What would you do with this indoor setup?

ifmacdonald · February 28, 2016

Greetings all. I'm currently baby-sitting some quality indoor grow equipment from a friend and have permission to use it.

However, I'm a little out of my depth. Last year I grew 50 odd tomato plants, from seed, in 3" net cups set in 1020 trays under standard T8 shoplights and things worked fine.

Now I have that, plus:

* one 4x4' reflective grow tent
* a 600W HPS bulb, reflector hood, cooling ducts and fans
* one 2x4' flood and drain basin, reservoir and pump
* two 4" T5 arrays (4 bulbs each, 216W, 20,000 Lumens)

All said and done, I figure I have about 20 1020 trays worth of grow area under various light sources

I'm hoping to grow all my own plants (~80) and make a little bit of money on the side selling seedlings. Not much, maybe a few hundred (?), which would more than cover my garden expenses for this year and next.

My initial thoughts are to follow nctomatoman's dense seeding program and transplant individuals into standard 3.5" pots, 18 per tray, until planting and selling. However, I am worried about the root system - they'll be in these pots for 7 weeks or so. A better option might be the slightly more expensive, but deeper P86D pots. (I'd use net cups again, for air pruning, but they're definitely too expensive).

I've never attempted a grow on this scale, but I'm not sure when I'll get the chance again. (I have a decent inventory of heirlooms and hybrids, and live in upstate NY, Zone 5B).

So, my fellow 'villians... what would you do with this dream hobby setup? What are the pitfalls to be mindful of? There's a wealth of knowledge on this site and I'm looking forward to the conversations

February 28, 2016	#1
ifmacdonald Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2015 Location: Vestal, New York Posts: 6	What would you do with this indoor setup? Greetings all. I'm currently baby-sitting some quality indoor grow equipment from a friend and have permission to use it. However, I'm a little out of my depth. Last year I grew 50 odd tomato plants, from seed, in 3" net cups set in 1020 trays under standard T8 shoplights and things worked fine. Now I have that, plus: * one 4x4' reflective grow tent * a 600W HPS bulb, reflector hood, cooling ducts and fans * one 2x4' flood and drain basin, reservoir and pump * two 4" T5 arrays (4 bulbs each, 216W, 20,000 Lumens) All said and done, I figure I have about 20 1020 trays worth of grow area under various light sources I'm hoping to grow all my own plants (~80) and make a little bit of money on the side selling seedlings. Not much, maybe a few hundred (?), which would more than cover my garden expenses for this year and next. My initial thoughts are to follow nctomatoman's dense seeding program and transplant individuals into standard 3.5" pots, 18 per tray, until planting and selling. However, I am worried about the root system - they'll be in these pots for 7 weeks or so. A better option might be the slightly more expensive, but deeper P86D pots. (I'd use net cups again, for air pruning, but they're definitely too expensive). I've never attempted a grow on this scale, but I'm not sure when I'll get the chance again. (I have a decent inventory of heirlooms and hybrids, and live in upstate NY, Zone 5B). So, my fellow 'villians... what would you do with this dream hobby setup? What are the pitfalls to be mindful of? There's a wealth of knowledge on this site and I'm looking forward to the conversations