After years of experience serving the state of Oregon, we have learned what works and what doesn't. While every situation is different, there are some basic principles of indoor gardening that are more or less universal.
When building your indoor garden, many factors must be taken into account, this page is intended as a starting point. Please feel free to contact us for custom designs and advise.
Contracting@EccentricAcres.com
Lights
 |
High Pressure Sodium and Metal Halide High intensity bulbs that use a lot of electricity While there are those that swear by 1000 Watt or nothing, the 600 watt systems are actually the only ones specifically designed for horticultural purposes. High Pressure Sodium bulbs replicate the light spectrum falling on the earth from the sun during the fall months, while Metal Halide bulbs replicate the light of spring. A combination of light spectrums is actually the best for growing, what is commonly referred to as autumn light. |
 |
T5 High Output fluorescent High intensity bulbs that use a small amount of electricity These bulbs are best for vegetative growth, they can also be placed very close to your plants without worry of burning. Distributed systems tend to be the most effective; i.e. Placing 8 single lights approximately every 12 inches along a reflective surface. |
 |
Compact Fluorescent Bulbs Low to Medium intensity bulbs that use a small amount of electricity Simply put, these are great for lighting your living room, not so good for growing plants under. Widely available, and an excellent source of cheap supplemental lighting for HPS systems, CFL lights are not worth the investment for a serious indoor gardener. |
 |
LED High intensity bulbs that use a miniscule amount of electricity At this point in their development, LED arrays are prohibitively expensive and do not produce the full light spectrum needed for substantial growth in your garden. Even the manufacturers of these bulbs recommend using conventional lighting to supplement the limited spectrum of the LED light. We look eagerly forward to the day when LEDs can be used for indoor gardening, but that day will not come for some time. |
Vented Hoods
If you are running HPS or MH lights, do not try to save a few pennies by getting wings or unvented hoods, especially if you plan on using 1000 watt systems. Why? Because every bulb is like running a plug in heater of the equivalent wattage. That heat has to go somewhere, and without venting it goes into the room, which means more time and energy spent on cooling.
 |
Vented Hoods The standard hood is designed for a 1000 watt bulb, for every size of bulb you go down, add an extension to the bulb. This will keep the bulb in the center of the reflective area and allow the reflector to work at maximum efficiency.
|
 |
Sun Tube Designed for both vertical and horizontal mounting, the internal reflector can be removed for 360 degrees of light. Excellent for maintaining temperature via removing heat by ventilation fan, but highly restrictive and requires more ventilation engineering than standard hoods. |
Ventilation
There are several philosophies for venting an indoor garden; but in the interest of maximizing yield while minimizing energy input, the following are examples of what works and what doesn't work.
 |
This type of hood ventilation doesn't work very well, it draws air from the room to cool the bulbs which means a lot has to be put into the room to cool it. Acceptable in cold climates that rarely exceed 70 degrees. The other equipment in the picture is for a CO2 enhanced aeroponic system. |
 |
A better design than the first, but only effective on the small scale where the garden area requires constant venting. A good way to keep your filter supplier happy, should you need to use one. |
 |
While the setup in the image to the left is extreme, it represents the best method for hood venting possible. This design moves all of the hot air from the bulbs out to atmosphere while drawing from atmosphere. No need for inline filters. Water cooling systems may also be used, but the efficiency gain is negligible in most areas compared to the cost of the system. |
Photo of an insulated atmosphere to atmosphere cooling system that allows a minimum of heat transfer to room. Insulation over ducting is generally not needed, and we consider it to be a 'luxury' expense.
*Using 1000 watt bulbs: each hood will require at least 150 CFM of air flow, the more the better, but 150 is the minimum; in 6 inch hoods 3 or more hoods in series will need a fan at the beginning of the line and one at the end of the line; and remember that the average 6 inch vented hood has a maximum run of 3 lights in series.
*Using 600 watt bulbs: each hood will require at least 100 CFM of air flow, again the more the better, but 100 is the minimum; in 6 inch hoods 3 or more hoods in series will need a fan at the beginning of the line and one at the end of the line; but the average 6 inch vented hood has a maximum run of 5 lights in series.
Cloning
 |
Cloning buckets are easy to make, easy to use, and have a high clone survival rate. Any five gallon bucket can be used, so long as you have a lid that fits Inside, a submersible pump powers 8 sprayers Important, an air pump should be used to aerate the water (just like in a fish tank) Water temperature should be kept low, usually between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit Water pH should be approximately 6.0 Nutrient recommendations: Rhizotonic and Clone Feed |
 |
Root growth can take up to 2 weeks, and tap roots will grow to the bottom of the reservoir quickly. |