Need Help with my Grow Closet

[greenphoenix07]

Hello,

I am new to this forum... I have been lurking around several others lately, and just heard about this one yesterday... I need some advice..

I have a closet that I will be creating a grow room from for my first grow(personal use)... Here are the details:

The room is 5ft(deep) x 4.5ft(wide) x 9ft(tall).

I have purchased strong reflective sheeting from my local hydro shop and will be covering the entire closet in this material. It is very strong and will withstand walking on it and other light stress.

I have a 400 HPS from HTG for $120. Came with a reflector hood. I am going to run a 2x4 across the top of the room and hang the light by a strong cable so it can be adjustable height.

I will be growing two strains - Joey Weed AK47 F2 and Blueberry F2.

I have Foxfarm Ocean Forest Soil and perlite that will be mixed into it. I also have Foxfarm Grow Big, Tiger Bloom, and Big Bloom.

I will be attaching an outdoor digital temp/humidity sensor inside the room(I only saw outdoor ones at Lowes, but the guy in garden center said if I hook it up indoors it will show the readings for indoors - is that right?)

This is my first grow, so I am not going to make two chambers(one for flowering and one for veg)... I plan to do this for my second grow, but for the first time, I am starting simple.

I will be starting the seedlings off in Solo cups with 3 CFL 26W lights with reflective material around it(probably will do this in a small grow box of its own) I will then be transplanting to the larger pots when the time comes...

I have a shop power strip that has a circuit breaker fuse for overloads.(Is this the safest I can get... I really dont want any fires)

I have a oscillating table fan that will be inside the room for air circulation and to promote good stem strength.

I have a box fan that I am attaching a furnace filter with a layer of active carbon on the back of the box fan to help with odor control. This fan will be in the bedroom that the closet is in.

From earlier posts I have been told I need some kind of intake and exhaust for the room to help with temperature control. I own the house so I can do minor cutting through drywall, etc. I have thought of putting a 50-70 cfm bathroom fan/vent in the ceiling of the room. There is a flourescent light attached in the ceiling of the closet now. If i installed a bathroom fan/vent, I should be able to use the wires that are up there for the light, right? Then the switch that is used for the light now would operate the vent fan...? I am not real great at electrical work, but I would image I could handle that... thoughts? I would much much rather use something I can plug into an outlet instead of having to do any wiring to exhaust through out the room. Either way, I will be cutting a hole in the ceiling of the room to attach dryer vent duct that will run to the attic.

My other questions are:

- Ideas on my exhaust problem..?
- Ideas for intake for cool air to go into room. Again, anything that can just be plugged into an outlet is much better than if I have to do any wiring.
- Can the dryer duct that is running out of closet into attic just be plainly exhausting into attic or do I need to filter that air?
- How many plants should I plan to be able to put in the room?
- Do I need to worry about helicopters and IR(FLIR) with a grow this small?

Sorry for writing such a long post, but I want to make sure I have thought of everything since I have put so much money into it so far and I dont want to mess everything up because I overlooked something. Anything I havent thought of or anything I have listed that you do not think will work? Any ideas/thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

- Green

[THeCloset]

Do n't apologize for the post, you hit it home.

Check out my pictures of my growbox with the link below, you can see that i have wired a 75cfm bathroom exhaust fan to a regular household power cable, (from a blowdryer or a stereo) easily doable. You should put the fan in a corner at the ceiling with air intake at the bottom of the room. this draws the already rising heat away from the plants, you may need to make a long power chord. Don't worry about venting in cool air. Plant's need warmth,50 - 80 degrees depending on what stage you're in.

If heat exceeds that, a small air conditioner.

You don't have to worry about helicopters with a grow that small. If you're smart. Don't vent your air into the attic. Heat collects in the attic and helicopters see that on their scanners.

You have 22.5 square feet. I have 2 and a half. I'm squeezing two maturing plants. You could probably grow 15-18 plants comfortably. I've never done anything so big, so, anyone, please, feel free to correct me

[morbazon420]

22.5sq ft with a 400 watt light system is only 17.7 watts per sq ft thats a little low imo
i would invest in another 400 watt light
just my 2 cents
morbazon420

[THeCloset]

Extrmely good point, although, one should measure lumens per sq foot not watts. How many lumens does this light you've researched putt out?

You should look in to that.

[greenphoenix07]

Thanks for the posts... I have the 400W HPS light from HTGsupply.com that costs $120... it says it puts out 55,000 lumens... Is that enough? I have really strong reflective material that will be put all over the walls too... Im also considering adding a few CFLs to the room too... What do you think of adding CFLs and having the HPS too? Also... I see where I shouldnt have to worry about venting cold air into the room.. so I really only need a vent on the floor that has access to cold air? ... The room is a closet and I can cut a 6" hole at bottom of wall that is connected to the bedroom and put a register cover over it... will that be enough without using a fan to pull it in? If i need a fan, will a PC fan work?

A lot of questions... I appreciate any input..

-Green

[THeCloset]

That's a perfect light for 4-6 plants. maybe more. You should definatley start with just cfls. They will grow your plants all the way to flowering stage. You should look at my grow to get an idea of how to grow with fluorescents. I'm going to be upgrading my lights really soon. Then use the HPS for flowering. Much money saved on electricity bill. You don't really need cold air at all. Just have air circulating and that'll keep your plants I wouldn't suggest a computer fan. Get a bathroom exhaust fan and put it in the corner of the room on the ceiling. Have an intake hole at the bottom of the room.

[greenphoenix07]

Sounds like a good idea... Thanks... Im gonna check out your grow too..

[THeCloset]

Any updates?