect assuming my lighting and nutrients are optimal. But i think i underestimated the way in which skill plays a role like you said.

Now im looking at 100 plants sea of green in a 8x12, do you think this is a good idea? Can i expect an ounce per plant if there a no diseases and lighting and nutirents are optimal? Still asking because I need some ideas of the cost/return ratio.

[alltatup]

You seem to keep asking the same questions over and over without really listening to what anyone's saying... Kinda a waste of our time...

[Rwise]

WOW 100 plants in an 8x12 area, WOW! I have a single plant that takes up a 3x3 area all bu its self. No you wont get an OZ per plant with that kind if crowding. I would expect mold issues ect.

[choco99]

Ok let me frame it like this.

Imagine you are a beginner grower with access to all kinds of nutrients and soil and equipment and about 4000€ Budget for lighting,

How would you approach your first flowering stage in 8x12 tent.

How many plants is the main question.

[billyboy]

24 plants. You would want 4 plants for every 4x4 area of your 96 sq ft canopy.

Manifold them. Use plant pulleys. Lots of fans and moving air.

A good grow will be .5 gr/ watt; great grow will be .75 gr/watt and the ultimate would be 1 gr/watt.

[RetiredGuy]

grouchy old man couldn’t have said it better.

I am a beginner and my 2’ x 4’ space is large enough for me to learn the craft in. IMO you are starting too big.

Anyways, here are some rough factors for your consideration.

Lighting: assuming top line quantum board 30 watts/ft2

Yield if everything goes good 1 to 1.5 grams/ watt.

Ft2/plants varies with grow style, most recommend 4 ft2/plant. The number of plants has nothing to do with yield as long as you properly fill the area during veg.

So in your 8 x 12 tent, I would install 3000 watts of good quantum board lights and grow 25 plants. An experienced grower would yield at least 3000 grams per grow or 6.5 pounds. A beginner like me would be in over his head!

BTW, my light cost $50/ft2. So in your 8 x 12 tent you will spend most of your budget on lights. You will also need climate control equipment which isn’t cheap for such a large area.

Good Luck!