Hello from Oregon

[Hort420]

Hi from the newly legalized zone, Oregon. I'm a landscape contractor (installer/ construction) with 25 year green industry and nursery experience. I am hoping to combine my nearly 40 year old love for Cannabis (and plants in general) with the actual production end of it. I can buy in my state now and its good smoke, but I can see already its going to be an expensive habit unless I produce my own.

I am not set up yet. I just recieved my 400 watt HPS/ MH lights and reflector. So far all I have done is assembled and tested my lights, it all works great. I also purchased a Hurricane inline 6" fan, some 6" ducting/ tubing, black plastic and some other items to help me get started. No seeds or starters yet.


Before I get too crazy, of special interest to me would be the subject of growing cannabis in a garage thats not heated and which gets very cold (10 and 20 degrees is not uncommon here) and doing it the cheapest way possible. Any pointers to threads about that would be super helpful. Its just winter month's that are brutal but we have about 4 month's of pretty cold weather.
Ayway, I'm going to have some fun reading and looking around. Thanks for having me!
Dan

 

[arteekay]

Hort420. Sounds like you'll be a great resource for me to learn from.

 

[Hort420]

Thanks arteekay, if there is anything I can help with I will certainly try. I think you folks are going to be helping me more than anything

 

[Major PITA]

to from another Oregonian who grows in an unheated garage.

 

[OlderGrower]

Hey Hort420 welcome to the 420 community from a fellow Oregonian

My brother grows in his pump house out on his farm and is able to get by with a small oil heater in his flower room and another small heater (not sure which style or type) in his veg room. I am heading out there tomorrow, and will take a look and see what is in his veg room.
As for growing and the high cost, may I suggest you plant the legal 4 for an outdoor grow this coming summer. I would veg them till mid to late May then move them outdoors. Depending on your location will depend on how you grow them. I for example can not have large plants since I am in town but will be growing this style but under a SCROG outside. My brother on the other hand lives out of town and his can and have been quiet tall over the years.
By getting a large outdoor crop it cuts down on the costs of the indoor grow since you create a bit of a stock pile from your outdoor grow.

Sorry for rambling, but welcome again fellow Oregonian

 

[Hort420]

Ah cool, I knew there had to be some more of us in here!!! Good to meet you!

 

[arteekay]

Thanks arteekay, if there is anything I can help with I will certainly try. I think you folks are going to be helping me more than anything

I'm firmly in the learning camp right now, but can read over your shoulder when the weed-gurus show up, like they already have.

Hoping you'll start a grow journal and keep us updated on how it goes, I'm sure we'll all learn something.

 

[Hort420]

Thanks oldergrower, thats good news to me. I'm sure I'll have more questions once I start setting up. Today was 30 degrees so I didnt do much Maybe tomorrow.
I like the idea about starting indoors then moving outdoors. It also saves on the electrical bill. I'm in a rural area so I can get away with a little bit of that.
Thanks for the advice. I cant wait to get going!
Dan

 

[Major PITA]

If you end up in the garage you will definitely need heat. I don't like gas/oil because they add humidity. I battle RH as much as I do the temp's. I run a 600W in a space that's less than 160 cu-ft. When it's cold, I need about 750 watts of heat with the light off and 200 - 300 watts of heat with the light on. With my air turnover, I get 78/72 degrees and 55%/30% RH. Not perfect, but not awful.

 

[Rifleman]

Welcome Hort. Plenty of OR folks around. I hope they help you as much as they have me.

 

[Hort420]

Thanks Major thats exactly the kind of thing I am wondering about. I'm also thinking that recycling fresh
air from the outside when its cold isnt a good idea during the cold months? No way to heat it fast enough.
I was just reading about humidity slowing growth of Cannabis so that makes sense, I'll stick with some
form of dry heat like an element with a fan. I'll just have to build a decent room thats contained. My shop
is just over 500 square feet and I am going to just pick a corner (that covers two walls) and make a simple
frame to support two sheets of heavy plastic, or might even go all the way and dry wall all 4 walls.
I think I can get away with starting inside my house, I didnt wan to but I think I might have to, just
the first month or so while I get my perm room in the shop going.

Yep, I'll definitely keep a photo journal at the very least arteekay.

 

[OlderGrower]

If you end up in the garage you will definitely need heat. I don't like gas/oil because they add humidity. I battle RH as much as I do the temp's. I run a 600W in a space that's less than 160 cu-ft. When it's cold, I need about 750 watts of heat with the light off and 200 - 300 watts of heat with the light on. With my air turnover, I get 78/72 degrees and 55%/30% RH. Not perfect, but not awful.

Very few people ever are going to get perfect conditions, unless you have a large budget to work with, but I am sure your weather conditions are more likely closer to Major Pita's then me or my brother (Wifeygrower). We are both located up in the Willamette Valley out near Forest Grove. Or as an old friend of mine calls it, the Banana belt

not perfect but not that awful. I would love to see how well you grow with great conditions Major Pita if you can grow as well as you do in "not perfect" conditions

 

[arteekay]

My shop is just over 500 square feet and I am going to just pick a corner (that covers two walls) and make a simple frame to support two sheets of heavy plastic, or might even go all the way and dry wall all 4 walls. I think I can get away with starting inside my house, I didnt wan to but I think I might have to, just the first month or so while I get my perm room in the shop going.

Yep, I'll definitely keep a photo journal at the very least arteekay.

Walls definitely give you more options, can't easily mount a fan or run an outlet onto heavy plastic. All depends on budget and whatnot of course. I personally tend to throw out the budget and empty my accounts for new projects, so I might not be the best person to comment.

 

[Hort420]

Yep you are banana belt . Bend is definitely prone to some really cold weather so I'll have to prepare. I do have a good spot but not so sure its going to be doable and be cheap at the same time. I can probably spend a few hundred more dollars which would put me at right around $1000 total. I think a couple hundred more dollars would get me the 2x4's and the insulation at the least. Not sure what drywall is running but I could use plywood sheets too, its only two walls thagt I would have to frame then everything could be properly insulated

 

[arteekay]

Plywood painted white is probably better than drywall, allows you to screw in just about anything just about anywhere.

 

[Hort420]

Plywood painted white is probably better than drywall, allows you to screw in just about anything just about anywhere.

True story! That solves that question, plywood sheets it is. That and the insulated framing, plus it being already inside a shop/ garage area should work out really well.

 

[arteekay]

Cant wait to hear, or better yet see, how you make out. I'll be following with great interest, as I might consider a similar move in the future.

 

[Castor27]

Hort420

I live in Alaska we get below 0 at times. I know you have less powerful lights than I do. nun the less I'm running 2 1000w lights with 6'' vented hoods, and a 8'' 740cfm inline fan split to 2 6'' ports to pull the heat off my lights seeing how I'm growing in a 4x8 area. the fan and the carbon filter are outside my grow room and venting directly into my garage. this makes it so I save all the energy, and heat my garage with it. the heater in my garage is set to 65 so it dosnt get too cold at lights off. the heater stays off all day and dosnt start to heat back up till bout 3 or 4 hrs after lights off. it works for me and helps use all that heat that would be other ways wasted. I hope this helps!

ps. I'm new to this wonderful place as well!