Crawlspace veg room HELP

[bwanabud]

I want to build a grow room for starting plants and a mother, in a small 5'x5' room. It is only 4 foot tall inside. I am going to insulate the foundation and adding electric needs is no problem.

I just need a starter room - cuz I do all my growing outside. So flowering heights or size is not an issue. I was hoping to run quality flor. lamps in the space. Would like to have 15-20 plants ready by spring.

I have been researching the grow room site at MP - and to be honest,am totally confused with my options and the acronyms used.

Any basic info would be greatly appreciated

 

[Old_SSSC_Guy]

look towards a 400 watt compact system, like the hydrofarm sunburst 400. at least its ballast is built in, you can put tempered glass in it for added ventilation, and if you white-paint, mylar or white styro the space you ought to be fine. use something like a 140cfm dayton fan to suck air through it.

a 600 watt would work fine/better, just can't remember any compact 600 watt systems at the moment.

 

[bwanabud]

Thanks for the response OSG

So, I shouldn't consider using T5 flor. grow bulbs and fixtures ? I was hoping to run 4 or 6 bulb units(2 of them) in the space. I was hoping to keep as much head room as possible. It is only 4' tall, and i'm going to loose height pretty fast.

Is heat still going to be a concern with flor. fixtures ? I know that ventalation is needed for air quality.

Thanks again

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

I recommend T5s. You will want at least 2 6 bulb units. Go with the 6500K bulbs. Make sure they are the high output bulbs that emit 5000 lumens. The HO T5s put out more lumens per watt than any other fluoro and is also lower profile than any other light you could put in there. The T5s are fairly easy to keep cool.

Bugs can be a problem in a crawl space. They are going to want to migrate to the warm moist confines of your grow box where there is food....give this some thought.

 

[meds4me]

I recommend T5s. You will want at least 2 6 bulb units. Go with the 6500K bulbs. Make sure they are the high output bulbs that emit 5000 lumens. The HO T5s put out more lumens per watt than any other fluoro and is also lower profile than any other light you could put in there. The T5s are fairly easy to keep cool.

Bugs can be a problem in a crawl space. They are going to want to migrate to the warm moist confines of your grow box where there is food....give this some thought.

Tottaly agree with her ^...another issue is the high humidity ( moisture) in the crawl space. Personally i would convert something in closet or garage ! Ground temp is another issue as it gets colder outside them roots wont like it ~

 

[bwanabud]

Thanks gal's & guy's,

THG - I was hoping you would respond to my noobie question. I followed your posts on another thread - and you know you're stuff.

I am glad to hear I can run the flor. lamps - my son has some HQ's he offered up - but once again will waste head room and increase electric bill.

M4M - I was planning on using electric heating mats and a space heater to keep the babies warm.

The space is perfect for my needs, if I can correctly set up the room environment.

Few more questions PLEASE:

Is white Styrofoam a good reflector ? (since I'm insulating with it)
What temp. do you try to keep your grow room?
What % Rh is prime ?
Which nutes are best for babies ?
How many air changes an hour ? (if I don't have a temp. problem)

Thanks for looking .......Bwanabud

 

[Old_SSSC_Guy]

Styrofoam 4'x8'x1" sheets work wonderfully, floor and walls.

Aim your room for what most humans prefer - mid to high 70's during the day and a little cooler at night. Aim for that and you'll come close to happyland for plants.

Nutes are different but most babies don't need much of anything (assuming starting in good soil) for the first week or so. Then depending on what nutes you are using - follow their directions. Some recommend 1/3rd, some 1/2 strength. Read label and thou shall know...

Air = width x length x height = approx CFM needed

hope that helps some....

Thanks gal's & guy's,

Few more questions PLEASE:

Is white Styrofoam a good reflector ? (since I'm insulating with it)
What temp. do you try to keep your grow room?
What % Rh is prime ?
Which nutes are best for babies ?
How many air changes an hour ? (if I don't have a temp. problem)

Thanks for looking .......Bwanabud

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Try to keep your temps above 60 and under 80--45-50 RH. Babies do not need any nutes until they are 3-4 weeks old. I would get nutes for mj--GH, AN. I exchange the air in my space approx 180 times an hour--3-4 times a minute while the lights are on.

 

[nouvellechef]

I veg and flower in my crawlspace. Made walls with painters plastic and Mylar, all lightproof. Pics are below. Any questions holla.