Super Shed

[Jay Ryan]

I have been growing a lot of auto flowering strains over the last 18 months, and have concluded the following, they can be great for small areas, they can produce very good weed, and they produce less than good quantity.

With that last part in mind, and the fact that I have a small place, now with plants all over the place, I opted to replace the falling down shed I had behind my house with a super shed.

I contracted a local fellow to build a 10x10x10 shed with 2x6 exterior walls. It will be my shed/grow room.

This is the site with the foundation in place:

I had him install a drain in the corner:

Then put in R-19 insulation, and started lining the walls with 6 mil white/black poly:

Note the vent, There is one on each side. The side in the picture is the side I will segregate for flowers. The roof line is 10' in the front, the side with the vents, and 6' on the other side so it is pitched:

I started priming the trim, the wall boards are pre-primed. I will paint the whole thing after electric is run, should be next weekend.

Will also put an exhaust box fan inside the vent on the flower side, and a space heater for the cold nights.

For plants, this is what I will be moving into it:

I made a bunch of clones. Super Lemon Haze, Himalayan Gold, and Super Skunk (free seed from Attitude) that had a twin.

So, right now I am finishing on Super Skunk monster. She's 2' tall and fat! One Midnight Kush (free seed from Attitude) and one Himalayan Gold. They will finish mid May, and will go into the new shed.

I also have 5 clones of the Super Skunk that are in flower, and one Super Lemon Haze that is also in flower and will be done by early June.

So, my shed will already be loaded up. I also have some clones in veg. It's amazing what one can get from just three seeds

My plan is to run through an Indica E pack from Greenhouse next, and maybe fill in with some diesel ryder I made seeds from a few months back.

For lights I plan on reusing the lights I have now. I will put all of these in the 5'x10' flower side the following, from the 6' high side to the 10' high side:

1 4' 4 bulb T5

2 120w tricolor LED

1 400w HPS

This is so that the 400w is closet to the vent. My plan is to put lower plants on the 6' side, taller in the back, the 10' side. And can rotate the plants as they grow.

I will be using DWC, mostly 5 gal black buckets. I use DWC primarily because of the issues I have had in the past with power failures. With DWC, when the power goes off the plants don't get air, but they don't dry out ether. So, it's easier to air the plants (lift them out of the bucket for a bit) then it is to water them when the power is off, and I have had the power down for up to 6 hours with no problem with air in the buckets.

They also lend themselves to easily move, and segregate by changing the water lines. They will all feed from a main 35 gal black container.

I used this method last year outside, and it worked great, well great until the raccoons found the water...lol

I'll keep this posted as I set it up. Any ideas or questions are more than welcome!

[Guest samuelo]

Love your work Jay - Love your yard

You lucky to be in the Cali hills - Keep it up - You are a treasure to this site

One step beyond

[Jay Ryan]

I'm looking forward too! I can't wait to grow plants with real height!

[Polar Bear]

I AM JEALOUS! P.B.

[Jay Ryan]

16x48 skylight on order. I'm going to test it and see how much it adds in the 5x10 area I have planned for budding.

[Jay Ryan]

Just as I was finishing up the shed, I threw my back out and wound up flat on my back for almost 3 weeks. In the mean time I had 6 cuttings, each around 3 feet tall in the shed, but I didn't have the lights in yet. They lived on the sky light alone.

Now I have it pretty much set up, and ready to roll. I now have 8 plants, the first 6 went to flower while I was on my back, and the other two are a little behind, no big deal.

This grow has 4 Super Skunks, one Himalayan Gold, and 3 Super Lemon Haze.

Here they are:

It's a deep water system with 5 gallon bubble buckets. They are all attached with 1/2 black tube (not the hard stuff, the soft bendable stuff) and 1/4 turn shut off valves.

There is a floor drain in the corner where I can drain the buckets weekly. and refill with a 35 gallon trash can.

I dropped 5 125 watt CFLs down into the canopy.

Right now I have 3 120 watt LED lights, and I am using one 400 watt HPS. I just ordered another LED to replace it. I finally found a good source for the 120s at a good price. $185 a piece. The one on the right is one I just bought. When I saw it was what I was looking for I ordered another one. Should be in in a few days.

I have all but one plant on yoyos. 2 of the plants are really bushy and are in tomato round wire guides.

You can see the 400 HPS in the back ground. I have several fans that run on the same timers as the lights. I have a dual fan, like a window fan as an exhaust fan, one oscillating fan, and a few other stationary fans.

Super Lemon Haze 3 weeks into bud

Super Skunk 3 weeks into bud.

Another Super Skunk 3 weeks

Another Super Skunk

So, in all, this is a 4' x 9' area with a temperary wall dividing it from the rest of the super shed.

All four walls and the temp wall, as well as the ceiling and the floor in the grow area are all wrapped with 6 mil poly black on one side, white on the other.

There are 5 125 watt CFLs dropped into the grow.

3 (soon to be 4) 125w tri color LEDS

1 400 watt HPS

5 fans

Vents on both sides, with a constant breeze, temp is currently in the 60s at night, 70s during the day. There is a 1500 watt heater for nights just encase.

Peace,

J

[Primzz]

Jay Ryan........ OMG i love it, really nice setup man HPS & LEDS, Perfect. With that skylight also you should try and grow some mean monsters man. Gonna be a nice harvest for you mate.

Peace

[Jay Ryan]

Thanks Primz!

I have a few wheels of GH seeds to grow. My next grow will be GH's Indica E wheel with Cheese, Himalaya Gold, White Widow, El Nino, and Big Bang.

I also have GH's Thai, so I plan on putting up one or two in the back part of the shed where I have almost 9 feet of hight. I can surround her with CFLs.

I am finishing up an automated system to close and open the skylight. Check back. I have it on a 2x6 of wood right now, and will be putting it in place late today, back willing

[Primzz]

Jay that Arjans Thai will be amazin, and outside WOW granted will take for ever might be able to get 2 indoor harvests before thats ready to snip but def gonna be worth it. Prob could get a kilo outdoors of that plant and such a great sativa. Only issues with it is the hight and flowering time but if you have both its gonna be fun

Havent Tried any on the GH Wheels yet but might giv them ago.

Gonna be a nice selection of smoke when they done.

Peace

[Jay Ryan]

Everything is pretty much laid out, and growing well. A few plants went into shock when they were moved, I think my back being out, and not timing this well was the main cause, but anywho.

Here they are front to back, left to right. So it goes like this as I was looking at them, two rows:

1. Super Skunk 8. Super Lemon Haze

2. Himalayan Gold 7. Super Skunk

3. Super Skunk 6. Super Lemon Haze

4. Super Lemon Haze 5. Super Skunk

And pictures of each:

1. SS first week on 12, still a bit shocked, but new growth looks good:

2. HG 3 weeks into 12x12, looking great!

3. SS This one is the phatest. I have it in a tomato cage kind of holding it all in. Tons of bud sites:

4. SLH, looking good!

5. Super Skunk, a little short, but looking good:

6. A really pretty SLH:

7. A SS that went through hell while I was on my back. She seems to be coming back:

8. SLH, new to the room, a little shocked, but going quickly into bloom. I have high hopes for her:

[Guest superbluehaze]

Great stuff, my friend; but I am a little puzzled.

You have spent a lot of money on your shed, but have seemed to have neglected intense lighting.

The plants need intense light, as this results in a much shorter internode length;

A shorter internode length which gives a much better stem to bud ratio.

Your plants could do with more intense light, and then the internode length will shorten.

You watering cycle needs to be adjusted; the roots of your plants need to dry out a bit more. They need oxygen.

I hope I have helped,

a great shed, my friend.

may you have many bountiful harvests in it,

john

[Jay Ryan]

SuperBlueHaze,

Call me a mad scientist, but I'm laying a bet on LED. I have 4 120w tri-color LEDs, and 5 125w CFLs below the canopy, as well as an operating .

This is my first run with the shed, but not my first run with LEDs. I used 2 in my last grow and found internodes to be very short with the LEDs, and the bud formation to be rock solid. I don't think it's an intensity thing, but rather the colors provided by the LEDs. With the CFLs I have a more balanced light, but the internodes are still close, and thus far, the bud creation is tight for 4 weeks into bud.

For example, in the shed, before I got my last 2 LEDs I had a 400w HPS. The plants under the HPS had double the internode length as compared to the plants under the LEDS. It's the kind of light, I think

I will refresh with new pics over the weekend, but you will be amazed at the bud formation under the LEDs. They are looking phat already, and they are a good 5 weeks away from harvest.

You are right about water/air on the roots, but they are in DWC, and the buckets are only half way full with high out put large air stones. I push a lot of air through them. I will include root pics for you, they are white, and beautiful.

So far I am very happy with the way it is going, but fear not, if my LED experiment fails, I'll buy a few HPSs. What I am attempting to do is to be as environmentally friendly as I can.

I appreciate your input, and hope you will check back when I have new pics of the progress. Thanks!

[Guest superbluehaze]

Hi jay,

Your shed is great, and later I plan to move to the mountains, and will grow in an insulated shed.

There is still a lot not fully understood about photosynthesis and how the plant uses light to produce glucose for growth.

Photons excite the atoms in chlorophyll, as it is bombarded with electromagnetic energy, and this starts the long process.

For small plants I am sure the lights are excellent. I have never used them, so I am being an armchair philosopher here.

It is true that plants need the right spectrum of light for healthy growth. For veg this is around the 400 nanometer range, and for flowering around the 660 nanometer range.

The inter node length would have been longer under a 400 watt HPS as compared to the LED, as the low blue light(even in the son-T-Agros) and high red light does produce plants with a longer inter node length.

The High Pressure sodium lamps that have more mercury in them, and, therefore, can be used for all stages of growth, do produce a plant with a slightly longer inter node lengths, than a plant grown under a metal halide, or other forms of modern lighing.

This is an accepted trade off for the convenience of not having to use 2 lights to complete the life cycle of the plant.

I do not think any form of lighting, at the moment, can come close to High Intensity Discharge lighting. It produces the strongest, most vigorous, and highest yielding plants.But then where would the world be without mad scientists. May you have many bountiful harvests and a low electricity bill. happy growing, john .

[Jay Ryan]

Hey John,

I am also starting a small outside crop along side the shed. I am going to be able to get one short season in the mountains, so I will be putting about a dozen auto flowers out in about a week. They are on their second set of leaves, I want a bit more growth before I put them out. I'll have to put up some pics.

Good luck when you get to the mountains. I really love where I live, no one bothers me with the grow, and I can play mad scientist all day and all night

Thanks for your input!

Jeff

[Guest superbluehaze]

hi Jay,

I have had another read. If you do have a large skylight, then that does change things a lot, as the artificial light you have will not the only source of light the plants receive.

You shed is a great way to grow, as you have natural sunlight but are not restricted by an outside climate.

happy growing,

john

[Jay Ryan]

Yes, the skylight was part of my design, and the fact that the LEDs are very directional, I don't lose light up, but rather as you pointed out, I suppliment with natural light.

In the end, the quantity and quality will tell

Thanks

J

[Guest superbluehaze]

i think your shed will be excellent. Your lants will be getting plenty of blue light from the sun; as far as intensity is concerned - well, you can not beat the sun.

Are you going to use carbon dioxide enrichment; thee is a company that makes a water cooled generator and also sells a great controller. Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUyQATRtgwE

happy growing,

john

[Jay Ryan]

John,

Being on top of a mountain, and I really mean on top, there is a constant breeze. I have vents on both sides to facilitate good air movement, so, no CO2.

I just took these pics of the top buds, from left to right, front to back:

All of them:

Super Skunk Super Lemon Haze

Himalayan Gold Super Skunk

Super Skunk Super Lemon Haze

Super Lemon Haze Super Skunk

Individual top buds

Super Skunk Just showing hairs this week

Himalayan Gold 4 weeks into bud:

Super Skunk 4 weeks into bud:

Super Lemon Haze 4 weeks into bud:

Super Skunk 4 weeks into bud:

Super Lemon Haze 4 weeks into bud:

Super Skunk 4 weeks into bud:

Super Lemon Haze, just showed hairs:

So far all the plants are doing great! They are very stable, all seem to be thriving to the max. I don't know what else to say except, I can't for the next 4-10 weeks to pass. I am already planning my next grow. I will start seeds in another week or two.

[Guest superbluehaze]

looking very good, my friend. As regards carbon dioxide, at levels over 1500pmm (400pmm is is air)growth increase dramatically, up to 2 and half times faster, and yield is sometimes doubled; and I thought you may have to heat the shed in the colder months. Good luck with it;

happy growing.

john

[Jay Ryan]

You're right, in the cooler months (10 out of 12) I will have the vents closed for the most part, and the heat running. I can run CO2 then...

Thanks!

[anguscr]

Jay.. Great set up... good work with the leds, your babes are looking good my man, they look so nice under the leds... beatifulll!!!!

[Jay Ryan]

I got two of the lights here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300371125821&ssPageName=ADME:X:AAQ:US:1123

The price has dropped even lower, $145 US. They are from China, ship world wide, and their lights are very good.

Here is a Super Lemon Haze. She is 3' tall and in her 5th week:

I don't know what the yeild will be on this grow, it is my first in the shed, but in other grows, with the same lights I got very little stretch, and good solid buds.

[biggreenbuds]

All i have to say is ... this is beautiful. i love your grow shed and this inspires me to get up into the mountains and build one my self friend.

keep up the great work

~Bgb

[Jay Ryan]

Thanks Bgb, so far so good. 4 more weeks till I can start the harvest. It will probably run through the end of August. Phat ass buds!

[Jay Ryan]

These pics were taken yesterday. 6 plants are on their 6th week of flowering, 2 are on their 4th. So, I switched the 6 to flush the last two weeks, the two are still on feed.

I have a series of 1/2 soft black tubing with a dozen quarter turn valves that let me segregate their feed/water/drain state.

Here are the ladies:

From front to back, the first two left and right are on their 4th week of flowering, the back 6 are the ones on water only now, 2 weeks to go.

4 week super lemon haze

6 week into flowering Super Skunk MONSTER

6 week Super Lemon Haze, it's hard to see in this pic, but she is really lovely. Great resin!

Super Skunk at 6 weeks. She is small, and I may let her go long and extra week or two:

Another Super Lemon Haze at 6 weeks. Now this is a beauty!

I have several plants started to take these ladies places. So far I have 2 Greenhouse Thai, 1 H-Gold, 2 Super Lemon Haze, one White Widow. This will be a Greenhouse only grow.

I am very anxious to get the Thai started. The Shed has about 8 feet of height that I am looking forward to see it filled with Thai!!!

BTW, the seeds were 100% great!