Grow Room Set Up

There are so many people that have terrible food allergies, and growing their own food is vital to their existance. Unfortunatly not everyone has the joy of being able to plant a garden outdoors. In the mountains of Colorado, we have a very short growing season. For that reason, many choose to grow indoors so that they can have the herbs and vegetables they enjoy, and that are healthy for them. For this reason, we have put together this instruction sheet on how to do your own grow room setup.

Grow Room Set Up

Step One – Choose space

A dark corner of the basement is ideal.  Make sure the room is the right size.  A 1000W HID will efficiently illuminate a 10 by 10 foot room with light mover being utilized.  The ceiling should be at least 5 feet high.  The plants are set about a foot off ground in containers & the lamp needs to hang a foot from ceiling.  If you have less height, you can bend & prune plants.

Step Two – Enclose the room

Remove everything not having to do with the garden.  Furniture, carpet, drapes or curtains that can harbor pests & mold.   You may also want to put in a smoke detector & Fire extinguisher.

Step Three – Set up exhaust fan

You will need a vent fan for fresh air & remove old, hot air. Air should be refreshed every five minutes.  Calculate by adding room space (LXWXH), then divide by 5 to find vent fan with proper cubic feet per minute (cfm) rate. (12X12X12 =1,728 cubic feet ÷5 = 345.6 cf per minute). Set exhaust fan on low except when spraying for pests or if humidity is too high, then run on high. You also need two oscillating fans for circulation. One near ceiling, the other on the floor.  Do not point directly on plants.

Step Four – Cover everything

Paint everything – ceiling, walls floor in flat white paint or use Mylar.  A 1000W HID lamp can increase from 36 feet to 100 sq.ft.

Step Six – Flooring

Concrete is ideal.  A floor drain is handy.  Do not use carpet.

Step Seven – Mounting hook

Use mounting materials that will allow you to support 30 pounds for your lamp in the center of room.  Attach adjustable chain or cord & a pulley between the ceiling hook & lamp. 

Step Eight – Have tools available

 Such as a hygrometer, Ph meter (between 5.5-6.5), thermometer.  You are more likely to use them if handy.

Step Nine – Setting up HID system

Find a place for your system that will not be too close to plants or flammable like walls or ceilings.  Place ballast on floor or outside of the garden to keep heat low in garden.  Make sure all electrical cords are away from any heat source. Use Metal Halide (MH) for vegative growth & High Pressure Sodium (HPS) for fruiting & flowering.  You can get separate ballasts for each light or a switchable unit. Choose reflector for your size grow area.  Goal – give plants a total of 10,000 lumens to flower.

 (600watt HP sodium @ 3feet = 10,000 lumens- 3x3 = 9 feet, 600 watts / 9 = 66 watts per sq. ft.)

Step Ten – Get a good timer

Use it.  Plants are sensitive to dramatic light changes or lack there of. Do not overload amperage/watts. One timer, one light.  One timer, one fan. Etc. Set desired photoperiod & turn on timer.

Step Eleven – Electrical source

A 1000W HID lamp will use about 9.5amperes of electricity on a regular 115 volt current.  Try not to use extension cords.  The farther electricity travels, weaker it gets & the more heat it produces.  Use a 14 gauge extension cord if needed.

Step Twelve – Use 3-prong grounded plug

And/Or install a GFI outlet.

Step Thirteen – Placing bulb

Once the proper circuit is selected, the socket & hood mounted overhead, the ballast in place on the floor (not plugged in); screw the HID bulb finger tight into the socket.  Make sure the bulb is secure in the socket tightly, but not too tight & make certain there is a good connection.  When secure, wipe off all smudges on bulb.

Step Fourteen– Temperature and Humidity

Most plants grow best between 65 (night) to 80 F (day) and relative humidity between 40- 60 percent. 

Step Fifteen – CO2

Utilize with CO2 equipment at no higher than 1000ppm.  Nutrients must increase if you use this rate.  Only have CO2 running during lights on time.

We hope this tutorial helps you to grow fabulous veggies for years to come! 

HAPPY GARDENING