growHIgardens
New Member
Aloha!
I'm looking to start my FIRST grow setup and this site has been an amazing wealth of information so far. I've worked around the plant for years but have never done my own grow from start to finish. Here's my situation and why I need your expertise... Living in Hawaii is amazing and the climate provides a wonderful place to grow potent herb. However, we have a small plot of land surrounded by a lot of neighbors so there isn't much privacy and certainly no way to hide the smell. We have 1 medical card in the house, soon to be 2. I've been researching the many different setup options but haven't narrowed it down to anything in particular quite yet. I would prefer to start with soil and then try a hydro setup eventually.
From what I've gathered I think a tent setup would work best for us, either in an empty room/closet or in the garage. Being able to set things up quickly and move it if we have too is very appealing. I can't commit to changing an entire room into a grow setup quite yet. Our electricity rates are CRAZY so being energy efficient is top priority. We're even considering adding a few more solar panels to the roof to accommodate lights & fans. With our current laws we can grow seven plants with only 3 mature at a time (luckily this will be changing, but not for another year).
With all that said, I'm looking at using T5 lighting through the entire grow, switching up the bulbs between vegetative and flowering growth. A ScrOG grow would probably make the most sense but it sounds a little intimidating for a first timer. Using a T5 fluorescent setup would allow me to keep the lights very close to the buds and since they don't have the power to penetrate the plants like a HPS light would, ScrOG seems to win. I'd like to keep a constant cycle of plants with some clones, some vegging, and 3 flowering. My biggest questions with this setup is in regards to what type of tent to choose, how to deal with heat & humidity, and what strains to start with.
1. CHOOSING A TENT
There's such an abundance of tents on the market I'm really having a hard time being decisive. Secret Jardin and Gorilla Grow seem to be on the higher end, and their prices reflect that. Considering we can only have 7 plants with 3 flowering at any given time, I will need two areas to keep my light cycles different. I've read way too many threads and reviews about tents but am still struggling to narrow it down, any suggestions? Ventilation is key since we have year round warm temps (inside the house and out!).
2. DEALING WITH HEAT & HUMIDITY
Our house maintains a consistent temperature year round.... warm. Daytime temps are generally in the mid-70's and night time drops down to the mid-60's. I have been leaning towards a T5 setup because it won't produce as much heat and it should be more energy efficient. I don't think we will have to do much to alter the humidity, but I don't want it to get too hot or humid indoors and ruin the plants.
3. CHOOSING A STRAIN
I've been flipping through the seedbanks and reading up on what will thrive in our environment and what to avoid. I have friends that have dealt with Nirvana seeds and also Attitude Seed Bank and both had successful shipments. Sativa dominant plants are obviously more suited for the tropical conditions, but I'm worried they would be too tall and quick growing for an indoor. Indica dominant seems risky because of the high risk of mold. I'm not looking to spend hundreds on startup seeds because this is my first run... at the same time I don't want to just pick out the cheapest seeds either. With the allowed 3 plants flowering in a ScrOG setup, a decent yield is essential to keep our medicine stocked through until the next harvest.
So that's our situation currently, if you have any questions please let me know! We're looking forward to any help we can get from the community, mahalos in advance.
I'm looking to start my FIRST grow setup and this site has been an amazing wealth of information so far. I've worked around the plant for years but have never done my own grow from start to finish. Here's my situation and why I need your expertise... Living in Hawaii is amazing and the climate provides a wonderful place to grow potent herb. However, we have a small plot of land surrounded by a lot of neighbors so there isn't much privacy and certainly no way to hide the smell. We have 1 medical card in the house, soon to be 2. I've been researching the many different setup options but haven't narrowed it down to anything in particular quite yet. I would prefer to start with soil and then try a hydro setup eventually.
From what I've gathered I think a tent setup would work best for us, either in an empty room/closet or in the garage. Being able to set things up quickly and move it if we have too is very appealing. I can't commit to changing an entire room into a grow setup quite yet. Our electricity rates are CRAZY so being energy efficient is top priority. We're even considering adding a few more solar panels to the roof to accommodate lights & fans. With our current laws we can grow seven plants with only 3 mature at a time (luckily this will be changing, but not for another year).
With all that said, I'm looking at using T5 lighting through the entire grow, switching up the bulbs between vegetative and flowering growth. A ScrOG grow would probably make the most sense but it sounds a little intimidating for a first timer. Using a T5 fluorescent setup would allow me to keep the lights very close to the buds and since they don't have the power to penetrate the plants like a HPS light would, ScrOG seems to win. I'd like to keep a constant cycle of plants with some clones, some vegging, and 3 flowering. My biggest questions with this setup is in regards to what type of tent to choose, how to deal with heat & humidity, and what strains to start with.
1. CHOOSING A TENT
There's such an abundance of tents on the market I'm really having a hard time being decisive. Secret Jardin and Gorilla Grow seem to be on the higher end, and their prices reflect that. Considering we can only have 7 plants with 3 flowering at any given time, I will need two areas to keep my light cycles different. I've read way too many threads and reviews about tents but am still struggling to narrow it down, any suggestions? Ventilation is key since we have year round warm temps (inside the house and out!).
2. DEALING WITH HEAT & HUMIDITY
Our house maintains a consistent temperature year round.... warm. Daytime temps are generally in the mid-70's and night time drops down to the mid-60's. I have been leaning towards a T5 setup because it won't produce as much heat and it should be more energy efficient. I don't think we will have to do much to alter the humidity, but I don't want it to get too hot or humid indoors and ruin the plants.
3. CHOOSING A STRAIN
I've been flipping through the seedbanks and reading up on what will thrive in our environment and what to avoid. I have friends that have dealt with Nirvana seeds and also Attitude Seed Bank and both had successful shipments. Sativa dominant plants are obviously more suited for the tropical conditions, but I'm worried they would be too tall and quick growing for an indoor. Indica dominant seems risky because of the high risk of mold. I'm not looking to spend hundreds on startup seeds because this is my first run... at the same time I don't want to just pick out the cheapest seeds either. With the allowed 3 plants flowering in a ScrOG setup, a decent yield is essential to keep our medicine stocked through until the next harvest.
So that's our situation currently, if you have any questions please let me know! We're looking forward to any help we can get from the community, mahalos in advance.
