well ive finally decided that its time...ive been smoking for almost 16 years now...no more getting over charged at the dispensery or sub par buds on the street...in all these years ive never once tried to grow myself...the time is now and the method ive chosen is dwc...id love to try soil and organic growing but i need the speed of hydro...i was looking at a few systems like waterfarm but have decided it would be easy cheaper and fun to build my own so thats the plan

i have a good sized walk in closet 4 1/2 feet by 5 feet with an 8 foot ceiling...my plan is 4 5 gallon buckets connected to a larger reservoir some kind of rubbermade container...and cfls at least for the veg cause i cant afford a nice light yet...hopefully i can come up with one before flowering...but for now a bunch of good cfls...so far all ive got is two 8 foot sections of air tube and 4 large bubble bars 6$ total at the dollar store...good deal...now for my first few questions

1. is my grow room too large? should i set up a lower ceiling somehow?

2. reflective paint or mylar? which works better?

3. would it be worth my while to put something over the carpet like maybe a section of that hard plastic people put under desks? and paint it or cover it with a sheet of mylar?

4. ive read a few threads on building the dwcs...some use a 'drip tube' thing like the waterfarm...some dont...is this part needed?

i plan on going shopping on tuesday and hitting up big lots walmart and the local hydro shop for the rest of the things i need...im very excited but nervous ill eff this up somehow...so thanks in advance for any advice any of you guys can give me

lol

Welcome!! There is alot of info on here about DIY hydro stuff, just have a look see and have fun shopping!!

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Our first grow
http://www.greenpassion.org/f22/lesb...-closet-13859/

yes there is a TON of great info here...ive been reading on dwc for a few weeks now and on growing in general for months...i think thats part of my problem...my brain is over loaded...time to stop reading and start doing =)

No It's Not To Large, The Extra Ceiling Height Will Help In Cooling, But It Would Depend On What You Are After??? Like Multi Spaces.


The Paint Works Great, What Would Be Easiest For You & What You Have Available.

Yes, Covering The Floor Is Always A Good Idea, Especially In A Rent House, If It Is Your House??,,You Might Think About Taking The Carpet Out??

Yes, It Will Help Any DWC Set-Up For The Water To Flow, Either With A Drip System Or A Misting System For The Roots.

Draw Everything Out On Paper, Work Out The Things That Will Work for Your Set-Up, Make You A List For Each Store & Work From There, It Will Really Help Ya Out, Also, Relax, Have Confidence In What You Are Doing, If You Need More Help ???? Just Holler..

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I can certainly understand! I too am about ready to start growing after "studying" for so long. Like Hatch said, If you need anything just holler! He is extremely knowledgeable and respected here at GP...and elsewhere I'm sure!

thanks =)

the main reason i was thinking it was too big was because of how high the ceiling is...with it being 8 feet and the plants being down on the ground wont alot of light be wasted up there?...it would be nice if it helped with temp tho

thinking reflective paint rather than mylar...seems like it would be easier to paint once and not have to worry about it again..

it would help if i had some smoke while im doing this but i decided to start buying stuff to grow instead of buying a bag...cant think straight when im sober...lol

Hey bro,

If you're going with paint you'll want to use flat white. It's more reflective then gloss or satin and I think it might be cheaper too but I'm not sure. You don't need to put your lights at the top of your ceiling space. You'll need to move them to the appropriate distance from your plants according to their size and age. Just make sure not to put them too close (if they're HID lights) to your plants or they could get burned up. If you decide to veg with cfls then you can put the cfls (compact flourscent lights) very close to your plants without worrying about burning them (within 2 inches).

Good luck,

-the Corsican.

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My grow journal: http://www.greenpassion.org/f24/cors...st-grow-15533/

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke.

"If at first you don't succeed, it wont hurt to smoke a little weed!"

If you use Killz2 instead of paint you will get a flat white surface that is highly resistant to mold and mildew, and it will kill any that is there now.

Your Reflective Hood Will Keep The Light Shinning Down Onto The Plants, So The Light Won't Be Waisted. & The Painted Walls Will Also Bounce The Light Back To The Plants.

& Yes, Many Bong-Hits Will Help Move Things Smoothly Along, Saving To Grow Instead Of Getting A Bag, Is A Great Start, In Due Time It Will Pay-Off For Ya, Patients My Friend.

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if thats the case then i should be good to go cause the inside of the closet is already painted with a flat white...good deal

with the lights im using only cfls at least to start (plan on hps eventually but money is tight) and i know to put them as close as possible i was just thinking that any light that shines upwards will be lost because its too high to reflect back down...does that make sense?...ill leave it as is for now cause i cant afford to do anything about it anyways =)

i have no idea what killz2 is?...i dont see any mold or mildew in there now...house was completely remodeled earlier this year so everything is still nice clean and new...planning on washing all walls with a light bleach solution right now

i just got back from walmart/home depot/petco and so far i have:

a roll of plastic carpet covering

3 black buckets (wanted 4 may only do 3 plants on this grow due to im running out of money and i still need nutes and clones)

a black 14 gallon rubbermaid tote for my res

enough pvc and connectors and rubber washers to connect everything

a tetra whisper 100 gallon air pump the tubing and bubble bars

3 clamp light fixtures with reflectors (need more)

and 8 cfls 27 watts daylight 6500k 1400 lumens (4.99 a 2 pack at home depot...good deal)

time for a strong cup of joe and cleaning and building...ill try to post some pics later so you guys can see where im at and tell me what im doing wrong...once i actually get plants in ill start a grow journal =)

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You have a great grower giving you help. Hatch is a hydro guru, so listen well and he will always stear you in the right direction.



Peace

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Life,
j-angel

aka GP purrie kittie attack cat!


My Little Grow LST'ing w/Hardware

My Outdoor Odyssey 2008 BONSAI MUMS

My Little Grow Indoor To Outdoor 2009

Hey Dead,

Killz is a good idea if you're dealing with an old space that is questionable when it comes to molds and mildews but if your space is new it probably isn't necessary. Don't get me wrong, it's good advice and a great preventative but Killz will put off a smell while you're using it and while it's curing/drying that is pretty damn nasty.

I built my own cfl fixtures out of bathroom lighting strips you can find for under $15 bucks (I used "four" light fixtures. If you have the space then buy the "six light" bathroom fixture strips) at any Home Depot or Lowes in your area. They're easy to build and they give great light coverage, better than the single clamp on fixtures with reflectors. The single reflectors are useful and serve a good purpose when you need to position light in very specific areas but the bathroom strips will serve you much better for your top/main lighting. If you need help/plans on how to build them I'd be happy to walk you through it. Someone did the same for me here at GP.

If you want to get even simpler you could also just use a tote as your res without the recirculating aspect and put a few plant pods in per tote but that's up to you. I decided to go that route since I'm on my first indoor grow and it has served me well thus far. There are definitely some advantages and disadvantages that go with each system. You'll need more light as the plants grow larger. Jangle is definitely right when it comes to Hatch. He's given me a lot of great help and advice along the way (presently) during my first grow.

-the Corsican.

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My grow journal: http://www.greenpassion.org/f24/cors...st-grow-15533/

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke.

"If at first you don't succeed, it wont hurt to smoke a little weed!"

whew...bleach stinks...room is clean, carpet cover is down...gotta get my kid from school then its time to start cutting pvc and drilling holes...anything i should know about cleaning the buckets and pvc and stuff off or will soapy water do?

thank you all for the tips...you guys are all pros and all very kind and helpful...thats why i joined up here in the first place...gp rocks =)

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w e l c o m e !

All your questions will be answered, Grasshoppah. You've found the right place. Welcome.

__________________
Old King Cole was a merry old soul
And a merry old soul was he!
He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl,
And that's how he stayed so merry!

muchos grassyass =)

yeah im planning on doing that...like 4 bulbs and maybe mod a piece of sheet metal for a reflector...great idea man

my plan is to basically end up with cfls surrounding the outsides of the plants a couple on the inside of the plants that will hit all 3 and then the rig like youre talking about hanging from above

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It is a great idea just not my great idea!

There's a YouTube Video on building one with a piece of 12" ducting used as the reflector. It's not a light strip type though, just a double socket/outlet style. It could be modified though I'm sure. The way I built and use mine, a reflector isn't really needed in my case. You may have a different situation/setup so do what works for you specifically.

Sounds like a good plan brother,

Much love,

-the Corsican.

__________________
My grow journal: http://www.greenpassion.org/f24/cors...st-grow-15533/

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke.

"If at first you don't succeed, it wont hurt to smoke a little weed!"

heres some pics of my junk

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and

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	setup2.jpg (46.4 KB, 5 views)
	setup1.jpg (58.2 KB, 5 views)

and this is it for now

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	setup9.jpg (72.0 KB, 9 views)
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