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Grow How big should my grow room be

Shredder

Dogs like me
Well it depends. What is your goal? How much room do you have? How much are you willing to spend?




If your growing for one household a grow tent in the basement would be a great way to go. You still need ventilation and odor control. And a space for supllies would be handy. My first indoor grow area was in a homemad grow box styled after a grow tent. I made it myself mostly to insulate it because I grew in an uninsulated, unheated garage.

If you want to grow for 3 or more or just because an actual room, or rooms would be ideal.

For whatever type a light you have, just remember the more light the better the plants will produce and the more heat you will have to handle. It's easier to handle heat with a 400 or 600 watt system over a 1000 watt. The trade off is your goals and means.

For lights a 600 w light should cover 3x3 area. Anything growing outside that area won't get ideal light, but many growers use a 600w light in a four by four area. No biggy but you can see where this is going.

A 1000w light ideally will cover a 4x4 area. I have a 10 x 12 flower room ( 2, 1000w lights) with only 8 plants in any one time but the plants are in a 8 x 4.5 area and light is directed by curtains made of while colored panda film , kinda like a upscaled grow tent. The extra room is very useful and the plants are concentrated in one space that I can walk around. Something to consider as we age.

You will need ventilation as well. And flowering plants put out a real stink from about five weeks in flower and for a while after harvest. Most growers have to address this with a odor filter. You will want to completely exchange the air every 5 minutes or so. Probably more if your not cooling with AC. If you do use AC you don't need to vent your room, but if so, you need to provide co2 for healthy plants.

A good grow room uses light efficiently so a even plant canopy gets all the light. Wasted light serves no purpose in a grow room. So you can use that light with multiple plants or fewer plants in bigger pots but with an even canopy. You can top plants to get them to spread and put something under shorties to boost them up.
 
If your growing for one household a grow tent in the basement would be a great way to go.
I have a large basement.. and could potentially build a small room. I like the idea of being able to walk around the plants... and would also like to elevate them off the floor a bit. So I'm thinking a grow room (as opposed to a tent) would probably be the best practice for me. I would imagine you need to line the room with plastic or something like that to seal it?

You mentioned air conditioning. And I do have that, but the room itself would probably not have a vent to it. Unless I could get someone to add it in with the existing system... which is a thought. Plus, I'm planning on growing in the fall/winter season and it wouldn't be on.
You will need ventilation as well.
Where do you vent to? Optimally probably a chimney... but the area I have available is not near that. Would a carbon filter handle the stink if there's no venting to the outside?

I was gifted some equipment recently... I'll have to do more research into what it is I actually have and figure out what I can use. There were two types of lights; the ballast type with a 400w HPS bulb and a 400w MH bulb. And an LED unit with what looks to be 270w of power. Then it appears the rest of the equipment is for hydro; there's an exhaust fan and another fan that I haven't identified. And some other hydro equipment. But I'm not as interested in growing hydro as I am in soil. Maybe because it's a 'foreign' concept for me... I've never done it lol. I've only grown things in soil so it's familiar.

We need to get @Kellya86 in here to chat about this as well. He's also offered to help guide me through this a bit. And I have a feeling I'm going to need all the help I can get. :lol:
 
I have a large basement.. and could potentially build a small room. I like the idea of being able to walk around the plants.

If you are DIY handy this could be done. Alternatively you could get a tent to put up in the basement.

Either way you are aiming for an air tight solution with light reflecting walls, floor and ceiling.

Air tight is the key, you want to use a fan to create negative pressure in the grow space. This will stop smells from leaking out and will draw fresh air in from the surrounding environment.

Either make the DIY solution large enough to walk around your plants or get a large tent.

A tent will cost more than a DIY solution but is something you could set up in an evening or tear down just as quickly if you had to.

would also like to elevate them off the floor a bit.

Easy enough to do but remember height tends to be at a premium. Don't forget to account for the height the lights require. You'll typically need anywhere from 18"-30" between the light and your canopy depending on the light used. Then you need space for the light hangers and the dimensions of the light. Unless your basement ceiling is taller than 8ft I'd keep the plants as low as possible. Unless you intend to ScROG (many small plants rather than a few large ones).

So I'm thinking a grow room (as opposed to a tent) would probably be the best practice for me. I would imagine you need to line the room with plastic or something like that to seal it?

Before going down that route you need to decide what style of grow you want to operate.
  • What yields are you looking for?
  • What kind of flexibility (different strains) are you after?
    • One strain per grow or mix and match?
  • How are you going to grow?
    • Soil/Hydro
    • Perpetual harvest / one or two or three big grows per year?
    • Training technique (ScROG, SoG, basic LST, etc...)?
    • Germinate from seed or work with clones? This is a big one, some people only work with clones as they want consistency of end products. Clone require a perpetual harvest style of environment where you have two separate rooms, one for the veg phase and one for the flowering phase.
These decisions will have an impact on how you design your grow room, a tent will offer more flexibility in changing your grow style over time.

You mentioned air conditioning. And I do have that, but the room itself would probably not have a vent to it. Unless I could get someone to add it in with the existing system... which is a thought. Plus, I'm planning on growing in the fall/winter season and it wouldn't be on.

AC is a pain in the butt to manage in a grow room. You need to get a split AC unit installed. Those home units with the exhaust pipe are not suitable as they will bypass the carbon filter spewing out cannabis smelling unfiltered air to where ever they exhaust to. The exhaust should be outside the environment where you are pulling fresh air into the room/tent, otherwise you are just creating a heat feed back loop.

Where do you vent to? Optimally probably a chimney... but the area I have available is not near that. Would a carbon filter handle the stink if there's no venting to the outside?

If you aren't using AC you can vent just outside of the tent/room. The carbon filter should be placed before the exhaust so that the air is filtered for smell.

If an AC is involved you really need a split AC setup.

My Thoughts

I would recommend you start with a basic tent until you know what style of grow you want to do. They are more expensive but significantly easier for the beginner indoor grower. If you want to be able to move around the plants get a large tent.

My advice is plan an autumn (fall) / winter and/or spring grows and try to avoid growing during summer. Heat management is always a problem but its much easier during the low temp quarters. Summer heat waves can really ruin your groove.

Also I'd start out with 2-4 plants, indica or indica dominant hybrids. I'd go for low stress training techniques and keep things simple.

You can use the lights and the exhaust fans you have been given.

The LED seems more fitting for germinating seeds and seedlings. But I'm basing that off the wattage only, really you would need to post the make and model to know what it's really capable of.

The MH (blueish) is for the grow phase and the the sodium (HPS yellowish) bulb is when you switch your timmings to the bloom phase.

400watts is a good starting point, you aren't going to get monster yields but the heat output will be more manageable than a 1000watt setup. It's a good sized light for a beginner.

The other fan is probably for recirculating the air inside the grow space, its important to keep the air moving to avoid mould.

I'm a hydro grower but soil is a popular choice, it offers more flexibility in plant placement. Key things to ensure are good drainage and PH monitoring of the soil. Also ensuring you get the right nutrient balance is important.
 
Thanks for the response @GreenHopper :biggrin:

If you are DIY handy this could be done.
I'm not, but the husband is.

But I'm leaning towards a tent now... you made very valid points in it's favor.

What yields are you looking for?
Well... this would be my primary supply of flower most likely. But since I would only be growing in fall, winter and early spring that is a little limiting.
What kind of flexibility (different strains) are you after
I would want more than one strain. And favor indicas and indica hybrids.
How are you going to grow?
This is something I'm still not sure of. I lean towards soil but... if one is 'easier' than the other as far as getting nutrients right I'd probably go that route. I guess I just don't know the benefits of one over the other.
Germinate from seed or work with clones?
I don't know that I have access to clones at this time. So I would say seed.
I'd go for low stress training techniques and keep things simple.
Could you elaborate please? :smile:
The LED seems more fitting for germinating seeds and seedlings.
So if starting from seed you would use that light first? Then switch when they were big enough?
This is the label from the LED light...

IMG_3940.jpg


The other fan is probably for recirculating the air inside the grow space
And the fans. Along with what I suspect is an aerator stone of some sort for hydro?

IMG_3943.jpg



soil is a popular choice, it offers more flexibility in plant placement.
How so?

So based on the size of my lights, and the size of my fans, etc., do you think they are more adequate for a small tent? If I wanted a larger tent would I need to buy additional lighting?
 
If you are serious about this grow then I recommend you read as much of the below site as possible. Focus on the beginner guides and sign up to the weekly mail.

https://www.growweedeasy.com

Well... this would be my primary supply of flower most likely. But since I would only be growing in fall, winter and early spring that is a little limiting.

What do you need in terms of grams per year? We can calculate the number of plants and light wattage based off of your annual requirement.

I would want more than one strain. And favor indicas and indica hybrids.

Ok, indicas / indica hybrids are perfect for indoor grows.

I'd stick to one strain for your fist grow just to keep things simple but you can mix and match as long as you match up strains with similar grow characteristics. Height, time to harvest and nutrient uptake are the main ones to watch out for. Some of this info is provided by the seed bank, some you can only really learn via experience.

This is something I'm still not sure of. I lean towards soil but... if one is 'easier' than the other as far as getting nutrients right I'd probably go that route. I guess I just don't know the benefits of one over the other.

Soil is probably easier for a first time indoor grow.

Soil is more familiar to work with and many pro growers claim that a soil grow produces better tasting buds.

I prefer hydro because it's a more clinical setup, less likely to bring bugs into the grow space. The plants tend to recover quicker from defoliation and topping sessions when run in hydro.

If you are comfortable growing in soil I'd stick with that for now.

Could you elaborate please? :smile:

Best place for that info is:

https://www.growweedeasy.com/cannabis-plant-training

So if starting from seed you would use that light first? Then switch when they were big enough?
This is the label from the LED light...

I would probably just start with the ballast lights.

The LED can be used to germinate or as an addition to the ballast lights if you wanted to boost the wattage over the canopy.

Just remember, more watts = more food to plants but usually more heat in grow room to manage.

My recommendation would be based on your annual grams of bud requirement.

And the fans. Along with what I suspect is an aerator stone of some sort for hydro?

Yep, top left = air disc for hydro. You won't need that for soil growing.

Bottom = inline fan for venting out, you'll need ducting and a carbon filter.

Right = looks like a net pot for suspending a plant over a hydro bucket. I think the air pump for that air disc is hidden under it.

So based on the size of my lights, and the size of my fans, etc., do you think they are more adequate for a small tent? If I wanted a larger tent would I need to buy additional lighting?

The kit you have is for a smaller grow, perfect for a learning setup. The real question is how many grams per year do you need. Everything else scales around that question. The fact you have some equipment is great for a learning setup but you may out grow it after one or two grows.

If you are sticking with your existing lights I'd get a small tent, 1m x 1m x 2m. You won't be able to walk around the plants but the walls should help reflect and squeeze out as many photons from those lamps as possible.

If you need to go larger because your annual gram requirement is higher than what those lights can produce then we can discuss that further.

Before you rush out to buy a tent through have a good read of https://www.growweedeasy.com, the info there is outstanding.
 
If you're new to growing, recommend not going all in with your first grow. Keep it as simple as possible. Even though discussion of every potential cannabis growth problem is only a web search away, there's a lot to learn and apply to your individual situation.

When you say you want to grow in your basement, the first thing that comes to mind is mold. If your basement is or has ever been damp, there are probably some powdery mildew (or worse) spores lurking around just waiting for their chance.

Otherwise, recommend growing a single auto under the LED lamp to start. (Sugar Black Rose is a popular auto strain that bred true for growth and indica-dominant effects.) Get a thermometer, hygrometer, pH meter and hand-held microscope to help you figure out what's going on.

Clean your basement thoroughly, maybe even spring for mold treatment if needed. If you decide to build a room or use a tent later on, you'll have a much better idea of what you need and a nice, clean outer room as a kind of environmental buffer.

Just grow that first plant in the open with no training. The LED lamp will produce relatively little heat, so you probably won't need to worry so much about ventilation or humidity. With an auto, you also won't need to worry about light cycling - you can keep the light on continuously. And autos are fast, so it won't be long until you're ready for your next, better-informed grow.

Also recommend getting a starter kit of liquid nutes and some soil-less media. This is the easiest way to ensure results (but it's also one of the most expensive). That way, you can focus on the rest of your setup. If you decide to try soil later, you can use much of the same gear. (Tried the "super soil" method without success, but if you go this route, you'll need some time to let the soil incubate, anyway.) The Canna nute line is tried and true.

The biggest newb mistakes are over-watering and alkaline soil. Quickly moved to an automatic, moisture-sensing watering system and it's only become more elaborate over time. Like Tropf-Blumats.

Good luck! :weed:
 
Well your getting lots of advice, intimidated yet? Lol.

If you don't vent you will have to deal with heat and smell.
It might not be a problem if you just grow in the cooler months. To control odor, you want to look at a decent air filter. Or claim you rescue skunks, lol.

You could get a 4x4 tent with an air filter in one corner. And a small circulating fan. You could exhaust through the filter. Four, 7 gallon pots gives you a little wiggle room and larger root space.

Hood. Sealed fan cooled hoods run cooler than open hoods or bare bulbs.

Of course you will need power. A 600w light draws about 4.5 amps, 1000w doubles that to 9 amps. And you will have fans and what not. Just another consideration. A 15 amp circuit would handle a small grow if you don't have a lot of other things running on that circuit.

Noise. The fans will create some noise. You can run flowering lights at night, but you prolly don't want it under your bedroom. And some fans are quieter than others.

If you start from seeds or clones it still might be 4 months until harvest. So I would not look at a perpetual grow. Just grow one crop at a time of like sized plants. You can boost up shorties. I use carts with wheels to move around pots (15 gallons) and styrofoam blocks to boost if needed.
 
Holy moly... this is a lot to process... Thanks to all of you for chiming in and helping a gal out. :biggrin:

What do you need in terms of grams per year?
That's a good question. As it is, I get 1 free oz. per month from my caregiver. I supplement that with concentrates from the dispensary. I do not usually finish the oz. in a month. In the future, however, I would like to try my hand at squishing my own concentrates rather than using solvent based from the dispensary. So I would probably need the bit that I'm not vaping now for that.

Before you rush out to buy a tent through have a good read of https://www.growweedeasy.com, the info there is outstanding.
Oh believe me.... I'm not buying anything until I have a really good understanding of what I'm getting into. :smile:

I will certainly look into that site. Thanks for the link.


If you're new to growing, recommend not going all in with your first grow. Keep it as simple as possible.

Probably very wise words. :nod:

You could get a 4x4 tent with an air filter in one corner. And a small circulating fan. You could exhaust through the filter. Four, 7 gallon pots gives you a little wiggle room and larger root space.
That sounds like a nice size tent. I could live with that.

Of course you will need power.
Hmmm... perhaps a designated circuit is needed then?

Noise. The fans will create some noise. You can run flowering lights at night, but you prolly don't want it under your bedroom. And some fans are quieter than others.
As luck would have it... it will be under my bedroom... sort of. Actually under the guest bedroom but I'll be able to hear it. So this brings up the question of whether there are methods to muffle the sound? Any products out there for that?
 
As luck would have it... it will be under my bedroom... sort of. Actually under the guest bedroom but I'll be able to hear it. So this brings up the question of whether there are methods to muffle the sound? Any products out there for that?

The best would be acoustic insulation. But other insulation types work too. And some fans are less noisy than others. In general cheap fans are loud.

My bigger inline fans are fairly quiet, (wind tunnel) but I don't think they're still available.

In a situation like you described I helped a fellow mount his fan in a tote box filled with loose insulation, and hung it with rubber bungies. The air movement cools the motor. I guess if there's a will there's a way.
 
That's a good question. As it is, I get 1 free oz. per month from my caregiver. I supplement that with concentrates from the dispensary. I do not usually finish the oz. in a month. In the future, however, I would like to try my hand at squishing my own concentrates rather than using solvent based from the dispensary. So I would probably need the bit that I'm not vaping now for that.

So that's 1oz per month. 1x12 = 12oz per year.

Let's add 50% (12 / 2 = 6oz) for those times when the grow doesn't go according to plan.

That's an 18oz target per year (12 + 6).

Easily doable, I achieved this in one grow with 3 plants under my 750watts Kind K5 LED. So with your 400watts you should have no trouble.

400W HPS Grow Setup (For Hobbyist Growers)
  • Average Yields: 7-14 ounces
  • Harvest every 4 months to get about 1.75 – 3.5 oz/month
  • Recommended 2-6 plants
  • Grow space is 2'x4'x5' or larger
Cost Estimates
  • Total Setup Cost: $744.00
  • Estimated Electricity Cost: $46-96/month (based on $0.12/kWH to $0.25/kWh – see breakdown)
  • Total Cost for Entire First 4-Month Grow (Setup + Electricity): $1128 ($81-161/ounce)
  • Total Cost for Second Grow (Nutrients + Electricity): $414 ($30-59/ounce)
* Alternative/Equivalent LED Grow Light: Kind LED Grow Lights "K5 XL750"

https://www.growweedeasy.com/growing-cannabis-400w-shopping-list

I'd aim for 2x grows per year, autumn and winter (might as well heat the house a little and maximise your energy use).

That way you only have to hit 9oz per grow which should be fairly easy with 400watts.
 
Easily doable, I achieved this in one grow with 3 plants under my 750watts Kind K5 LED. So with your 400watts you should have no trouble.
This is reassuring. The biggest fear (and I've got to believe any noob grower feels this way) is to invest in all the equipment needed, start growing and have a dismal result.

I'm hoping for beginner's luck. :biggrin: And I do have a 'leg up' with all of the great advice coming my way. Now I just really need to start studying that site you linked and get my ducks in a row. Or should I say my questions? :lol:

The best would be acoustic insulation. But other insulation types work too. And some fans are less noisy than others. In general cheap fans are loud.

This was the video I landed on yesterday that showed some methods to quiet a fan. Apparently there's a type of 'muffler' made that can quiet things down significantly. Looks interesting.

 
This is reassuring. The biggest fear (and I've got to believe any noob grower feels this way) is to invest in all the equipment needed, start growing and have a dismal result.

I'm hoping for beginner's luck. :biggrin: And I do have a 'leg up' with all of the great advice coming my way. Now I just really need to start studying that site you linked and get my ducks in a row. Or should I say my questions? :lol:



This was the video I landed on yesterday that showed some methods to quiet a fan. Apparently there's a type of 'muffler' made that can quiet things down significantly. Looks interesting.



My OG iPad won't play the video. :(

I think the muffler is a duct muffler. I used one in my old place. It moderates the sound of air moving through the duct. A worthwhile thing but it doesn't quiet the fan itself much if at all.

If you hubby is handy he could make a duct muffler fairly easy. It's a section of metal duct inside another section of duct. The space between the two is packed with soft eggshell foam rubber. Im sure there are plans for homemade solutions on the net.
 
I had noisy exposed fans and tried the home silencer tricks, they help a bit but in the end I opted for this;
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Phresh-...956061?hash=item4b23aafe9d:g:YbkAAOSwNq5ZknBA
s-l300.jpg

Expensive yes, I wish I had gone with the 8" version though, the 6" is still a bit loud when pushing the fan towards 100% power to keep up with smell. I use mine in a 4'x4' grow room that has 16 plants that I can harvest every 10 weeks that =over a pound, I don`t tip, don`t thin leaves, I do not believe in even entering the tent after transplanting clones in there (only to change my 600w lamp from MH to HID).
This keeps it simple and reduces the risk of bringing in nasty critters (mites and mealy bugs give me the shits) or places for infection on the plants to start.
I have used many types of hydro over the years, flood and drain, NFT, airponics but have settled on the most simple, less to go wrong:thumbsup:
https://www.autopot.com.au/about
No pumps or heaters, just fill up the reservoir with pH adjusted nutrients, it really is simple, easier than dirt in pots, just keep filling the reservoir with nutrient and you get great results, no extra watering/worrying.
 
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For someone who’s never actually tackled a grow, I have spent a great deal of time working on this question over the years.

Where I am now with it, I figure there’s no point in more room than the lightprint permits, so it becomes a question for me of how many lights do I want to buy. For a variety of reasons, mostly glowing reports from growers, I’ve decided on CMH lights.

Since a 315w CMH has a lightprint of 30”x30” (according to reports), that means 52-54w per square foot, and it should have no trouble yielding 10-12 oz. From there, the question is how to expand. If one has a basement, attic, or spare room that isn’t full of junk and out-of-season possessions, then one could have three such setups in the area, hopefully without being crowded.

Or, with 4 lights, one could work a 5’x5’ (60”x60”) space with the same intensity, 2 30”x60” spaces, or four of the singles.

My plan is to start with one light, one plant, and one space, then see if I want to double or treble the workload...personally, I think I’ll be wanting a place for moms, a space for males, and an actual grow. Just, not all at once.
 
For someone who’s never actually tackled a grow, I have spent a great deal of time working on this question over the years.

Where I am now with it, I figure there’s no point in more room than the lightprint permits, so it becomes a question for me of how many lights do I want to buy. For a variety of reasons, mostly glowing reports from growers, I’ve decided on CMH lights.

Since a 315w CMH has a lightprint of 30”x30” (according to reports), that means 52-54w per square foot, and it should have no trouble yielding 10-12 oz. From there, the question is how to expand. If one has a basement, attic, or spare room that isn’t full of junk and out-of-season possessions, then one could have three such setups in the area, hopefully without being crowded.

Or, with 4 lights, one could work a 5’x5’ (60”x60”) space with the same intensity, 2 30”x60” spaces, or four of the singles.

My plan is to start with one light, one plant, and one space, then see if I want to double or treble the workload...personally, I think I’ll be wanting a place for moms, a space for males, and an actual grow. Just, not all at once.

You also want enough room for you to work with your plants. In a tent you work from outside the tent, in a room your in the room as well. And plants can triple in size once their put into flower.

Another thing to consider is that most lights now days can be dimmed. So you can use more wattage when heat wouldn't be a problem. And grow more plants or bigger plants.

If you want a continuous grow you also need a veg room. Tents works great for this.

And you need to decide pot size if you use dirt. Or if you use hydro how to take care of spills and where to dump old water.

And maybe first consider how much you want to invest. In my current room I more than doubled what I thought it would cost. Some of my cost were inflated because of a hurricane that drove up wood prices, but still I didn't plan that part very well.
 
In my own case, I’ll be building an area roughly 16x20 feet devoted to the task (I’m old so it will probably take a minute), and I’m considering building light-tight and wired boxes in the 30x30 format as I need them.

All the points you raise in your reply are important, and they all play into your final point about expense. I’ve about settled on fabric pots and a coir/compost/perlite mix, hempy-bucket style, using Humboldt’s Secret for nutrients. Undecided on pot size, considering 1, 3, and 7-gallon sizes.

I’m a believer in dimmable ballasts. It allows a more nuanced mimicry of natural light patterns in addition to allowing a less predictable electric usage pattern...(such activities are not okay ‘round here).

I see I didn’t say this in my last remarks: I was visualizing tents (or the cabinets I mentioned), not plants under lights at random around the room; my idea was that, given a reasonably spacious room, multiple tents need not be too cumbersome to work with/around. In fact, I got the idea for the cabinets from looking at prices for tents and reading the pages of complaints about each. I should be able to build four of them for the same price as a single 30x30” tent without the drawbacks found in so many tents, and apply several coats of white, white, white matte paint for maximum reflectance.

At least in the beginning, with one plant per light, I should be able to veg and flower each plant independently, so in that case a dedicated ‘veg room’ is a luxury, initially.

How it will all come together remains to be seen: I won’t even get to start until this spring - and I’ll have to move first....
 
I'm both impressed, and freaked out. This is a great thread, very informative. I have a tent, lights, fans, and whatever else for hydro, but think I would start with soil because it's more familiar, but then nothing is familiar about indoor growing, so maybe best to get right to hydro...
Growing in the colder part of the year, seems a wise idea. I don't know that growing indoor in Summer would make sense, as I can more easily grow outdoors in Summer.
Food for thought, for sure. As it's almost Spring, it's too late this year, I think, unless I want to get seeds or clones going for outdoors.
 

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