Low-roofed loft - tent or convert?

[sinisterminister]

Hi

 

First off I want to say I'm a total rookie when it comes to growing, although I've wanted to for years. I plan to create a one (or ideally two but I don't think there's room) plant hydroponic setup in my loft. I've done a little bit of research and the general consensus seems to be I'll need a growing space of at least 5 feet. Unfortunately it's only 59" (one inch off 5 foot!) from the floor to the middle support beam. I've been looking at tents and the most suitable one I can find is 160cm tall, which is around 5 foot 3. Obviously if I put this tent up there there's gonna be a massive bulge hanging from the tent's ceiling from the support beam. Would this still be okay to grow or would the light end up too close to the plant? I intend to use an Oxypot which is 38cm tall, plus the height of the plant. I'm going to use an LED light but don't know if it'll still be too hot.

 

If the tent is a no-go, I was thinking of converting a section of the loft but again, will it actually work properly with such little space? I know there are "dwarf" plants, but... I'm a greedy bastard and I want big yields! It's all gonna be for percy but I can't stand running out, especially as these days for me it's medicine more than anything

 

 

[MonkeyBlazed]

Can you get a loft tent up there, then just do a low pot and no-till . Would be easier .

[Lux_Interior]

You could consider buying reflective sheeting and creating your own grow-space using drawing pins and tape. It would maximise your space available. Its what I used to do for many years. My LED lamps are 9" from the canopy with no heat issues.

 

Also, welcome to UK420

 

 

 

Edited September 1, 2022 by Lux_Interior
grammar

[sinisterminister]

15 minutes ago, MonkeyBlazed said:

Can you get a loft tent up there, then just do a low pot and no-till . Would be easier .

 

I considered that but the problem is the only ones I can find online are all too tall.

 

13 minutes ago, Lux_Interior said:

You could consider buying reflective sheeting and creating your own grow-space using drawing pins and tape. It would maximise your space available. Its what I used to do for many years. My LED lamps are 9" from the canopy with no heat issues.

 

Also, welcome to UK420

 

 

 

Thanks! Yeah, I have been looking at reflective sheeting. I was considering building a frame but if I could just pin and tape sheeting to the woodwork that would be a lot easier. The house is over 100 years old and the rafters aren't in the greatest shape - is there likely to be any issues from that if I taped sheeting to them? I'm thinking about possible bugs and mould

[grower951]

Convert if you have the means/skills

[Lux_Interior]

Just now, sinisterminister said:

Thanks! Yeah, I have been looking at reflective sheeting. I was considering building a frame but if I could just pin and tape sheeting to the woodwork that would be a lot easier. The house is over 100 years old and the rafters aren't in the greatest shape - is there likely to be any issues from that if I taped sheeting to them? I'm thinking about possible bugs and mould

 

I built a rough frame using old Ikea shelving frames. I pinned sheeting directly onto rafters and the frame. I had no issues with mould. I had to lag it for winter use though. My house is 90yrs old.

 

 

My old loft grow exterior.

 

 

... and the interior.

[kronic420]

Your going to want some good insulation to keep temps right 50mm will just about do but 100mm is what you really want (kingspan or similar)  ,  led for the summer and hps for winter , bring air in from the house and extract into a chimney or a roof vent if you vent straight into loft space you could end up with a mouldy loft   , full hydro could be a pain to keep root temps in the correct range , coco run to waste would possibly be better. A water source in the loft is always handy as lugging bottles/buckets of water up and down can become a real chore.

 

growing in the loft is absolute ball ache and I wouldn’t wish it on anybody and it’s about to become the most expensive place to grow during winter with the electric price hikes.

[RUFUS HOUND]

@kronic420 ya beat me to it - tent is easier and faster but  lofts get bloody cold in winter even when insulated you need a heat source of some sort if using LED over winter as they dont give out much heat. 

 

Top tip from kronic using prewarmed air from inside the house - even better if you can put tent  inside the house but I appreciate sometimes we have no choice. do it myself 

[Lux_Interior]

13 minutes ago, RUFUS HOUND said:

Top tip from kronic using prewarmed air from inside the house - even better if you can put tent  inside the house but I appreciate sometimes we have no choice. do it myself 

 

 

This was my active intake to the loft via a carpet loft hatch but in winter it really helped.

[Kushtydon]

I've Just setup my loft, my house is also 100 years old the tiles were exposed through the rafters so I started by insulating between the rafters with rockwool. I then stapled thermo foil to the rafters. I used100mm Kingspan boards screwed to the rafters and repeated the process in the the eves and gable ends. Extraction goes into the chimney  and for the intake I have gone through the  ceiling into a cupboard to draw warm air in.

I'm using a 1.2 x 2.1 loft tent and have 4 300w leds in there with a 180w tube heater.  Im going to run the lights at night during coldest part. We will see I may end up sticking two 600w hps I  there if the temps are too low.

 

Without insulating it properly theres no point.  If you can't do the whole loft maybe look at building a small room with kingspan that way you wouldn't need too many boards.

Edited September 1, 2022 by Kushtydon

[Larry Badgeley]

1 hour ago, Kushtydon said:

 

I'm using a 1.2 x 2.1 loft tent and have 4 300w leds in there with a 180w tube heater.  Im going to run the lights at night during coldest part. We will see I may end up sticking two 600w hps I  there if the temps are too low.

 

 

 

Which equates to?

 

1.2KW led +1.2KW hps  + 180W  Tube heater. Good luck with your Electricity bill

[MidgeSmith]

I got 2 Oz out of a 60cm x 40cm x 60cm tent and two Royal Dwarf plants, I am sure you can do what you want to in your loft

 

[Kushtydon]

3 minutes ago, Larry Badgeley said:

 

Which equates to?

 

1.2KW led +1.2KW hps  + 180W  Tube heater. Good luck with your Electricity bill

I ment if it was too cold using the led's then I would swap them for the hps. Come on bro think about it all them lights wouldn't even fit in that small tent 

[Michael Luchóg]

Ample space there . I have a crawlspace ! 

You could do some preparation, insulation ,heat mat etc ,and use the slightly bigger tent by cutting a little piece off four upright poles .The tent wont be tight , a little bit saggy / baggy but no matter.

[RUFUS HOUND]

what size tent are you thinking about as they come in various heights - I have a 60x60xh140 which should fit in middle, youll get 2 or 3 plants in there no probs 

 

@Lux_Interior what are your lights shown in your loft grow pics ?

Edited September 2, 2022 by RUFUS HOUND