 |
|
So you want to grow some plants indoors? |
|
|
| Right, you've decided that you want to grow indoors. What Now? Read our overview of the choices you have to make and get your grow room off to a great start. A good read for the new grower, and a handy refresher for the rest of us. |
|
|
If you’re thinking of growing some plants indoors and are a bit overwhelmed by the vast amounts of varied information out there in digi-land then read on! Below are the basic essentials you will need to get you started with a small hobby set-up.
Where?
The first thing you need is to decide on is an area you can use to grow in. A walk in closet or large wardrobe, a sectioned off corner of a room or a GroWell Grow Tent are ideal. If using 250 Watt or 400 Watt halide or sodium light, at least 150-180cm (5 or 6 feet) of grow room height will be necessary so the area does not get too hot. Either of these lights will create a high light environment in anything up to a metre square.
Once you have identified your growing area, you need to make it into a space suitable for indoor growing. The key to indoor growing is light. The more lumens you get to your plants, the more they will grow. There are two considerations here, the number of lumens that your chosen grow lamp provides and the reflectivity and light retention properties of your growing space. If you intend to grow in a GroWell Grow Tent, then you will not need to worry about this too much, as the tents are specifically designed for this application and are constructed of highly reflective plastic. If you are growing in a closet or wardrobe, then you will need to adapt your room to maximise your light effectiveness. The quick solution is to get yourself a can of white emulsion and whitewash the inside of your growing area. If you are a bit more serious, then various types of reflective sheeting are available including Mylar, black/white plastic sheeting and total blackout sheeting to make growing areas or covering walls. Gaffa tape and drawing pins should suffice when fixing these materials in your grow room.
Once you have decided on your grow room there are three main ingredients to a good garden: good stock, lots of light and good air-exchange.
Good Stock
This means a plant that shows desirable qualities like colour, smell, taste and most of all yield. This is all predetermined by the plants genes to a certain extent, as every variety or strain of plant will have a genetically determined maximum in all of these qualities. It won’t matter how good you are at growing, if the stock you are using is not very good, then your harvest will not be very good either!
Your best option to start with is to obtain some cuttings from a friend or neighbour and start to look around for some seeds. Don’t spend too much money on new expensive varieties, instead go for good reliable established strains that will be more genetically stable.
Lots of Light
For light loving plants in a square metre grow room, a 400 Watt light would be ideal. In less than a metre a 250 Watt light will be suffice and in more than a metre a 600 Watt light is your best option. The light would need to be 90-120cm (3-4 feet) above the tops of young plants and 45-60cm (18-24 inches) above bigger plants.
These lamps create a lot of heat, hence the need to have good headroom (somewhere for all that heat to go). Even with air exchange/extraction systems the more headroom you can allow in your grow room, the better the results.
Good Air-Exchange
Natural ventilation through vent holes in the top and bottom of the grow room may be enough to keep temperatures acceptable, but forced air exchange using an extractor fan will always improve plant health and significantly increase yield.
If using an extractor fan you should draw hot air from the top of the growing area, using ducting if necessary to achieve this. Your extractor fan it needs to be on at least all of the time the light is on, and air holes need to be made at the bottom of the area so new air can be drawn in to replace the extracted air. The extracted air can be directed into the rest of the room with more ducting, possibly towards an open window or preferably out of the building or into the attic.
Working out what kind of extraction you need in your grow room can be quite complicated, as it all depends on how big your grow room is and how many lights you have in the growing space. For grow rooms with only one light, it is much easier to identify what extraction you will need, as you can draw air directly from around the lamp. In these one light grow rooms, the actual size of your room is less important in determining which fans to use. If in the future you do want to use multiple light sources, then we are always only a phone call or e-mail away to advise!
The following example should get you started with a normal hobby set-up:
Example 1 - 250 Watt sodium light
Air Extraction:
- RVK 100 A1 (175m3/hour)
- 3 x metres of 100mm Aluminium Ducting
- 2 x 100mm Quick release clips
Air Input:
- 4 x 2 inch(or 2 x 4 inch) holes should be enough to allow sufficient air intake.
Example 2. - 400 watt sodium light
Air Extraction:
- RVK 125 A1 (240m3/hr) Extractor Fan
- 3 x metres of 125mm Aluminium Ducting
- 2 x 125mm Quick release clips
Air Input:
- 4 x 3 inch(or 2 x 5 inch) holes should be enough to allow sufficient air intake.
Extra Information
If you have good stock, lots of light and good air exchange AND can keep the plants healthy, you will get good if not excellent results! This is irrespective of whether you grow in pots of soil or the latest in hydroponic systems, although hydro will generally beat soil for fast growing time, yield and quality. Keeping the plants healthy is not so hard, most problems are caused by having the light too close to the plants or overfeeding.
In hydroponics use quarter to half strength feed on young plants, and half strength or more on bigger plants.
A 250w high pressure sodium light should be 120cm (4 feet) above propagators, 90cm (3 feet) above young plants and as close as 45cm (one and a half feet) from bigger plants.
A 400w light should be about 150cm (5 feet) above propagators, 90cm – 120cm (3 - 4 feet) above young plants and 60cm (2 feet) from bigger plants.
This is only a guide and will vary from room to room depending on air exchange, headroom and other factors but these distances should keep you out of trouble until you get used to your light and growing system. Good Luck!
|
|
|
|
Home | About Us | Contact Us | Hydroponics Shops | Learn About Hydroponics | QuickShop | Easy Order | Help & FAQ
What Is Hydroponics? | Get Hydroponics Catalogue | Testimonials | Jobs in Hydroponics | Free Hydroponics Newsletter
 
|
 |
GroWell Hydroponics Ltd, Solihull, Birmingham, UK
Blooms Garden Centre, Kenilworth Road
Hampton-In-Arden, Solihull, B92 0LW
GroWell Hydroponics Ltd, Fulham, London, UK
1 Royal Parade, 247 Dawes Road
Fulham, London, SW6 7RE
GroWell Hydroponics Ltd, Merry Hill, Dudley, UK
Unit 52 Enterprise Trading Estate,
Off Pedmore Road
Brierley Hill,
Dudley,
DY5 1TX |
|
Solihull shop opening hours:
Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm
Sunday 11am-4pm
Closed Bank Holidays |
|
Fulham shop opening hours:
Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm
Sunday 11am-4pm
Closed Bank Holidays |
|
Merry Hill shop opening hours:
Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm
Closed Sundays & Bank Holidays |
|
Mail Order opening hours:
Monday-Friday 9:30am-5:30pm
Saturday 10am-5pm
Sunday 11am-4pm |
|
© Copyright 2000-2008 GroWell Hydroponics & Plant Lighting Ltd
|
|
|
|
