I know this is said every day on here but this is my first time growing now that i got my med card and i want to do it correct in every aspect. I also want to buy quality equipment the first time around whether thats online or in stores, so i don't have to waste my money on new equipment after 1 grow. (but of course i want to find deals!) I have been researching the last month or so and i think im ready. I went and bought a cheap ass light proof wooden cabinet from goodwill that fits in the corner of the room, happen to be lockable with 2 keys and was only 5 bucks. Another reason i got it is the back two walls are a super solid cardboard material that wont be too hard to cut through. The cabinet is a weird shape, but for some reason looked like it would be good for light reflection (maybe cuz i was stoned) but it is about 2 feet x 2 feet x 3 feet tall and i plan on lining it all including the floor and door with mylar. My Plan is to go with a hempy bucket so i can get a decent yield off one plant and or DWC (how many plants do you think i can grow in here and what size gallon bucket should i use?) if you can give me ALL my possible options!! Also what fertilizer suggestions for each type of grow? As for the light which i have found to be the most important and most spendy thing, i wanted to get the highest watt possible that wouldnt make my small cabinet turn into hawaii I wanted to make sure it could use a HPS AND MH bulb for vegetative and flowering growth if this is possible. **What wattage can i go up to in this small of a space?** I plan on doing whatever i have to do to ventilate the light i use and the cabinet, but this happens to be my biggest concern and worry. ANY AND ALL VENTILATION TIPS FOR HIGH WATTAGE IN THIS SMALL PLACE IS VERY APPRECIATED. (i have a air condition for the room its in if i must add it the the electricity bill) "My" light plan is to use a 400-600 watt mh/hps light with a cooling reflector timer and of course ballast. As for how the cooling reflectors work and are assembled im not quite sure but i know it consists of fans and duct work, cant be too hard. IF THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE PLEASE TELL ME AND GIVE ME A BETTER OPTION! Now as for any other ventilation in order to cool the cabinet down, i am 100% clueless on, i don't know where or how many fan holes to cut (let alone a good way in cutting a fan hole lol) nor what fan/fan systems are best to ventilate a small cabinet. Again, any information on the whole ventilation system for this cabinet in detail would be greatly appreciated!! I know this is lengthy and alot to read, but if there is ANY indoor marijuana growing specialist out there with some time on their hands that can answer all my questions thoroughly, (and yes i know there are alot of you out there lol) then please DO SO, i want this to be a successful learning experience that will lead on to more and more experiences for the rest of my life, im young and very into the medicinal cannabis culture, it takes up alot of my time already and i dont even grow yet lol, i don't ever see the passion fading. Now that im done typing and re-reading this damn thing im going to load a fat bowl of this here Ice and Cheese with some Perma Frost bubble hash on top, the nearby dispenser keeps a great selection of meds. Peace and thank you to anyone that can help me out, pics of the cabinet will be up asap. THE GROW HAS NOW BEEN CHANGED TO A CLOSET DUE TO HEIGHT AND HEAT ***SCROLL DOWN***
looks nice cant wait to see the progress.ill have to read the posting later but i wanted to say thats a badass shaped cab thatll be sweet, and also from wht i did skim the 4-600w light seems to me like it might be too hot, but then agin you might be master cooler. ....subbbbbed
Thank you! But yes i really dont wana go below a 400 watt, i wana overwhelm the one plant with light, and if i need to set up a master ventilation system i will. After reading a bit more last night i think a 400 watt with a 6in cool tube reflector with a 6in inline duct fan and a 4in inline fan and carbon filter combo just may work.(all on htg supply) I can filter all the light's heat out into the room the cabinet is in (my bedroom ) and if i must air condition the room then i can do that. I plan on also having a in and out fan(s) on the bottom/top. Yes i know with a good ventilation system comes noise, so if i have to buy a muffler i will, im not sure how they work though. Here is some pics i found with similar ideas. Would these set ups work for a 400 watt? 600 watt?!?
I'm antsy, and a bit confident, so i made the move, tell me what you think, how am i gunna do? Anything else im going to need? Anything i got not going to be able to work in a small cabinet? Appreciate any feedback. Thank you for your order. Order date: 9/23/2011 5:51:21 PM SKU\tProduct Name\tQuantity\tUnit Price\tTotal Price NUT-GH-GH1514 General Hydroponics pH Control Kit 1 $17.50\t$17.50 NUT-AN-BGM Advanced Nutrients - Grow, Micro, Bloom Size: AN Grow Micro Bloom 3 Pack 1 liter 1 $39.95\t$39.95 VNT-GB-0600 Growbright 6 Inch Clip-On Fan 1 $19.95\t$19.95 ODR-GB4CMB GrowBright 4" Inline Fan & Carbon Filter Combo - 25 Feet of Durable Silver Ducting - No Fan Speed Controller - 1/8" Rope Ratchets - 75lb Max - 4" Duct Muffler - Standard Fan Warranty - No Timer 1 $200.85\t$200.85 LIN-MYL050 50 feet by 50 inch roll of Mylar - 2 mil 1 $17.95\t$17.95 HYD-BBSS Bubble Boy Single Shot DWC - 5 Gallon Bucket - No pH Equipment 1 $31.50\t$31.50 ACC-GB105 GrowBright Indoor - Outdoor Thermometer with Hygrometer 1 $14.95\t$14.95 GL-DG400HPS Digital Greenhouse 400 Watt Grow Light - Steel Wheel HiLo Hangers - GrowBright 400w HPS Bulb - Standard Warranty - CoolTube 6" Reflector - 240 volt power cord - GrowBright 400 Watt MH Conversion Bulb - Dual Outlet Digital Timer w/ Battery BackUp - 120v 1 $290.45\t$290.45 NUT-AN-BC Advanced Nutrients Bud Candy Size: Bud Candy 250ml 1 $11.56\t$11.56 VNT-DUCT-6 6" Inline Duct Fan 1 $24.95\t$24.95 Subtotal:\t$669.61 Tax:\t$0.00 Shipping:\t$91.06 Order Total:\t$760.67
i see a HUGE no-no ...get that shotgun away from the cab if your gunna have plants in it...put it in safe or somewhere ...guns n medicine are never good together. but good find on the cab!
I had to re arrange my room in order to fit the cabinet in the corner of the room, i just set it there for now since there are no signs of growing yet, although i did not know it was even that big of a deal so thank you for the warning! I may grow in another empty cabinet thats a bit taller now anyways, or even a closet, i dont want to be limited to height, or space at all.
Yeah just judging from the size of the cabinet alone, I would say a big issue is gonna be your height. You figure you need about 1 foot for the pot, and maybe 6-10inches for reflector/ cooltube/ the 400w grow light you got going. This leaves about 1 foot for grow space... It's still doable I think with 1 plant if you are taking the time to LST and do something like a SCROG method, but be aware that you need to make that light VERY cool. Normally, a reflector that is not cooled usually you keep 20inches from the canopy. My suggestion would be to turn this area into either a small CFL grow (they put off less wattage but also take up much less space and don't put off as much heat as an HPS or MH). OR you could use it as a cloning cabinet/ veg room. Flowering I would probably suggest doing in a closet or bigger cabinet as you suggested. Other than that I think you got a lot of the starting basics (just gotta make sure you save money for water, whether it be a filter you buy or buying gallons of water). Also, on a side note, that scrubber you got, if It's the size I think it is, you might be better off mounting it on the outside of the grow room (so rather than it being inside sucking in, you have it on the outside having air pushed from the grow room out the scrubber). This can help save some room in your room if you are able to cut holes freely in either the cabinet or the closet/ bigger cabinet. Last thing I wanna touch on is making sure you keep some extra money handy for emergencies. With any system, there will be problems in some form, be it a failing pump, a clogged air stone, bulb failure, spider mite infestation, etc. It's these kinds of things that I would always have a hydro store or gardening store close by and be able to reach them if it's a dire situation like the above. The worst thing you can have happen is get 6 weeks into flowering and end up having to cut down your whole harvest without a single bud to show for it (heard many stories like it). Best of luck to ya! I hope to get somethin' pretty similar runnin' in the next few months so I appreciate the ideas. -Chef Green
Yes when i was getting into the hieght for cabinets i was looking into a scrog, but i have decided to go with a larger closet about 2x5x8 feet and have already been setting it up since this morning since everything came in today! As for the cool little cabinet it will be used to store growing supplies until i turn it into a nice little clone/veg room. I didnt know the water was so big i always read that most average houses in average places have water that will work fine for growing marijuana as long as you leave it out for about 24 hours to let the chlorine evaporate and adjust the ph, which i was planning on doing in a 5 gallon bucket. does that sound right? anything i should add/take away in that process? *** As for carbon scrubber i shouldnt have a problem with space now but i do have some questions for it. I bought a 4in carbon scrubber/ fan/ muffler combo with a 6in inline duct fan to add some cfm, and im wondering if this would be effective at all... -> = air flow -> scrubber -> duct -> cooltube -> 6in inline duct fan -> duct -> 4 in inline fan -> muffler This is probably hard to imagine but i was wondering if having the system simply run like this by itself on the top shelf while the duct reaches down to the cool tube would be effective. Just to eliminate the odor and fan noise? i know this will not help with any type of exhausting, just wondering it will cover the smell/noise effectively with no problems. *** And thanks for the warning! Below are some pics of my setup i ordered from HTG, and the closet before i touched it. ANY sort of ventilation tips for this closet would still be EXTREMELY helpful, it is still definitely my biggest worry. I do have a A/C for the room/ closet if needed. And there is a window across the room. Cutting holes would be my biggest hassle so thats what i'm trying to avoid. As of right now the closet stays around 73 degrees F when there is nothing running inside there. Should i leave the door open when the lights are on?!? Other easy options? I will try to take more pics of my set up ideas, i was thinking of having an ac at a controlled temp and 1x1 foot fan blowing into the closet while the lights are on and having the ac on my duel outlet timer with the light to shut off when it does. And then i would have to flower during night so the closet would be pitch black during the dark phase. Again i know this is all hard to picture but any input is helpful! Oh and the extra closet door is for if i HAVE to cut ventilation holes. Thanks for scrolling down this far
Looks good man, diggin' the more space for sure = ). As for prepping it, just go through a couple grows on here or use common sense when preparing the interior. Stuff like putting something down on the carpet to prevent any nasty spills that could happen from soaking into the carpet (also the whole closet will be somewhat humid at times so carpets can be good places for mold to grow too, take precautions in that measure). Wipe down EVERYTHING in the grow room with disenfectanct, just those basic stuff so that the room is still usable after your done ^_^. Also, didn't notice if you had all your DWC equipment yet? But just be sure to have all your stuff before you start so you aren't rushing when clones/ seedlings are growing outta the medium. As far as ventilation goes, that kind of sliding closet can be somewhat troublesome if you're trying to maintain any stealthiness. Obviously just opening the door a few inches and running your ducting out is a completely viable option (just don't have any lights in the room running when the plants are in dark mode). Other options could be: A) If this pad needs to stay in good condition (no damage to drywall, etc) - Maybe purchase a second door for the sliding mechanism, and cut out a rectangular hole on the bottom to put a vent like you would see in the floors of homes. You put the cover on the outside of the door and on the inside, you have a rectangular duct converter thing to the 4-6in duct work you got (just check local hardware store, you'll see what I mean I hope). This would be my offhand idea for maintaining that stealthy look. B) If the same issue is a problem with maintaining good condition of building/ room could get black poster board / cardboard to put up near the door that is left ajar and cut the ductwork holes into THAT rather than the door. This still is not very stealthy, but it gives the added benefit of not needing to worry about the room's lights because light (when properly sealed with aluminum tape on inside, etc.) should stay in / out of the grow room. C) If you are confident with your hardware skills, then by all means cut into the plaster/ drywall to either feed the ductwork somewhere in the house/ out of the house. Personally, I think there are other possibilities but those were the few ideas that just came to me offhand. Also, the crack in the sliding doors should be light proofed but again this is in the initial steps to making the room. If you're looking for good circulation, for the inside of the growroom, just look for the proper CFM. For instance, you grow room is 2X5X8 = 80 CF. You need something that can change out 80 cubic feet of air in a minute. Alas though, that's all I can really say on ventilation (not my expertise at all >.<). GL with it! -Chef GG
Damn it, i put up all my mylar already, all i did was vacuum the carpet in the closet and wipe down the top shelf with a wet rag Do i have to take it down and clean the walls? Whats a good disinfectant to go out and buy for a grow room? Any tips to avoid the humidity reaching the carpet and causing problems? I do plan on going out and getting some plastic to cover the floor of the closet. Yes i got my DWC kit from HTG as well, only thing i was thinking about adding was maybe another air stone and even air pump, i always read the more oxygen in your water the better for your roots the better your bud, is it worth the purchase? I also was a bit disappointed the kit didnt come with that outside tube like most home made buckets so that you can see the water level.. Hoping it isnt going to make too big of a difference when growing marijuana.. As for using a new door i do have an extra door that i have in case i take that route, i know exactly what kind of vent your talking about for the bottom of the door, but i was worried that wouldnt vent the heat enough, i would probably have to use one of those vent as a intake of some sort and have a exhaust hole at the top of the door, since the door would be closed and trapping the heat, but making the holes are what im trying to avoid due to lack of tools.. Using some black cardboard may be a good option to making those holes though, thanks for the ideas and all the input, and ill be sure to make that crack light tight!
Grow Micro Bloom (Vegetative) - Vegetative Growth Base Week 1\t Week 2\t Week 3\t Week 4\t Total Grow\t 75.71 mL\t75.71 mL\t75.71 mL\t75.71 mL\t302.83 mL Micro\t 75.71 mL\t75.71 mL\t75.71 mL\t75.71 mL\t302.83 mL Bloom\t 75.71 mL\t75.71 mL\t75.71 mL\t75.71 mL\t302.83 mL This is my plan as for my nutrients for my vegetative growth, this is copied directly off the advanced nutrients website with the PH perfect nutrient calculator, does it look about right? anything i should add or take away? I plan on changing the nutes out weekly and topping the water off with ph adjusted water daily. Along with the weekly change i will also be using some H202 i picked up today. **Another big question i still have is should i or should i not leave a 5 gal bucket of water out over night in order for chlorine to evaporate? Anything you can add to my nute plan or tell me im doing wrong before it happens would be much appreciated. Heres some more pics, it's coming together, still some more odds and ends i have to go get tomorrow and some setting up to do. Hoping to get a clone in the DWC bucket soon.
Update... Heres some new pics of the closet and set up for everyone else though! Thanks for looking, hopefully this power plant turns out to be a powerful plant like the dispensary claimed!
hope this helped, my temps are perfect, water cleanliness.. not so much lol. in the process of fixing that now.
Update.. finally got a simple filter for my water, ph and ppm meter, and got my ph under control for once. Heres how the first plant ended up looking before i decided to pull it out. Heres how the first plant should have looked (same strain) Heres some more pics of the set up..
Looks great man You must of spent a lot of money hey Mine no where as good as your s Can t wait to see the outcome.
Thank you, took a look at your plant, looks good for a first plant! Wish i was asking questions about harvesting lol. Hope to have this power plant lookin the along the same lines. Maybe with a bit more thc, since i invested about a grand into everything for this grow.
Update... Week 2 of clone attempt 2.. still having some serious problems with the water/nutrients/ph.. Been trying to figure it out all week. Here's how she looks.