GrowBox Clarifications

[commanderkeen]

I am totally new to growing but i found this guide: http://greenmanspage.com/guides/growbox.html
it says 4x4x4 should be ok, i look on this site, there is a little closet or something on lowes.com, this one: lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=13331-77268-851400&pad=true

and most of the other links on that page say they are dead because overgrow was shut down.

now, how small is the smallest space i can grow in? what are the things i can change and what cant i change, that cabinet on lowes says its 12" at the bottom, enough for one plant maybe? Im thinking 2x2x3 or 2x2x4 feet maybe for the box size, would that work at all?
also where can I look locally for HID lights, or could I make do with something else that I could find locally? - I am in canada near toronto by the way.
i'm kindof on a budget as if I am going to do this it is going to be done right, and that means somewhat of an investment needs to be made.
ALso, are there any plants that have the same kind of grow cycle or whatever as cannabis that I could try with? probably not tomato plants but is there something i could plant that I could treat the same as cannabis and it would grow? (something legal...)
I am definitely not willing to spend 200$ on stuff for it, I want it to be as cheap, and as small as possible, I want to be able to transport it when I move without many problems.

so, advice, ideas, opinions?
I wish there were kindof fixed links to things that werent overgrow, i got into this stuff just as overgrow was shut down, seems like it was an amazing source of info.

*edit*
CFL's? I just read a post that they were good for small grows, and I'm thinking ill get 2, maybe 4 plants in the box.

thanks

keen

[BAGZ]

Ok if your growing in a 2x2x4 box grow 4 plants(1sq ft per plant) . look at insidesun.com for lights they are cheaper then the ones you find at a local store. If you cant buy it online go to a growing store,lowes,homedepot..or anywhere that sells grow lights. I recomend a mh for veg and a hps for flowering but if you cant spent that much get ATLEAST 300watts of cfls in there.if you can get 600watts of cfls.Yes overgrow was a very good site and it sucks they were shut down. Anyway you need to think about ventalation also ..get a vortex blower at discounthydro.com or if you dont have the money just get some pc fans, Remember there shouldnt be any light leaks so youll need to make a light trap of some sort over the fans if you get the pc fans. I also have been lookig for something legal to grow and can only think of salvia divinorum Which gives you a high ..not like marijuana but it sounds interesting to grow so if you find anything let me know.

[commanderkeen]

its legal but its also impossible to find (salvia)
and so home hardware or home depot should have these lights? are they specificaly "grow lights" or do they have other uses that will be more common?
whats this light trap thing, i have a few pc fans and I was thinking of using those but I dont understand the light trap, what are some examples of what a light trap looks like?

[TheFxckingHero]

salvia doesn't grow similarly... and it's not impossible to find. a lot of sites sell cuttings.

[commanderkeen]

I cant get things online though so i need to find everything locally, its just i dont want my mail checked or whatever.
2x2x4 should work for a box, how many lumens do i need again for 4 plants? i saw some 850lumen CFL's at home hardware for 4 for around 20$, and timers for like 15$, now all i gotta do is find a nice box or something.
maybe ill just learn how to grow other cheaper plants first with this growbox, or is pot the only thing you can grow in growboxes

[BAGZ]

Theres ones that are 1750 lumens. Get atleast 8. but if you can get as many as possible. Ill look for a pic of a light trap and post it when i find it. Also you can search for one on here youll find it.

[commanderkeen]

how many lumens do i need per plant say? like if i want 2-4 plants going? - actually about these lights, would a setup with like lights in each corner work? they need to be close to the plants so i would need to put them on some kind of mounting thing? and also what size would be good for a small growbox? 2x2x4 or would 3 feet suffice for height? or is it better to be wider on the bottom and like 2x3x3 or 2x2x2 ... i'm looking for kindof portability and i dont want it to get in the way or anything. how many pc fans do i need to get going well? like 1 on top and 1 on bottom for that size or whats up?

http://www.canadiantire.ca/assortmen...=1147143632065
is this deal any good? its a halogen light and i have heard nothing about these for growing, however 300watts for 13$? cant go wrong i dont think, lol, and i cant find how many lumens it has ...
http://www.canadiantire.ca/assortmen...=1147143632005
there is a 500W one for around the same price, can someone tell me about these halogen floodlights and if they are any good for growing?
also i cant find any boxes anywhere like that one from lowes that is reccomended on the guides, any idea where i'd find one in the toronto area for that cheap?
thanks
keen

[TheFxckingHero]

no, don't use the halogen lights. unfortunately, they get extremely hot and they aren't good for growing. I wish they were though, because they're cheap as shit.

[BAGZ]

You want 1sq ft per plant unless your doing a scrog. So if you make the box 2x2x4 thats perfect for 4 plants if you want 2 make it 2x1x4. If you can make it taller then 4ft i would but i wouldnt make it any smaller. No you dont need it wider remember its 1sq ft per plant .Put both fans on the top or in the back for exhaust with light traps over them.Search around youll find pics of one. Then use holes on the botton for passive intake ..the exhaust will suck air inthrough the passive intake when it blows it out.for this it has to be air tight .No dont use thoes lights if you cant get a hps get cfls .atleasr 8 .The ones with 1750 lumens,If you have anyother questions just ask

[commanderkeen]

ok so 2x3x4 I think is what i will go with as long as it will fit in my closet in my bedroom i think, i may put it in the basement, how much do they smell?
and how much do these 1750 lumens lights cost? and how much is a setup for them?

i know that i need 1)wood to make it 2)lights 3) sockets for the lights 4)timer 5) some kind of flat white paint, i dont wanna mess with mylar or whatever 6) fans 7)some kind of light trap and 8)seeds, all the bagseeds ive got havent even sprouted, i'm pretty sure they are too old or something
anyway that is all i need or is there anything else? well other than pots and soil?

[BAGZ]

check the link in my sig. itll tell you everything you need
get the stuff i listed under 1-4 plants.

[commanderkeen]

awesome. thanks dude.
any details on hooking stuff up neatly etc? like i read that the CFL's need to be reeeeallly close to the plants and so like i need a fixture of some kind for that, and how to hookup chargers to fans maybe? we'll see.
im just gonna go out and look at *possibly get* supplies today.
thanks

[commanderkeen]

OK so for $106.71 canadian I can get the following:
3 pieces of 2x2x8 wood, 8 CFL lights at i think 1650 lumens each, 6 splitter thingies so i can plug all 8 into 2 sockets, 3 90degree PVC corners, 2" Inside diameter, some white paint/primer (should work?), a timer, a latch and some hinges.
whaddya think? i have some 3/4? or 1/2"thick wood here, 2 4x8 sheets of it to make the sides and top and bottom.
Anything I'm missing? should the 8 CFL's give me a half decent grow?

hope to pick it all up by the end of the week